IS 300 - why so rare?

In reply to Twin_Cam:

It was available with a 5 speed, just not the wagon. I've seen 5 speed 300s, so I know they exist.

Yep, mine is a 10 percenter. Only 10% of IS300's in 2005 had a 5-spd. Other years are similarily rare. 2001 were auto's only. Dumb.

Twin_Cam wrote: It was sold as a "sports car" and wasn't offered with 3 pedals. Another win for Toyota.

At some point it was, so your backhanded complement is indeed valid.

They're all 5 speed, but most of them are automatics. ;) LSD was an option from day 1, VSC was avail from 03 - on iirc. HIDs standard, 6 disc cd system standard. 1st year (2001) were auto only. 2001 were also leather with alcantara/ecsaine inserts, with or without piping. A few stripper models were made with no sunroof and cloth manual seats. 2002+ got Nav and full leather avail as an option. Later years got memory seats. Sportcross had slightly wider rear wheels. Special packages such as L-tuned and SportDesign were offered. 02+ are tuned richer from the factory.

I've been a fan forever, 1st was ordered before launch, on my 2nd one now, still love the looks, still love the way it DD's. Wish mileage was better, one day hope to replace 2jz with LS1.

No kidding! Well I stand corrected. They initially weren't, or so I remembered hearing, and rarely does a company add an option for a manual transmission, they're usually eliminating it.

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

speedblind wrote: I check occasionally. Everything around me is in the 8-10k range, high mileage and automatic. Many, many better options for that kind of money. I thought the were cool when they first came out though.

That's the kind of money I've seen. Curious what you would get in that price range. My wife has a crappy commute in traffic, so I'm afraid an autotragic is in the cards. I thought a SportCross would be a kinda cool car you don't see very often with all kinds of mod potential down the road. Figured it would be nearing the bottom of a price curve and may not depreciate much for several years.

I think you can go either way with this - you can either get an equivalent BMW which is "more" car for the same price, or you can look at a different Toyota/Lexus model which will be more comfortable and more efficient for less money.

It's odd though - for some reason these cars seem to stick to me. I keep thinking about getting one. At $5-7k it would be a no-brainer: a nice, reliable, comfortable car for that money makes a lot of sense. $10k when you can buy a 04-06 330i for the same money, though, is a tough sell.

speedblind wrote:

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

speedblind wrote: I check occasionally. Everything around me is in the 8-10k range, high mileage and automatic. Many, many better options for that kind of money. I thought the were cool when they first came out though.

That's the kind of money I've seen. Curious what you would get in that price range. My wife has a crappy commute in traffic, so I'm afraid an autotragic is in the cards. I thought a SportCross would be a kinda cool car you don't see very often with all kinds of mod potential down the road. Figured it would be nearing the bottom of a price curve and may not depreciate much for several years.

I think you can go either way with this - you can either get an equivalent BMW which is "more" car for the same price, or you can look at a different Toyota/Lexus model which will be more comfortable and more efficient for less money. It's odd though - for some reason these cars seem to stick to me. I keep thinking about getting one. At $5-7k it would be a no-brainer: a nice, reliable, comfortable car for that money makes a lot of sense. $10k when you can buy a 04-06 330i for the same money, though, is a tough sell.

I'd rather maintain the IS300, personally. The drivetrain in that thing is THE definition of "unbreakable."

Now, make it a $10k worthy E36 M3 vs. the IS300 and i have a problem.

(take with a grain of salt. i do not like E46s)

Yeah, I'll confirm that no SportCrosses came with a 5MT on our shores, only autos; I did a ton of research and spent about 3 months looking for mine, and I had the benefit of our library of Lexus PR materials.

The REAL challenge is finding a 5MT with the factory-installed Torsen limited-slip diff. If 10 percent of the cars were manuals, maybe 10 percent of those had LSDs. I found exactly two in 3 months of looking, one was kind of a rat, the other (and the one I bought) was a suprise CarMax find.

It was just there on the lot, a 2004, 36k miles, garage kept and the trunk carpet looked like it had never even been opened. I saw the limited-slip diff code on the door sill and just about crapped myself. I was fortunate that CarMax has fixed pricing, or a savvy salesman would have noticed my non-poker face and bumped the price by $3K citing a spike in demand. There were people in the lobby wanting to see the car as I was buying it.

I've had it for I think more than 4 years now and about 30k miles; it's been absolutely trouble free. I change the oil every 5000 miles. I have exactly two nitpicks: There's a burble in the cooling/heater system that goes away with a "burping" but tends to return, and the dash plastic gets sticky--these are widely acknowledged problems. Other than that it's been a bulletproof commuter and occasional hoon machine. If I ever decide to sell it you guys will be the first to know.

