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Should I Or Shouldn't I?


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Probably a daft question to ask on the Lexus Owners Club forum but I'm still undecided about buying an IS200!

I went to see a few at a local Lexus dealer at the weekend and one caught my eye. An IS200SE auto in silver 2004 (54 plate) with 24k on the clock. No satnav but that's not a big deal anyway as I've got one already. Price is nearly £12k.

So, the only things I'm hesitant about are...

Car tax going up next year, low mpg on the IS200, servicing costs, etc. ... I guess most of the cars I'd be looking at will be hit by these problems anyway.

Wheel geometry ... do Lexus dealers sort out the front wheels properly now or is the concensus that I'll still need to get this done by WIM (in which case, is there somewhere nearish to Leeds who will do this?). My previous Lexus suffered from this problem.

At the moment, IMO the only car that comes close to the IS200 is a Honda Accord Exec but there's not that many around in decent nick.

Any thoughts and opinions?

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I had the previous model (to the current one) Honda Accord Executive.

Very reliable and well built/specified car.

I have to say the IS200 is in a different league (especially if you get full leather - my only gripe about mine- sorted now :winky:).

Almost forgot... WIM are the only people who get to touch the Geo on my car. You will need to contact

Tony. and see what he suggests to help you.

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To buy or not too buy!

if i didn't have one already and i was looking for a car then i wouldn't buy a is200! it sounds crazy i know but the only reason i still have mine was i bought it when fuel and tax was relatively cheap (well cheaper than now and the future).

The only reason i am keeping mine now is because i have the car at present and its worth nothing compared to what i paid for it several years ago. Don't get me wrong i love the car to bits but its costing more and more to run and own the thing!

Anyway, if you can afford to run the lexus then go for it! Plus i believe if you speak with tony at WIM then he will supply the settings so you can get the geo done closer to home, although im taking mine to Tony tomorrow, despite it being a 5 hour round trip as the guy is a legend and i would rather take it to him knowing that his work will be spot on!!!!!

Jason :P

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If your going to spend that sort of cash on a motor then like you say fuel, tax, insurance, servicing are going to be high whatever you get so you might aswell just get what you really want and will be happy with rather than picking something and regretting it, as for the Geo i've heard TDI North in Warrington (not a million miles down M62) mentioned a few times on here, but general opinion is Tony at WIM is god a this stuff so may be best to get his advice on anyone your thinking of taking it to. :)

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If you can aford then do it....

but there alot of ppl selling up coz of fuel/tax .....i'm still making my mind up if i will be keeping it as the double tax and the fuel drinking car is killing my bank

if i could run 2 cars i would 2nd being a ford mondeo TD

but i still love the damn lex

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why not buy an older one for less money in good nick, if ur up to it get a reg before 2001 and ur not hit by the higher tax.

with all that change from 12k by buying an older one u could do any little mods u fancy

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Personally if it was me and I wanted a lex I wouldnt look at the 200/ Dont get me wrong I love the car but is it worth the 20 mpg 400 quid tax plus insurance and normal running costs? IMO no an IS-F has similar running costs that however would be worth it.

With the current climate to tax everything regardless of requirements id go, and will be soon, for a 220d

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Thanks for the feedback everyone.

After thinking long and hard about the pros and cons of buying an IS200 I've decided that maybe it's not such a good idea after all.

So I'm thinking of buying an IS300 instead!

Reasons behind this - car tax increases coming in next year are the same for the 200 and 300 (so I started thinking why not go for the higher spec if it costs the same). There's very little difference in price between the two now (I'm guessing this is because a lot of people are put off by the high insurance, tax, low mpg, etc. on the 300). Insurance probably isn't much more than what I'm paying now on my CTS (group 14/15?).

The MPG is still a bit of a problem (I think the 300 only manages about 25 compared to about 28 on the 200 so it's not a huge difference) but these days I tend to do less than 8k a year so maybe it's just something I'll have to get used to.

So I'm going to view/test drive a 2004 IS300LE over the weekend. Are there any major differences between the LE and SE?

I'm guessing the 300 also suffers from the front tyre wear problem that affects the 200?

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Lol as I started to read the top of this thread I was going to say why don't you get an IS300 instead, and then get to the bottom and you've already decided it!

Makes more sense now, prices aren't too different, both in high tax band, and the economy isn't that different either.

