Hey Guys, Should I Buy This Is200 Or Wait?

[Alex_Downunder]

Hi guys I'm new here

I live in Aus where cars are bloody expensive.

I'm checking out IS200s for my first car.

My budget is around AU $13000 which is around 6500 pounds?

Anyway, this still can't buy me the cheapest IS200 on the market. (Unless I import one) lowest price at the moment is about 14,000.

However, I found a white 2000 is200 Sport Luxury model with 200,000 km (about 120,000 miles)

I can buy this for about AU $12000 I think. The dealer was happy with $12500 I might try $11000 with cash.

I'm going to have a look at the car myself sometime next week.

Anyway, it seems that the car has been serviced regularly. The car seems to be in a good condition.

I could only see some photos. I saw no car mat, visibly scratched alloy wheels, dirty seats and some minor scratches on the car.

Since it's my first car, I don't want it to cost me too much for service and repair after purchase.

If the major service has been done lately, is it worth it? I mean would I be able to drive for another 3 years without costing too much?

Any advice would be great

Thanks

[Yeldarb]

IS200's are on the whole utterly reliable. However any car with 120K on the clock has had a lot of use, servicing in the UK isn't that bad for a luxury vehicle but you do get what you pay for i.e. buy cheap get cheap. Have you checked out the insurance on the IS200?

Your budget in the UK would get you a 2005 model. I can't believe they cost so much in Australia, I will tell my sister as she is moving there in Nov. to take up a language teaching post in Brisbane.

[Alex_Downunder]

IS200's are on the whole utterly reliable. However any car with 120K on the clock has had a lot of use, servicing in the UK isn't that bad for a luxury vehicle but you do get what you pay for i.e. buy cheap get cheap. Have you checked out the insurance on the IS200?

Your budget in the UK would get you a 2005 model. I can't believe they cost so much in Australia, I will tell my sister as she is moving there in Nov. to take up a language teaching post in Brisbane.

Thanks for the reply

Well, for a brand new small car, you're expected to pay about 10,000 pounds

and for a 2005 IS200 it's around 14,000 pounds

Even if the population is small, it is madness that cars cost so much here.

The insurance is another story. Since I'm not over 25, the insurance is $1100(550 pounds) per year

for a comprehensive one with $1400(700 pounds) excess to claim the insurance.

Which means I'm better off with third party insurance which costs about $380 (190 pounds) per year

If I pay a little extra on that I get covered for theft.

I've been driving for 5 years with no tickets and no accidents.

Anyway, to get the car going I'm gonna need to spend at least $13000.

I'll check the car and its service history carefully and decide whether it's worth buying

Thanks a lot

[MarsdenDean]

£6500 for a private 2005 model? is that with 120,000 miles??

My car, i swapped for a 2005 Leon 1.9tdi stylance, but stockport had it on the forecourt for £10490!!!

[Steviewevie]

Check out the club knowledge base here for a useful article on things to look at when buying an IS200.

The cam belt needs to be changed every 100,000 km, so if it's done 200,000 km then it really needs its second change, check whether that's been done.

It's always a bit of a gamble with older cars as to whether something expensive will go wrong, but that article covers the major things to look out for, and then if it's got a good service history, bearing in mind that the cars seem to be pretty reliable (touch wood !) then there's no reason why it shouldn't go on for a long time to come.

[Asi]

make sure it has full serivice history by a dealer. then everything should be fine.

[Rory]

£6500 for a private 2005 model? is that with 120,000 miles??

My car, i swapped for a 2005 Leon 1.9tdi stylance, but stockport had it on the forecourt for £10490!!!

no 14k for a 2005, 6500 is his budget, and its a 2000 model which he states has 120k on the clock

[MarsdenDean]

Its just that Yeldarb said £6500 for a 05 reg in the UK!

[Alex_Downunder]

Thanks heaps guys

Btw cam belt is replaced every 150,000km here. i don't know why

so if it was replaced it was at 150,000km

I've looked everywhere, even thinking about importing but you never know what happened to those cars

Anyway thanks a lot again

I'll check out the is200 and wait if i need to.

People are selling similar ones with better mileages.

[Steviewevie]

Thanks heaps guys

Btw cam belt is replaced every 150,000km here. i don't know why

so if it was replaced it was at 150,000km

That was the original interval (100,000 miles), that's what's printed in my service booklet that came with the car. But Lexus revised the interval downwards, presumably due to finding that 150,000 km really was on the edge of what the belt could take. It's an interference engine, so a failed cam belt will almost certainly result in a very large repair bill. You will find a few threads on here with sad stories of snapped cam belts, if you do a search.

If the belt was replaced on that car at 150,000 km and it's done 50,000 km on a new belt then that should be fine, but I would then replace it after another 50K, i.e. at the new service interval of 100K km.

You can always partially take the cam belt cover off to have a peek at the belt's condition.

Good luck with the search and let us know how you get on !

[Yeldarb]

Its just that Yeldarb said £6500 for a 05 reg in the UK!

Well my 2005 IS200 SE with every possible extra (18" alloys, bodykit, leather, sat navetc), full LEX SH etc cost £5500 from Car Giant in London last Aug. So 6500 for an 05 this year is perfectly OK to post, seeing as I have one and paid a grand less than 6500K.

People just don't haggle enough in this country and cry when they get ripped off paying to much for a car. The screen prices are what the dealer wants not what they should get.

[Carzon]

Thanks heaps guys

Btw cam belt is replaced every 150,000km here. i don't know why

so if it was replaced it was at 150,000km

I've looked everywhere, even thinking about importing but you never know what happened to those cars

Anyway thanks a lot again

I'll check out the is200 and wait if i need to.

People are selling similar ones with better mileages.

hey alex how much is it to replace the cam belt in australia.. im aussie too!!

[Lexus2D]

[Alex_Downunder]

Thanks heaps guys

Btw cam belt is replaced every 150,000km here. i don't know why

so if it was replaced it was at 150,000km

I've looked everywhere, even thinking about importing but you never know what happened to those cars

Anyway thanks a lot again

I'll check out the is200 and wait if i need to.

People are selling similar ones with better mileages.

hey alex how much is it to replace the cam belt in australia.. im aussie too!!

Hey mate.

I have no idea. I'm still looking for a car first.

If I find one then i'm going to look into the repair costs

[hawk77]

IS200's are on the whole utterly reliable. However any car with 120K on the clock has had a lot of use, servicing in the UK isn't that bad for a luxury vehicle but you do get what you pay for i.e. buy cheap get cheap. Have you checked out the insurance on the IS200?

Your budget in the UK would get you a 2005 model. I can't believe they cost so much in Australia, I will tell my sister as she is moving there in Nov. to take up a language teaching post in Brisbane.

On a different note...she'll love Brisbane mate. nice city, bit hot though but Gold Coast makes' it better.

[Solhatt]

Thats not expensive paid £ 19 000 for a 2001 here in Norway

[russelllinn]

Its just that Yeldarb said £6500 for a 05 reg in the UK!

People just don't haggle enough in this country and cry when they get ripped off paying to much for a car. The screen prices are what the dealer wants not what they should get.

I agree with that comment, people don't, I bought my 2001/02 IS 300 for half that 6months ago with FLSH and one owner!!