is200...opinions/what to look for?
Discussion
My gf is from the states, and has been in the UK a year. It's getting towards that point where she needs to get a UK license with a view to picking up a car over the next year or so. She's only ever driven automatics,and is a big toyota fan...so we were thinking that an is200 auto would make a cheap and reliable hack for her.
Any owner opinions on them? and generally common problems or issues we should look out for? Looks like you can pick a tidy one up for a couple of grand or less.
Any owner opinions on them? and generally common problems or issues we should look out for? Looks like you can pick a tidy one up for a couple of grand or less.
I own a 2005 IS300. The engine is obviously a sister to the IS200.
Issues? None.
-the 300 engine in particular is noted for its reliability.
-leather
-heated seats
-heated mirrors
-aircon
-no squeaks, leaks or groans from it
-steam gauge instruments designed like a watch face which I love
I bought my one with 25k on the clock a year and a half ago and am now approaching 50k. In that time, the only cost has been £200 service at my Toyota Garage.
-downside is you can't bypass the ECU.
-28mpg is about average for me.
I run it in sport mode as it gets through the gears quicker so technically should be more fuel efficient........
200 with decent history and usual checks will make a fine ride. If you can find a 300, probably advise you go for that but, again, all down to condition.
Stick a set of Michelin Crossclimates on and the handling is on rails, whatever the weather. you may read reports handling in ice snow rain can be not the best but it is merely to do with the tyres on the car.
As you can probably guess, I am a massive fan of the IS family.
Issues? None.
-the 300 engine in particular is noted for its reliability.
-leather
-heated seats
-heated mirrors
-aircon
-no squeaks, leaks or groans from it
-steam gauge instruments designed like a watch face which I love
I bought my one with 25k on the clock a year and a half ago and am now approaching 50k. In that time, the only cost has been £200 service at my Toyota Garage.
-downside is you can't bypass the ECU.
-28mpg is about average for me.
I run it in sport mode as it gets through the gears quicker so technically should be more fuel efficient........
200 with decent history and usual checks will make a fine ride. If you can find a 300, probably advise you go for that but, again, all down to condition.
Stick a set of Michelin Crossclimates on and the handling is on rails, whatever the weather. you may read reports handling in ice snow rain can be not the best but it is merely to do with the tyres on the car.
As you can probably guess, I am a massive fan of the IS family.
The 1G-FE is the IS200 is quite a sluggish engine until you get it above 4k and vvti kicks in so in auto form its will be very dead and quite thirsty, is a very reliable engine considering it spans from the mid 80s.
Ball joints, steering racks and sticking callipers can be issues on some but overall they are a very good all rounder and such a comfortable car I miss mine for that.
IS300 manual would be next level of fun quicker than a NA supra!
Ball joints, steering racks and sticking callipers can be issues on some but overall they are a very good all rounder and such a comfortable car I miss mine for that.
IS300 manual would be next level of fun quicker than a NA supra!
My wife has an is200 auto, Its been 100% reliable bar the CD player eating 6 CDs and refusing to eject or play them. Its a 99/2000 MY with allegedly 200k KMS on the clock (we think as we live in Poland and all cars here have been clocked).
Engine is a peach although some say underpowered. The 4 speed auto box is tragic to drive although very reliable. Its very oldschool automatic in the way it changes gear and you have to rev the s
t out of the thing to get any reasonable performance (although the engine sounds great above 4500 rpm) I had a manual one years ago and it was great to drive although not the fastest thing.
Things to check
Rust! They do and will rust, Rear of the sills forward of the rear wheels seem to go as do the rear arches.
Cambelts, they have 90k intervals for cambelt changes however as the tensioner bearings start to disintegrate the belt starts running at an angle and rubbing against something making it thinner and thinner and filling the cambelt cover with fluff. (Caught both of ours on time but its worth grabbing a 10mm spanner and taking the cover off to check prior to purchase)
Brakes, ABS sensors get clogged with brake dust (both of ours have done this) which makes the ABS trigger occasionally when braking despite there being no need.
Thats it really, They are great cars with a slightly rubbish automatic gearbox. Fuel economy is a bit rubbish but what you pay at the pump you save on repair costs as they are very reliable.
If I lived in the UK I would have bought an Altezza with the Beams engine and the 5 speed autobox (Better economy) or the is300 which is far better and doesn't really use any more fuel than the 200 (the is200 in the real world uses as much fuel as our LS430)
Engine is a peach although some say underpowered. The 4 speed auto box is tragic to drive although very reliable. Its very oldschool automatic in the way it changes gear and you have to rev the s
t out of the thing to get any reasonable performance (although the engine sounds great above 4500 rpm) I had a manual one years ago and it was great to drive although not the fastest thing.Things to check
Rust! They do and will rust, Rear of the sills forward of the rear wheels seem to go as do the rear arches.
Cambelts, they have 90k intervals for cambelt changes however as the tensioner bearings start to disintegrate the belt starts running at an angle and rubbing against something making it thinner and thinner and filling the cambelt cover with fluff. (Caught both of ours on time but its worth grabbing a 10mm spanner and taking the cover off to check prior to purchase)
Brakes, ABS sensors get clogged with brake dust (both of ours have done this) which makes the ABS trigger occasionally when braking despite there being no need.
Thats it really, They are great cars with a slightly rubbish automatic gearbox. Fuel economy is a bit rubbish but what you pay at the pump you save on repair costs as they are very reliable.
If I lived in the UK I would have bought an Altezza with the Beams engine and the 5 speed autobox (Better economy) or the is300 which is far better and doesn't really use any more fuel than the 200 (the is200 in the real world uses as much fuel as our LS430)
We've had an '04 plate IS300 for about 6 years now. The very early cars had problems with collapsing ignition switches, resolved fairly early in the model run and the subject of a recall iirc. So, in theory, none of them should suffer from that now. The cd player is a guaranteed fail at some point. Ball joints groan loudly when they've had it. Calipers can stick.
Water pumps can leak a little, not generally serious and usually a stuck pressure relief valve. I've managed to fix this on a previous Toyota by spraying WD40 into the hole on the bottom of the pump where the water drains out of, but I regarded that as lucky rather than clever! Budget to change the pump when doing the timing belt.
They're very sensitive to tyres, pressures, and geometry set up. Sensitive enough for it to be obvious if one tyre loses a small amount of air. We cured a multitude of irritations in the way ours steered and rode by changing to Goodyear Assymetrics. Tramlining and uneven tyre wear were cured overnight. The original Bridgestones that were specced were rubbish in these respects.
They're quite old cars now, and not worth much, but trying to find something to replace it with which will be as reliable as ours has been is something I've given up on for now. Ours has done 80k, I reckon it'll be with us to 150. If I saw another low miler for sale, I'd buy it, but that's become a forlorn hope really.
Water pumps can leak a little, not generally serious and usually a stuck pressure relief valve. I've managed to fix this on a previous Toyota by spraying WD40 into the hole on the bottom of the pump where the water drains out of, but I regarded that as lucky rather than clever! Budget to change the pump when doing the timing belt.
They're very sensitive to tyres, pressures, and geometry set up. Sensitive enough for it to be obvious if one tyre loses a small amount of air. We cured a multitude of irritations in the way ours steered and rode by changing to Goodyear Assymetrics. Tramlining and uneven tyre wear were cured overnight. The original Bridgestones that were specced were rubbish in these respects.
They're quite old cars now, and not worth much, but trying to find something to replace it with which will be as reliable as ours has been is something I've given up on for now. Ours has done 80k, I reckon it'll be with us to 150. If I saw another low miler for sale, I'd buy it, but that's become a forlorn hope really.
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