Lexus IS 300

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Comments

  • birdman579birdman579 Member Posts: 151
    Is there any truth to the V8 in the IS? I assume the price tag would be about $40K. Personally, I'd rather have the new V8 S4, but a V8 in a car as small as the IS is certainly interesting. What's the word on when the IS will be redesigned? MY 2005? It needs a true Lexus interior! All the spy photos I've seen have a similar exterior to the ES300. That would be a huge disappointment. Hopefully Lexus can keep the sporty image while adding some more luxury.
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    I think I remember read/hearing that a 05 will be early released sometime in 04.

    It is hard to tell if the photos of a V8 powered IS posted on some of the IS boards are real or done via photoshop. Rumors abound about the next IS version having a V6 though. It seems the the shorter engine improves crash performance and packaging. Rumors have been floating around that BMW is also moving to a V6 in the new 3 series for the same reasons.

    A V8 powered IS would definetly cost more but having spent some time in a 540i you can learn to appreciate the extra go power. I would hope the price of the IS remains competitive.
  • aheardaheard Member Posts: 2
    I know this is the sedan message board, but does anyone out there actually own a 2003 Sportcross?? We have had every dealer in our area tell us that they were not available in the US for 2003 or are either all gone.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Questions like this need to be accompanied by at least SOME hint of where you live. I have certainly not heard from anyone in the NorCal dealer body that the SportCross is somehow dead for '03. Where are you shopping?
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    The dealer in Portland Oregon had two on the lot last week. One new Black 02 was on the showroom floor (had everything but full leather and Nav). There was a new Silver car outside that I am pretty sure was an 03. If you go to www.lexus.com you will find the 03 SportCross is available.

    I find it hard to believe that a Lexus dealer can't order a SportCross if they wanted to. Call Lexus, I am sure they can help the poor dealer figure how to get one. They may be pushing hard for you to buy a sedan and don't want to order you car. The sedan is a great car but I really enjoy the flexibility you get with the SportCross.
  • aheardaheard Member Posts: 2
    Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! I live in South Carolina-- have talked to two dealers in the near vicinity who have both said the '03 is basically impossible to get in the US; that there was no demand for the '02 and that Lexus basically stopped making it for the US market. The Lexus website did not seem to indicate that at all. You are probably right- the dealer is probably just trying to take the easy way out but that means they lose a sale-- I only want the Sportcross.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    According to CarsDirect.com, there is a 2003 SportCross out. They have a price for it and everything, so there you go.

    Some dealers are such idiots, it's unbelievable. The salesmen who I got my 02 Jetta from told me the car did NOT have an exterior trunk lock. What a moron.
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    It seems that product knowledge isn't one of the requirements to keep a sales job in some dealerships these days. I have no complaints about where I bought my car though, some dealers have better management and higher standards.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I just hate when I walk in to check out a new car, and I know more about the car than the person trying to sell it to me.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Vocus makes a good point - go to CarsDirect.com and input your zip code. Configure a SportCross the way you want it, and take the printout to the dealer. Tell them to find you a car, or do the deal through CarsDirect. End of story...
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    I swear, some folks just should not be approved for credit:


    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1874080553&category=6301


    I hope this is just a Jersey thing, and can be confined by quarantine! This booger eatin' moron must NOT be allowed to breed, that's for sure!

  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I wouldn't even do that. I would ask the nearest dealer to match dealer invoice on the car. Lexus dropped prices last year, which signifies that this car isn't exactly a best seller. Use that as bargaining room!
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    May not work vocus. I was shopping SportCrosses ('02) about three months ago, and the things were scarcer than hen's teeth.

