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Comments
Also check out the new forum posted by Juice above. That's a great new site as well.
I told him, it takes a good 40 years off him.
Love the new red.
I agree about not racing to secure your deal now. The next year's production is likely to be higher, and after about 3 mos, the discounts will start. You forget that the auto industry is reeling now and even today, Autobytel will knock off $1000 off MSRP for an '02 manual IS300 (quoteed 8-1-01). Wait until Nov and you're likely to see even more off, regardless of what the mags say.
yo silver- i was just wondering what kind of gas mileage you are getting. i am getting about 23mpg with a mixture of city and highway driving and the aircon running constantly. the other day i pushed the car to 350 miles before filling it up. sadly that came out to 23.3 mpg but it was still nice to be able to go 350miles without having to worry much. the light was on though but the needle hadn't reached the E yet.
vtec/vvti
1. Silver preferred, but would consider white;
2. Car must be in NYC, NJ, Philadelphia area for inspection and test drive;
3. Below 10K miles;
4. Leather, moonroof, slip, 17';
5. Must be like new, showroom condition. No slight damage whatsoever.
Pls e-mail me at sungsuong@hotmail.com. Thanks.
He gave both a big thumbs up while testing them on a road race track.
No numbers though, believe me I was waiting for those.
Price | $31,230 | $33,900 | $30,500
Engine | 3.2L V6 | 3.0L I6 | 3.0L I6
HP | 260 | 225 | 215
TQ | 232 | 214 | 218
Trans | 5sp auto | 5sp auto | 5sp auto
0-60 | 7.0 sec | 6.5 sec | 7.1 sec
60-0 | 136 ft | 133 ft | 131 ft
skidpad | 0.83g | 0.84g | 0.91g
Weight | 3570 lb | 3350 lb | 3400 lb
"In a sprint to 60 mph it (TL Type-S) runs about even with the Lexus while the BMW is a half-second faster still. In the way of handling, both the Type-S and the 330i run neck-to-neck circling the skidpad, with the IS 300 running circles around them both."
Road&Track - September 2001
2002 Blue IS300 video
2002 Red IS300 video
local salesman claimed that it is just due to tall gearing of the automatic's first gear, and that the IS is slow to about 20mph, then is actually faster than the 330 after that.
anyhoo, he went on to say that a trd supercharger will soon be available through lexus dealerships for the is 300, will maintain the factory warranty, and will make about 330 hp.
has anyone else heard of this? that would be a ton of fun.
They were having fun.
And yes the IS bases at 30,500 but as tested price on page 136 says 34,156 for the IS and 39,804 for the Bimmer. As tested for the TL is 33,710 since they added the only option, the GPS, otherwise it's 31,500 with dest. charge.
Also telling is the over 2mpg advantage the TL has in fuel economy and the 1750 rpm cruise at 60mph. It tops out at 150 at only 4800 rpm. That's tall gearing. EPA for the TL is 19/29.
vtec/vvti/double vornados/ivtec
impressions?
i think toyota should make the supercharger optional or just make a IS430 and IS300. charge 37K for the IS430 and really put some pressure on MB, audi, bmw, and jaq's x-type which goes for 50,000 folks. it would be interesting to see what the other guys do.
vtec
the inline six is a great solution for a lighter car: r/t did a technical analysis a while back on the 330i inline six, citing intrinsic engine balance, quick revving, and adequate torque. would the v-8's weight upset the handling balance?
i plan to buy the is300 5-speed. i want a rear-wheel drive car with a manual transmission, not a tiptronic slushy. that's bmw, lincoln, and now lexus. if the supercharger can be had for $2000-3,000 and will not affect the warranty, i'll be all over it.
I live in snow country, and it rains a lot here too. Is the LSD a real help, or is it just a fancy thing, nice to have, but doesn't do much?
Thanks for your opinion.
A V8, IMO, would be a bad idea for the IS300. It would throw off the balance of the car slightly. Currently, the IS300s F/R balance is about 52/48 I believe. You would definately see about a shift to 54/46. In reality the Lexus 4.3L V8 does not weigh too much more than the 3.0L inline-6 because the 3.0L inline6 has a cast iron block whereas the V8 has a aluminum block.
I know you are mostly guys here and maybe a lot younger than I, but just to dispel the myth a little about the IS being a 'boy racer' type of car, I'm a 50 year old female who loves to drive a quick, responsive, well built, RELIABLE, (don't forget the manual 5-speed!), and cute to boot - car. I was very excited to hear the IS was equipped with a 5 speed for '02, I've been waiting patiently every since. Getting a Silver/Black Leather, polished alloy wheels, spoiler, Lsd, Nav in the next week or so.
