Lexus IS 300

booboo9 · February 2002

I have heard that an AWD IS300 may be produced for 2003. Does anyone have any information on this?

laurasdada · February 2002

I took the evil wife's RX300 in for its 1000 mile inspection. Whilst waiting, I checked out a silver SportCross on the showroom floor. It appears that they have lowered the price and given a discount on the full leather package. MSRP was $30,805 (was over $32k at intro, I believe) and the full leather pkg discount was $1k. So, with heated seats, wheel locks, cargo mat and the pkg, total was ~33,500.

I find the styling and utility of the SportCross preferable to the sedan, but the interior still has to be upgraded somewhat, imho.

jmess · February 2002

I purchase a SportCross a few months ago. I can say I was pretty shocked to see the MSRP cut like this. Car MFGs have always had factory to dealer incentives, rebates, and special option pack deals but cutting the base MSRP by $1500 is pretty usual. My car's MSRP is now $2500 below what it was before and invoice has dropped $1500 also. For people who purchased cars based upon the original MSRP, this creates some obvious issues with vehicle taxes/license, depreciation, and inflated insurance premiums. I approached the dealer about this and was pointed at the Customer Satisfaction hotline and ask to open a case number. The person I spoke to, who claimed to be the Customer Service Manager BTW, was surprisingly rude to me and took the attitude that I was trying to con her and Lexus and wouldn't give me and refused to open a case number for me. She didn't seem to understand/care that the value of my car had been abnormally depreciated by Lexus. I bought a Lexus because I felt they had a good reputation for reliability and the car would have a better than average resale value 3 or 4 years from now.

I am still pretty shocked by the tone of my first ever call to Lexus support. I am not trying to con Lexus. I imagine that legally Lexus doesn't have to do anything, they can raise or lower prices anytime they want to. Yet any reputable company in this situation, and lowering the MSRP for a new model car so soon is very unusual, would offer their customers some form of remedy. I know my company would and has done things like this in the past. We don't send someone a check but we do offer them something that acknowledges how much we value their business and how much we want them to recommend us to others. One unhappy customer over time will tell a 100 or more qualified buyers about their dissatisfaction with a company. With the internet we have a voice where we can tell a million people.

nyccarguy · February 2002

Mercedes-Benz had the same problem. They did a drastic price reduction ($10,000+ on some models) in 1995 that reduced the resale value of the cars from recent years. Yeah it sucks, but just enjoy your car. Think of it this way, when you go to trade the car in 4 or 5 years from now, the dealer is going to offer you way less than it is worth anyway.

alpha01 · February 2002

No offense, but what you have is a very unfortunate situation that is simply a risk of the function of purchasing a brand new model iteration with no predictable demand curve. This has happened before with Toyota motor... witness the price reduction of the final 2 years of the Supra Turbo in which the MSRP was dropped nearly 8K. It is very unfortunate and I know it must really frustrate you, but I don't see Lexus (Toyota) compensating you.
~alpha

jmess · February 2002

Alpha, I think am starting to get over it. I haven't gotten over how rude I was treated initially when I called the customer excuse line. The bubble has popped. Lexus may have a nicer show room but you get no more or less service than anywhere else. If you do get anything you can bet you already paid dearly for it.

lenscap · February 2002

Although your situation may make you think differently, Lexus does give you better treatment than most, possibly even the best.

Based on family experiences, I can tell you Honda customer service is terrible. Acura, BMW and Mercedes are only so-so.

I had a problem with the owner of the dealer when ordering my 2002 ES 300 (he offered a discount and then took it back). I called Lexus Corporate and left a message with a secretary. Within four hours a top guy called me back, and within a week one of the highest Lexus guys was involved and honored the discount I was promised (and the order was transferred to another dealer).

I don't believe any other car company would offer a response with a direct plan of action as quickly as Lexus did.

Again, I feel bad for you. But Lexus did no wrong and really owes you nothing. Please enjoy your car. For what it's worth I love the Sportcross.

edfrsd · February 2002

I was wondering if anyone would like to sell the stock chrome rims..

jmess · February 2002

I am getting better. Three more weeks and I get to drive my car on the local racetrack. That always puts a smile on my face.

I have owned a number of Hondas and Toyotas over the years. I never really had any service problems with Honda but I have had them with my Toyotas before. I classify problems as a lack of ethics and/or competiance. I have seen both failings at my local Toyota dealer. My local Honda dealer has never abused my trust.

edfrsd: There are usually several sets of wheels forsale on the is300.net forum at any given time. There have been some chromes sets forsale in the past.

lenscap · February 2002

I was at my local Lexus dealer over the weekend checking on my ES 300 order and asked about the pricing on the IS 300.

