Lexus IS200

bedrock1001

Thinking of buying a 99 - 00 manual Lexus IS200

Probably looking to pay around 13,000 - 15,000

Still quite expensive for a 6-7 year old car in my book

Any thoughts? Should I wait until next year when prices drop?

ciarsd

Be aware when buying. Check and check again.

Lately, I've seen many young lads driving these, driving them hard and using its RWD to full effect.
These along with the Beams engined model are quite popular at the moment, so most likely the reason for the good price they are going for.

bedrock1001

I wont be going for the beams model, just the basic spec

And I will be buying from a lexus dealer just to be sure, dont mind paying a bit extra for a warranty and a decent guarantee that the car will be in good nick.

Really just looking for a bit of performance and comfort for regular driving around the country

Also in my opinion the styling is fantastic

colm_mcm

not too much to look out for. the gearbox always clunks between 1st and 2nd even when new.

Dealer Cover will sort you out for 12 months anyway. try to get a Sport model with LSD and uprated stereo/wheels/suspension. much better than the Chenille base model

bazz26

Yeah just be careful of the Jap imports, it's rebadged as the Toyota Altezza but most Lexus dealers don't touch these versions.

Nice car but I heard that the 2.0 V6 is a bit thirsty though. The 6-speed gearbox is nice and smooth also. Also Watch the 17" alloys on Irish roads

Try and get the Executive or Sport model as these may have a leather interior.

Here is a nice 1999 example with low mileage but no warranty though:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=393278

bedrock1001

Looks nice bazz26 - its a toyota so reliability is not really an issue so not too pushed about the warranty.

have been offered a sport model. just waiting for the dealer to get it in.

Its going to be a big change though -> from a 1.1 to a 2 litre, dreading the jump in fuel consumption!!

but I hear the mpg is not too bad if you take it easy enough

pburns

That's a lovely example.
My only worry is that these are now catching the interest of skangers (at least the Jap imports are). Won't do much fot the image...

unkel

pburns wrote:

My only worry is that these are now catching the interest of skangers

Aye. You wouldn't want your neighbour to drive one of these:

bazz26

Looks like they are progressing from the 316i then.

DukeDredd

pburns wrote:

That's a lovely example.
My only worry is that these are now catching the interest of skangers (at least the Jap imports are). Won't do much fot the image...

Good point - although these type of people have gotten their hands on 3 Series BMW's long before the IS200's - hasn't stopped people buying them by the boatload!

colm_mcm

IS200 is straight 6 as opposed to V6, Altezza is 4 cylinder.

bedrock1001

but sure isn't the Altezza badged as a Toyota in Japan before they decided to sell it as a Lexus in Europe and the US.

bazz26

bedrock1001 wrote:

but sure isn't the Altezza badged as a Toyota in Japan before they decided to sell it as a Lexus in Europe and the US.

The IS I don't think was ever sold in the US as far as I know, too small for them. I think the smallest Lexus on sale in the US was called the ES which afaik was built in the US for the US market only.

Lexus models were badged and sold in Japan as Toyotas until last year. They were all made in the same factory afaik, just the models for the home market had Toyota badges. The new GS was the first Lexus to be sold in Japan as a Lexus.

ambro25

Lovely cars, would have bought one in Feb'05, if it hadn't been for the boot size (too small for 'baby things').

Re. mpg, there's a fuel consumption indicator as standard, so you always know how much "she'd be drinking" at any time.

Check everything thrice, and especially under the bonnet - a few of these have been sitting on docks (either in IE, or UK then imported) for prolonged periods, and saltwater is slowly but surely doing it's thing. Some of the 99/00/01 examples I saw in early 05 had a badly rusted underbody.

Then again, at least two I went to see at a small dealer near Lucan (I think it was... down the N7?) had been rebadged Altezzas (i.e. Jap imports) which he attempted to convince me were European cars - the rebadging was poorly enough that I could see it, but I'm not sure that a 'babe in the wood' would have, though. :mad:

But they're a lovely drive and that straight 6 sounds very sweet. Nearly as sweet as that of the 4-door '95 Skyline I got to try in the UK... but not quite

ciarsd

bedrock1001 wrote:

but sure isn't the Altezza badged as a Toyota in Japan before they decided to sell it as a Lexus in Europe and the US.

yeah but there is also a couple of engine variants.. 2L 4Cylinder Yamaha Beams engine, or the standard 2L Straight 6 Toyota VVTi engine which can mix people up.

Stonelakes

Hi I,m new to this site, why are there concerns with the Altezza's?Are they not of same quality?
I'm in two minds between buying a 98 Type R Civic or a Lexus Is200. Any comments?
Has anyone drove the 2.0 Type R civic?

elexes

Stonelakes wrote:

Hi I,m new to this site, why are there concerns with the Altezza's?Are they not of same quality?
I'm in two minds between buying a 98 Type R Civic or a Lexus Is200. Any comments?
Has anyone drove the 2.0 Type R civic?

dono what the problom is . i bought a altezza rs 200 a few weeks back (01/03 or so ) brought it to a garage they looked it over said it was fine . it passed the nct with no probloms . my insurance hasnt jumped by much about 100 euros . i wouldnt consider it a skanger car but everyone to there own

DukeDredd

bazz26 wrote:

The IS I don't think was ever sold in the US as far as I know, too small for them. I think the smallest Lexus on sale in the US was called the ES which afaik was built in the US for the US market only.

