Lexus IS200

Eglinton

I'm looking at a Lexus IS200 2L Sport on the web at the moment. 2002 model. I've heard great things about Lexus reliabililty and the fancy extras. I'm getting tired of my current car's reliability issues.

So is there truth in their fantastic reliability reputation and would it be a good car to buy? Pros and cons welcome. Thanks.

p.s. it's on carzone but I don't know if you can link directly to an ad site in posts?

C_Breeze

great cars!

yeah you can show us a link ...and out of curiosity what are you currently driving?

Moanin

Nice Car!

Eglinton

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=754903

Sorry it's 2001. Not 2002 as I previously said.


Driving a '99 Saab 9-5 2L Turbo.

watchinpaintdry

nice price! Someone's gonna snap it up.

bazz26

Lexus are made by Toyota so reliability is very good. Have a read of the reviews on here: www.honestjohn.co.uk and www.parkers.co.uk

My cousin has a mint 2004 IS200 Sport Executive and he loves it. It has every conceivable extra as standard - dvd sat nav, cruise control, climate control, electric heated leather seats with memory settings and cd autochanger, etc. He bought his one up North last year and saved a good few quid on similar cars down here and the colour of his one is a bit more rare.

Things to watch out for are the 17" alloy wheels and sports suspension which can make the ride a bit hard on Irish roads. The 2.0 litre 6 cylinder engine is also a bit thirsty on juice.

RobAMerc

Eglinton wrote:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=754903

Sorry it's 2001. Not 2002 as I previously said.


Driving a '99 Saab 9-5 2L Turbo.

Can I ask what mileage is on the Saab - Is it a reoccurring problem or different things and do you always use the same mechanic?

I am surprised to hear the words Saab and reliability issues in the same post.

IS200 is a nice car btw if getting a bit of a rep as a Skanger mobile unfortunately.

Eglinton

Well I have it a year and the coolent fluid has had to be topped up constantly. A while back I had to get the entire coolent piping system replaced as it was gushing fluid at every rev. Cost 300 for the part. Got a full service while I was at it as the NCT was coming up. Went to a main dealer as it was the first service I got so I thought I'd go through them as I thought it would be of higher quality. But it broke down on the way home from the service. The mechanic had cracked an airpipe. Complete failure just as I arrived at the gate of my house. Anyway they fixed that for free but I had also given them a long list of other things I wanted checked. One of which was a severe jerking, vibration of the clutch. They didn't check it and now only a few weeks on it has failed completely. There's 90K on the clock. There's also a smell of fuel in the cabin sometimes. Very strange. Had the air con filters replaced at the service.

Was chatting to a woman who was at the garage at the same time as me and she said she had to fill her coolent up all the time too.

Not a happy bunny. I could have been anywhere when both breakdowns happened. Luckily I was within feet of home.

Henry Ford III

Well made, and reliable. Nice engine note and drivetrain. Outgunned by BMW 320i in performance and handling.

Quite small inside though, and look a bit like like a Corolla (not sure if it's more like a Corolla Sol, Luna, or Tera as they all look the same)

RobAMerc

Sounds to me as if the real reason the car broke down was because of poor workmanship.

I just hate it when cars get a bad rep because those chosen to work on them are incompetent monkeys.

Dealers here charge enough, they should give good service too !

Try not to let it turn you against Saab - they make great cars.
Sorry to hijack your thread.

Rob

unkel

RobAMerc wrote:

Try not to let it turn you against Saab - they make great cars

Not like they used to though. Modern Saabs are generally very nice, still quirky and different in a good way, very comfortable and safe, but reliable they are not. Not great in the handling department either. Even a brand new 2007 Saab 9-5 shares the platform with the 1989 Opel Vectra, which probably explains a lot!

Sorry for further O/T

Dish

Lexus are a nice car! Mate a mine had a Black IS200. Loved it! It was lowered and everything, still felt like it was factory! If your buying a Sport model, make sure it has the Diff. Iknow a guy got the 2.0l model sport and had no diff!

tuxy

RobAMerc wrote:

getting a bit of a rep as a Skanger mobile unfortunately.

