Rep Power: 360

I have to say I trust an toyota (thus lexus) and honda for at least 150,000 miles if you take good care of it. My dads 2000 camry with all the upgrades(basically a lexus with toyota badges) has about 80,000 miles on it and looks and feels brand new.

 
Rep Power: 0

Okay, I too am seriously considering a trade in on a 02 IS300. The thing that drew me away from it though, is the power. It is a rather weak motor to start with. Its a god damn reliable car with awesome looks. I love the car so much. But I demand more power from it. And I hear that simple bolt ons dont do much. There is not much potential for it.
Which brings me to turbocharging it. But I have been lurking the IS300 boards. Most people arent boosted because of the high price and lack of backing from the aftermarket. ECU problems are major when it comes to boosting them. A few people have got it boosted and running well, and hella fast, but that takes a good chunk of change. You cant buy a $3000 turbo kit like we do with the Civics. Most people are saying to sucessfully boost the IS, it takes more like $7500 - $10000. There is the option to swap in a Supra motor like the guy in that video. That is money too. Just things to take into consideration. Me personally, I have my eyes set of a used GS400/540i/M coupe/ or M roadster now.

 
Rep Power: 379

He bought that IS300 from a guy in Texas for 32K. The original sticker price was 31K and it had 20,000 miles on it. We flew to Dallas to pick it up. Pretty good price considering he had to ship it to Toyomoto in Florida to have all the work done. It uses a Haltec Piggyback ECU system. The car is setup to still use VVT-i which most people don't use. It has a progressive alcohol injection system and 780cc injectors. It has an aftermarket traction control system connected to the ABS system that detunes the engine based on slip with control settings of 10% 15% and 20% slip (as well as wet and dry) The car is unmanageable with out. It would spin the tires all day (it was turned off for that little video you saw). It also has a JS knock sensor (controlling each individual cylinder) that will detect predetonation and detune based on firing order or what cylinder knocks. We have the receipts and he's got about $15 in mods into it (not including the original IS bock that was destroyed by the first turbo (also shipped to Toyomoto))

 
Rep Power: 285

I'm just looking for something sharp and reliable... think I'm gonna quit modding cars. I don't have time or money for it anymore

 
Rep Power: 0

Do it you will not regret it the IS300 is on of the few cars from Toyota that is worth it.

 
Rep Power: 347

A used IS would be a great choice. It's a quiet lil Lexus but it handles better than a Camry. Looks are subjective, but it was the car that started the whole Altezza look...

Since I'm a Honda fan though, I suggest you also think about a used TL. The standard engine was pretty good, the Type-S engine was icing on the cake.

 
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IS300 are super klean. makes me wanna have babies with it

 
Rep Power: 285

^^ a TL would be nice but it seems like right now they are a little harder to come by used...

 
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I have been lookin at a variety of used vehicles. I wanted to really quit the modding game, and just be happy with some nice wheels and tint. So I was looking for a luxury car, that already has speed. The IS300 is faster than a Civic, but slower than a lot of other cars on the road now. I wouldn't like being beat by a kid in a TL-S or Altima 3.5SE. So, My top choices were either the BMW 540i 6 speed or Lexus GS400. Under that would come a used TL-S / CL-S or a used BMW M coupe/roadster. I considered the IS300 because of its drop dead gorgeous looks. BUT, it just doesnt have potential to keep up.