stevep

Nice to hear that someone else shares similar thoughts and experiences to myself. I spent 6 months deciding on what I was going to spend my cash on and reading the reviews above feel I have made the right choice. The test drive from my Lexus dealer was fantastic, was taken down quiet country lanes and the salesman knew the roads really well so was pushing me to really get the most our of the car and see what it is capable of. One thing that did amaze me was the braking performance on the IS200 and also the comfort of the ride given the speed I was travelling down uneven country lanes. As you can see, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the keys of my new toy!

Your experience with the Jag test drive sounds similar to my own - offered a 5 mins trip round the block as no petrol in the car compared with a 45 min lexus test drive in town, motorway and b-roads. Yesterday I placed an order for a new IS200 SE with a London delearship and managed to get a cracking deal - the only thing I need to do now is wait till I return in June and avoid SARS in Hong Kong where I am currently living!! Cheers for the advice. Steve

Thanks for your response. Has anyone added the illuminated scuff plates - are they worth the extra money as an option? What dealer fit options would people recommend - if any? Cheers

I am shortly due to return from working overseas and plan to order an IS200 SE to pick up when I arrive back in the UK. I took a test drive when I was back at Christmas and was very impressed by the car and the service I received from my local dealer. I compared the car to the X-type and also BMW and was won over by the Lexus' high spec and smooth engine. The reason I am asking your advice is because of the number of reviews I read which complain about the performance of the car. When I test drove the car I was revving the engine hard and could not complain one bit over the performance and loved the engine note. My only niggle is that if I had driven the car longer maybe I would also have doubts over the 2 litre performance. Since I am not in the UK it is not easy to take another test drive to settle any doubts I may have and hence any comments would be most useful. I plan to order the IS200 SE manual brand new as the second hand values are so strong it makes no sense buying a 12 month old version for 18k when a new one with 3 yrs warranty is only 20k. My other question is whether there are plans to release a new model in the next year or so. I can not see any news on the web about this either on Lexus' site or other car sites. Cheers Steve