Shifty6Speed

Thanks for the reply, Matt! I do much prefer them to the Focus, comfort, refinement and road noise on long journeys are vastly improved and as for speed, i know it's a bit slower, only about 1 sec to 60 which i can live with and i'll probably never use the top speed on a public road anyway... I know it's the IS i want, it's just whether i can find a good enough one for the money i'll have (which is no definite amount at the moment)... I won't be buying silver again either, they're a b*tch to keep clean and if i'm going to be washing my car every week, i'd rather have a black one :-D

Hi all, i've not been on here for a good few months but i'm hoping i can get some decent honest advice and not just a load of bias remarks... :) 1st) Back in April i put a deposit down on a 2002 IS200 with 94k on the clock (£2250) and at the very last minute i decided to change my mind and go for a 2002 318i SE with 88.5K on the clock (£2050). Since i've owned the Beemer, it's been great to be back on the road, but it's cost me an absolute fortune in garage bills (Around £1400 so far with a quoted £600 for the next oil service on sweating gaskets and strut mounts etc) I'm at a point now where i wish i hadn't of changed my mind. I don't like the thing to drive, it looks more dated and guzzles the same amount of fuel as the 6 cylinder Lexus... I'm possibly looking at selling it soon having done so much work on it and getting it cheap to begin with (due to the required work) I just don't get any pleasure out of driving it to be honest and i'm not being ungreatful having had 2 years off the road with major knee surgery, it's great to have freedom again! But it just doesn't excite me, it feels average at best. Ok, sorry to draw this out so much... Again, please be open minded and not bias just because this is a Lexus forum... If i can sell for a fairly good price, i'd be looking to spend no more than £2500 on either an IS200 Sport or a Focus st170. I know the common faults with both cars and i know they're both good reliable cars, but i can't afford a car with 30K on the clock, so it's going to be between 80K (if i'm lucky) and 95k ish... What does everyone think i should do??? My head is just far to fried to think straight at the moment and i need help and advice off others to put things into perspective. Thanks in advance, Shifty.

Ok, i've given up... I've told him he can give me a refund, i'm by no means impressed with him, his service to the customer or his honesty or vehicular knowledge for that matter, considering he's supposed to be a "specialist car sales" place.... Righto, about as special as green flies backside!!! Just need to wait for the refund to be processed now... I'm not sure whether to go for another IS200 now either... I just don't know, my heads all over the place.... Tax is bl**dy astronomical too!!! Sod the greedy government!!! :arrrggg-matey:

Noted! Taa :) I'll get a few quotes from various places, i've got to go up to blackpool and back tomorrow so that'll be it's first big test.... My local garage is a big, bosch test centre with all the diagnostics and some pretty handy spanner guys who i've known for years (although they still have bills to pay so i get nothing much for free). So, i'll get them to have a look over it too and give me their verdict, then i'll take it over to Lexus and ask them very nicely if they'll give it the once over for me... Then i'll figure out where my next tank of fuel is coming from haha!

Thanks Kevin! :)

Yep, agreed! I'm not usually this "poor"... I've just come back after having 2 and a half years off work with major surgery on both legs and i've had to lend the money to buy this car off family and there is no way they can fork out any more... I've owned MR2's, 200sx's, R33 Skyline's etc... It's just not a good time for me at the moment plus i'm still yet to find decent full time employment to fund this and pay back the money now owed... I'm confident i can get a job fairly soon, i'm just worried about this creeping up and becoming more expensive than i'll be able to deal with anytime soon and then i'll be left out of pocket and without a car... On the plus side... No, actually, i'll await the outcome before i decide if there is a plus side.

Yeah, good call there! I'll get it sorted somehow anyway! Where there's a will, there's a way! Thanks again for all the help anyway and i really do love the car, just not the money! I very much look forward to being a part of this community and possibly going to some meets if you have them!

Thanks for all the advice Noby! I'll jot everything down anyway and see if they'll give it 10 mins on the ramp for free, just to have a look and put my mind at rest for a few miles or tell me what a fool i've been and bend me over as payment...

No prob mate i actually picked mine up in Bham which is not far from wlverhamton so try Lex bham aswell or even Leicester or Coventry just give them a quick call and compare quotes between them. I'v also noticed Lex dealerships are good with doing deals so dont really go with the first quote you get try and knock the price down by say £50 and chances are they will do it for that price but if they don't, hey at least you gave it a shot... Yeah, i'll ring around a few... The thing is, from where i live, Wolves is about 40 mile away at least and the further i go, the less relevent the quote becomes because i'll be forking out in fuel.... I really do feel ready to cry for being so bl**dy stupid. I'm 6ft 5", heavily tattooed and been through a lot in my life, and this is getting to me to the point that my head is going purple and i dare not check my blood pressure. Also, i'm absolutely skint now, so this is going to be fun, finding money for all of the belts, tensioners, pulley's and full service etc... I don't live near any high buildings to jump off either if everything goes t*ts up.... :megaangry:

Thanks Noby, i'll have a word with my nearest dealership (Wolverhampton) on monday, i'll drive over and see them, it's easier that way and i get it from the horses mouth...

Cheers for that Luki! I'm guessing mine is going to be another couple of hundred at least then as all my mates are tight fisted :-/

Wow, for a notoriously reliable car, they seem to have their fair share of common problems... I'm beginning to wonder what i've brought into.... :-/ Eeeeep. My IS200 has 92k on the clock and the cambelt is due in 8K or before as is a full service which was last done last april. I need to magic some money out of my a*se and fast by the sounds of it...

Hi all, i'm new here :) I'm Mike, 28 and from Shropshire. I'm supposed to be picking my 2002 IS200 Sport up tomorrow. I'm a little concerned about something which i have made a post for in the IS200/IS300 forum.... Any help would be hugely and urgently appreciated :)

Hi guys and girls, i'm desperate for help tonight!!! I'm due to go and look at / buy a 2002 IS200 Sport tomorrow from "David Stockton Specialist Cars" in the north west... I've been assured it's a beautiful car as it looks in the pics... Problem is it's got 92K or 94K on the clock and the cambelt doesn't seem to have been done in the service history (which has 8 stamps in it)... The car is reserved for me with a refundable deposit at an asking price of £2250 i've seen cars with lower milage but this is the only one in the colour and spec and close enough to where i live! How much is (including parts and labour on average): The cambelt/pulley going to cost? Timing belt change and cost? Full service (last done at 84K April 2011)... I really really like the car, it's brilliant apart from these expensive issues. Any help vastly appreciated! Thanks very much in advance....