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I am also in the market for the IS300. Some thing to share, I was told by the dealer that Lexus has reduced the production, all dealers are getting less IS300 than one month ago, so the price went up. I called two dealers two weeks ago, none of them had IS300 in stock. But they were telling me they will get the car this week (6/30). I have sent mail to all dealers in Bay Area on 6/29 night, but have not heard any reply yet. Would you mind telling me your email so that we can share the information. I'll let you know if I hear any good deal. You are right, we are paying much more than other area. Check www.carsdirect.com, if you enter LA zip code, the price is about $600 over invoice. Try to enter your zip code to see the price, don't be shocked.
I did get one offer from Lexus Fremont, $32,320 for Lether Package and Moonroof only, not Luxury Package, people in LA is paying $31,500 for Luxury Package + Moonroof + LSD, Heated seat + ... every thing.
Good luck. Please let me know if you got any good deal.
Frank
But the other reasons you mentioned are the reasons I got the A4 over the WRX. Talk about econobox interiors!
vvti
but i do understand where corkfish is coming from in a small way because i have tried the same approach with the IS300 and its more expensive competition. however, i was talking a cheaper lexus vs bmw, mb, and volvo. corkfish is trying to compare subaru and nissan to lexus which doesn't make any sense. everyone knows this but i will say it again. the IS300 was meant to bring a solid balance of performance and luxury to the pavement. it wasn't meant to be the ultimate rocket. even a integra GSR four door can sprint to faster times then a auto IS or even many automatic or manual luxury sport sedan like the A4, 325i, and c240 for sure.
i think those who are against the IS are still very wary of its AUTOMATIC performance capabilities. the automatic lex has great talent just imagine how their cars will stack up against the manual.
vvti
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
I love, love, love how this car drives, smooth, but fast, solid, on cam accel and it stops SOOOO well too.
Give me back my arm rest and fully auto 4 windows though!
I just wish it didn't look like a low-rider!
I love the 'steel with holes' look inside, although I think that keeping the dash black would have retained more of a classy feel than mixing grey knurled plastic in around the AC controls etc.
I wouldn't want to give this back, except of course to get my LX back again, but there really aren't any roads around here that are twisty enough with sufficiently high speed limits to enjoy it to the full.
Any chance for Lexus to make a poor man's SC430 and put a fabric top on one with the Mark Levinson stereo?......
You must have felt like your butt was scraping the ground going from the LX to the IS
I am tempted to buy a 1 way ticket to LA/ manta Monica if any So gal posters have suggestions for a dealer. Might be nice to drive back in a new IS. I will put the pressure on local dealers as the difference in quotes is substantial. Thanks again.
pul
Armed with that data, you should have all you need to know which way to go. When I was first shopping for an IS, within a month or so of intro, no one in NorCal wanted to move off MSRP; with a couple of phone calls, I had two SoCal dealers, including the one in Thousand Oaks, who is the closest, offering $1000 off MSRP, which was a big deal at the time. We actually drove down there with every intention of making the deal, but 20 minutes on 101 south in the IS with 17" wheels, wavy concrete surface, and I knew it would be a mistake for what I wanted. The point is, however, that the market down there is and always has been far more competitive for all luxury makes than the Bay Area...period.
"Is this the ultimate gen-xer's car, or what?" says Paul Dean, Editorial Director of sister publication Cycle World. "From a styling standpoint, it offers the kinds of features they hold in high regard: low-profile tires on 17-in. wheels, xenon headlights, Swatch watchlike instrumentation, chrome-plated shifter ball, killer sound system. Fortunately, the lexus IS 300 is more than just a Generation X marketing vehicle; it's also a damned nice car."
"The ride quality is excellent," exclaims Production Manager Tonia Troncone. "I really enjoyed its smooth downshifting when ahving to pass cars on my drive to Las Vegas. On rougher sections of highway the road noise was louder tan i expected, but compared to my own car, this lexus is as quiet as a mouse."
One chink in the IS 300's otherwise pristine armor is the transmission. "From rest, or when picking up the throttle from cruise, the transmission can slip, the engage rather harshly. Bam!! Pretty unsettling, and it doesn't BODE WELL FOR LONGEVITY," reports Executive Editor Doug Kott.
