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Comments
Now, the $64K question, will Lexus be smart enough to offer it with a stick!
Anyone hearing same?
Thanks.
Go to www.tirerack.com and click on the specs for the tires you want. You will see the recommended minimums for rims. Follow them! Example: Yokohama specs an 8" rim for the 235/45-17 AVS.
A jump from 215/45-17 to 235/45-17 also means a change in the overall diameter of your paws by nearly 3/4". If you really want to avoid changing the handling dynamics, a closer match would be 235/40-17, which results in a difference of only .20" in total diameter.
And don't forget an alignment for any change in rubber spec, even if it's the same size tire from another mfr.!
Is that for real, or merely a reflection of most common combos? Seems like last time I went looking, everthing out there was black inside!
BTW, I'm still looking for an opportunity to unload my current FWD coupe, and scoot myself into a SportCross.
Green with Ivory Escaine is my current preference, although I like the gold on the website. Anybody ever seen the gold on a Sportcross?
Don't want or need the nav. LSD and VSC?
Thoughts?
Hey folks, no matter how outrageous you think a message may be, you still are bound by the terms of your Membership Agreement. Personal attacks, name-calling, taunting and similar behavior is way out of bounds under any circumstances.
Any one of you could have emailed me when things began to get out of hand instead of just continuing to throw fuel on the flames.
I would appreciate your future cooperation.
If you have anything you'd like to say about what has happened in here in the last couple of days, please email me - do not post about it.
We need to get back on topic.
Thanks.
Pat, Host
FWIW. I just picked mine up on Saturday and LOVE IT. What a great car. Now I am worried about the fuel economy, though. Everyone says its bad.
100% city with short trips, lots of cold starts, about 15-16
50% city and 50% highway 17-20
Extended highway trips running 75-85 with an occasional trip to 100 I see 20-22. This really surprised me, I expected much worse based upon average speeds and how much I work the gas pedal.
I seldom check it any more. I see it as a form of entertainment. My V8 Tundra truck got 14-16 pretty much all the time. I would much rather dump gas in my Sportcross than a stupid truck or SUV.
Taking delivery from dealer stock means pretty much either silver, black or blue from what I can tell.
Black is a deal-breaker for me personally. I've lived with black before. Loved the look, hated the upkeep and the temp!
All y'all are a lot more taken with the blue than I am. As blues go, it's a nice blue, but blue says "police" or "old fart" to me.
I'd go silver if I had to, I suppose. White seems a bit "chick car" on a small wagon, but I'd do it.
Has to be Ivory on the inside, though. And I believe I will spec LSD. The salesman at the local L shop told me LSD only came with the manual. I expected more product knowledge, I guess.
My car is old fart blue, at 50 I guess I am in old fart territory though.
The factory LSD is a real bargain, it will probably cost about $1000 to have one installed afterwards and the warranty won't be as long.
I think I would have to go for the red though, if I bought one.
I very much like the red as well, even with the maintenance issues, and if that's the availability, I'd take it. Someone in here mentioned that the red makes it look too much like a P5! Frankly, given the looks of the P5, I'd say it's a compliment. If that little Mazda was a RWD platform, I'd probably buy it and save the $10K!
I think I'll be ok with Ivory. I really object to black interiors personally; too hot, too glum for me. I've got light grey leather now, and since we use the T&C as the primary family hauler, it's in near-mint condition.
Problem is, some cars just don't look great in white and some do. It would be nice if there were more instocks for these here SportCrosses. Some colors look great on the sedan, but not so hot on the wagon, and vice-versa. Hard to tell from pictures.
But I don't think I'll come over to the black interior camp! Just not my personal cup of tea.
I stopped in at Monterey Lexus last weekend with Mrs. Wale. She wanted to see the wagon, and I wanted to make sure the lease is still on. No wagons on the lot (surprise!), and yes, the lease is still on. Found out an old chum from high school is selling there. I know where I'm going to sign the check!
BTW, Mrs. Wale thinks she "might" be interested in dumping the T&C for a GS. Who wouldn't?
It was riding in a friends GS300 for a couple of days that got me interested in Lexus in the first place. I was pretty much set on being a BMW owner until then. I was impressed at how easy the car was to live with and the inline 6 was so smooth. The car had over 60K on it and it felt like you were in a new car.
I'd like her to have a GS. I think a 300 would be a vast improvement over a minivan, even with the reduction in capacity. I have to say, I thought the GS, when introduced, was one the most attractive sedan designs of all time. Over its life, however, its original clean, succint styling cues have been bastardized, IMO, until only the basic shape is still evident. With all that, it's still a great sedan, just not something I personally want. I think she'd love it, though.
For me, it's SportCross. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Am I missing something?
I was in one tonight at the carshow, and thought the dashboard conveyed some cheap looking materials myself. A friend who went with me even said the same thing. Nonetheless, I still like the car.
I was hoping to get a deal on a used 2001 but everyone is asking very high $20Ks or even $30K for them. Why in the world would someone pay $29-30K for a two year old car, when you can get a new one for about $30-31K. What in the world am I missing?
There is no Ivory interior within 300 miles of me, so it's black after all. Probably silver with black. Should go just about perfect with my Raiders decal...
Congratulations with your purchase! Sounds like a really nice car!
