Is200 Buying Advice

[stevep]

I am shortly due to return from working overseas and plan to order an IS200 SE to pick up when I arrive back in the UK. I took a test drive when I was back at Christmas and was very impressed by the car and the service I received from my local dealer. I compared the car to the X-type and also BMW and was won over by the Lexus' high spec and smooth engine.

The reason I am asking your advice is because of the number of reviews I read which complain about the performance of the car. When I test drove the car I was revving the engine hard and could not complain one bit over the performance and loved the engine note. My only niggle is that if I had driven the car longer maybe I would also have doubts over the 2 litre performance. Since I am not in the UK it is not easy to take another test drive to settle any doubts I may have and hence any comments would be most useful.

I plan to order the IS200 SE manual brand new as the second hand values are so strong it makes no sense buying a 12 month old version for 18k when a new one with 3 yrs warranty is only 20k.

My other question is whether there are plans to release a new model in the next year or so. I can not see any news on the web about this either on Lexus' site or other car sites.

Cheers

Steve

[ricky_is200]

As you experienced when you test drove it the engine thrives on revs, the main critism is lack of power at low revs, but drive it over 4500rpm and few people complain about the performance. Most dealers are offering 24 hours test drives at the moment so if you still not sure request one.

The next IS won't be released until 2005.

[stevep]

Thanks for your response.

Has anyone added the illuminated scuff plates - are they worth the extra money as an option? What dealer fit options would people recommend - if any?

Cheers

[Zee007]

Hi Steve - and welcome to the Club!

The IS200 is a great car, and if you are looking for further performance, there are a number of options available to you including a Supercharger.

The Scuff plates have been added by a number of members recently - have a look using the search facility on the site and I'm sure you'll find a fair few...

Enjoy mate... :)

[UKPulse]

I had the 200SE for just over a year, and yes it's not the fastest 2 litre out there - the VVTi doesn't kick in until over 4,000 rpm so it does take a bit of revving. That said, it's a silky smooth engine, and everything else about the car is adorable anyway

I did try out an X-Type 2.5, but I was granted a 20 minute accompanied test drive and the salesman spent his time talking down to me because I wasn't buying a top of the range XK8. How Jaguar expect to sell cars when they behave like that I'll never know!

[stevep]

Your experience with the Jag test drive sounds similar to my own - offered a 5 mins trip round the block as no petrol in the car compared with a 45 min lexus test drive in town, motorway and b-roads.

Yesterday I placed an order for a new IS200 SE with a London delearship and managed to get a cracking deal - the only thing I need to do now is wait till I return in June and avoid SARS in Hong Kong where I am currently living!!

Cheers for the advice.

Steve

[GRiM]

..Has anyone added the illuminated scuff plates - are they worth the extra money as an option? What dealer fit options would people recommend - if any?

Illuminated scuff plates...

See HERE

Dealer options

See HERE

[ricky_is200]

I also test drove the X type and was very impressed with the dealer service. I went to a test drive open day at a country house run by my local dealer and test drove a 2 litre manual, 2.5 auto and manual and the 3 litre auto and manual all unaccompanied. I also took out the 2.5, 3 litre and 4.2 Type R S type and XK8 convertible. They laid on a fab lunch and didn't talk down to me once. I've been to a similar Lexus event but it wasn't as near as well run and wouldn't have encouraged me to buy a Lexus (although I already had!) there was a long wait for test drives as there were far more people than cars and I did get the feeling of being talked down to despite it being run by the dealer I bought my car from.

One thing I found with the X type manual was that there was very little room for your foot to rest to the left of the clutch and I was constantly catching my foot on the clutch. One of the guys I talked to at the event had owned a manual X type for a couple of years and said that still annoyed him and he wished he'd gone for the auto.

I also noticed the interior looked very cheap on the lower models, its only the more expensive one's that have climate control etc the base model has very cheap looking dials for the heater and manual rear windows not electric.

[Matthew_McNally]

I went to a similar event Ricky - was this at the launch?

drove all the models I could lay my hands on ( ) - and whils it was a nice car, I found the car to have a lot of body roll, even the 3.0 sport with stiffened suspension - which immediately put me off.

I also calculated the price to be about 28k for the same spec as the IS.

my major problem was driving the IS first - really loved it - and I found I was measuring everything else I looked at against the Lexus, instead of my requirements :D

[ricky_is200]

No, it was last summer Matt, well after the X type launch. I found the only model I would be interested in was the 3 litre sport and it would have taken quite a few options to bring it up to the minimum spec I'd want. I'd had the Lexus for a couple of years and was considering a change but it couldn't convince me away from the Lexus.

I was more impressed with the S type, it was just after they launched the revised model and it is a much improved car.

[ricky_is200]

Oh and if you think the 2 litre IS engine isn't the world fastest the 2 litre X type felt much worse, no vvti cutting in at 4000rpm in that engine and if felt very sluggish. Even the 2.5 felt slower than my IS200.

[stevep]

Nice to hear that someone else shares similar thoughts and experiences to myself. I spent 6 months deciding on what I was going to spend my cash on and reading the reviews above feel I have made the right choice. The test drive from my Lexus dealer was fantastic, was taken down quiet country lanes and the salesman knew the roads really well so was pushing me to really get the most our of the car and see what it is capable of. One thing that did amaze me was the braking performance on the IS200 and also the comfort of the ride given the speed I was travelling down uneven country lanes.

As you can see, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the keys of my new toy!

[ricky_is200]

Actaully thats another thing I noticed on the X type - the brakes were pretty crap (yet the S Type brakes were very good).

[peterb]

You asked about dealer-fit options. The one I had was the reversing radar: makes parking much easier (provided you don't drown it with the stereo.

Mind you, a friend has an RX300 with radar. When it bleeped, she assumed that it had made a mistake as she couldn't see anything. Sadly, the concrete flower pot was stronger than the RX!

:iraqi-info-minister:

[UKPulse]

I don't doubt that there are great Jag dealers out there. Just goes to show how the attitude of a dealership can make or break a deal.

I turned up at the local Jag dealer - I shouldn't name them, but they're not far from a well know busy airport north of Brighton - for a pre-arranged test drive. I arrived in a Merc C320 (not my own I hasten to add!) wearing a smart suit and with clean fingernails! I still got the brush-off! :(

Have to say I found the 2.5 auto 'snatchy' and I wasn't too keen on the interior which I thought was a strange mix of retro and modern (like those spitfire nose hubs on the spedo/tacho). Anyway - I'll bet there isn't an X-Type forum that's as enthusiastic as this one! :P

....hmmm, maybe the M&S label sticking out the back of the suit gave it away!

[TonyGoose]

....hmmm, maybe the M&S label sticking out the back of the suit gave it away!

Specially if they spotted it while looking in a mirror