Just a note that I hope won't get me banned or this message deleted: Went to test drive a bmw 330i coupe right after our visit to the Lexus dealer to compare drivability, comfort, etc. Well....our test car (a very beautiful silver/gray) got overheated on our 10 minute ride making it necessary to return pronto to the dealer. The driver's side door handle was loose and the ashtray located at the rear of the center console was broken. When I expressed surprise at these problems on a car that had less than 50 miles on the odometer, the salesman said he could give us a 'small discount' on that car, otherwise we would be paying full sticker price. I'll pass, thanks.
This will be our 6th car from Toyota/Lexus. Two Previas, one 4-Runner, one ES 300 and my husband's company car is a GS 300. In the last 12 years, these cars have yet to spent one day at the repair shop. I can't wait to get my new car!!!
I wonder how many women read this forum? I've learned a lot from you all. Thanks!! Linda
the knock on lexus from what i have gathered on other boards is their cars are boring, lack passion, no soul. they are slush mobiles that lack performance, ride, and handling qualities. some of them even call the lexus cars overpriced while they drive more expensive bimmers. this is confusing to me especially. others feel that lexus doesn't belong because their cars are butt ugly. their cars look like they should be driven by pokemon. their cars don't belong because they are automatics for the most part even though 2 of 3 bimmer drivers have automatics with probably no sport suspension too for that matter. i value their perspective just like i take a truck loving lexus hating friends insults about the IS300 being a little car with no muscle sound like his F-150 harley davidson special edition (the lexus IS would dust this big truck IMO). however when i bring up factors like reliability, value, service, more standard features, better warranty in a lot of cases all i get is who cares if our cars are in the shop every month that IS300 is butt ugly with no manual tranny i would never consider it.
vtech
Now, if there are any volunteers to purchase me a new IS 300 manual right now, I'd really be set....
~alpha
But to say we're just jealous because we don't agree with you is ridiculous.
I know there are people out there who don't like the A4 (you two being two of them). That's fine, not everyone likes everything. But I don't think you're jealous because you don't like it.
I got the car that suited my needs the best and you got what suited your needs the best. But that doesn't make you right and me wrong because we have different wants and needs...
-SilverLex
The reasons why I've always preferred manual shifting trannies are:
- Positive engagement into proper gear DURING or BEFORE a tight turn
- Power upshifts from 3rd gear directly to 5th gear when getting on the freeway
- Quick downshift passing from 5th gear cruise mode to 3rd (or 2nd!) gear GET-OUT-OF-THE-WAY haul [non-permissible content removed] mode
- Low gear braking, then immediate acceleration
So my question is: does the IS300 steering column shifting offer something closer to manual shifting?
The break-in period is 1,000 miles so it will be a few more days till we see what she can do. I can't use technical terms like some of the experts here, all I can tell you is it's truly fun to drive this car. It handles like a dream - steering, shifting, braking all better than I have ever experienced. So responsive. The sound system isn't bad either, but I find myself driving without the CDs playing because I love to hear the engine. Sweet sound! Fit and finish is impeccable as you would expect from Lexus. Very happy, great car! Have a wonderful week all you IS fans!
Linda
i also enjoyed it a lot. i felt the shifter to be nice, but i wish the knob wasn't plastic: a turned aluminum knob a la honda s2000 would be much nicer.
the car drove beautifully: smooth, supple ride but with very little body roll. i wish the car had a little more punch to it: passing in 5th at 70 mph was completely unexciting.
i will order myself one of these as soon as i can put my pennies together!
happy driving!
clearly, the is300 with the 5sp is quick, but it doesn't move out like a muscle car. of course, i don't want a muscle car!
Linda
If you're blonde in a red car, it always stands out regardless what car you drive. hehe.
let me state my perspective on the wrx and focus. the IS is a small car but let's not get carried away here. the focus and wrx are little tin can looking THINGS. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!! i see this wrx four door almost everyday where i work and that car is so damn small looking it better go fast. i mean i think the civic two door has more of a athletic build than this little tin can. the focus??? oh please.
vtec/vvti/ivtec/double voranos
of course, there is an abundance of reviews that favorably rate the is300 with the bimmer. in terms of the focus, to coin a phrase, "you make me raff."
Forget about IS300 vs Beemer 3 series. Both of these vehicles will be looking at the rear end of the Altima/G35. I can't wait to see a souped up V6 Altima.
~alpha