According to my salesman, the price was dropped $1000, not $2500 as you indicated. Also, he said the dealer cost remained the same, meaning people will be purchasing the car for the same price as before. They will just get less of a discount off MSRP.

I don't know if all this is true, but it's what I was told. If it is true, it should make you feel better.

laurasdada · February 2002

Actually, lenscap, your salesman is mistaken. Base MSRP was reduced by $1500. A (I believe) new option pkg that includes the full leather pkg with an electric sunroof includes a $1000 discount. This could be the $2500 difference jmess refers to.
I haven't compared the invoice price, but as I don't think that the IS is selling all that well, I'm sure that dealers will be happy to sell them at any (profitable) price!

jmess · February 2002

I have the SportCross with the split folding backseat so clubs aren't a problem. Not sure about how clubs fit in a sedan.

silverlex · February 2002

There's a post on IS300.net's General Discussion that asks the same question. Don't know if it's you or not under a different username, but anyway, the answer seems to be yes. Posting links to other sites is ;( frowned upon here, so email me if you're interested or can't find it.

pat · February 2002

It's okay silverlex - the Membership Agreement does have a requirement that our members do not "promote" other message boards, but posting helpful links is fine and we encourage it.

The only time I apply that part of the MA is if and only if it is apparent someone has joined us for the sole purpose of attracting hits to another board. That does happen more often than you would think - to me, that is what "promotion" means, not just a helpful link that says the info you seek is here.

Please email me if you have any questions at all about this!

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

Kirstie_H · February 2002

We are looking for lawyers (any age, sex, kind of car) who are car nuts.

Please respond by March 9 to lordusky@aol.com

Any questions? Contact Edmunds.com PR at jfallon@edmunds.com

Thanks!
kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

kam66 · March 2002

Got a call yesterday from the salesperson with an update on the 5-speed manual IS300 I ordered at the end of December. According to her the car has been "allocated" (I'm thinking placed in the production que) and will arrive in May. This is a few weeks later than I originally thought but I can live with it.

Better news was the fact that I will receive the $1000 "Value Pricing" reduction on the Leather/Escaine/moonroof package I'd ordered. As a result, my MT, OBP, Escaine, moonroof, LSD, and heated seat IS300 will be $29,600 before TTL, or approx $31,679 out the door in San Antonio, TX. While I knew about the pricing reduction from Lexus I was unsure how it was going to be handled by the dealership.

Hope this helps if anyone is negotiating on an IS300.

KAM

vocus · March 2002

Call me dumb, but I have a question. What does OBP stand for? I am just curious.

kam66 · March 2002

Posters on another site use acronyms for every exterior color for the IS300. GGP is graphite gray pearl, IBP is Intensa Blue Pearl, MSM is Millennium Silver Metallic, and EGM is Electra Green Mica.

To tell you the truth I think I've been using the wrong acronym (its probably supposed to be "BO" for Black Onyx) instead of Onyx Black Pearl (OBP). Sorry for any confusion.

hvan3 · March 2002

If your IS is arriving in May, you might as well wait for the 2003 model.

By the time you take delivery of your IS in May, I"m sure there will be deep discounting on the 2002 models in June to make way for 2003. Then again, the G35 will kill IS sales for sure.

fxashun · March 2002

In my opinion. Plus looking at the interior Nissan seems to have forgotten how to build "soft touch" surfaces. Don't think people wanting an IS will like the Gee.

kam66 · March 2002

I'm not sure Lexus will be doing deep discounts to clear out 2002 models as they don't seem to have many in stock (more a production issue as sales are well off from last years totals). While Infiniti appears to have a winner in the G35, I'm not sure it would interest us as it lacks a manual transmission option (at least for a couple more months) and it is a slightly larger vehicle.

One of the main reasons we decided on the IS300 was that it felt like a small car, had 4-doors, and both my wife (5'3", short legs) and I (6'2") both felt comfortable behind the wheel and I could fit in both the front (headroom) or back (although I wouldn't want to go cross-country in the back). Oh, and the car felt the most agile of all the vehicles we test drove. That said, we wouldn't have ordered one if we couldn't have gotten a manual with LSD as we felt the auto version was slow responding and muted the engine. While there are definetely some things I think Lexus could improve upon (trunk hinges, fold down seats, highway mileage) we're looking forward to it.