The only difference between the LE and the standard 300 is the special grey paint I believe, any post 2004 IS300 should be identical in every other way

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if we have managed to persuade you to look at IS300s (which are all auto), can we persuade you to look at an Aristo? Since you only do 8k miles a year, fuel won't be that much of an issue, and I'm sure that twin turbo engine would leave you grinning all the way home :shifty:

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Bit of a disappointing weekend really. I went for a test drive in the IS300 but just before we set off I noticed a bit of masking tape hanging off one of the headlights. When I asked the sales guy about it he said that the car had only just come out of the bodyshop which started me worrying.

The dealer was a bit vague as he just said it had been in an accident and most of the drivers side needed to be replaced or resprayed plus one of the tires was damaged (big chunk of rubber missing). I couldn't see underneath so I wasn't sure if there was damage to the chassis. Still quite a few scratches down one of the doors too.

All the wheels were badly corroded and curbed but there was a possibility of getting them refurbed as part of the sale (as it's a known problem with all the IS200/IS300s why don't Lexus dealers just do this before they put their cars on the forecourt?)

Car drove okayish - slight judder/wobble at high speed which I think indicates a tracking problem on the front. I love the IS300 gearbox though, so precise and smooth.

I took an IS200 auto out for a drive too which seemed a better car (roughly the same age as the 300 but over a grand more!) - was seriously considering buying it but the dealer gave me an awful part-ex offer on my CTS and wouldn't really budge on the price more than a few quid so I walked away.

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Yep. Alarm bells should be ringing. Walk away. There's plenty more out there.

My IS200 '05 plate is up for sale if you're interested. PM me if you would like more information :)

I'm looking for a part-ex on my current car so that rules out a private sale.

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Keep looking - I run a 300 all be it in sportcross form and it's everything you say - smooth, great drive fast or slow, marginally quick, rare as hens teeth and pretty to boot...

...and it will do 25mpg driving to work and back.

Good luck

jack

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Keep looking - I run a 300 all be it in sportcross form and it's everything you say - smooth, great drive fast or slow, marginally quick, rare as hens teeth and pretty to boot...

...and it will do 25mpg driving to work and back.

Good luck

Jack

Agreed, the SportCross adds the hatch practicality to the already excellent 300 - and they really do look great.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a quick update on my search for a Lexus : I was planning on going to have a look at an IS300 Sportcross in Sheffield over the weekend (looked like really good value on Autotrader - 2004 reg, only 26k, with Satnav, parking, FLSH, etc.).

Just before I set off I had a quick search on the Internet for the number plate and found it had previously been for sale here

http://www.salvagesparefinder.co.uk/LEXUS+...CROSS-13714.htm

From this...

before.jpg

To this...

after.jpg

:tsktsk:

...so I decided to stay at home instead!

Possibly another couple of IS300s worth going to have a look at but the places that sell them don't offer warranties so I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

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Yep. Alarm bells should be ringing. Walk away. There's plenty more out there.

My IS200 '05 plate is up for sale if you're interested. PM me if you would like more information :)

I'm looking for a part-ex on my current car so that rules out a private sale.

You can have mine for £12k!! SUPERCHARGED.

What car are trying to part-ex?

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Yep. Alarm bells should be ringing. Walk away. There's plenty more out there.

My IS200 '05 plate is up for sale if you're interested. PM me if you would like more information :)

I'm looking for a part-ex on my current car so that rules out a private sale.

You can have mine for £12k!! SUPERCHARGED.

What car are trying to part-ex?

I've got a Corolla TSport at the moment - has a decent amount of performance (for a Corolla!), quite cheap to run, very reliable, plus it's got all the toys I want, so it's been difficult finding something nice to replace it with.

I've decided on an IS300 mainly as it doesn't seem to cost much more than an IS200 to buy, tax, and run. Can't see the point in supercharging a 200 to be honest.

Just found another IS300 Sportcross for sale - £9k for a low mileage 53 plate. Hopefully going to see it some time this week or at the weekend.

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I've got a Corolla TSport at the moment - has a decent amount of performance (for a Corolla!), quite cheap to run, very reliable, plus it's got all the toys I want, so it's been difficult finding something nice to replace it with.

I've decided on an IS300 mainly as it doesn't seem to cost much more than an IS200 to buy, tax, and run. Can't see the point in supercharging a 200 to be honest.

Just found another IS300 Sportcross for sale - £9k for a low mileage 53 plate. Hopefully going to see it some time this week or at the weekend.

Well, the 200 charged is (roughly) the same power as the 300, and as it's all genuine Toyota parts it does not affect reliability, the 200 standard is just not as fast as it should be! The torque increase is amazing!

But for yourself, yeh a 300 may be a better option, i personally prefer a manual though.

PS. Die Unschuld ist keinen Verteidigung? The innocence is no what?

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