Lexus IS200 SE
Discussion
Well following on from my old thread regarding the £300 Rover 75 I have now sold it for what I paid and bought it's replacement.
It's a 2001 Lexus IS200 SE powered by a fantastic sounding straight 6. It's fully loaded and in amazing condition bar the corroded alloy wheels!
To drive it's totally different to the Rover, the ride is firm and the performance is definitely not "sluggish" so it's the complete opposite to the 75.
Fuel economy will be a shock for me but it's worth while for now.
My plans are to enjoy the car and get the wheels refurbished in January.
It's a 2001 Lexus IS200 SE powered by a fantastic sounding straight 6. It's fully loaded and in amazing condition bar the corroded alloy wheels!
To drive it's totally different to the Rover, the ride is firm and the performance is definitely not "sluggish" so it's the complete opposite to the 75.
Fuel economy will be a shock for me but it's worth while for now.
My plans are to enjoy the car and get the wheels refurbished in January.
Dead common for the wheels to be a bit tatty.......there are 2 or 3 other things to watch for, the 6 disc in the dash ( if fitted ) will break if it hasn't already, the ignition switches collapse on the early ones at about 50k miles ( should have been replaced and upgraded by now though ), and almost all Toyota and Lexus end up having leaky water pumps, it's very common. Very sensitive to tyre brand and alignment ( don't fit Bridgestones, they hate them! ). Sounds like a lot of stuff to consider, but in reality, they're fantastically reliable, civilised and enjoyable things to own and run.
We've had the IS300 version of yours for about 4 years now, it's been a great car for us.
We've had the IS300 version of yours for about 4 years now, it's been a great car for us.
As above, it's a case of if, not when with the stereo. Don't worry about the wheels, they all do that. Expect fuel economy in the high 20s, though low 30s is easily achievable on a run.
Good cars, I had one for a couple of years and went from 96k to 110k. Very comfortable, very refined and very reliable.
Good cars, I had one for a couple of years and went from 96k to 110k. Very comfortable, very refined and very reliable.
It's a hell of a change from the Rover, I'm finding the ride very firm and all of the controls very light. I absolutely love the gear change with the metal gear knob. it pulls hard in all gears... No turbo lag here!
The interior is a wonderful place, half leather (black) with suede (dark blue), all heated and electric.
Fuel economy is bad, put £15 in yesterday and 35 miles later the light is on.... I have been a bit heavy on the pedal though, I can't help it as it sounds so good!
Will get more photos up in the next day also. :-)
The interior is a wonderful place, half leather (black) with suede (dark blue), all heated and electric.
Fuel economy is bad, put £15 in yesterday and 35 miles later the light is on.... I have been a bit heavy on the pedal though, I can't help it as it sounds so good!
Will get more photos up in the next day also. :-)
My wife had one of those exactly the same a few years back. Really well put together. You could sit at 100 and chat at normal volume. (On a private road of course). 
Great stereo too. Best I've heard from a factory setup. Mark Levinson iirc.
Couple of bad points though. They're ridiculously thirsty for the output they give. Pretty sluggish albeit very smooth. Hope you don't need to blend any paintwork in as that champagne colour is a pig to match, as my wife found out when she scraped our driveway wall.
Apart from the above they are lovely car to travel in. Great switch gear, seats, etc. My wife had to get rid if hers as she was doing stand in work at the time (teacher) and traveling all over. She put £120 in one week and she only earned £300. She bought a Mini Cooper.
Now that really was a s
te little car....
Enjoy the Lexus.
Great stereo too. Best I've heard from a factory setup. Mark Levinson iirc.
Couple of bad points though. They're ridiculously thirsty for the output they give. Pretty sluggish albeit very smooth. Hope you don't need to blend any paintwork in as that champagne colour is a pig to match, as my wife found out when she scraped our driveway wall.
Apart from the above they are lovely car to travel in. Great switch gear, seats, etc. My wife had to get rid if hers as she was doing stand in work at the time (teacher) and traveling all over. She put £120 in one week and she only earned £300. She bought a Mini Cooper.
Now that really was a s
te little car.... Enjoy the Lexus.
I've also got a 2001, have taken it from 35 to 128k. Fuel economy is bad for the power, but I still like it.
As others say, wheel alignment is important. Replaced cam belt and water pump at 90k as a precaution. Front brakes corroded last year, but spare parts are cheap and easy to get, so it still soldiers on. Previous owner had changed the head unit
It is a comfortable cruiser, that is also fun in the twisty bits, with just enough power.
Equipment list is impressive for a 13-14 year old car
As others say, wheel alignment is important. Replaced cam belt and water pump at 90k as a precaution. Front brakes corroded last year, but spare parts are cheap and easy to get, so it still soldiers on. Previous owner had changed the head unit
It is a comfortable cruiser, that is also fun in the twisty bits, with just enough power.
Equipment list is impressive for a 13-14 year old car
I owned an auto SE for 3 or so months and it was a fabulous car. I think the slow/thirsty comments definatly apply to the auto, it drops out of what little power it has when changing to 2nd on the 4 speed auto resulting in a 60 time of over 10 seconds. I never got more than 25MPG at the time meaning it had to go. Shame, it was otherwise a great car.
Ps my auto changer shat itself and it was brilliant fun drifting in the snow!
Ps my auto changer shat itself and it was brilliant fun drifting in the snow!
Edited by exgtt on Thursday 25th December 20:53
Still loving the car so much!
Tomorrow it's going in for all the alloys to be refurbished and 2 new tyres.
Only problem is the CD player won't read discs, but I'm going to upgrade the system to one that I can play my phone through. Pricey though as this has a built in amp so for similar sound quality etc it's not going to be cheap!
We fitted a DAB double din JVC single disc, and bypassed the factory amp when the original 6 disc packed up. Seem to remember it only being about £180, plus the cost of the fitting kit, and it's turned out to be excellent. When you change over, the wiring in the fitting kit is invariably wrong, and keeps things like the clock permanently live, stops the door open chime working, etc. It flattened the battery on ours before I twigged. From memory, swapping the permanent live and the ignition live wires around fixes it.
Great cars - spend 10 years behind the wheel of one.
Most of the things to look out for have been covered, but if the OEM head unit has failed then you can get a kit off eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grom-Audio-iPod-iPhone-Adapter-Interface-for-older-LEXUS-IS-RX-ES-GS-GX-LS-SC-/181628229172?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item2a49e2d634) that allows you to connect your iPod/iPhone to the OEM head unit.
There's a fitting guide on one of the Lexus forums.
Most of the things to look out for have been covered, but if the OEM head unit has failed then you can get a kit off eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grom-Audio-iPod-iPhone-Adapter-Interface-for-older-LEXUS-IS-RX-ES-GS-GX-LS-SC-/181628229172?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item2a49e2d634) that allows you to connect your iPod/iPhone to the OEM head unit.
There's a fitting guide on one of the Lexus forums.
Finally got the rear tyres replaced as the old ones were baldy and had various screws in! I opted for Avon ZV5 and at £165 a pair I can't complain too much. I only drove a few miles but the difference was apparent straight away! Much quiter and seemed sharper to drive, but that's possibly because I never checked the pressures since I got the car!
Next job cambelt change, been quoted 170 which isn't too bad! The previous owner says it was done but with no receipts to prove I'm not taking the risk.
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