Looking At Is200 Help Needed! First Time Buyer.

[LexusIS200Josh]

Hello All,

My names Josh and I currently own a T reg ford focus 1.6. I've had it for the past year now and it's a great little car to get me to and from work and seeing the bird! It's got great MPG and I could put £40 in and see that last close to 2 weeks!

Recently I have been looking to buy a slightly "sportier" car as well as something with a bit of luxury i.e leather seats/heated seats.

I have come across this Lexus IS200 just 2 miles away from where I live and have really fallen in love with it.

Heres the link.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201221473437745/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/3000/make/lexus/quicksearch/true/postcode/gu151ds/page/1/radius/10?logcode=p

Now I don't know a thing about these and as a "premium" car I can't see the parts being cheap if there was anything to go wrong with the car. Obviously it's a 2 litre and understandably it's not going to give me a like-for-like MPG compared to my Focus. But just doing what I said above would I really be filling the Lexus up more?

Going to LOOK at the car this evening and would like your guy's input on ad impressions and what questions/faults I should be asking/looking for!

Cheers

[ColinBarber]

make sure it has master ignition key(s). Check wheels for corrosion. Ideally you would want the cam belt to have been changed, or at least inspected as they go before the original 100k mile interval (revised down to every 60k now).

Expect to use £50-55 where you got away with £40 in the Focus. The IS isn't great on fuel being a 6 cylinder 2.0l engine.

[LexusIS200Josh]

Okay points noted will make sure I ask ask ask!

£50-55 to last 2 weeks I could live with that .

[fjcfarrar]

Aside from from what others have said - don't expect particularly "sporty" performance & it also can seem slower than it actually is because it is so quiet & silky smooth, particularly after a Focus. It needs a completely different driving-style or it will be thirstier than you would believe possible.

Don't imagine the version labelled "Sport" is in any way sporty either. The performance is completely identical for ALL variants of the IS200 and essentially cannot be improved by chipping, re-mapping or after-market bits and pieces. The "Sport" version is just marginally lowered, has a few cosmetic differences & goodies. Later ones have a limited-slip differential. The LE version is the most fully equipped but isn't lowered and comes in one colour only - Granite Sky, a darkish metallic silver. The SE is the bog-standard version - but still very good. The auto versions are fine but seem maybe a bit less exciting to drive and are very slightly thirstier. They are just as reliable - perhaps because the auto box prevents the driver from doing anything stupid engine-wise.

The OEM Audio system can be problematic - spitting out CDs &/or giving error codes. It is seldom repairable.

Badly replaced windscreens can sometimes lead to a host of strange electrical problems. Avoid IS200s with damp footwells or any sign at all of screen leakage.

Yes, parts are expensive but reliability is so excellent that the cost of ownership (EXCLUDING FUEL) is second to none. IS200s usually manage huge mileages with nothing replaced except normal service parts.

The only note of caution is that the first ones are 13 years old now. Most are still fine but there are some that have had very hard lives.

[jasons]

The LE version is the most fully equipped but isn't lowered and comes in one colour only - Granite Sky, a darkish metallic silver.

Its Kodiak Sky, a dark metallic blue colour.

J

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Agree with everything said before except the SE isnt the Bog standard version, thats the middle of the range. The bog standard in the UK is the 'S' which didnt even have leather heated seats, they were cloth and it came with 16 inch alloys which look cheap and tacky! Also no electric adjustable seats on the 'S'

The Sport version comes with lowered suspension and Limited Slipp Diff which improves the handling but performance is same across the range. The sport also has tinted rear windows and a lot of them came with either the TTE Kit factory fitted or the TRD kit.... both look mint! And both Sport models ive owned have 18inch wheels and very wide tyres 225! Not cheap £120 per tyre for mid range. The sport is also fully loaded, the only difference between that and the top of the range Granite colour one is that the Sport has half leather seats and the Granite one is full leather. Also this model was only availiable after 2004. Also the IS200 after 2003 comes with Xenon headlamps.

Also check the brakes on a good test drive. They are prone to sticking callipers. I've had 2 IS200's and they both suffered sticky brakes..... (not cheap to repair £350 per calliper) The tell tale signs of sticky brakes are the smell of burning brakes when you get out of the car and the offending wheel will be caked in brake dust. Also feel the Alloy wheel, it will be hotter than the others after a good few miles.

Good Luck

Chris

[steve2006]

It doesn't mention service history so I would ask about that when you view, cambelt should have been done by now and there is normally a sticker in the engine bay stating this and/or an entry in the service book.

MOT is a little short may be worth asking for a fresh ticket efore purchase.

Check the tyres for uneven wear indicating geometry problems.

Make sure you come back with a full report when you have viewed the car please.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

We Never had a LE model in Uk until 2004 so I'm told by my mate who works at Lexus.

S..... SE.....or Sport. The Granite Sky colour one was LE 2004-2005 and had full leather and was fully loaded. They sold these as Lexus knew they were launching the new IS in 2006 so they fully loaded them to shift them.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

The performance is completely identical for ALL variants of the IS200 and essentially cannot be improved by chipping, re-mapping or after-market bits and pieces. The "Sport" version is just marginally lowered, has a few cosmetic differences & goodies.

Not completly true sorry.... You can supercharge a IS200 but it will set you back a cool £1500-£2000 for a power gain of about 70BHP. It is the only power gaining mod tho so I'm told. Changing exhaust etc will do absolutly nothing! Lol

[clifton 94]

hi even if the cam belt has been done get it checked we had one in the workshop that had the belt done about a year ago when i checked it there was about 10 mm of belt left they had changed the belt but not the idler and tensioner and he had only just bought it so be aware i ve have had a is200 for 6 years now and its been a great car to be sure get a aa check

[J Henderson]

I'll just chime in to say that Kodiak Sky is indeed the colour of the LE model. The paint code is 1D2 and Its a metallic grey/silver. ;)

To the OP. Lots of sound advice has already been posted on what to look for so the only thing I would add is that the car is maybe a little overpriced, especially if there's a lack of service history. It does look like a very nice example, but there are plenty of SE models out there so I would try and haggle the price down closer to £2K.

Also, along with being quite thirsty, its worth noting that road tax for the IS200 is expensive (£260 for 12 months).