OK so what is that code for the LSD?

wierd, I think our 4Runner is actually pretty fun to drive (albeit with the XREAS suspension and better tires). I throw it around like it's my wrx....

non-XREAS 4Runners.....less fun to drive, true.

There is a $15k version on zilvia that I can't stop looking at, black on black. Beauty.

aussiesmg wrote: OK so what is that code for the LSD?

There's a black sticker on the driver's door jamb (next to the tire pressure info sticker) that has various info on it, including a line labeled "A/TM" You'll see a code resembling: B01A, or B01B or B02C.

If that code ends in A , there's no factory LSD.

If it ends in B or C, do the happy dance, it has a Torsen.

In reply to Scott Lear:

Scott, I'd like to be on your list of people to notify if you decide to sell the car. I think owning one of these is on my bucket list and it would have to be one with the MT and LSD. And, being in Wisconsin, I'd be more than happy to bring home a salt free edition.

Seriously. Put me on your short list of people to notify. And it would be my second purchase from a GRM staffer--I bought Per's signal yellow MR2.

Here is a sweet deal, I might have to go buy one now. I have always wanted one, test drove one back 8 years ago and really liked it but that was compared to my 95 Ford Exploder.

How bulletproof are those 2jz's? is 200k high?

http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/cto/2786210413.html

The motor/drivetrain should be fine at that mileage. The 2jz is extremely under-stressed in n/a form.

Suspension will probably need some attention if it's not already done.

I'd buy that thing.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: The motor/drivetrain should be fine at that mileage. The 2jz is extremely under-stressed in n/a form. Suspension will probably need some attention if it's not already done. I'd buy that thing.

Yeah me too. jonny let me know if you get cold feet.

I emailed the seller why does GRM have to be full of enablers.

Bulletproof. Timing belt due every 90k, interference motor and all.

Buy a late XJ6 instead.

Did anyone do a comparison between these and the E36 M3? Seem to be fairly even cost for mileage, easier to find a manual and all are LSD. And will always hold some value given that they are pretty well bottomed out price-wise at this point.

Teh E36 M3 wrote: Did anyone do a comparison between these and the E36 M3? Seem to be fairly even cost for mileage, easier to find a manual and all are LSD. And will always hold some value given that they are pretty well bottomed out price-wise at this point.

IMHO it isn't really fair to the IS300 to compare it to an E36 M3. A 328i or 325i maybe, but the M3 is a much more focused car than the Lexus.

That said the interior quality on the Lexus is much better, and the maintenance will be easier to live with. Over the long term I've got no doubts the IS300 would give you fewer headaches. But will also give you fewer grins!

Driving wise, the IS300 is a very nice car, with adequate power, but it isn't going to compare well to the E36 M3 dynamically. The Lexus makes a fantastic daily, but it is nowhere near as fast, or as sporting as the M3.

Now if you open the modification door......the IS becomes a bit more interesting, but it would still be hard to beat an E36 M3 if track use is going to be on the agenda.

Joe Gearin wrote:

Teh E36 M3 wrote: Did anyone do a comparison between these and the E36 M3? Seem to be fairly even cost for mileage, easier to find a manual and all are LSD. And will always hold some value given that they are pretty well bottomed out price-wise at this point.

IMHO it isn't really fair to the IS300 to compare it to an E36 M3. A 328i or 325i maybe, but the M3 is a much more focused car than the Lexus. That said the interior quality on the Lexus is much better, and the maintenance will be easier to live with. Over the long term I've got no doubts the IS300 would give you fewer headaches. But will also give you fewer grins! Driving wise, the IS300 is a very nice car, with adequate power, but it isn't going to compare well to the E36 M3 dynamically. The Lexus makes a fantastic daily, but it is nowhere near as fast, or as sporting as the M3. Now if you open the modification door......the IS becomes a bit more interesting, but it would still be hard to beat an E36 M3 if track use is going to be on the agenda.

Depends on the track because...... 2jz = POWAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Overnight parts from Japan...

Queue thread degrading into FNF quotes.

been there.... we had a 2002 Sport Cross... The BIGGEST flaw that I found was the car is too heavy for its suspension. I'm pretty sure the Altezza is 500+#s lighter and so was far easier on its suspension then the Sport Cross was on its...IS300 suspension parts bend easily, and are not cheap.

By the way for those fanatics... in Japan the Altezza Gita (Sport Cross) was available with awd!!! For the folks who own IS300, one look at the front suspension and you can see it was designed to accomodate front drive axles.

We sold our Sport Cross about 2 1/2 years ago now ... and replaced it with this

better mileage, lower octane requirement,

Oh, and did I mention easier to access storage area.....

That Tampa ad has been flagged. Did someone here buy it?