Dish wrote:

Lexus are a nice car! Mate a mine had a Black IS200. Loved it! It was lowered and everything, still felt like it was factory!

So true Rob

bedrock1001

Have had one for about a year - 99 s model

The only problems ive had was a bit of judder in the clutch but this is a well known issue with this model, and a bit of overheating due to a leak in the cooling system which was fixed under warranty.

It can be quite thirsty on juice so make sure to replace the plugs (can be pricey by the way - denso iridium type).

Also check for inside tyre wear on the fronts as this indicates the geometry needs to be done - common issue on the IS200

Make sure the timing belt has been changed - should be done around 60,000 miles

I have done over 12,000 miles city and country driving and feels solid as a rock.

Would definitely recommend one

Friend of mine has an 03 IS200. Lovely car to drive,great acceleration and braking, handling etc. Comfortable and spacious. I'd buy one if I had the spare cash.

tuxy

So, Lexus IS200 or Altezza RS200?

anthony4335

I have an 02, and love it. Need to look out for the judder on the clutch in 2nd and 4th. Also the CD unit is a bit of a weak point and can give up the ghost. My brother has a 00 Saab 95 and is getting rid of it due to a long list of problems that the dealer cannot seem to sort out. And has had enough of it. Best of luck.

colm_mcm

clunkyness between 1st and second is normal btw. CD unit failure is usually down to people not waiting till the changer indicates it's ready before inserting CD's. there is an explanitory sticker they put on them when they're new, but most people take it off and forget what it said!

unkel

anthony4335 wrote:

My brother has a 00 Saab 95 and is getting rid of it due to a long list of problems that the dealer cannot seem to sort out. And has had enough of it

Bit of a coincidence! Both the OP and your brother own a troublesome Saab 9-5. OP plans to buy Lexus 200 and you have one...

littlejukka

The carzone ad you posted isn't a sport model. the 01 model sport would include half leather/half anthracite seats with chrome doorplates and a few other small extras. there are several cars on carzone being sold as sport when they are not, watch out for it.

for example, this is NOT a sport model
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=627167
and neither is this
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=755656

lot of sheisters out there.

drove a 2002 sport model in cork recently, around the 17k mark. stunning car. let me know if you'd be interested in it.

bazz26

bedrock1001 wrote:

Make sure the timing belt has been changed - should be done around 60,000 miles

IS200 uses 2.0 litre six cylinder VVTi engine which if like other VVTi engines uses a timing chain not a belt. Timing chain is guaranteed for well over 150k miles afaik.

anthony4335

The IS200 has a timing belt and I was advised that is has to be done on or before the 60K mark as they have a tendency to fray and snap. But none of these things put me off buying one and I am glad. As it is one hell of a car. As for the MPG I get an average of 30MPG, this was checked over the course of a month. and it was consistant with a max of 32MPG.

Eglinton

RobAMerc wrote:

Sounds to me as if the real reason the car broke down was because of poor workmanship.

I just hate it when cars get a bad rep because those chosen to work on them are incompetent monkeys.

Dealers here charge enough, they should give good service too !

Try not to let it turn you against Saab - they make great cars.
Sorry to hijack your thread.

Rob

I'm completely turned off Saab now. Had it towed to the garage by a friend on Tuesday. The service at the dealer is appalling. They don't ring back, they dance around the issues. I'm paying a lot of money for this. They said they'd have it fixed by Friday as it would take a a bit of time to remove the gearbox etc. - It's a leak in the hydraulic system by the way. No call from them since so I rang this afternoon and they were just starting to look at it. Won't be ready until next Tuesday. No mention of courtesy car etc. What are my options here? I generally don't give out too much to people or put my foot down when I should but I get the feeling I'm getting walked on. I will certainly not be a future customer of Saab.

Eglinton

Double post.