Newbie Considering Is 300 Sportscross

[Lexgirl]

Hi All,

I've been lurking on the Forum for a while learning as much as I can about the SportsCross. It's a great forum.

I've found a Blue 52 plate IS300 with FSH and 72K miles with beige interior.

Also how comparable is the SX to an RX? I used to have one a long while ago in the States.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on color and the max I should be paying.

Thanks so much :)

[fjcfarrar]

IS300 Sportcross is a fine, smooth, well equipped & quite swift car. It maybe a little less spacious than SX or RX; but I think handles better. Quite a rare car which can boost the price, but at ten years old and definitely no eco-car and having an elegant but unfashionable look; the market for it is limited. Although mechanically nearly bullet-proof, at that age the price is all down to condition. Hard to suggest comparative prices because there are so few of these around. It is though, one of those cars worth paying a little more than you want for something pristine - and many are. As to colours, you won't have much choice. For what it is worth, I think the dark blue suits it best.

[andy m w]

my 1st lexus & has exceeded expectation , ,got my 02 with 54k on 4 months ago & i like its quirky looks & the economy from the 3.0 auto isn't as bad as i expected , ,mid 20,s around town , ,30+ motorway , ,all the extras you would expect from a new merc/audi or bmw yet standard 10 yrs ago !

had a brake caliper replaced on mine this week , ,£90 so not crazy parts either , ,

good luck with your search

[dave1]

Hi All,

I've been lurking on the Forum for a while learning as much as I can about the SportsCross. It's a great forum.

I've found a Blue 52 plate IS300 with FSH and 72K miles with beige interior.

Also how comparable is the SX to an RX? I used to have one a long while ago in the States.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on color and the max I should be paying.

Thanks so much :)

The IS 300 Sportcross (SX) is a totally different car to the RX series although both are excellent cars depending on your particular requirements and preference. Sportcross is really an estatecar version of the IS saloon whilst the RX series, being more of a utility sits higher from the road and does not handle as well as the IS from my experience. If you find a good Sportcross I'm sure you will enjoy owning it

[andy m w]

ps, , don,t expect the sportX to be any use in the snow , , the 1st whiff & its sideways only , , got a set of 16,s on mine with winter tyres now after struggling to make it 50 yards in 30mm , , , , ,just need some snow to test it out

[Lexgirl]

Thanks everyone for yor feedback. The one I was looking at wasn't a great example so I'll keep looking.

Thanks again

[KentIS300]

I have had mine since June and loving it to bits I must admit ... after replacing the bushes on the front it is even more precise and acurate steering.

I don;t know how bad is on the snow ... but I cannot imagine as bad as the Saloon ...

In theory I would assume the SportCross has a slighly heavier tail ... plus it has a Limited Slip on the rear ... (works well with a flat tyre on dump road as I found out)

Good Quality, loads of toys, and a good engine to play with, had it in my Supra so I already loved it...

The up/down button steeting shift control of the gearbox actually works ... and it is not slow changing either (well don't expect ferrari gearbox performance).

I will agree with others the blue with the factory tinted windows looks the business, ivory interior I thinik looks better to the black mine has ... but cannot have it all.

remember ... bargain hard and you will get it at a price you will not even believe it ... I could not believe the price I got mine ... and it is faultless, well one sticky caliper and worn front bushes, but I would not call that a problem.

[andy m w]

I have had mine since June and loving it to bits I must admit ... after replacing the bushes on the front it is even more precise and acurate steering.

I don;t know how bad is on the snow ... but I cannot imagine as bad as the Saloon ...

In theory I would assume the SportCross has a slighly heavier tail ... plus it has a Limited Slip on the rear ... (works well with a flat tyre on dump road as I found out)

Good Quality, loads of toys, and a good engine to play with, had it in my Supra so I already loved it...

The up/down button steeting shift control of the gearbox actually works ... and it is not slow changing either (well don't expect ferrari gearbox performance).

I will agree with others the blue with the factory tinted windows looks the business, ivory interior I thinik looks better to the black mine has ... but cannot have it all.

remember ... bargain hard and you will get it at a price you will not even believe it ... I could not believe the price I got mine ... and it is faultless, well one sticky caliper and worn front bushes, but I would not call that a problem.

I have had mine since June and loving it to bits I must admit ... after replacing the bushes on the front it is even more precise and acurate steering.

I don;t know how bad is on the snow ... but I cannot imagine as bad as the Saloon ...

In theory I would assume the SportCross has a slighly heavier tail ... plus it has a Limited Slip on the rear ... (works well with a flat tyre on dump road as I found out)

Good Quality, loads of toys, and a good engine to play with, had it in my Supra so I already loved it...

The up/down button steeting shift control of the gearbox actually works ... and it is not slow changing either (well don't expect ferrari gearbox performance).

I will agree with others the blue with the factory tinted windows looks the business, ivory interior I thinik looks better to the black mine has ... but cannot have it all.

remember ... bargain hard and you will get it at a price you will not even believe it ... I could not believe the price I got mine ... and it is faultless, well one sticky caliper and worn front bushes, but I would not call that a problem.

I have had mine since June and loving it to bits I must admit ... after replacing the bushes on the front it is even more precise and acurate steering.

I don;t know how bad is on the snow ... but I cannot imagine as bad as the Saloon ...

In theory I would assume the SportCross has a slighly heavier tail ... plus it has a Limited Slip on the rear ... (works well with a flat tyre on dump road as I found out)

Good Quality, loads of toys, and a good engine to play with, had it in my Supra so I already loved it...

The up/down button steeting shift control of the gearbox actually works ... and it is not slow changing either (well don't expect ferrari gearbox performance).

