Hi Newbie Looking At Buying Potential Is200. ..

[gti power]

Hi im new to the forum and possibly looking to buy a is200.

So where to start, im a technician for nissan so working on my car isnt a great issue however I dont really want an unreliable car I fix enough in the week.

I used to work at Toyota only for 12months but I did service a couple of sports model is and I must say they seemed nice well equipped cars although I was disappointed with the high fuel consumption especially when you dont get a huge power delivery in return.

Anyway im currently saving for a new car in the region of 4k and im looking at something like an Audi TT however looking at certain faults etc with the TT and the fact im not really looking at spending alot for the particular car wont get me a fantastic example.

So I looked at the is200 after seeing a local one forsale I soon realised they dont hold their value, I thought I would look into them as I could get a great example is200 for £1500 with all the tricks and toys (if not more ) than the TT not mentioning the lexus would be a more reliable car out of the two in my opinion?

The one I saw was a 2001 silver SE with 95k fsh etc he wanted £1250 talking to the guy over the phone I soon realised he hadnt had alot of interest so I told him id be looking to spend £850 he said he would be happy with that.

Now obviously i haven't looked at the car yet so it maybe apparent why he was so keen to drop £400 however I think they car a car that is not going to sell particularly quick in today climate.

I did ideally want a pre 2001 due to that falling before the emission based taxed although the 2001 I looked at was only £25 more for 6months so not the end of the world. Also I wanted a sport is it only cosmetically different?

Im mainly looking for advise on common issues etc im aware the brake calipers seems to be the biggest and I have heard people say to make sure x3 keys are present.

Thanks in advance.

[petayV8]

The more you pay the less maintenance and work you'll need to do down the line. If you want a luxary car in a small package the IS might be for you but like you said you dont buy one if you have the need for speed. Personally if i had 4k to spend ide iether get a mint is300 or mk2 IS250 if were strictly speaking lexus. There is no other problems with the IS200 except for calipers. They are solid and you'll have years of trouble free motoring as long as yoh dont neglect it. I also wanted the cheaper tax and found a 2000 that was perfect. Not sure about the key thing mine has 2 and im fine with that. And yes TTs have there problems. The v6 ones were better.

[noby76]

4K budget can buy you a lot of cars so before you make any decision you might have to think about what you lookiong for in terms of priority. e.g.

mpg, relaibilty, power or

power, mpg , relaibilty or

reliability, power, mpg...etc

if your priority is more of relibility reseonable power and mpg then the IS200 fits in perfectly as its more reliable than an Audi TT for sure has reasonable power, above average handling and 29 maybe high 30's mpg on combined cycle so if you expect 40mpg on a dialy run then get a diesel. if power is top of your priority and mpg less on your list then the IS300 betters the 200 with lazy torque low down the rev range and even more pull at the top end aswell . the more you spend on initial purchase price the less things needs doing and better a condition it will be in. they are nice cars even though getting old by todays standards can still hold thier own. ball joints , calipers and inner front tyre wear are most issues which crops on these IS's but that doesnt mean they occur every year and besides the usual wear and tear like discs pads, tires and usual oil filter servicing which every car goes through at some point, not a lot goes wrong. 125K miles on my engine and still smooth, starts perfectly, quiet when idle, returns the claimed 26mpg or more if not driven hard and goes if asked to..

Audi TT's are nice looking cars and both the 1.8Turbo or the 3.2 V6 engines retunrs reasonable mpgs for thier power outputs.. but if i had to choose a 2 door sports car then my 4K will have to go to a Honda S2000 just for the sheer 9200rpm VTEC sound. :)

[gti power]

4K budget can buy you a lot of cars so before you make any decision you might have to think about what you lookiong for in terms of priority. e.g.