    I know it's available this year (I keep getting calls from the dealer), but only in extremely limited quantities, presumeably to prevent the very bargaining you suggest. Ordering one at sticker, OTOH, should be no big deal, as I have been repeatedly told!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Considering the lease deals available on the sedan, why would one pay sticker for any IS? I guess if you wanted it bad enough, you would. But hopefully, no one would go to that extreme.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...had less to do with price and more to do with getting Aimee's clueless dealer[s] to stop fussing around and get on with her sale. The right price is always a local thing - certainly in CA, there is nothing remotely precious about this metal - but where she lives it could be another story. Since the original question had it that there were dealers who wanted to pretend the car didn't exist for '03, I still think any online buying service will get the discussion back on track...since they all get their cars from local dealers, anyway, which is the supreme irony of this whole discussion.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    "...why would one pay sticker for any IS?"

    Based on current availability, if you want specific color/equipment (red/ivory, escaine, no NAV for instance) you may have no choice but a factory order. I don't see a lot of bargain room on factory orders; perhaps your experiences are different.

    BTW, the lease is a sticker transaction. The money rate is subsidized by Toyota Financial, and if I remember the one I was offered correctly, the residual is fairly high, not that that matters to anyone turning the car in three years. Also, not everyone qualifies for tier 1 credit from Toyota. Beacons need to be over 725, I believe. Still, the lease is the best way to go, no doubt. Like free money. It's Toyota's version of 0%!

    To jrct's point, an online service is particularly good idea at this point if a SportCross is the goaland limited choices will be acceptable. I'd bet it will be possible to locate silver, black or blue with black interior, but options/packages are obviously whatever's out there. The reason the dealer wants to put Aimee in a sedan is, of course, because he can do it easily right now, something he can't do on a SportCross.
  • burt2burt2 Member Posts: 8
    YES. I took delivery in Nov of a 2003 Sportcross, graphite pearl w/ taupe leather & heated seats. I have 1500 mi and couldn't be happier with my choice. Great car !! I am in TN. Sportcross is very rare except in Calif and Fla.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    Congrats!

    I'm in CA [north, where the real people live :-)]; they're rare here too!
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    I think you should be able to work a reasonable deal on a factory order. The dealer doesn't have to pay flooring costs while the car sits on the lot so in the end it costs them less money to sell the car. I think they don't like to do orders because the buyer may change their mind and at anytime and not take delivery of the car. The laws may vary per State but I think they have to give you your deposit back. So while the car is on order the buyer in some cases will continue to shop for cars.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    Well special orders also mess with a dealer's allocations. In order to pull in said SportCross, he may have to give up delivery of a faster-moving higher profit unit, such as an RX300. Factory orders have to be figured in with incoming inventory.

    The flooring usually ends up working in reverse. Dealers are usually most anxious to sign paper on units approaching the end of their flooring allowance. Accepting new factory orders can be interpreted as aging in-stock units, which makes them less profitable. Or so I understand. Most of the dealers in Smart Shopper are really great about clearing up the ins and outs of dealership costs. Very illuminating.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Sorry, no selling in the Town Hall, per your Membership Agreement.

    You might want to visit Edmunds.com's Used Power Shopper and list there.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    BTW, anybody seen a red or green SportCross or sedan? Anywhere?

    Just curious. I've seen the yellow and every other color, but not the red or green (coincidentally my two top choices)...
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    I have seen the cars in red and green. I think I like the green car better than red. The green is more subtle. Red is a great color but I gave up on bright red cars after having one and getting a bunch of red car tickets. When a cop makes a U turn and pulls you over for going 62 in a 55 when you are in the middle of a line of 4 or 5 cars all going the same speed you wonder why. When it happens again then you realize it might be the bright red car. The problem went away when I changed to a much faster blue car; never got a ticket in that car. I also found that the red color seemed to be an open challenge to other drivers to cut me off and/or try and beat me to the next stop light.
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Here in Southern Cal. - where the fictional people live - there are tons of IS300s out here! Have seen them in just about every color and style imagineable. I have not seen too many SportCrosses though. Have seen a few, but not too many.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    Thanks guys!

