UKPulse

Always has been the governments policy to try and price motorists off the road rather than invest money in real alternatives, like a half decent public transport network for starters.

Fact is, we value the (apparent) freedom our cars give us so much that we'll pay thru the nose for it. The government knows this and will just keep increasing the cost of motoring thru direct and indirect taxation.

A couple of other things - front tyre wear. Some IS's have a tendency to scrub the inner shoulder of the front tyre. Having a full geometry done may sort that. Also, early IS300's (certainly in the UK) had a poor starting problem. This was fixed under warranty (ECU re-programming).

IS300 vs. BMW 330i - well the BMW is quicker than the auto version of the IS300, but that's about it. I'd say the IS is better value for money, more reliable, much less common, and just as rewarding to drive. (But then I'm biased) :P

Missus has just bought a Mini Cooper S. When i drive my car now i find it boring,slow and predictable. I even go the short way to work now! Use to go the longest possible to enjoy the drive. Love the look of my car but far far too slow!!

←

Boring and slow.... maybe. But the IS being predictable is a bad thing?? I like my IS being predictable - always starts first time, bits don't fall off, corners/handles without surprises. Trouble with Minis is that down my way they're everywhere!

Think it's a bloke thing - we get bored with most things eventually :winky:

The ultimate Q car? Lotus Carlton (if you can find one). :D

Regarding insurance it shouldn't make a difference. Insurance companies (that do imports) will have it on their books as one or the other. Think of all the brokers/insurers I've spoken to, only one ever called it a Lexus.

My first Soarer had Lexus badges but was a Toyota on the V45, insurance, MOT etc. My current one is badged Toyota and all the paperwork says Toyota. (After the respray it'll be wearing gryphon badges back & front) :winky:

About 5 sec. Also spotted the rabbit poo :yack:

I buy £1 worth online as & when I remember (which is about once a month - must get my memory fixed!)

Have won a tenner twice and have a mate who won about two grand.

If I won a few mill' I'd buy a DB9 (despite the build quality) but I'd keep the IS and the Soarer - just get them done up a bit.

Why bother - you've got a great stereo - use it!

←

like it...

Hi Andy,

Manual Soarers do come up for sale in the UK but they are quite rare. I tend to keep an eye out for what's selling on AutoTrader, eBay etc., and for about 6 months there wasn't a single manual for sale. Then all of a sudden there were 4 (yes FOUR!) all at once, all '92-'94 models. There was a '98 manual on eBay a while back that went for £7K.

I call mine "better'n'audi" just to annoy her indoors.

She bought an Audi with their top of the range Navigation Plus, and it's utter pants compared to the Lexus system.

Shame I missed the fun. Still I note in his eBay feedback someone has put...

"Thanks for the refund,you must be honest when describing items!!!!!"

Sound familiar? :P

£384 fully comp on a TT is brilliant. Cheapest I could find was £670 with full NCD and a £400 excess - think I'm screwed because it's a Brighton postcode even though Brighton is 7 miles away.

Yup, it looks clean enough, but I'd agree a fiver shy of £7K for a '94 TT is too high - it would have to be utterly mint, very low mileage and have TEMS and a few toys.... oh and come with a 3yr warranty :P

Are the optional 18" wheels 18x7 or 18x8 ?

Really feel for you - hope you can get it sorted economically

My IS300 was just 2 weeks old and I made the mistake of parking at Tesco. Parked miles from anyone, in there 10 mins & return to find my drivers door dented :tsktsk: Lexus quoted big bucks - luckily I managed to get Dent Magician to sort it for £70. Exactly the same happened to the Soarer only a bigger dent and I caught the :tsktsk: Even tho I got all his details it has proved an absolute nightmare to claim off his insurance and I am still waiting nearly three months later.

Spent £200 on a ratty old Astra - that's the only car I'll park in Tesco/NCP/etc. now, but does kinda defeat the object of having nice cars :duh:

Excellent news - here's to many happy years of Soarer ownership :D

Dealers often describe TEMS as 'active' suspension - but as Simon points out TEMS is not the same as the true active setup on the UZZ32 Soarer. What TEMS will do is stiffen the ride if you're giving it some wellie (plus it has a handy trackday setting). If you have the choice of a TT with or without TEMS, go for TEMS - on the limit it will handle better than one without, and it's pretty rare for TEMS to go wrong I think.

Have seen '91 TTs go for as little as £1995, but at that price be prepared to spend another £2-3K getting it sorted.

If you're after a Soarer then definately, Steve Smith is yer man :)

Is there anyone out there with an IS300 that has got the same problem as me???

A creak on the front suspension?????

I am not impressed that a £28,000 car should make an embarrassing noise and I refuse to accept the dealer's explanation that it is a 'common characteristic' of the IS300.

←

Mine doesn't creak, so you're right - if the dealer claims it's a characteristic of the car, then they're talking bull.

Lovely Motor  :D

Just wished I didnt have Tyre wear and alignment problems on a brand new £30k car though  :o

←

Excellent choice of car - nice one :D

Re - tyre wear. Had the same problem with mine, the inner edges of the fronts were smooth as a billiard ball while the rest of the tyre had masses of tread. Got Lexus to arrange a full geometry check (cost me £100) but Lexus replaced the fronts for me f.o.c.

I hear it has missile launchers [snip]

←

Payback time for BMW drivers... mmmwwaahhaaaaahhaaa

Really bad luck mate

Make sure that in any statement you make it perfectly clear that:

* You checked your path was clear prior to moving forward.

* As you commenced to turn left in to the road, the Rover was not moving. (So she must have pulled out after you, and when you were already moving).

* That as the Rover hit you in the rear door, behind your line of sight. (So you were clearly in the main road before her, and she therefore failed to take action to avoid hitting you).

Think you have to tell your insurance company about any accident, regardless of blame, as they will consider it a material fact. Not really fair, but that's insurance companies for you.

How is it going? Sold the Corolla yet? Looked at any Soarers yet? :)

Great idea - gets my support. :)

Exact same problem with my IS (and was the same on the previous one). I just take it easy, gives you time to check out everything else that's going on in the forecourt

The Soarer is a different animal altogether. It'll gulp down 70 litres just as fast as you can feed it!!

Watched 'Touching the Void' last night. Amazing story and fantastic filming.

I have no theory on what happened at the Pentagon that day other than it was very strange.

I suspect we shall never know the truth, but the suggestion on the snopes.com website that something simply cannot be true if it means "the American government is lying" is fundamentaly flawed. Government agencies (not just America) have lied to their citizens in the past, and will continue to lie in the future.