Is200 Sport Buying Advice

[Paradroid]

Hi folks,

I've just been looking at a late-model IS200 Sport - the one with the new light clusters and alloys. It's a 54 plate with 52k on it.

When checking the car out I was very happy with it overall. There's a few very minor bodywork things that need sorting, but there was three things I would appreciate some advice on:

1) I noticed something hanging down slightly at the front, checking further showed it was the engine undertray on the drivers side towards the back of the engine bay. Should be easy to sort?

2) There was a small set of white/blue wires hanging down slightly at corner of the rear bumper - the exhaust side. The car has reverse parking sensors fitted. Again they probably just need clipping back up?

3) I started the engine and it sounded lovely and smooth from inside the cabin. When outside the car, I could hear a very slight tappety noise. Given the engine was cold is this ok?

I've not test driven it yet but have got it reserved as I really like it. Just hoping I like the drive.

Thanks, hoping to join the forum properly soon :)

[Gord]

Hi folks,

I've just been looking at a late-model IS200 Sport - the one with the new light clusters and alloys. It's a 54 plate with 52k on it.

When checking the car out I was very happy with it overall. There's a few very minor bodywork things that need sorting, but there was three things I would appreciate some advice on:

1) I noticed something hanging down slightly at the front, checking further showed it was the engine undertray on the drivers side towards the back of the engine bay. Should be easy to sort?

2) There was a small set of white/blue wires hanging down slightly at corner of the rear bumper - the exhaust side. The car has reverse parking sensors fitted. Again they probably just need clipping back up?

3) I started the engine and it sounded lovely and smooth from inside the cabin. When outside the car, I could hear a very slight tappety noise. Given the engine was cold is this ok?

I've not test driven it yet but have got it reserved as I really like it. Just hoping I like the drive.

Thanks, hoping to join the forum properly soon :)

Hi

1. yes, just clip back up

2. yes, might just need putting back, but do thay work, is the big Q ????

3. yes normal, i can here mine more when i go to the drive thru at Mac Donalds :P but do check its been serviced :D

Where is it for sale ?

[Dan_Harris]

sorry to hijack but i'm in the market for my first lex, again looking at the is200 sport (pref with tte kit), just curious what are the key things to look for when buying a 2nd hand lex (going to be looking at a 2000 reg to avoid the tax boot :P)

[Rikos]

What you want is a nice royal saphire blue one 2001 Y reg sport with 86000 on the clock ...... o i have just like that for sale

Sorry back on topic, the 1st and 2nd problem should be easy to sort and just require clipping back in. The 3rd one maybe normal but it also depends on how loud and if it is still then when the car is warm, when you take the car for a test drive just listen very carefully for any noises when turning on full lock etc etc

[Gord]

sorry to hijack but i'm in the market for my first lex, again looking at the is200 sport (pref with tte kit), just curious what are the key things to look for when buying a 2nd hand lex (going to be looking at a 2000 reg to avoid the tax boot :P)

It will be hard to find one with the kit on(2000 reg), as lexus didn't offer the kit that early on, but you might find someone that has fitted on over time :D

[Paradroid]

Thanks folks. Car is for sale in Wigan where I live. I've got deposit down and HPI'd it now so it's just down to the test drive later today!!!!! I hope I like it, I'm in something a fair bit quicker and possibly better handling at the moment so we'll have to see.

Good point about parking sensors, will check they work.

From looking underneath I thought the undertray looked damaged but hopefulyl not. If it needed replacing I guess it's not expensive and I should be able to do it myself, got a trolley jack :)

By the way I was stunned at the audio quality when I played a CD - wow!!! My current car I upgraded with a £300 Pioneer head unit and Infinity speakers, and it's nowhere near as good.

[Dan_Harris]

well hopefully I will be taking scorps' is200 off his hands (this has the TTE kit) but he's gota get back to me lol!

@Rikos, i've seen your car for sale however iirc it's got the white interior which i'm not a fan of, or i would have snapped it off you :P

[Rikos]

well hopefully I will be taking scorps' is200 off his hands (this has the TTE kit) but he's gota get back to me lol!

@Rikos, i've seen your car for sale however iirc it's got the white interior which i'm not a fan of, or i would have snapped it off you :P

It's black interior mate so if it doesnt work out with scorp's motor (which is a lovely car i must admit) then your welcome to come and have a look at mine

[Dan_Harris]

well hopefully I will be taking scorps' is200 off his hands (this has the TTE kit) but he's gota get back to me lol!