Lexus models were badged and sold in Japan as Toyotas until last year. They were all made in the same factory afaik, just the models for the home market had Toyota badges. The new GS was the first Lexus to be sold in Japan as a Lexus.

I think it was alright but they were the IS300, seen a few in New York.

ballooba

elexes wrote:

dono what the problom is . i bought a altezza rs 200 a few weeks back (01/03 or so ) brought it to a garage they looked it over said it was fine . it passed the nct with no probloms . my insurance hasnt jumped by much about 100 euros . i wouldnt consider it a skanger car but everyone to there own

What were you driving before out of interest? I'd like to see what my insurance would be on the IS 200. ATM it's €1900 on a VW PAssat.

colm_mcm

only potential promlems with Altezza is engine and transmission availability prices

bedrock1001

I got quoted 850 fully comp, 26 years old, full no claims, 8 years full licence from quinn direct.

Had a chat with a previous owner of a IS200 and he said everything was just right about the car :-)

unkel

bazz26 wrote:

Looks like they are progressing from the 316i then.

Ah well the 316 has been around for 3 decades and I've yet to see one in white with a black bonnet

colm_mcm

that sounds about right!

another common "problem" with the IS200 that I forgot about earlier, the spring that pushes the fuel cap door outwards often breaks off, so when you pull the fuel release nothing happens, might sound insignificant, but it'd cost a good few quid to put right, also make sure the in dash CD changer works ok, some owners try to stuff more than 1 cd in at a time and break the loading mechanism, a new unit costs in the region of €1,600

bedrock1001

yeah I think that CD problem is with the 99 - 00 models

After 01 they put in a new cd changer system because of all the complaints about the cd loading system

You can tell what which one it is if you have a gander at the cd slot
Old cd player = cd slot on the bottom
new cd player = cd slot on the top

bazz26

unkel wrote:

Ah well the 316 has been around for 3 decades and I've yet to see one in white with a black bonnet

Well you haven't been down these neck of the woods much then. Seen one in black with the "go faster" Dodge Viper double white stripe down the middle of the bonnet, roof and boot. Ironically it had a Lexus style rear light cluster, which seems to be fairly standard issue on any early or mid 1990s 316i. I think it even had a shark fin roof ariel and front angle eye lights from the 5 Series.

Seen a few Altezas going around equally chaved up including a canary yellow one with black rims.

unkel

bazz26 wrote:

Well you haven't been down these neck of the woods much then

No, I haven't, but surely bad areas in Dublin are as bad or worse, no?

bazz26 wrote:

Seen one in black with the "go faster" Dodge Viper double white stripe down the middle of the bonnet, roof and boot. Ironically it had a Lexus style rear light cluster, which seems to be fairly standard issue on any early or mid 1990s 316i

:eek: *pukes up dinner*

At least it wasn't white with a black bonnet though

whippet

a mate of mine had a 02 is200 and he managed to get at best about 23mpg, grant it he wasn't tipping about in it.

HashSlinging

is200 drivers a the biggest bunch of tossers ! I was sitting at the lights beside one and the guy rolls down his window and shouts Wan*ker at me and then sped off! by the time i got to a rounaboud he was 30 yards behind me and was going mental I nearly crashed into the roundabout with the look on his face:mad: . Do not buy.

colm_mcm

bedrock1001 wrote:

yeah I think that CD problem is with the 99 - 00 models

After 01 they put in a new cd changer system because of all the complaints about the cd loading system

You can tell what which one it is if you have a gander at the cd slot
Old cd player = cd slot on the bottom
new cd player = cd slot on the top

they all will go wrong if you load more than one at a time.

bedrock1001

HashSlinging wrote:

is200 drivers a the biggest bunch of tossers ! I was sitting at the lights beside one and the guy rolls down his window and shouts Wan*ker at me and then sped off! by the time i got to a rounaboud he was 30 yards behind me and was going mental I nearly crashed into the roundabout with the look on his face:mad: . Do not buy.

how old was this fella?

but seriously all im looking for is a decent comfy motor with a bit of oomph for overtaking on long journeys

and its a savage looking motor:D

bedrock1001

colm_mcm wrote:

they all will go wrong if you load more than one at a time.

yep thats the prob - you get an err 3 on the cd player. will make sure the dealer sticks a new one in. if he doesn't ill make sure it breaks while in warranty:p

colm_mcm

It's just silly people that make them break, pressing the "Load" button and waiting for a green light isn't rocket science, neither is only loading one disc at a time!

Tipsy Mac

HashSlinging wrote:

is200 drivers a the biggest bunch of tossers ! I was sitting at the lights beside one and the guy rolls down his window and shouts Wan*ker at me and then sped off! by the time i got to a rounaboud he was 30 yards behind me and was going mental I nearly crashed into the roundabout with the look on his face:mad: . Do not buy.

