Mmmmmmay Be Time To Leave.... :(

[IHgs300]

Keep in touch Rory. Had a red is300 before and loved it...lasted 2 days and gearbox went kaflooey.

Fancy an is200 in px to sell?

[Rory]

I can't do PX simply as I've no room, mine is goin up at £4k initially for strangers but I'm happy negotiating for members, only because it is just at 70k miles with full service history from Lexus and Toyota, maintained regardless of cost, cambelt done, bodywork very tidy, had a very minor bump as detailed on an older thread, only damage was bonnet, and bumper was scratched, was promptly repaired and I took that opportunity to get the body kit done

I may well be leaving the pictured wheels on as the standard ones may be more profitable sold separately, again, open to discussion

I've only seen others for sale with similar mileage, history, or extras for well above £3k, whether or not they sold is another story but I'll see what happens

[petayV8]

I had that theory of aim high for room to negotiate with my last car but proved the wrong way to go about it in this climate. Ended up putting the price i would be willing to take and it went within 8 hours. This was also after putting it on auto trader. I shouldnt of wasted my time on eBay and gumtree

Good luck with the sale anyway, your IS is a real gem i would pay £3- £4 for it. Noticed most IS300 are around the 3k mark for a half decent one, but yours seems mint. does it have navi?

[lexington013]

Not sure about the x type, the early ones do suffer from rotten sills (my 02 plate) needed replacement sills, jacking points were rotten and completely gone.

[asharb123]

I know exactly what you mean Rory about running costs. I'm not a high mileage driver the car is mainly used for the school run so never gets to operating temperature so guzzles fuel. But every time I get in it I can't think of another car that comes close to this interms of spec and comfort. I've now managed to insure our car on a classic car policy so this has helped offset the running costs.

For my family the most practical car would be a 1.6 golf or people carrier. No thanks. If I could afford it I would probably go for a Skoda Superb 1.8 petrol auto in Elegance Spec. But they're £10k and more. But for £10k there are a lot of cars available. The Saab is a good choice over a Jag. Best of luck with it. Thanks for the help and advice you given. Ash.

[petayV8]

I know exactly what you mean Rory about running costs. I'm not a high mileage driver the car is mainly used for the school run so never gets to operating temperature so guzzles fuel. But every time I get in it I can't think of another car that comes close to this interms of spec and comfort. I've now managed to insure our car on a classic car policy so this has helped offset the running costs.

For my family the most practical car would be a 1.6 golf or people carrier. No thanks. If I could afford it I would probably go for a Skoda Superb 1.8 petrol auto in Elegance Spec. But they're £10k and more. But for £10k there are a lot of cars available. The Saab is a good choice over a Jag. Best of luck with it. Thanks for the help and advice you given. Ash.

I know its off topic but can you give some more details about changing to classic car insurance? How much have to saved and who are you with?

[asharb123]

Hi Pete, we were quoted £660 for renewal which was a £100 up on last year. When I shopped around on all the various websites I got a quote for £556. I then thought why don't I try the company our BMW is insured with, which is classicline, they quoted £405, I then told them I had a quote from Adrian Flux for £389 and I wanted to keep my car insurance with the same company. Classicline matched this. It is restricted to 5k per annum, but we have just reached 5k in 16 months & that included a 600 mile round trip to the outlaws.

[Rory]

Took a few pics after swapping the wheels back to standard and givin it a clean and polish, the wheel refurb came out a little darker than I intended and the pics make them look darker still, but they are grey, not black lol

[IHgs300]

Absolutely gorgeous Rory, a credit to you.

[Rory]

Cheers :D

[asharb123]

Stunning in red. My favourite colour for an IS. Shame your deciding to move on.

[Rory]

i'm not rushing to move on either yet, its due a 70k service so thats getting booked in in the coming weeks, anything to help with the sale when I do advertise it, started stickin spares on the bay so claw back any extra cash to go towards the replacement

the thing thats taking time is people keep throwing other car options at me

I still sway back to Saab 9-3 as I think they are dead nice inside and out for the top spec facelifted model

but i've looked at an Audi A6, a Volvo S40 New shape, and an Alfa GT (all diesels)

[Raymond.]

