Hi, I wanted to introduce myself here. Stumbled across this forum through the person who sold me his car and also whilst searching for information on some upgrades.
Anyway, the story goes, I went out to have a look at buying a car and decided that a Smart Car City Coupe was what I needed, it was small, automatic, efficient and what seemed to be a great first car, especially as I hadn't driven for 3 years since I got my licence. I took a friend with me and got effectively got overwhelmed, rushed and parted with my money to buy it there and then, in the dark (it was becoming night), got a warranty with it, LHD, partial service history and low mileage (35000) and drove it home that day under trader's insurance and got it insured the next day for £650 which I thought was pretty steep given it was group 2. Anyway after 2 weeks the problems started, the oil pressure light started flickering, gear changes were slightly crunching and so I checked the oil level and it was off the bottom of the dipstick. I had it serviced, the gunked-up spark plugs replaced and it was leaking oil from the report, as it was empty again after 2 weeks light driving. The temporary solution was refilling it every 2 weeks and keeping an eye on it, eventually I got annoyed about the performance and the spattering of burnt/vapourised oil on the back of the car (and not being able to see out of the rear window) plus the blue smoke and after seeing how much oil was dripping out immediately I took it into the dealer for a warranty repair. The turbo seals had gone so the turbo wasn't operating (hence the lack of power) and that's where the leak was apparently. The problem started again so fed up I decided I needed a new car.
Flicking through eBay I came across a 1999 Lexus IS200 SE Auto Navigator with 77K miles, great condition, full Lexus S/H, warranty remaining, timing belt recently replaced, bought for £6000 from a trader. I went to test-drive it in a private sale from a guy (used to be a member here) who couldn't justify having it any more. It was amazing, even though it hadn't been cleaned recently and had stuff in it, interior was mint, bodywork excellent for age, CD changer working (with the SE 8-speaker system). It idles silently, has stacks of power (compared to the Smart!) - was hard to get used to, normally I had to put my foot to the floor in the Smart to pull away from the roundabout in-time. Anyway, I told my parents I was just test driving it, but I'd actually placed a bid on the off-chance and won the car for £4000!
When I was younger I always said I'd want a BMW or Lexus for a first car. It drives beautifully, sounds phenomenal when you put you use the kickdown, don't get told I drive a gay car, the parents are quietly jealous (they don't have bad cars, Dad has a Toyota Avensis T3-X, Mum's got a Yaris T-Sport) and no oil on the driveway! Anyway having what I (and I hope everyone else here) considers a luxury brand car does make a difference, and I won't settle for anything less in the future. I don't regret the Smart because the Lexus arrived with perfect timing and I'd still be with a Smart otherwise. I sold the car to a friend as-seen having been serviced and now the engine's got a serious issue, I feel horribly sorry for her but I she was adamant she wanted it because of the low mileage, price and warranty (she didn't transfer) but glad I'm shot of it. The car gives a certain credibility and I've got a personalised plate and make it feel mine, only upgrade I've done is change the front grille. I spoke to the local Lexus dealership and even trade it goes for £3700 so I'm sure this is a good deal (I had to go in there cos some kid in my neighbourhood smashed the left electric mirror off, his parents weren't happy when I slapped them with a £326 bill from Lexus - they did pay!).
I've put a few pictures too. Thanks and I'm looking forward to my stay here!
