Paradroid

There is one for sale round the corner from me at a Renault (spit) dealers, it's an 02 plate and they wanted 9995, but are now trying 9495 as they've had it for quite a while now. Having said that the car is green with the beige interior so not the most saleable colour scheme (still nice though). They're a rarer car than a 3-Series, but for some reason 3 residuals are still holding up really well at the moment even on the older shape. I have been comparing an IS200 vs. a 320 (it has to be a straight six not the 4 cyl 318) and the 320 is still dear even for an 02/03 year car. Right now the IS200 looks a better deal used - which I suppose is good news for buyers but not sellers.

I wondered at first if they were using the older 3.0 engine for the Chinese market, but does say the engine is a V6 not a straight six. Could they be fitting thicker liners and smaller pistons to create a 3.0 from the 3.5? Or is it just a misprint

If I bought a 2003 IS200SE now with about 35k on it, for about 12k, what would it be worth in two years time with another 30k on the clock? My guess is around 7k trade in, 7.5k private? I know they hold their value really well but it's probably about now where values are dropping the most because the new model is really starting to take off now, plus ex-demos and low mileage cars are now available in the crucial price point of 17-20k. What do owners think? I suppose 5k depreciation is about right for two years motoring these days!

So which one of you chaps is Anthony Hopkins :P In case anyone's wondering what I'm on about he's supposed to own an SC :)

Sorry you got rid. The dealer, was it Lexus Chester? Is that the one near Cheshire Oaks (got I hate that place :D ). Are they not the best then? This is a bit worrying if so, if I got a Lexus I'd be a bit stuck for dealers living/working where I do. Lexus Bolton aren't supposed to be too clever either

Is anyone noticing any difference in their cars with the mad heat that's out there at the moment? It doesn't help that when it's so hot you need the air con on and the temperatures get even higher under the bonnet. In my motor (not a Lexus) I'm noticing the gearchange getting a little bit harder when stuck in traffic, like the clutch hydraulics are suffering a bit. Plus the odd time the car's felt slow off the mark, definitely the "heat soak" effect!

I'm not the best person to ask on performance as I've not had chance to drive one properly, but I would say that although 9.5 seconds to 60mph doesn't sound that quick, a shift to third is needed to get to 60 so out on the road the car probably feels a bit quicker than the figures suggest. Apparently they do move when you get them past 4000rpm, but the redline is at 6250rpm so the power band is not huge. Below 4000rpm I don't think they're especially quick. Are you going for auto or manual? Have you considered an IS300 if you want something more in line with LS performance?

Cool, thanks :)

Quite suprised to hear there's no autolocking, it seems pretty standard these days across new cars. Do the old and new IS have a button the dash somewhere to lock the doors manually then?

Thanks for the info. Not quite sure I understand it all though - sorry! So are the IS's set up wrong out of the factory or is it just the documentation that's wrong? Is it possible to set the geometry up correctly on a standard car or are modified parts needed? :D

Out of my budget range for the forseeable future I'm afriad After sitting in a really nicely specced IS250 in the showroom last week I'm gutted

On the WIM website there's a list of alignment specialists in other parts of the country that he recommends, not sure if that's any help to you?

Welcome to the MG club :D The old Rover V8 might only be 155bhp (was that the twin plenum model) but being an american engine it's got a supersize wedge of torque and a light car like the B will fly with a mill like that under the bonnet B) B) Any pictures, especially of the engine???

Yeah I guess that's the main factor - dodging the more serious sunken manholes covers round my way is now part of my driving style after driving cars with sports suspension for the last few years! Seems like everyone is noticing the same think about the poor quality of roads round their way. If there's a really bad pothole near you, phone the council and say you hit it and think you've damaged your suspension. When I did this (it was actually true) they had a crew out the very next day to fix it!!!

Can I be nosy and ask a) can the tracking really go out on the IS after only a few thousand miles? B) are all cars affected or just some? Is the Sport any different being a slightly lower setup? Thanks :)

It's the lambswool one, you can't see the other side in the picture but it's a sort of mesh and I find it gets rid of the bugs a treat! http://www.speeding.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000099...;TB=A&SHOP= P.S. If you do get one don't do what I did and throw it in the washing machine with all the other towels and cloths - mine fell apart. They can't be machine washed (it does actually say so on the label, I was just being thick)! Edit: here's a better picture showing the reverse: http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb90wash.html

Wow - that car looks immaculate! Nice colour too (when it's clean) I don't use any sprays to get rid of bugs off the front bumper, because my Meguiars wash mitt has a reverse side which is a mesh specially designed to get rid of bugs, and it works a treat too. Well recommended.

It's depressing but by my reckoning you paid nearly 6k on VAT when you purchased the car, which can never be recovered unfortunately.

I don't own an LS400 but the above is definitely true as last time I needed new tyres I replaced them with exactly the same model and the road noise decreased quite a bit. My car can be very quiet on the right surface, but road noise is very noticeable on bad surfaces - it's the type of tarmac that makes all the difference. That "Shell Grip" stuff (the smooth black grippy stuff) should be used on every road in my opinion

Actually yeah those wheels look pretty good. Shame about the rest of the car though, deary me that's bad :yack:

Is this anyone off here: http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CARS_...200619235136686

Well that's a bit cheeky, I enquired about a used Lexus at the weekend and asked if it could be serviced at a Toyota dealers round the corner from my house, instead of a 20 mile drive to the nearest Lexus dealers, and they said no! I think I'd just use my trusty independent workshop near work. Going back to the original question though, does the "Toyota Altezza" name have any particular brand strength to it in Japan I wonder? Over here they're a bit special because they're rare and are normally RS200's, but unless it means something special to the Japanese then the car will be sold as a Lexus there too as they are doing now.

Same thing happened on my car a few years back, a bird crapped on it and I didn't wash it off straight away, when I did wash the car a few days later you could see an imperfection left in the clear coat. I've been paranoid ever since. The opposite extreme though is someone I know who tried to clean a bit of bird crap off their car with some kitchen roll and didn't use enough water, it scratched the paintwork and put a nice dull patch in it :duh: Good tip on Scratch-X there, I've been thinking of trying some of that myself on the gf's Fiesta. It's black and a certain bodyshop ruined the paintwork while repairing some accident damage :tsktsk: We complained and they took it back and I think they actually managed to make it worse!

Did anyone see Top Gear's little piece on caravanning earlier tonight

well I had a nosy at one today at a dealers (an IS200), he started it up, I thought the engine note wasn't as meaty as I remembered, but then the door was open, from inside I seem to remember the IS200 sounds nice and brawny. Air con seemed good, stereo was good but not quite as good as the upgraded setup on my current car. Biggest concern was every used IS I looked at seemed to have scratches and scuffs. Hmmm. Lot of money for a car with paintwork not cared for properly... I checked the new IS in the showroom too and was stunned. Photos of the car both inside and outside do it no justice. Even though prices have gone up I'd say the car's a bargain given the quality of the interior. in the right colour and seat material it's got the measure of an e-class merc i'd say, for less money and more reliability!