Yes the car turns a perfectly sound driver into a tool, they have special powers

elexes

i didnt see your post before this . i was driving a focus 1.4 lx

bedrock1001

colm_mcm wrote:

It's just silly people that make them break, pressing the "Load" button and waiting for a green light isn't rocket science, neither is only loading one disc at a time!

colm_mcm whats the audio like from it? - i haven't had a chance to listen to one

colm_mcm

It's pretty good, the Sport has a premium sound system, but the standard one is pretty kickin too!

bedrock1001

Well I finally got the funds organised and I am now the proud owner of a 99 IS200.

even though its 7 years old it still seems to get a few looks driving around town:D

TempestSabre

HashSlinging wrote:

is200 drivers a the biggest bunch of tossers ! I was sitting at the lights beside one and the guy rolls down his window and shouts Wan*ker at me and then sped off! by the time i got to a rounaboud he was 30 yards behind me and was going mental I nearly crashed into the roundabout with the look on his face:mad: . Do not buy.

LOL. Dunno which one is worse.

unkel

bedrock1001 wrote:

Well I finally got the funds organised and I am now the proud owner of a 99 IS200

Best of luck with your new car

How much did you pay for it?

bspoke

So what because 'boy racers' have some money they are not allowed buy nice cars. God forbid they shoul dbuy a car usually associated with wannabe middle class.

The Altezza costs more than the equivilant Nissan Skyline so to say they buy them just to rag the hell out of them is ridiculos. Even if it was FWD im still sure it would be popular due to the styling, powerful engine and Toyota reliability.

Not buying something just cause it seems popular with 'boy racers' is ridiculos. Sure the Mk1 golf gti is the original hot hatch and will always be associated with boy racers of the early eighties yet a lot of people now adays would give their left nut to have one. The same thing with the Mk2 Escort.

Kimbot

bspoke wrote:

So what because 'boy racers' have some money they are not allowed buy nice cars. God forbid they shoul dbuy a car usually associated with wannabe middle class.

The Altezza costs more than the equivilant Nissan Skyline so to say they buy them just to rag the hell out of them is ridiculos. Even if it was FWD im still sure it would be popular due to the styling, powerful engine and Toyota reliability.

Not buying something just cause it seems popular with 'boy racers' is ridiculos. Sure the Mk1 golf gti is the original hot hatch and will always be associated with boy racers of the early eighties yet a lot of people now adays would give their left nut to have one. The same thing with the Mk2 Escort.

Agreed, cars a personal opinion and even if a "Boy Racer" buys the car I want to get it ain't going to change my mind!! THe IS200 is a beaut of a car but apparently the steering is crap compared to a Corolla's!!

bspoke

You cant compare an IS and a corrolla RWD vs FWD

Kimbot

bspoke wrote:

You cant compare an IS and a corrolla RWD vs FWD

Dude, I'm just telling you what I was told by an IS200 owner!!!

elexes

when i diecided to go for a altezza i was actually looking at evo's

i was well impressed with the altezza as i hadnt heard of it till i was in the garage so went home and looked it up on some sites . i saw it in between a is200 and the evo i came to look at but after test driving the altezza i knew i wouldnt end up buying the evo

considering the type of car it is and the nice 210 bhp ( guessing it would be about 190 on irish fule ) i think i got good value for money

i wouldnt consider it a skanger car by any means

good luck with ur is200

bedrock1001

steering is a bit off i must say - its an issue with the standard factory tracking i am told

bedrock1001

unkel wrote:

Best of luck with your new car

How much did you pay for it?

sorry unkel didn't spot your question
paid 13,900 for a 99 Sport with 1 years warranty
sounds good?!?

TempestSabre

bedrock1001 wrote:

steering is a bit off i must say - its an issue with the standard factory tracking i am told

What do you mean? Its either right ot it isn't.

bedrock1001

TempestSabre wrote:

What do you mean? Its either right ot it isn't.

the steering seems to drift a bit over time - as in you steer straight and pulls to the right or left. apparently its to do with the way the factory set the tracking.... it loosens up after time

my steering is off at the mo. had the garage fix it. now it pulls in the opposite direction. its going back to the garage...again

TempestSabre

When its setup properly and theres no camber on the road it shouldn't drift. If its drifting you must have hit a ramp or pothole to knock it out.

bedrock1001

TempestSabre wrote:

When its setup properly and theres no camber on the road it shouldn't drift. If its drifting you must have hit a ramp or pothole to knock it out.

i bought it 2nd hand from a dealer. steering was like that when i got it. previous driver may have hit something....

my main concern is that even when they had a look at it and tried to fix it its still off - now the other direction - guess its not setup properly

also it drifts on every road i drive so i gues camber is not an issue here - i hope

TempestSabre

Lots of places, even with fancy equipment seem to be unable to set a car up properly. Not entirely sure why that is. In many cases you'd do a better job yourself.