New Buyer's Advice - Is200

[BanjoMaster]

Afternoon all,

Up until now I've only existed in the world of Nissan 200SX's, so when it comes to trying to find a good IS200, then I'm at a bit of a disadvantage

My budget is limiting me to fairly high mileage models, and obviously with the new post 2001 tax rules, I'll be looking for one that doesn't get hammered under them. I've obviously got the buyer's guide from this site, but I was just wondering if anyone can give me any specific pointers on what to look for? Also, how do I know if a car's too cheap? The very last thing I need is to be stuck with one niggly problem after another.

I believe that the last time I looked on the SXOC that they had a list of cars for sale to be wary of i.e. dodgy sellers, cars in significantly worse state than as advertised, etc. I haven't seen anything like this on LOC, but it might be a good idea?

I realise that the above questions are probably real novice questions, but, well, I'm a novice, and a nervous one at that :D

Any help offered gratefully appreciated :winky:

Cheers,

Graham

[Yeldarb]

From what I can tell these cars hold together really well which is why this site is not full of "its gone wrong again" posts. Mine has 90K on an 05 plate, the ONLY non service part it has ever had is a water pump when the timing belt was changed and apparently this was a preventative measure rather than necessary. A full Lexus SH is a really good thing to get.

Drive a couple and get the feel for them, if you are not going to do high miles then don't worry about buying a high mile example, do all the usuall checks but the way prices are falling for all high tax cars it is a buyers market so haggle hard. There are loads around at the moment so plenty to choose from. Check the tyre wear carefully on the inside of the tyres.

[Steviewevie]

Check the tyre wear carefully on the inside of the tyres.

It would be quite normal to find one with tyres that have a lot of wear on the inside though, I would suggest it's not a reason to avoid the car (although it might be a reason to knock down the price).

To BanjoMaster - the factory geometry settings for the IS200 are effectively "wrong" and result in premature inside tyre wear and poor handling. The geometry specialists at Wheels in Motion (WIM) can sort this out quickly and easily for around £100. Most cars you will come across have probably not had the WIM treatment.

Make sure you get at least one (preferably two) "master" keys with the car (very expensive bill if you don't have a master key and you want more keys). The "master" key will usually have three buttons on it (the other keys don't have the boot release button), but the sure-fire way to tell is to insert the key into the ignition and see if the flashing Security light on the dashboard goes out immediately - if it does go out straight away it's a master, if it stays on for a second before going out then it's not a master.

[BanjoMaster]

Good stuff, exactly what I'm after. Do I need to keep an eye open for an common spots of corrosion? Not that I've never heard of or seen anything like that on any of them, or most relatively new Toyotas come to that, but with a 91 200SX at present it's an ever present spectre that I'm keen to get away from! Is the bodywork/structural stuff ever a cause for concern on these generally?

[DJ Wozza]

Not in my experience, however as the car you are looking to by will be an older exanple,

obvious checks for rust are warranted, but will probably come back rust free.

[Steviewevie]

I haven't seen a sign of rust on any body rust on an IS200. When I saw the underside of my 1999 model on a ramp, it looked pretty much like new (other than the exhaust). The OEM wheels are highly prone to corrosion though, so you shouldn't be too worried about badly corroded wheels (other than perhaps building in a refurb to your budget).

I'd say that with it being a buyers market at the moment, you should be able to choose your favourite spec level, your favourite colour, and then look at cars that match those together with your budget, until you get one that feels right (I don't mean in terms of handling, I just mean it seems like an honest car).

Check when the cam belt has been changed. Lexus originally recommended this was at 100K miles or 10 years, but they changed this to 60K miles or 6 years. One member here has recently had to get quite a few new parts for his engine after his cam belt snapped.

[Dan_Harris]

recently bought my pre 2k1 is200 banjo and it's only got 65k miles on it so they are out there ;)

[BanjoMaster]

Once again, good stuff. Please keep it coming. This is where internet car communities come into their own in my opinion :winky:

recently bought my pre 2k1 is200 banjo and it's only got 65k miles on it so they are out there ;)

Yeah, I've been keeping my eyes peeled, and I see decent cars for sale regularily. Unfortunately they're all usually about 300+ miles away from me! More than willing to make the trip for the right car though :)

[edeath]

I'd say that if you are after a manual then you should be looking at getting a Sport model (No Auto Sport.) You get the LSD (not that you really need it), lower suspension, the usual metal scuff plates and pedals over the SE and a boot spoiler (if you can call it that.) Ideally you'll be looking for an X-reg 2001 model which is the last reg before the tax increase. I have a 2001 X-reg Sport with just under 70k so there are some lower mileage ones out there.

As it is the cold time of year try and take the car for a drive before it has warmed up. This way you will be able to tell if there is any clutch judder and if the gear box is stiff getting into 2nd. My car has this when it is really cold but its not a major headache really, but again something to negotiate the price down with. In the summer i dont really notice these things only seems to happen when realy cold.

[Paradroid]

As it is the cold time of year try and take the car for a drive before it has warmed up. This way you will be able to tell if there is any clutch judder and if the gear box is stiff getting into 2nd. My car has this when it is really cold but its not a major headache really, but again something to negotiate the price down with. In the summer i dont really notice these things only seems to happen when realy cold.

To be fair, you can check for these things on a test drive but they are fairly typical of the car.

The IS200 seems to need a few more revs to pull away than other cars to avoid clutch judder - well mine does anyway and it's a 2004 model.

[swfcdan]

Think im going to be getting rid of my IS shortly, although its getting on a bit, but still in really good nick.

Think its up to the 120k mark now, but had cambelt done at 100k, new discs,pads and tyres recetnly. Full LSH to 80k, independant services from 80k onwards, all receipts etc.

Mines an silver IS200 sport with factory sat nav. The only problem is that it has several stone chips, and a small rust area on the bonnett. Had it looked at and told it can easily be corrected as it is only surface damage at the moment. In fact i must get it sorted!

Sorry for the plug...... :P

[edeath]

As it is the cold time of year try and take the car for a drive before it has warmed up. This way you will be able to tell if there is any clutch judder and if the gear box is stiff getting into 2nd. My car has this when it is really cold but its not a major headache really, but again something to negotiate the price down with. In the summer i dont really notice these things only seems to happen when realy cold.

To be fair, you can check for these things on a test drive but they are fairly typical of the car.

The IS200 seems to need a few more revs to pull away than other cars to avoid clutch judder - well mine does anyway and it's a 2004 model.

Sorry what i meant is that these problems tend to show up more when cold, so when you take it for a test drive, make sure its a cold start.

[BanjoMaster]

Many thanks again guys :)