    Ask a dealer about red or green SportCrosses up here and they simply ask you what your other choices might be!

    Kevin, it's tongue in cheek. ;-) It's impossible to grow up as a Dodger and Ram hater and not need to stir the embers now and then. I think you may be seeing fictional IS's !..:-)
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Also, I am a Dodger and Laker hater, and could care less about the Rams. Like the Raiders though. :-) Basically, I am a transplant. Oh well.
  • superman5superman5 Member Posts: 154
    anyone got more than 20k on their IS300's? when did you change your stock tires? how many miles before you had to change them? did you end up buying same ones or different ones? where did you find good deals? did anybody changes brands to like kumho or others? which one is good? which one is quieter/quietest? thanks in advance
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    In the literature for the IS300, it says (at least in the '01 book it did) that the 17s will probably only last 20K miles or so. Low profile tires tend to wear very quickly, so that's normal.

    I was checking out TireRack.com for new tires for my 02 Jetta (Pilot Sport 225/45/17s with 28K on them, and they are fine), and I liked this brand called Sumitomo. They were also only ~$100 each, and had better ratings than more expensive tires. Worth a look...
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    They are good tires built exclusively in Japan and are cheap right now, because they are trying to get a foothold in the US. Very good quality however. I had the Sumitomo HTR+ in 215/45ZR17 on my car. Does not match the levels of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S that I have now, but is certainly worth more than what Sumitomo charges for it.

    Later...AH
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Sumitomo owns the Dunlop brand, incidentally. Lots of people continue to think that Dunlop is still "European", but in fact Sumitomo is responsible for all new designs and Japan is where the money goes.
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    Or is it the other way around ? Does Dunlop own Sumitomo ? I heard about this a while back too.

    Later...AH
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    The Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position tire has been one of the highest rated tires for the IS. It has a harder rubber compound than the stock RE040 tires so it will last longer and provide the same or better wet and dry performance; they are also a little cheaper than the RE040s. Two guys I work with just bought S-03s for their cars and they really liked them (BMW328 and AudiA4). Check out www.tirerack.com and read some of the reviews. The Tirerack has several IS300s that they use for tire testing.

    I have 9K on my car and I think I will get 20K out of the RE040s. I have a set of 16" LM-22s Blizaks on some Konig alloy wheels that I stick on when it looks like snow. I change back to the RE040s anytime the weather clears up for a while; air tools are your friend.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    No, it is as I stated: Sumitomo bought the Dunlop brand some time ago. Dunlop, like so many British companies, ran out of cash for new development, and was either sell or go out of business.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My 02 Jetta came with Michelin Pilot Sport MXM4s on it. Those suckers are about $212 each out the door, so I won't be getting those! :)
  • jatdeejatdee Member Posts: 19
    Just an FYI. I priced an IS300 car on Carsdirect about a week ago and then went Lexususa or whatever the official Lexus site is and the prices on the official site were $800-$1000 or so lower for retail sticker. Maybe they don't update enough for non mass-market cars - looked like they were still using the pre-reduction prices.
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Tirerack did a comparison with these and the Pilot Sports, and a pair of Pirellis. The Pirellis and the Pilots handled better, but the HTR+s had a better ride and were quieter.

    If you are looking for all out performance, a tire like the S-03 Pole Position might be the way to go.

    If you are looking for a balanced tire, the HTR+s might be a better way to go. (The way I will probably go when/if I upgrade my tires.

    Side note on the S-03 Pole Positions. It has been reported on the WRX page that these tires tend to track (I.E. follow grooves, cracks, and crevaces in road surfaces more willingly) than other tires. They also have a harsh ride. They do handle great though.
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    about the HTR+ tires riding better than the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. The Pilots ride pretty hard and perform like max performance tires. I went from 215/45ZR17 HTR+ to 205/55ZR16 Michelin Pilot Sport A/s and the ride became stiffer, inspite of the new tire being narrower and with a taller sidewall.