mpg, relaibilty, power or

power, mpg , relaibilty or

reliability, power, mpg...etc

if your priority is more of relibility reseonable power and mpg then the IS200 fits in perfectly as its more reliable than an Audi TT for sure has reasonable power, above average handling and 29 maybe high 30's mpg on combined cycle so if you expect 40mpg on a dialy run then get a diesel. if power is top of your priority and mpg less on your list then the IS300 betters the 200 with lazy torque low down the rev range and even more pull at the top end aswell . the more you spend on initial purchase price the less things needs doing and better a condition it will be in. they are nice cars even though getting old by todays standards can still hold thier own. ball joints , calipers and inner front tyre wear are most issues which crops on these IS's but that doesnt mean they occur every year and besides the usual wear and tear like discs pads, tires and usual oil filter servicing which every car goes through at some point, not a lot goes wrong. 125K miles on my engine and still smooth, starts perfectly, quiet when idle, returns the claimed 26mpg or more if not driven hard and goes if asked to..

Audi TT's are nice looking cars and both the 1.8Turbo or the 3.2 V6 engines retunrs reasonable mpgs for thier power outputs.. but if i had to choose a 2 door sports car then my 4K will have to go to a Honda S2000 just for the sheer 9200rpm VTEC sound. :)

Hi thanks for the reply, power isn't essential as I ride a motorcycle however I do like to see reasonable power in turn for the fuel I'm using.

At the same time mpg and practicality isn't all that as I drive a vw caddy Van which returns 50mpg and is run on chip fat.

All I want from a car is reliability and alot of spec/Car/image (if that's the word for it) for little money as possible.

I do like s2000 but I don't like the fact you have to rev the he'll out of vtecs before they make you smile as opposed to a turbo car.

If I had the 4k I'd look at a fiat coupe 20v turbo le/plus model.

[noby76]

All I want from a car is reliability and alot of spec/Car/image (if that's the word for it) for little money as possible.

in that case you cant go wrong with either the IS200 or IS300 later models had full specs i.e leather , satnav and better plastic interior.. IS300's are more spec's in standard form though. they have leather as standard, arm rest, LSD, HID's, self dimming wing and interior mirror.

I do like s2000 but I don't like the fact you have to rev the he'll out of vtecs before they make you smile as opposed to a turbo car.

that's what everyone says until they see one keeping up with their turbo car's. if they were torque less they wont be good for 6 secs to 60 have seen some do it in 5.5 secs all the way to 155mph when legal. IS's are going for reasonable money these days and ticks all boxes for spec/Car and Image..

[gti power]

All I want from a car is reliability and alot of spec/Car/image (if that's the word for it) for little money as possible.

in that case you cant go wrong with either the IS200 or IS300 later models had full specs i.e leather , satnav and better plastic interior.. IS300's are more spec's in standard form though. they have leather as standard, arm rest, LSD, HID's, self dimming wing and interior mirror.

I do like s2000 but I don't like the fact you have to rev the he'll out of vtecs before they make you smile as opposed to a turbo car.

that's what everyone says until they see one keeping up with their turbo car's. if they were torque less they wont be good for 6 secs to 60 have seen some do it in 5.5 secs all the way to 155mph when legal. IS's are going for reasonable money these days and ticks all boxes for spec/Car and Image..

I bet they don't hang around and they look very nice also becoming affordable I think they maybe the next mx5 the way their going.

Any big problems with the is200?

[petayV8]

seems like you have similar priorities you want from a car to me, and the IS ticked all the boxes for me. Take performance and MPG out of the equation and you got a perfect all rounder, both not important to me.

About the S2000, the performance is great, but im the same and prefer a effortless power delivery from a fast car, such as a SC or Turbo V8. AMG for example. Dont get me wrong I appreciate the appeal of a high revving engine but its not for me, plus the S2000 is as basic as they come

[gti power]

I think we are getting carried away with the is200 vs the s2000 I'm only looking at spending 1.5k tops on a is200 and even then it would need to be A blue sport model so really on comparison all I can think is a 3series bmw e46 and even then I guess a poor example for the budget not to mention the reliability compared with the is200.

[petayV8]

Oh sorry thought you had 4k. £1500 should get you a good example

[gti power]

Oh sorry thought you had 4k. £1500 should get you a good example

no sorry im saving for the 4k tt.