Also, good luck with the Raiders next year from a fellow fan.
Yeah, my current coupe is silver. It's been a snap to keep.
How's that for a mid-life crisis, eh? Cure it trading in a coupe for a station wagon! Ah well, convention is for those without enough wit to know better!
The SportCross is supposed to be a better handler than even the base IS 300 due to more weight on the back wheels and better weight balance. Considering how well it handles and drives, mid-life crisis be damned! :-)
I sat in an IS300 sedan at the carshow, and found the dashtop to feel very cheap. Definitely out of character for a $30k+ sedan.
In the refinement process, however, I'm afraid one of my favorite elements will go away: the gauge cluster. I love the whole chronograph thing!
For the future, I worry about losing the I-6, too. And personally, I think the introduction of a 430 option would be utterly ridiculous.
About a month ago I felt a slight vibration on the steering wheel of my 2003 IS300, when the car reaches beyond 60 MPH. Since the car is pretty much brand new (2174 odm reading), I took it back to the dealer for a check up.
A couple of hours after dropping it off at the dealers, they told me that they got into an accident with my car. Being that the car is pretty much like new, am I entitled to a new car from Lexus?
They didn't even apologize, treated it as if this sort of things happends everyday, never return my calls and took them a month to fix it up.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I don't believe a new car is owed regardless, but ask the question!
Sorry to hear about the mishap, and I hope it all comes out OK.
The dash plastic is probably one of the least endearing features of the car but I hardly notice it after 18 months of owning my SportCross. The rest of the car easily makes up for this short coming IMHO. One of the standout features of the car is the handling which is enchanced by the limited slip differential. LSDs are pretty rare these days in sports sedans. Even the much exsaulted BMW 3 series short changes owners with traction control until you move up to the M3.
An IS300 is nimble, can be throttle steered easily and has sweet steering, clutch and shifter feel. Nothing else available has this combination. However, it does look like the new Mazda RX-8 will have all of these good traits in even larger doses.
Unfortunately for me all of the cars are one size too small. To go up in size and get the fun traits is a much more expensive venture
It doesn't have wood switchplates, but it has everything else under the sun. So I spent $2400 on heated seats and a NAV I'll never use, but you know what? I COULDN'T CARE LESS!!!!
I drove it back from Monterey and collected some bugs on the way, so I took it to the car wash. The kids working on it asked what it was; perhaps a new '04 Lexus? "No", says I, "it's a SportCross."
"Cooool."
Agreed.
In general, I have to say I find many of my fellow Americans to be fools given their disdain for wagons, yet their infatuation with SUVs, for reality is an SUV is just a tall wagon, is it not?
I'm hooked on the sport wagon gig! Hooked!!!
One thing to consider is getting the clear bra, like Xpel, on the hood before you get any rock chips. I waited too long before I had mind done.
My old chum threw in the shift cover and the bra. I was planning on using both considering the stories I've read about burnt fingers in summer and my experience with tiny chips on my coupe.
BTW, the $399 lease is not available on SportCross anymore, but the 3.9% APR is. After calculating out my debt service on the coupe, It looks like I ended up with the $399 lease rate anyway.
My daughter loves the car.
The clear bra is on all the time and you can even wax it. The only negative is wax build up at the edges of the bra can become visible. You can remove it with a course bath towel working the edge. This takes a lot less time than removing and installing the traditional bra.
Another thing I noticed was cops tend to notice a car with a traditional bra more than a car without a bra. My radar detector confirmed this.
LOL!
Good points, especially the bit about grit in the felt backing. I shall look into it.
Been out driving this afternoon. Got the "boys and their toys" look from the Mrs.; you know the one you would get if you, say, ladled tapioca pudding down your shorts and danced the cachuca with a cod fillet on your head.
It was worth it.
It's of no real importance, but I was never a huge fan of the Altezza clear lense thing, and if they're easy and cheap (college dating criteria), I'd like to get 'em...
I located what I had seen:
http://www.lextasy.com/store/agora.cgi?cart_id=4222699.27624*w-7H- j5&p_id=0534&xm=on&ppinc=search2
I'm tempted, but I'd like to see it in person first. Don't want to mess up the baby, now do I?
Gen-U-Wine Tie-Oh-Ter parts. Seems safe; I may pop for these.
You know what's so strange? I get into this thing and turn it over, and I get this really weird sort of Zen serenity or something!
I had the stereo on yesterday for the ride home. I found it intrusive! I turned it off just to listen to the car, or rather the hush of the car and the purr of the plant.
With every curve on my commute I'm more and more hooked!
I am sorry, but I don't really care for the covers. I was speaking about the entire taillamp, which comes charcoal smoked. Go to the dealer and check out the dark red/black cars and you'll find out what I mean.
Not so hot, eh? I'll go look at the dealer when I take it in for the 30 day service. I've seen the smoked ones in the brochure, of course, but it's hard to get a read from the pix.
Thanks!
Its winter in Toronto and even in the snow I find it very assuring. The VSC works amazing as does the snow button. I find FWD better all around in snow, but you can't beat the predictability of RWD. The snow tires are helpfull too.
All I need is a short antenna (like an s2000) and to figure out what to do for a roofrack for my bikes, I was surprised that Thule does not make one.