LexIS200Sport

@SE-L Max, did you run a quote with your parents as named drivers on the policy? Sometimes this brings the price down. Also, I wonder if the earliest of IS200s qualify for classic car insurance? 🤔

Back in 2014, I had my IS200 Sport concurrently with a friend's IS250 Premier for 2 months, and the 3IS certainly felt like it handled better. Although it is worth pointing out that my 1IS had 130k miles on the clock and her 3IS had about <2k miles 😉 What a terrific car it was though - it was really difficult handing back the keys when she returned from abroad!

wow that's nothing! 🙂

@ambermarine Phil, out of curiosity how many miles has she clocked?

Nippon Auto Spares in Derby comes to mind. They normally seem to have stock of GS parts so should be the same for the RX.

The logic of connecting to the jump start terminals as opposed to the battery comes from a safety standpoint rather than an electrical one. And I think it really only matters for jump-starting and much less so for trickle-charging. The reasoning is that a flat battery that needs jump starting is likely to produce hydrogen when charged from a high-current source such as a donor vehicle. The last thing you want is for potential sparks (from disconnecting the jump-start cable clamps) to ignite said hydrogen. That's why many an owners manual state that you connect the jump-start leads directly to the battery terminals of the donor vehicle, but only to the positive terminal on the "victim" vehicle. The negative clamp should be connected to a good ground point as far away from the battery as possible, and it should be the last clamp that you connect and the first clamp that you remove. But I think this is really a non-issue for trickle charging a healthy 12V battery.

Such a majestic car. The best-looking LS in my opinion, followed by the LS460.

@JeffL that certainly looks the bee's knees , thanks for sharing 🙂

Certainly not a silly question in my books 🙂 Yes, flat spots could happen, but it depends. When I last parked up my GS for 12 months, the rears (Michelin PSS) developed flat spots whereas the fronts (Pirelli P-Zero) didn't. The Pirellis were newer tyres though, with ~7mm thread whereas the Michelins has only 3mm left, so maybe tyre age plays a role in flat-spotting. Tyres certainly get harder with age, and as such likely to hold a shape more permanently. The car has been SORN'd once again but this time I have over-inflated the tyres to 40psi and will keep them topped up that way so lets see what happens.

Here's my setup. I'm using a Maypole smart charger and a Bosch S4 sealed battery in my GS450h. The lamp in the boot is switched off and the bootlid is left ajar to allow for the charger mains lead to trail out.

My first car is a Datsun Laurel (C31) from 1982, which I still have at my parent's place abroad. It was an unconventional choice for a 17-year old but it taught me so much about motoring and car maintenance. It's 2-litre carburetted inline-6 engine only produced 115bhp, so it wasn't quick at all but perfect for someone who just got their license. A couple of years later I got myself an R31 Nissan Skyline Passage GT, which also had a 2-litre inline-6 engine (turbo) and 5-speed manual box, and to this day one of the fondest memories I've ever had in car ownership 🙂 So when I arrived in the UK about a decade ago, naturally I went looking for a Japanese saloon with 6-cyl engine, manual gearbox, and RWD. Much to my surprise, the only option available was the IS200. So that led me to my first UK car, which was an X-reg IS200 Sport. Fantastic car is was for the money - superb road holding, sonorous inline-6, satisfying 6-speed box, and build quality that is leagues ahead of my current GS450h. Personally, I think the IS200 is a great car for someone who has just entered the motoring world. Very linear power delivery, predictive handling, and even at 15-20 years old unlikely to leave you stranded if you find one that has been looked after. I had mine from 80k miles to 130k miles, and the “big bill” items were front lower ball joints, front shock absorbers, cam belt and water pump replacement, and fixing rust that occurred on the sills just by the rear wheel arch. The former owner has had to replace the rear brake calipers. I found this thread particularly helpful when I was shopping for mine: https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/69388-what-problems-would-you-advise-others-when-buying-a-is200/ Good luck in your search!

John, just wondering - is it not the case that the combustion engine fires-up if the 12V battery so much as needs a top-up? I too noticed that the consumption on the GS450h improved by 2mpg average after a fresh 12V battery, and that the car switches to EV mode more readily. With the old 12V battery, there has been instances where the engine keeps running when the gear lever is in "P" even though the hybrid battery is at 3 bars+ and the engine has fully warmed up. So although charging the 12V only consumes 60W, the fact that an entire engine is being turned over to provide for this affects the overall fuel economy? Of course, just from my observation and that I may have read this from somewhere - I may be totally wrong.

Further to @JeffL's question (hope you don't mind, Jeff 🙂), could anyone also recommend a tyre inflator that plugs into a 240V outlet?

It is the case for both key fobs?

Just thought I'd chime in - my GS450h was parked in a garage for 12 months untouched. It was connected to a wall charger to keep the (then) factory 12V battery topped up. As it entered hibernation, it was 10 years old, had done 105k miles, had half tank fuel, tyres at 40psi all round, and hybrid battery showed 4 blue bars. I just parked it up and didn't lock it with the fob. When I got back to it a year later, the factory 12V battery had depleted anyways and tyres had lost between 10-15psi each. After a new 12V battery, it started right away and hybrid battery still showed 4 blue bars 🙂 Rear tyres had flat-spotted (Michelin Pilot Super Sports with 3mm left), but the fronts were perfect (Pirelli something, newer pair with ~7mm). Aircon gasses had escaped (yet the system passed the pressure test prior to regassing - strange). Also never needed regassing in the 2 years that it was running thereafter. The car has just been SORN'd again and parked up in the garage as above, but as I'll remain in the country and home-bound this time, I plan to keep the tyres topped up for a change 🙂

Been looking for this version! Thanks for posting! 🙂

Is that an Isuzu Vehicross?

🙂

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Little_Piggy 🙂

Even if it was parked inside a locked garage?

That was a lovely W126 at the start!

I'll be putting my GS on SORN too until it is needed again. As you say, pointless paying insurance and tax while it sits still collecting dust. I noticed that if the car is parked up without locking it using the remote (or button on the door), the 12V battery charge lasts much longer. Observed this the last time it was on SORN for a year.

Ah the nineties 😎🤘

wow even more filters to be mindful of! 😅 Thanks for sharing, Lee! How frequent would these need to be replaced?

Keeps my chin up today! 😄