^^ New S40's are very nice indeed but pricey. Just looking round steadily for a Gen2 9-3 Vert preface atm.

[asharb123]

You would get a lot of Saab for your money and you are right to look for a top spec car. The only problem I've found with Audi's are they are expensive to maintain, in that parts are always a bit more expensive than BMW or Mercedes and they are always an insurance group higher than BMW & Mercedes. You won't get the same standard or amount of spec as the Saab. Plus Saab's are built like tanks. I remember my dad's 9000 it was massive and really well put together. I've found with Volvo's the build quality and materials always felt a bit cheap not the same level as the Germans or Japanese.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. Besides you keep the IS for that bit longer, ha ha.

[Rory]

What's everyone's thoughts on the Honda civic 2006 onwards shape??

[asharb123]

Hi Rory, I like the look of the hatchback it was very futuristic looking when it was launched, my cousin has one and has no compliants and very reliable. It's abit of change compared to the other cars you were looking at, like the Saab, Audi and Volvo?

[Rory]

Hadn't looked at Civics as I hated the shape when they came out, but it's grown on me and the type S looks really good inside too, fuel economy on the 1.8 petrol seems pretty good too, and they are quite cheap to buy now too

[asharb123]

They are nice cars and generally well kept due to the type of people that buy them. I always liked the shape when it came out as it was more interesting than a Golf or Focus. If I were to change, funds allowing I would be looking at a Skoda Octavia, I've seen an 05 plate Laurin & Klement spec, that has the same spec as the Lexus (except sunroof) but has a 1.6 engine and 6 speed auto. Later cars have the 1.4 petrol and 7 speed auto. I like the fact that they are well built, feel solid, lots of kit, wide range of engines and have better reviews and more reliable than their parent VW. The ultimate one would be the Superb Elegance as that is fully loaded and available with a 1.8 petrol 7 speed auto.

[petayV8]

I hate that car with a passion. its just the looks :yack: good car otherwise lol. why cant they give us the US Civic Si

[Stuart Aspey]

I like the Civics. Very nice looking cars. Have you seen the new, due to launch, Civic Estate? VERY NICE! (I like estates . . . . . . . . )

[nelmo]

I had a Honda Stream (very rare, 7-seat MPV) for 6 years and it was superb - never a problem with it.

It had the same V-Tec engine that most Honda's have - Honda reckon that they've made 15 million of them (this was years ago, probably a heck of a lot more now) and NONE have ever failed. Ok, probably an exaggeration but Honda are arguably the most reliable cars around.

I once had a Civic as a loan car (round about 2006) and it was amazing - the 1.8 litre was a rocket ship - I couldn't stop wheel-spinning the thing - and that was the bog-standard car - the Type-R must have been amazing.

[Venator]

Civic is a good choice (they got panoramic roof too :hocus-pokus: ), they do them in 2.2 diesel too

Theres also civics hybrid which are alright

Accord (probs be the closet match to your lexus ie: reliability, interior quality/gadgets etc)

Toyota avensis /prius

Volvo s40

Passat/Bora/Jetta

[petayV8]

Hondas are great ide put them over toyota tbh. My wifes first car was a 89 accord it wentfor 340k until the transmission died. Engine was fine

[noby76]

the 2.4litre 190bhp Accords Executive auto's are looking very tempting for me as a replacement for my IS.. only if they had the Honda S2000 engine in them..Hondas are solidand cant go wrong with a Honda

[petayV8]

You would get a lot of Saab for your money and you are right to look for a top spec car. The only problem I've found with Audi's are they are expensive to maintain, in that parts are always a bit more expensive than BMW or Mercedes and they are always an insurance group higher than BMW & Mercedes. You won't get the same standard or amount of spec as the Saab. Plus Saab's are built like tanks. I remember my dad's 9000 it was massive and really well put together. I've found with Volvo's the build quality and materials always felt a bit cheap not the same level as the Germans or Japanese.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. Besides you keep the IS for that bit longer, ha ha.

I love the 9000. I used to me amazed seeing them as a kid lol