@Rikos, i've seen your car for sale however iirc it's got the white interior which i'm not a fan of, or i would have snapped it off you :P

It's black interior mate so if it doesnt work out with scorp's motor (which is a lovely car i must admit) then your welcome to come and have a look at mine

you got mail :P

[Scorps01]

scorps' is200 (this has the TTE kit) but he's gota get back to me lol!

Dan No TTE kit on mine just the front bumper!

[Paradroid]

Back on track, I've now driven her and was very impressed. Loved the engine note, absolutely perfect. All the controls feel great, gear shift was good, a tiny bit notchy into second but still good.

I didn't get chance to really try the performance, below 4000rpm it was better than my expections (I'd heard very slow). Above 4000rpm it didn't wake up quite as much as I was expecting.

I noticed the lower gearing, at one point I was in 4th doing 50ish on a dual carriageway and could hear the engine revving a bit higher than I'd expect.

The car I'm looking at is not immaculate, but it's pretty good for 4yrs old and the asking price is low at £8395 I feel (54 plate with 53k).

However, I did notice one thing. On the rear wing there is a small area where fine scratches are visible beneath the paint, a sign of a bodyshop using filler and not sanding it down well enough before painting over.

Can anyone tell me - is it easy to remove the boot lining down the drivers side? I might just want to take a look behind the lining to see what damage is present, as there is evidence of it from the outside.

Oh, one last thing (sorry to go on but am excited!!!), I think the parking sensors are broken. They beeped continously when in reverse even with nothing behind for 10-12 feet. This isn't right is it? The dealer said the rear bumper has to be repainted because of a scratch, and I think they might have been really stupid and blown over the sensors. Hmmm.

[FlashBastd]

Don't fancy an '04/54 IS300 Limited Edition 4dr, 30k for £8995? I am near Leeds, so not far away and my car is very tidy!

[Rikos]

The beep was not the reverse sensors but the beep that it makes just when it's in reverse.

[Paradroid]

Don't fancy an '04/54 IS300 Limited Edition 4dr, 30k for £8995? I am near Leeds, so not far away and my car is very tidy!

If only Lexus had sold manual IS300's in the UK, if it was manual I'd snatch your hand off mate I really would! I've seen a few comments on the 300 saying it's got much more grunt and is hardly any more thirsty.

If anyone else is selling up with a "facelift" IS200 (new wheels and light clusters), low mileage and in good nick please let me know. You have about 12 hours tops!!!

The beep was not the reverse sensors but the beep that it makes just when it's in reverse.

I know what you mean, but when I engaged reverse I heard the reverse gear warning beep first (once). Then after that there was a continual beep from the rear parking sensors. In other makes of car I've driven, the parking sensors only beep when they actually detect something.

This makes me think - were parking sensors ever standard or are these aftermarket jobbies? Either way I will speak to the dealer tomorrow and suggest they might not be working.

[Dan_Harris]

scorps' is200 (this has the TTE kit) but he's gota get back to me lol!

Dan No TTE kit on mine just the front bumper!

that's fine with me though mate, could you send me some more pics pref of the front end to dan.harris23@btinternet.com

thanks mate

[Scorps01]

If i was buying the car i would be a bit suspicious.....dodgy paintwork on the rear quarter and reverse sensors hanging from bumper. You have to ask yourself if its been in an accident and had a respray at some stage, it could of course all be innocent but you need to find out.

Good luck

@ Dan.....pic sent of the full frontal (of my car) m8 :D

[Paradroid]

If i was buying the car i would be a bit suspicious.....dodgy paintwork on the rear quarter and reverse sensors hanging from bumper. You have to ask yourself if its been in an accident and had a respray at some stage, it could of course all be innocent but you need to find out.

Good luck

Thanks :)

My instinct tells me it's a few small repairs rather than one big one. The paintwork is generally very good indeed. Just the one spot about 1.5 inches across where the fine scratches are under the paintwork indicating filler.

I think I want a better look round in the boot before I commit to buying.

On my current car there's quite simple pop clips that let me remove the boot lining on each side and see the inside of the rear wings. Is this the same on the Lexus? I think I saw the clips, does anyone know if special tools are required?

[Scorps01]

From memory the clips need a quarter turn then give a tug and the panel should come away, its fairly straight forward.