Senior Editor andrew bornhop concurs. "I notice this abrupt shifting too, but i find it slips, then 'bams' when i do a California style stop or am creeping through a parking lot slowly before accelerating swifly."
they took it in for maintenance and their dealer told them they are unaware of similar problems iwth other IS300's.
any thoughts on all of this??
silverlex does this have to do with the trac thing you were talking about earlier sorry i kinda whipped over a lot of posts too fast i will probably go back and read them later since this does sound problematic to me if these guys are questioning the longevity of this engine.
personally i don't understand how this car could have engine longevity issues when it is practically or supposedly almost the same engine as the GS300 right??? i don't know i am no expert on these kinds of things.
Total miles 23,350
miles since last report 9907
average mpg to date 21.1
Best mpg (avg of 3) 24.8
Worst mpg (avg of 3) 17.4
Repair costs to date 0
Maintenace costs to date $430
Delivered price $34,696
vvti
The IS 300 finished in tie for third with the Volvo S60 T5 - read the article and let us know what you think.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
TRAC/ECU problem: Just spoke to a service consultant regarding this. He told me that if they do the "fix" the car will shift a lot harder and it will be very noticeable. Basically, it involves reprogramming the computer. Also, he made it very clear that once the fix is done there is no removing it. In fact, 3 people they have done the fix for are now unhappy with the way the car shifts. He also said that this is not really a "problem"--this is the way the luxury side of the car is supposed to handle. However, many younger drivers want the racy type feel so they have the change done. WHOA--this is the first I hear of this. Seems like the "controversy" continues. Can people who have had this fix tell me how the car now handles?
You don't have to be a racer type to need this fix. If you ever merge into traffic from a stop, you'll want it. The TRAC fix should keep the traction from being too sensative.
a fully loaded 330i costs over $43K, but a comparable millenia only cost around $35K. i don't think it's fair to compare vehicles which are $8,000 apart. when i think of entry level, i think of the 325i, IS300, I30t, TL-S, C240, LS v6, mid-level S60 and maybe the Passat GLX. the S60 T5, 330i, C320 and LS V8 are over $40K and start getting closer to the GS430, Saab 9-5, and BMW 528 range.
the layout is related to price. instead of going with the Lincoln LS V8, they should've gone with the LS V6. the same with the Volvo, BMW and MB. this way the cars would've had similar power and price. lexus, infiniti, mazda, etc. shouldn't be punished because they don't make 2 "entry" level luxury sedans.
i'm sure (i hope) edmunds thought of this before it did its comparison, but instead of comparing 2 levels of sedans and discounting the results by the cost of the vehicle, why not just compare comparable vehicles?
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
I guess my question is how did the type S get first place. I realize it is well equipped for the money but the drive was uninspiring and it came across to me as a hopped up Accord. Especially when compared against the IS300 and Xtype.
Nissan claims the 240 HP Altima in its 4 speed automatic form, will run 7.2 from 0-60. Lexus claims 7.1 for the IS, running on a .5 liter smaller engine and 25 less ponies. And I don't care if you put 300 HP in the Altima, it remains an Altima. Believe it or not, some enthusiasts actually buy their cars based on factors other than straight line giddy up, or how fast the latest Nissan looks blazing across a salt flat with a "pump you up" sountrack in the background. :-)
Rather the Altima should "raise the ante" as you put it, since the WRX (a sedan in the same price range) is already spanking it cold. Should all car makers shoot for a low fives 0-60 to keep up with Subaru?
I also agree with Silver about the Altima, Hp alone does not make a fast car or a better performing car. The WRX not only is "spanking the Altima cold" but also the IS300 and many others for that matter.
As far as the 0-60 time for the new manual IS300 being under 7 sec for sure, well we'll have to see about that. Although Lexus on THEIR site and in THEIR printed material claim 0-60 times of 7.1, there is only one other test that I have seen out of many that have the IS300 doing 7.1, most have it at 7.5-7.6 (for the auto of course)
For $31,500, what options do you get? Luxary package or Lether package?
"The TL-S has a usable back seat"
Last time I had 4 people in the IS, the back seats were being used. And no, they weren't little people. Just because they're smaller, doesn't mean they're not usable. The Lexus SC430 does not have usable back seats for instance.
"The TL-S has awesome reliability"
Ever heard of Lexus reliability? It sets the bar for Acura.
"The TL-S has agressive pricing"
The IS is almost 10K less than cars in its class of sports sedan.
"Acura service"
Again, I refer you to the history of Lexus service and reliability.