If Infiniti does end up coming out with a 4-wheel drive model for the G35 I'll probably recommend it to my dad (he's making noises that the next vehicle he buys will be auto). He does a lot of driving in the snow or ice in Vermont so a rear wheel drive car doesn't interest him (even though I keep telling him that the new snow tires, traction control and stability control systems have banished many of the problems he remembers to the history pile).

BTW it appears Lexus will change the engine design for the next IS300 from the I6 to a V6. While it will help with packaging, I really like the smooth nature of the inline and would rather they bumped the displacement up to 3.2L and went with an aluminium block.

hunter001 · March 2002

Since the Infiniti is based on the Japanese market Skyline (including the Ferocious 4WD GT-R), it is conceivable that a version would come up, with AWD (with a clear RWD bias like the GT-R), in the near future.

The small RWD car market is definitely heating up and that, IMHO, is a good thing.

Later...AH

toyotas1 · March 2002

the IS' first gear is so HIGH? The 330i's 1st gear is 4.27 and the IS is more like 3.57!! And fifth is full n overdrive at .85, while 330 is even. Now the IS is STILL a 7+ second car even with the stick??? Where is that supercharger?

silverlex · March 2002

Might be a V6 before you see a factory installed SC. And if that's the case, rest assured the V6 (ack!) will have more HP. I'm not sure the stick is still 7+ though. Depends who you read I suppose.

toyotas1 · March 2002

so who am I to say they lie!! The gear ratios back up their tests, they are set too lean......

silverlex · March 2002

Although when R&T runs the AT at 7.1, one has to imagine the stick can't push high 6s. Like I said, depends who you read.

vocus · March 2002

How is winter traction considering this car is RWD? I know it's available with snow tires and LSD, and comes standard with traction control. So how is the traction with all the variables (with/without LSD, with/without snow tires, etc.)?
Thanks.

bluebeast · March 2002

Bought my 96 LS400 there at North Park in SA,didn't happen to be Bill Brewer did it? Any IS300 owners who changed from the GS300 (98-present)?

jmess · March 2002

A set of winter tires has been reported as delivering good mobility by IS owners in the colder climates. I had some LM-22s on my car for 3 months and I only saw snow during one 2 mile trip. I have since removed the tires.

kam66 · March 2002

No, ordered the IS300 from Joan Wernli at Park Place, although I closed the deal with Jim Edwards (I think). Looking forward to car once it gets here.

jatdee · March 2002

I am thinking about ordering a 5-sp manual IS300 -dealer has basically only automatics except a demo and one with sat-nav - and was wondering whether anyone thinks LSD is important to have in a no-snow climate?

jmess · March 2002

I prefer cars with LSD. Traction control is a cheaper band aid. LSD really isn't about snow. LSD gives you better traction in the dry and wet. Pulling out in traffic and laying on the gas the LSD will reduce wheel spin and the Trac won't come on unless both rear wheels are slipping. Trac reduces the amount of fuel flow to the engine and modulates the rear brakes on the slipping rear wheel(s). With LSD you get a lot more acceleration/traction in all kinds of conditions. The car exit corners better and is more fun to drive. I would get the LSD, at $350 it is a bargain and will be the best money you ever spent on a car. I have it on my SportX and love it.

silverlex · March 2002

Considering the cost, it's well worth it and I agree it makes the car more fun to drive. You can feel the LSD bite when you hit the corners, transferring grip to the wheel with the most traction. You don't have to drive like a maniac to feel it working. I recommend trying your best to find a dealer with one in stock, you'll be glad you did.

jatdee · March 2002

Thanks. I appreciate the info. Sounds like an option I want. I hope I can find one - the local dealer seems to have fewer as the year has progressed - and generally without LSD. I am moving from a 99 Audi A4 (quattro, 5sp, sport suspension, 2.8 V6) which is a very good car (with an especially nice interior). The two places it does not quite measure up for my relatively aggressive driving style are that the engine is not eager above about 4500 rpm or so and the initial turn-in is not what I would like, even with aggressive tires. Anyway, from what I have read and from a test drive, the IS300 seems to meet both those requirements - the engine does not get rough at higher rpms and it seems eager to go into a turn. If you have any comments as to whether you agree with that assessment I would appreciate it.

jmess · March 2002

I was driving on the freeway for probably 10 minutes in my SportX with the cruise control on before I realized I was in 4th gear (automatic) and turning 4K RPMs. The engine is so smooth if I hadn't looked at the Tac I would have went a lot farther . The engine revs smoothly to red line.; you can't beat a well designed IL6 cylinder engine for smoothness.

