UKPulse

Yeah, must be possible to mute the radio, coz the sat nav mutes it when it cuts in - mind you, it only mutes the drivers side front speaker :)

You mean a few stripped down IS200's....? Oh, that sort of scantily clad models

See how this compares with the special edition IS200 "Caliente" for the Australian market... again it seemed pretty much a parts bin special as it was exctly the same as the standard car under the hood <_< Hang on... Lexus give the ozzies this red number, and they give us this banana-mobile. What are they trying to tell us??

Hmmm, ok so maybe I was a little unfair to the Civic Type-R... but then I'm biased :P Still, having previously had cars like the Renault 5GT Turbo & Nissan 200SX, the Lex is totally different & it is difficult to compare it (at least unmod'ed) with out & out performance cars. Agreed, with cars like the Accord Type-R you get nearer the best of both worlds. I actually considered the Accord Type-R before buying my first Lex, but I was looking to buy new and have it 'sanitized' by the dealer (i.e. remove badging, spoilers etc) to make it a wolf in sheeps clothing. Strangely, they weren't interested so they didn't get my business :(

If it's the Type-R vs. a vanilla IS200, then how about a few basic questions... Q. What sort of roads do you drive on? A. Twisty country lanes - Get the Type-R A. Dual carriageways & motorways, crammed with gatso's - Get the Lex :o Q. What sort of journeys do you do? A. Lots of shorts hacks - Get the Type-R A. Over an hours driving a day - Get the Lex B) Q. What do you want others to think? A. Wow, I bet that's fun to drive - Get the Type-R A. There's someone with class - Get the Lex ;) Q. What do you enjoy most about driving? A. Speeeeeed.... & blitzing the other guy - Get the Type-R A. What other guy? - Get the Lex

Can anyone translate the caption at the top...? ;)

Hmmm, did wonder about clear nail polish - wasn't sure if it would be "heavy duty" enough though. But, I'll give it a try! :) Now, all I've go to do is go down the local chemist and buy nail polish.... and tell the girl behind the counter "It's not for me, it's for my car!"

Ok, so having never once kerbed my previous IS in the 14 months that I owned it, I've managed to kerb this new one within two weeks of picking it up!! :duh: The damage is only very slight, it stretches along the edge of the rear n/side rim about 2cm and from the rim inwards about 0.5cm. What's the best course of action (apart from lessons on how to parallel park! ;) )? Should I re-apply lacquer to the damaged area, and if so, what lacquer do people recommend?

Yup, I'd go along with that... Black with red lettering. :)

I've seen one statistic (think it was in one of the car mags end of last year) stating that in the UK, BMW sell 37 3-Series for every Lexus (of any model) sold. In Sussex, I can well believe it, every 5th car seems to be a Bee-Em. To be fair, my mate's W reg 325i is a nice car - and it's quicker than my '300... but exclusive it ain't. ;) Another interesting statistic, my local Lexus dealer said that their new car quota for the whole of 2003 is just 160 cars!! :o

Well it's definitely the "Slip Indicator" light that you're describing. When the Traction Control system is applied, this little orange light comes on, and you may also hear a whirring sound. If the Traction Control is cutting in even when you are pulling away gently on a dry road, then it may be a faulty sensor? If so, that may be a job for your local dealer

Welcome to the joys of Lexus Croydon? Hello neighbour! :P ...and if you're down this way, check out Lexus Brighton - terrific bunch of guys (& girls!) :)

That's the special beemer "DUYA" feature.... (Driving Up Your @rse)! :P

Yeah, but in the Type-R you wouldn't even be able to hear the stereo... while in the Lexus, you'd still be able to hear your watch ticking! ;) :P

Chopping your car in after 10 months is always gonna be painful, the same happened to me. Spent similar money on a new 200SE Auto/Nav back in January 2002, the local dealer gave me £18K p/x allowance for it 14months and 21K miles later... :( Having said that, Lexus residuals are much better than many other makes. A mate of mine has picked up a 1yr old Mondeo 2.5 V6 Ghia Estate with only slightly above average mileage for just £11K. That's a car that cost just over £21K new a year ago!! Approaching 50% depreciation in the first year - ouch! :o :o Anyway, I'll bet the Lexus is gone, but not forgotten... ;)

Just wanted to say to everyone "Have a great time!" at the Gaydon meet.... (I'm jealous coz I can't make it)! :D Spare a thought for poor ol' me, I'll be stuck at work, slaving over a hot file server :( but then I should have a nice fat overtime cheque at the end of it, with which to buy some motoring goodies for the Lex' and the bike Best wishes to all... B)

Hehe - I'll have to 'fess up to being one such thickie person. Didn't make the connection that it was about proxy selling a used car. ;) If it was me, I'd just approach the local Lexus dealer and see if they'd do it, and if so, under what terms. Financially they stand to gain, plus you (hopefully) get out of the hassle of advertising/selling the car. I guess the insurance company would want to know - car not being parked at your normal residence kind of thing. Also I'd guess the dealer might want some sort of liability waiver - like if the car is parked in their forecourt & a customer backs into it, then (so long as they haven't been negligent) it's not their fault. Anyways, just a thought... :)

I guess it would depend on the dealership, and the item in question? I.e. the item would have to be returned in "as new" condition so they could sell it to someone else?

Mmmmm.... like the look of the alloys on the copper one (avatar) - anyone know if they're real (as opposed to digitally created) and if so, what make they are?

Having just traded the old '200 for a '300.... I'd still go for any Lexus over the Type-R. Guy at work has a silver Type-R which looks pretty tasty and goes like stink. But having had dealings with the local Honda dealer on two separate occasions (like I asked for a test drive of the S2000, & they couldn't even be @rsed to arrange it for me!), I wouldn't go near a Honda now for that reason alone. Needless to say, the local Lexus dealership is brill' :) :)

If you're already a Gold member but don't have the icon, have a word with that nice chap Administrator (Steve). The force is strong in him... :D :D

Local dealer here is offering a 2001/51 Sport with 20K on the clock for £17,495 so what your asking seems a fair price. :) As jon says, getting private buyers to part with that sort of cash is always tricky. For that sort of money they want the security of buying from a dealer :(

When you put the SC430 in reverse, the wing mirror dips to give you a view of the kerb, so no more kerbed alloys! Would be nice if they made this mechanism available on the IS (can't cost much surely?), then buying tyres with rim protectors wouldn't matter so much... :)

The only thing I hear shutting off after an enjoyable drive... is my brain! :P

A month or so ago I drove an 1yr old IS300 SportCross for a while and gear changes were fine - no jolt. Same with my current IS300, but then I've only covered about 250 miles in it. So what does this re-programming of the ECU actually do? Is it masking some underlying mechanical problem, and why does this only happen on some '300s? Or maybe they all get like that after a while? . I'm hoping this isn't a problem I have to look forward to /edited