You make good points, and I don't disagree with them, but you make them in a manner as to imply the IS 300 does not also have these qualities, and that every buyer should want a bigger back seat and a straight line pull box. In a sense, it ridiculous to compare them at all. Each were made for different audience, with different tastes and needs. I, for example, value the fun factor over overall legroom, or ride comfort. Am I out of my mind for doing so?
1. More comfortable seating. They're not the sport bucket feel you get in the IS, which is more designed for support in the corners than support in traffic.
2. Gas milage. The TL-S is gonna save you some cash on the drive. No arguing that. I'm not sure if the TL-S require premium, but the IS drinks 93 octane.
3. Tires. The IS has Z rated tires, and as with any high performance tire, you can expect to get less than 20K on them. The cheapest you'll see these tires go for are about $100 each, but most run around $150-$200. I'm not familiar with the tires on the TL-S, but I do remember they are not so geared towards performance, but rather some longevity. The trade off is, of course, performance. I've brought the baby Lex through some curves faster than I should have, and it sticks like glue. Not suprising with a skidpad of nearly 1G. I'll gladly fork it out on rubber for that kind of fun though.
Other than that, the luxury is fairly matched. It's my opinion the 240 watt stereo system in the IS 300 (Fujitsu Ten) is hands above the Bose in the Acura, but that's purely subjective.
Just some thoughts. Hope that helps.
But as far as back seat room goes...I'm 6'6' so if I'm in the front seat of the IS with my seat in a comfortable position for me there is about 2 to 3 inches of room back there.
The IS is a great car but I think it needs a boost in the hp to be a real contender. I also wish the type S or any Acura/Honda with that engine were RWD and 5 speed manual but we all can't get what we want.
The IS300 was designed with the 3 series in mind - not pumped up, FWD pull boxes like the TL-S and Altima. That means Lexus had to develop a sedan with strong mid-to-upper range acceleration, perfectly balanced handling, razor sharp steering and extremely strong braking - qualities we all come to associate with "the ultimate driving machine". A screaming 0-60 is not the highest priority. If it was, they would've thrown in a bigger engine, adding more weight, shifting the balance and reducing all those characteristics I just listed above to become not a 3 series competitor - but a TL-S/Maxima/Altima one.
Of course, Lexus won't get the serious consideration it deserves until they throw in the 5 speed manual. And yes, the 330i has more HP than the IS to begin with, but certainly not the 260 the new Maxima/TL-S etc are putting up. Do you think that's because they don't know what they're doing, or perhaps they have a different goal in mind? My guess is it's the latter, but you're welcome to feel different.
vtec
vvti
I'll post a link to it here and in the TL-S discussion if you'd like.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/46528/page032.html
Again I'm just answering the "why did the TL win" question posed before. I wasn't one of the judges.
I wanted a sports car and was seriously looking until I totaled 2 cars. Obviously a sports car is out. Was checking on-line info and stumbled across the IS300 site and felt like I had entered boy racer heaven. Is this type of driver/driving going to up the insurance prices? If it is I will have to go for a TL-S type or maybe a Maxima which is a lot of options and car for not as much $. Also saw the charges for maintenance on the IS300. Pretty stiff. The TL-S type only needs oil changes and doesn't have a scheduled tune-up until 100k miles.
On the maintenance issues, those costs are not really associated with tune ups, but rather checkups every 5K which include oil change, tire rotation, filter changes etc.
The 15,000 mile checkup, for instance, is priced at $229 and for this they change the AC Pollen Filter, tranny fluid, rear end differential fluid, tire rotation, and oil change and other stuff you could probably check yourself.
I'll be the first to admit Lexus service is not cheap. But weigh that against the fact that Lexus builds a bullet proof engine. Some cars (not referring to Acura here) I wouldn't want to own after the warranty is up.
also, i am just curious if you have taken your logic with the TL type S to the bimmer 3 series board and what kind of responses you have gotten. if you haven't yet i bet they laugh you out of the building with the TL "accord deluxe" type S. if you don't believe me go and give it a shot.
vtec
vvti
Yes the IS handles better....Yes the IS is slower blah blah. The styling is a love it/hate deal... Like I said...The TL won because it's a raging value. That's it. Don't shoot me because the IS lost I didn't write the comparo. I guess if my car lost I'd be whining too.
IS interior boring, I think not, young & techno yes