I will agree with others the blue with the factory tinted windows looks the business, ivory interior I thinik looks better to the black mine has ... but cannot have it all.

remember ... bargain hard and you will get it at a price you will not even believe it ... I could not believe the price I got mine ... and it is faultless, well one sticky caliper and worn front bushes, but I would not call that a problem.

you tell me yours & i,l tell mine LOL , , ,

seriously , , PM me if you prefer but am curious as to the price of a top example , , mine is a minter inside & out ,54k all history , if father in law doesn't come up with the ££££ it could be on the web in next few weeks as i have purchased another car , ,

[KentIS300]

Hi Andy ... I think you have to edit you post for some reason it quoted me 3 times? lol

[kenfoxy]

Excellent choice. The IS is a wonderfully reliable and well built car. For this reason age and a fairly high mileage shouldn't put you off. There will be some good examples out there that the car market doesn't want to know because of the high(ish) mpg. Remember though that the road tax is band K not the higher groups that the new IS250 falls into. There are also decent quality replacement parts that don't cost a fortune. Just bought a set of rear Mintex pads for my IS for £21.

[The Swede]

ps, , don,t expect the sportX to be any use in the snow , , the 1st whiff & its sideways only , , got a set of 16,s on mine with winter tyres now after struggling to make it 50 yards in 30mm , , , , ,just need some snow to test it out

An IS on wintertyres works perfectly. I'm climbing a 1 in 5 gradient here in ice...

[The Swede]

Back on topic: The IS300 can't be faulted really. Very reliable, comfortable and cheap to run.

The driving experience is nothing like an RX as you sit very low and it feels more like a sporty coupé than a family car.

Question: why getting a SportCross? It doesn't have such a massively bigger boot than a saloon (as the SportCross really has a small boot for an estate) and most people never use the extra bootspace. You'll have a wider choice when choosing and, in my opinion, the saloon look much better.

[ormi]

im sure in lrts the boot is smaller on the sx

also the saloon has the lsd depending on the spec ie sport....

[KentIS300]

All the 300 SportCross's have the LSD as standard ... and they only come with a 5speed auto gearbox with button changes on the steering...

The 200's SportCross ... some might not have the LSD and the gearbox is the "cheapest" less sophisticated option without button changes.

As for boot space in the sportcross at least you have the option to fold the rear seats (60/40) and also if that is not enough the front passenger seat folds as well... managed to do a really generous IKEA shopping ... where my old Laguna estate could just not do ... because of the passenger seat not folding.

Engine wise ... it has been proven that that engine can take a lot of punishment ... and can take loads of upgrades ... as it is the same block as the N/A Supra has ... looking in the Supra forums you will get an idea.

I must admit it is not the most economic car ... however no straight 6 engine I have driven is economic...

For example the Mercedes CL500 (5.0l V8) does the same cruise consumption on the motorway as the IS300 and that is around 30mpg ...in town they are not much different either ... that is just a comparison on my experience.

In my opinion ... the sportcross looks better purely because there are not many around ;)

Oh and yes I forgot to mention the 9th speaker (subwoofer) ... well hidden ;) in the boot

[The Swede]

im sure in lrts the boot is smaller on the sx

also the saloon has the lsd depending on the spec ie sport....

I thought all saloons were "Sports" by definition. Or did I get that wrong?

I'm not sure if ours is one sport or not even

[KentIS300]

im sure in lrts the boot is smaller on the sx

also the saloon has the lsd depending on the spec ie sport....

I thought all saloons were "Sports" by definition. Or did I get that wrong?

I'm not sure if ours is one sport or not even

I am sure if you look in the IS300 Saloon specs you will find the LSD is standard as well ... not an optional extra ;-)

IS300 Saloon Specs here http://lexusownersclub.co.uk/articles/UK%20Lexus%20Spec%20Sheet%20IS300.pdf

IS300 SportCross Specs here http://teamlexus.co.uk/articles/UK%20Lexus%20Spec%20Sheet%20IS300SC.pdf

[The Swede]

im sure in lrts the boot is smaller on the sx

also the saloon has the lsd depending on the spec ie sport....

I thought all saloons were "Sports" by definition. Or did I get that wrong?

I'm not sure if ours is one sport or not even

I am sure if you look in the IS300 Saloon specs you will find the LSD is standard as well ... not an optional extra ;-)

IS300 Saloon Specs here http://lexusownerscl...eet%20IS300.pdf

IS300 SportCross Specs here http://teamlexus.co....t%20IS300SC.pdf

Explains why that car has its rear axle riveted to ground.

[doog442]

ps, , don,t expect the sportX to be any use in the snow , , the 1st whiff & its sideways only , , got a set of 16,s on mine with winter tyres now after struggling to make it 50 yards in 30mm , , , , ,just need some snow to test it out

An IS on wintertyres works perfectly. I'm climbing a 1 in 5 gradient here in ice...

that is exceptional. I couldnt even get up a slight slope on the snow with my Potenza's last year.

[Chunky Monkey]

I bought mine last week. £3500.51 plt, mint, 70k, flsh, Battery (the original) goosed but he's buying me a new one. had new pads and discs up front and its had the belts done 4k ago.

I've had a few toyotas and they've always been 100% so I'm confident.

as others have said the motor is proven so no worries there.

I would highly recommend the is300 sx. it would apear that some members are chucking quite a bit of cash at thier is200's just to get it to the same power and spec as the is300.

the auto box drives faultless.

Just my opinion but I hope it helps.

[clifton 94]

hi have a look on the classifieds there's a nice one on there for sale