petayV8

Ive actually largely been into the american car scene in the UK for a long time and even have a AACUK sticker in my IS! :shutit: Im just not in a position atm to deal with the running and maintenance costs of owning a yank even as a second car, but has always been a dream of mine. As for options in the US, yes youve got alot of choice and american cars over there are the cheapest option naturally, which is a bonus :)

Those AMGs would look sick on a LS

Does by-passing the amp effect the audio quality? When i put a after market CD player in my last car it sounded so much worse as if the in built in amp in the headunit couldnt drive the speakers.

Does by-passing the amp effect the audio quality? When i put a after market CD player in my last car it sounded so much worse as if the in built in amp in the headunit couldnt drive the speakers.

Yeah i only counted 6, but am guessing the rears have 2 in 1 sorta thing. The sound is good quality in the IS, its a crisp sound with just the right levels of trebble, mid and bass. unlike some of my friends who think adding a subwoofer makes it sound good when really it just sounds like *****. The speakers arent perfect tho, i find i have to turn the bass down if i turn it up loud....

I couldnt help but notice Lexus did in fact make the IS300 with a manual box, but not sold in the UK. Any imports or conversions out there? just curious really....

Wow that would be cool, also want to know the answer to this. I was actually thinking to put LED bulb for the full beam for DRL but then wont have full beam lol

Mine is also a bit squeeky when cold but soon quietens out when it warms up. Im replacing all my belts in the next month or two, will report back. btw how much do you expect to get for your IS? they seem to be loosing there value by the minute, not looking forward to the time i sell mine!

Yeah its very sensitive and slow to react. Still baffled to think the IS never had a trip computer, even my focus had that

Although many of us prefer the 400! as far as I know there was never a gs400? But regardless of this, was the 4.0L a better engine?

I had the window open today and started hearing a very high pitched scraping sound coming from one of the wheels as the car glided along. It was all the time when the car is moving. After closer inspection of the brakes the front left side has a small groove in the rotor going all the way round, but everything else looks fine.The pads are nearly new and rotors fairly new also. Braking performance also seems fine. So could something of got lodged in there maybe? Ive never had any issues before on any previous cars but also never had brakes the size of the ones on the IS! The brakes have also been recently cleaned up and checked by my mechanic

A aftermarket system would be better than the lexus one anyway with features such as rear view camera input, video playback for example and of course GPS navigation with free updates. However I think it would be much less hassle to just get a double din interface to replace the head unit that will also double up as a better audio system.

Wasnt sure about the aftermarket alloys at first, but theyve grown on me. Its got 99k on the clock and is in perfect condition except for a few stone chips and two dings. Full service hist and Lexus stockport invoices upto 80k so very well looked after and cherished. Current mods are LED interior lighting all round, puddle lights, 5000k HID kit, CREE Q5 LED fogs and sidelights, fitted a aftermarket centre console armrest. I want to tint the back glass, get a lip spoiler and paint the calipers black with white decals, get parking sensors maybe get a private plate also wouldnt mind swapping for a cream interior but apart from that want to keep it pretty standard. Was thinking LED tails, put kinda pricey

If i got another lexus i think ide go for a GS, but ide go all out and get the 430 :P

This isnt true for me. Im emigrating to California and IS's there are in excess of 7k and thats for a high miler! I guess they get the respect they deserve stateside.. this ones got 154k and it doesnt even have heated seats or navi and its going for over 8k!http://sfbay.craigsl...3559312671.html MK1 GS300's are pretty cheap tho but normally battered. The ES is cheap too but im not so keen on the older ones, seem pretty basic. Prolly end up getting something american with a V8 :P

Congrats on the ownership. Ive also always wanted one of these cars and when I bought my 2nd car couldnt quite justify the insurance, plus they were a little more pricy 3 years ago, but i just hit 25 and thought its time! I will never forget the day I bought my IS and the first drive home! It was also love at first sight when I bought mine and new it was the one. I just love driving it and always look forward to it. I want to go to Scotland in it soon just for fun. The only things that didnt work on my 2000 (99k miles) IS200 that i bought 3 months ago is the passenger heated seat and the passenger door switch. I replaced the door switch for a fiver. Im also emigrating this year and will be forced to part with my baby :( btw im surprised you think parts are expensive for these cars noby as ive experienced them to be very reasonable so far, and this is after owning the most common car there is, a focus! I have noticed from having a mooch on the GS and LS forums that they tell a difference story but the IS not so much?

I think we've come to the conclusion that winter tyres are necessary depending on your type of vehicle but more importantly your environment, or just piece of mind if you've got the time and money. It is also clear that they aren't just a gimmick and do make a difference but aren't always essential.

I tried to have a bit of fun in the car park today and I couldnt get it to slide at all! turned TRC off too. This makes me wonder if winter tyres are really necessary tbh. I also havent had any issues and my roads pretty bad, covered, no tarmac showing, only had the TRC light come on when ive made to effort to make it skid to test the conditions which is what matt described also with his winter tyres. Obviously ive adjusted my driving habits and dont mind being extra cautious vs driving at a normal pace with a good set of winter tyres. I also had to stop very quickly yesterday driving 40mph into a bus stop about 40 - 50m ahead that was almost covered with snow/slush and stopped without a skid. Having a 2nd car is down to the individual. For me I understand it completely simply because I love cars in general and sounds like a good excuse to own another and when it comes to cars, expense goes out of the window for me. I would own 6 if i could afford it. It just depends where ppl like to throw there money, some pets, some kids some cars.... who cares. BTW im running summer tyres, live in a urban area and dont use country road or go up steep inclines so could be the reason ive had no problems, but saying that I did used to commute on country B roads until i moved closer to work and we've had some nasty winters in the last 4 or 5 years, and still never had issues and the best tyres ive ever had are mid rangers, and used to run budgets on my Rover 200 SDI. And for these reasons winter tyres arent my priority, but this is just from MY own personal experience and ive only been driving 5 years....

i thought you could get a update for the cd based system up to 2007?

First time owning a RWD car in the snow and just went out in it. I did quite well and im surprised ppl are saying the snow mode doesnt make a difference because for me, having much less throttle sensitivity made the world of difference. To scared to turn traction off tho! I live in a built up area but i might have some fun tonight after work when i finish at 9! Oh and i didnt know a little skid light came on if you skid, thats kinda cool. before and after below:

Snow forcast thursday night and friday ppl! Be prepared

Yeah I saw those kits when mine went, but since mines a 2000 I think it was well over due a replacement anyway. Also after it sticking my disc is warped but not nearly as bad as I thought it would of been, im gonna leave it as the rotor are nearly new I cant justify replacing them already!

I couldnt believe my eyes when i saw a white IS250C drive past me! there nice in the flesh i have to say. These are pretty rare on UK roads tho ide say

Not had my IS that long and had a sticky brake for awhile, now its all fixed im achieving 26.4MPG 80% town driving, im very happy with this. and its a auto.