jasons

How much is a good set of Auero's worth then? J

Will be trading in the IS300 for an RX next month. Undecied whether to go for a 350 or a hybrid at the moment. though....

You need this, your 200's older, better brother...

High mileage, no reference to service history/cam belt changes. No interior photo's, cant find the MOT... I'd be asking for service history, MOT ref so you can check online (but I would be expecting a list of advisories), some close up shots of the bodywork and interior, an indication of what make the 'new' tyres are etc, etc. However I suppose for £1k I'd maybe be expecting too much! Alternatively, buy it, when it costs too much to sort for the MOT scrap it/break it for parts..? J

Different..... The IS is so much easier to chuck around and allthough many bemoan the auto box the 5 speed on the 300 is more suited to it. That said, perhaps its old age as I dont miss the manual box on the 5 Sport I had. (I also like the fact that everything (just about) is standard on the IS300 whereas you could spend an arm and leg retro fitting it into the E39). And they are (touch wood) much eaier/cheaper in temrs of parts and servicing. Mine will be going in Jan/Feb to make way for an RX though. My wife has just taken delivery of a new Yaris Hybrid which is amazingly good so I'm now thinking of going for a hybrid RX- we shall see! J

Are you under the same name there jasons? As in UK and AUS? Yep, but now back inthe UK full time...

Hope you broke the bad news to the guys on BMW5 ( I didn't.... )

Interesting statement... So what problems will it lead to? I had mine done 19 months ago and I havent encountered any issues whatsoever...

It is possible without a master key. You can reflash the ECU to recognise a new key, so if you had keys and barrels from a scrapper it is possible. I bought an IS300 that looked like it had a master key, as I only had 1 key for it I got another cut and Lexus Guildford couldnt program it as it wasnt a master key for the car. An auto locksmith in Gatwick took the ECU out, reflashed it and programmed both keys to the car,- cost £170 or thereabouts.. J

Got set of 4 in the garage-but in silver, not anthracite. Shod with dunlops with about 4mm of tread.

Just been offered £2.5k for my late 04 IS300 against an RX- with a few more miles than yours, so i'd de expecting about £3200 for mine private. Hope that helps. J

Nokia handsfree kit I think? J

The 300 is at 100k, thought the 200 was sooner than 100k? J

Me too- Granite Sky IS300 signing in:

Given the price mentioned, I doubt they will be the very best... engine, suspension, tired interiors will need work. But for 900 its true shed motoring- buy it, drive it, when it breaks, scrap or break it for parts.

I guess it all depends onhow much you are planning to spend and what your (total) budget is?

Happened about 5 mins away from where I live. Long straight road and then a bend- easy get up to over NSL and then realsie you've got a left hand bend and a slope downwards.. J

My IS300:

Is this the one that is connected to the part of the front/rear suspension? If so I had the same issue on the front one on my IS300. Stripped down and cleaned, been fine ever since. 30 mins max to do. J

If you are looking to buy cheap then (as I guess you found with the BM) you'll need to budget for jobs that will inevitably need doing on top of the purchase price. That said, and as mentioned above, the IS performs and is so much better built that it carries the miles so much better. You mention a ST170, I can imagine that if I was looking at wither at the same money, they ST is going to be a much poorer example £ for £? J

Good news / Sad news fella. If you dont mind me asking, how much did it go for? J

Jon, Thanks for the insight/breakdown- after looking through it, nothing that is enough to make me worr about whenI change cars. Apart from depreciation.... J

I'd dispute the cost of the cambelt change at being around the 1k mark (unless dealler serviced). I had my IS300 (essentially the same engine) in for a 100k service, cambelt and waterpump that came in at less than 700. I think from memory I was quoted less than 350 for the cambelt alone. J

Jon, interesting report- I'd be interested in the larger bills and what they were for... I'm thinking of changing my IS for an RX and that gives a good insight into running costs over a few years. Cheers, J

The larger oval one is used to tie the cars down during delivery- there is one on each corner. Missing ones (at the front especially) cause an annoying wind noise (especially up at the A Pillar). J