nieuk

Thanks for all replies Have anybody gone independent for a full service, what sort of costs are involved, again i realise it depends but just give me rough idea. I wanted to have a cost to compare to any other [boring] car i could buy for the similar money. Coz this old cars are bound to brake every now and then.. some even more often which adds up to the ownership costs. The fuel cost puts me off a bit but then with car's reliabilty it might break even. Is there a noticable difference in driving the Sport model over the SE trim? Does the LSD make a huge difference? @Rory good tip. I read somewhere on this web the Stereo with a CD slot at the top is the newer one right? cheers :)

Hi, I'm a newbie to this forum and to Lexus for that matter. I am interested in buying IS200, I absolutely love this car for its classy looks and overall package. The problem is that I am very tight on money as I'm just finishing uni. So I was looking at '99-'01 models available preferably in SE trim they tend to have 110-140k on the clock. Because of my very limited budget I am really concerned with the running costs of this beauty. Especially at the beginning because after couple of months I should be able to afford it easily. What sort of annual costs are involved on owning and running this car? I know that it is a thirsty beast, is 30 MPG combined achievable with normal day to day driving? by normal I mean dynamic driving without pushing it. How much on average annual servicing costs? I read posts saying that it really varies between dealers but what if i was to use independent garage. is really half the cost? What are the parts that need changing at this mileage? Timing belt every 60k, anything else? I hope i didn't bore you too much with questions :P and that somebody would be willing to share the knowledge Thanx