I think the car handles really well for a street car while maintaining a respectable ride. You really appreciate how well the suspension works when driving on a wet road. Your comfort zone is usually quite a bit above your fellow drivers. I always enjoy driving the car.

silverlex · March 2002

That's funny you mention that. I did the exact same thing last year. Was crusing at 80 mph in 4th. I put my foot on the gas to pass a truck and thought to myself, "That's pretty good pick-up for 5th gear!" only to look down and see the RPMs pushing 4500 or so. Had the radio on, of course, but needless to say I've been a bit more careful before I engage the cruise these days.

toyotas1 · March 2002

will the 2003 IS330 have? 240HP?

jmess · March 2002

Lots of speculation. Nothing confirmed. Some talk about a special turbo version. It should be pretty easy to bump the displacement up a little. Exhaust and intake mods on the current engine seem to get in the 230-240HP range pretty easily. IMHO, HP is a pretty fickle metric. There will always be something new or better around the corner. I find the performance of my SportX to be more than adequate. So it goes.

laurasdada · March 2002

Every time I take my 3 year old son with me to the Lexus dealer (to have the evil wife's RX washed) he always jumps into an IS to play around in? They've got all the models on the floor, but the IS is his choice!
I'm trying to sit him in the back seat of an SC430 to see if any human being at all can sit back there, but I can't get him away from the IS!

riez · March 2002

laurasdada... they must really mean it! Is he playing with an automatic or manual one? Encourage him to drive a stick!

laurasdada · March 2002

He's still in the testing period. But I'm sure Lexus anxiously awaits his decision as he is the future! His Dad drove sticks until he got a boring salesman car...but, hey, it was free which made it THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD! I miss those days...
Still gotta get the little nipper in the back of an SC430 to prove to evil wife/mommy that it is a practical family car!

hvan3 · March 2002

Lexus is pratically giving this car away on their new lease. No money down? Man, are they desperate to move this car or what?

nyccarguy · March 2002

I haven't seen an advertised lease on an IS300 for $0 Down. Unless i didn't catch the fine print on that $399/month 39 month lease. Is that with 10 or 12K per year does anybody know?

is300tm7 · March 2002

that 399/month is with 2500 down i believe...

ducati2 · March 2002

Jatdee, the IS sounds like the perfect car for you. Turn in is much more aggessive (especially w/the 17" summers) than the old or new A4 chassis, and the engine loves to spin freely to redline.

I have had my IS300 5-speed manual for 6 months now and love it. Perfect combination between lux and sport, IMO. The interior isn't as nice as either the old or new A4, or the BMW, but it's way more fun to drive than any of them... So far I'm 100% happy with my choice.

nyccarguy · March 2002

Anybody read the R&T article on the IS300? It is the final article in a 50,000 mile long term test. They had pretty much no problems. They changed oil, the tires once, and put gas in the car and it was pretty much flawless. Kudos to Lexus for building a truly reliable & fun to drive sport sedan.

jatdee · March 2002

Ducati2, Thanks for the feedback. I think I will definitely go with the IS300. One problem is that the 5-speeds seem fairly rare on dealer lots so may have to order one (and pay close to sticker price). One question, several others have said they thought the limited slip diff was a definite plus. Does your car have it and do you recommend it? Thanks.

jatdee · March 2002

Anyone know why IS300s are in such limited supply, especially 5-speed manuals? At my dealer that have ES300s, GSs LSs, and everything else stacked all over the lot, but just a handful of the IS300s. I have heard that it is not that they are selling all that well.

riez · March 2002

jatdee... Only way to go, regardless of FWD or RWD. It is worth it. Improves acceleration. And accelerating in curves.

nyccarguy · March 2002

I believe Lexus is only producing 10% (I could be wrong here) of the IS300s with a 5 speed. SO they're in short supply to begin with. You probably don't have to pay close to sticker though. Of course they may offer a steeper discount on an E-Shift (Read: Slushbox) that's been sitting on the lot. I'm sure the dealer will try and convince you that you don't really want a 5 speed and that you can shift it yourself with the E-Shift Steering Wheel buttons. Don't give in! The IS300 is one of few cars that can be ordered with a 5 speed. If they're no demand, they might stop producing it.

Lexus IS 300

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