    Later...AH
  • nschulman3nschulman3 Member Posts: 125
    I own a wrx and an IS300 sportcross. My wrx has pole position s0-3s and i can vouch for their harsh ride and they do follow every imperfection in the road. A great handling tire, but unless you live in a town where the roads are perfect, you are probably better off with a less agressive smoother riding tire. Tire Rack recommends them highly, but if i could do it again, i would probably go for another tire such as the pirelli pzero rosso or nero. I have all season dunlop sp5000s on the wrx now and the difference in ride quality is worht the tradeoff in all-out performance. By the way, I have vredestein snow tires on my sportcross and am very happy with them.
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    Do you think some of the sensitivity on the WRX might be the suspension design and the AWD? I have two friends that have the S0-3s; one has a BMW 328 that has been lowered and the other a stock A-4 quattro. They have both been raving about how much they like the tires over the Dunlops that they replaced. I will ask them about noise and straight line stability on a less than perfect road.
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    They are probably raving about the handling. The ride always suffers when moving to a Max performance tire from any other tire. The S03s are super-hard riding tires but they grip like a dream in both wet and dry. Just don't try to drive with them in the snow.

    Later...AH
  • babyloubabylou Member Posts: 31
    Yes, Sumitomo owns Dunlop. Goodyear owns a large portion of Sumitomo, maybe even controlling interest.
  • kdawg79kdawg79 Member Posts: 26
    FYI


    The Dunlop tire website says they are owned by Goodyear.


    http://www.dunloptire.com/index_ie.html


    Sumitomo's site makes no mention of Goodyear. Says they are their own company.


    http://www.sumitomotire.com/

  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...looks like Dunlop has changed hands again. Now that I think about it, I believe I read that sometime in the last couple of years in the WSJ.
  • superleggerasuperleggera Member Posts: 74
    Following Toyota's usual M.O. do you guys think the next iteration of the IS will be a 3.3 V-6 intead of 3.0 Inline? I just read the edmunds review on the RX330 that's coming out this fall. In that tune, it makes 230 HP, while torque is now rated 242 pound-feet at 3,600 rpm. Obviously, there are many ways that could be tweaked for the IS.
  • jmessjmess Member Posts: 677
    There has been a lot of rumblings that even BMW is looking at moving to a V6 due to better packaging and crash results. I would say that the next generation IS will have a V6, there is some speculation that HiPerf version may show up with a V8.

    The current engine was originally designed for the Supra and has been around for quite a while. The easiest way to make more power with the current engine is with a turbo (as they did with the twin turbo Supra) or supercharger; I don't think they will do that though. I have had new ES300 loaner cars and I find the IS300 inline 6 to be smoother.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    This will come as BIG news to BMW, its engineers, the company, and every 3 series owner in the world. Sorry, but not true...

    They may go there one day, for all of the packaging and other reasons that led MB and others to a V6 configuration, but it most certainly is not true that any BMW has a V6 in any model in the line. Period. If you look at how the current straight six in the BMW 3er is stuffed into the engine bay, you could certainly be forgiven for wondering when they might waver on this topic, but it is almost a religious belief in Munich that the six should be an inline design.
  • kfhmailkfhmail Member Posts: 199
    Hey does anyone no when the IS 300 is scheduled for a model/sytle change? I like the looks, but I am hoping it may get a "little" larger (interior) for the next model. Thanks.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...should be for 2004, certainly not later than 2005, for the IS.
  • jimxojimxo Member Posts: 423
    Lexus will announce they beat BMW by 3,000 units and MB by 20,000 units for 2002.

    Congratulations to the people who produce and drive these fine automobiles
  • brydymondbrydymond Member Posts: 41
    I have always wanted, but didn't think I could afford a sweer, black Sport Cross. I got a demo for $12,000.00 off list. Unfortunately I have to go skiing for a week and can't get it until next week. So sweet.
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