Lexus IS300 Sportcross
Discussion
Hi everyone, how are you doing? This is my first post here, my name is Alex, I'm a very long time PH reader here, since the early 2000s, finally joining the forum to gab about cars with likeminded people.
I love buying unusual old sheds sight-unseen off fleabay and messing around in them.
I'm in Brighton England. I have a history in design, I worked in Coventry and Gaydon after uni and since have worked in videogames, film, aerospace as a designer.
I thought you guys might like (or indeed have funny sarcastic comments about) my green Lexii
I paid 3grand with a check engine light lit, bought an odb reader and read the code, replaced a little valve in the back of the manifold and that sorted it (touch fake wood)
Now I'm slowly "upgrading" it ie adding "wood" parts to the cream leather interior, new brakes tyres oils, cleaning it and generally enjoying it. So far its been a faultless and quite nippy little wagon hatchback, I really like it. Any suggestions on future upgrades appreciated! And don't worry I keep all the original parts carefully packed away should the next custodian want to undo any of my 'improvements'.
One day I'd love to turn it into a 500hp monster with a turbo but in the meantime I'm just making it a reliable fun car.
If you're looking to buy a similar SportCross let me know if you have any questions I'd be happy to help if I can can, I'm a complete amateur but I enjoy learning to fix it and generally have fun with it with my family.
Alex
Take us out number one (rolls down windows)
Car history
Current car: Green Lexus IS300 SportCross auto
Previous:
Silver MK1 MX5 1.8 LSD
Black Honda Accord 3.0 V6 VTEC
Blue Renault Alpine GTA V6 Atmo
Blue 82 Opel Monza manual
Red Honda Prelude 4 2.0 nonVTEC
Black Alfa Romea 164 2.0 Twinspark
White Volvo 480 nonturbo
Black Volvo 960 Turbo
Red VW Polo breadvan x 3
I love buying unusual old sheds sight-unseen off fleabay and messing around in them.
I'm in Brighton England. I have a history in design, I worked in Coventry and Gaydon after uni and since have worked in videogames, film, aerospace as a designer.
I thought you guys might like (or indeed have funny sarcastic comments about) my green Lexii
I paid 3grand with a check engine light lit, bought an odb reader and read the code, replaced a little valve in the back of the manifold and that sorted it (touch fake wood)
Now I'm slowly "upgrading" it ie adding "wood" parts to the cream leather interior, new brakes tyres oils, cleaning it and generally enjoying it. So far its been a faultless and quite nippy little wagon hatchback, I really like it. Any suggestions on future upgrades appreciated! And don't worry I keep all the original parts carefully packed away should the next custodian want to undo any of my 'improvements'.
One day I'd love to turn it into a 500hp monster with a turbo but in the meantime I'm just making it a reliable fun car.
If you're looking to buy a similar SportCross let me know if you have any questions I'd be happy to help if I can can, I'm a complete amateur but I enjoy learning to fix it and generally have fun with it with my family.
Alex
Take us out number one (rolls down windows)
Car history
Current car: Green Lexus IS300 SportCross auto
Previous:
Silver MK1 MX5 1.8 LSD
Black Honda Accord 3.0 V6 VTEC
Blue Renault Alpine GTA V6 Atmo
Blue 82 Opel Monza manual
Red Honda Prelude 4 2.0 nonVTEC
Black Alfa Romea 164 2.0 Twinspark
White Volvo 480 nonturbo
Black Volvo 960 Turbo
Red VW Polo breadvan x 3
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:09
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:10
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:11
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:11
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:12
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:14
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:15
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:17
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Tuesday 21st February 11:40
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Wednesday 22 February 12:12
Thankyou! Absolutely! It is on slightly lowered adjustable Konis but I think you're right might suit a bit more lowering. I'd quite like to get the gold oem badges and have the wheels painted gold too, or is that too much? I know later models came with a multispoke wheel that looks rather nice too.
That looks good!
These were only ever released here with the 2JZ IIRC?
Much better with this engine than the wheezy 2.0 that loved a drink whilst having abysmal performance.
Oh how I wish I snapped up the 3.0 86k mile one offered to me a decade ago for £1200. Back then I chose an NA 2.5 Legacy over this. Shame.
These were only ever released here with the 2JZ IIRC?
Much better with this engine than the wheezy 2.0 that loved a drink whilst having abysmal performance.
Oh how I wish I snapped up the 3.0 86k mile one offered to me a decade ago for £1200. Back then I chose an NA 2.5 Legacy over this. Shame.
Had this for about 12 years. Bought with 22k miles from Lexus Guildford, now with an additional 100k added. No dramas other than servicing ( Lexus FSH), a water pump ( usual reason, no real issue ), 1 caliper, an exhaust backbox, a lamda sensor, the gearbox heat exchanger pipes ( £22 ), a headlamp ballast ( £50, ebay ), a mint used tailgate in the correct colour ( ebay, £60 ) and 2 front springs ( my fault, had it airborne 6 times in one short but memorable trip across Scotland and snapped them both ). £112 for a pair of blueline replacements.
I used to process warranty claims for Lexus so I know these things inside out. Great car, possibly irreplaceable given how reliable it is and how little it's worth.
Hello folks, sorry for the slow reply, busy days!
Thankyou so much for your nice comments!
@Macron Thankyou! I will add a pic, keen eyed viewers might notice a small moth has made a tomb of the dial cluster, I need to take it apart to get it out, its on my list. Fortunately its just a few screws..
@C5_Steve Thankyou so much mate! Id always fancied one. There's still a few out there for around the £3-4k mark in similar condition, but this was the only one in green with cream leather, and the previous owner was a great guy, very helpful and honest. It seems to have been treated well, full history and regular maintenance.
@carinaman Thats so funny, Ive been idly browsing MR2s recently, i think that would be an amazing 2 car garage, the impractical fun silly sharp steering manual MR2 and the more comfy cruiser auto IS300. the mrs fortunately agrees. I think the MK3s are starting to look rather good these days, now that MK1 and Mk2 are appreciating. one day!
@Mr Tidy Thankyou! I really am not sure! There were a few manuals but theyre like hens teeth. I had an MX5 Mk1 before so really love a manual but honestly, the auto makes this car so placid in traffic or on the motorway, and for the twisties you can use the buttons on the steering wheel to go up and down the cogs. You can even -sort of- rev match altho without a clutch its not as easy and probably a bit silly to do. Sounds good tho!
I also wish theyd done an IS Series 2 SportCross, so we could have had an IS-F Touring... I understand Lexus made a single IS430 with the V8 for SEMA but never moved forward with it.
@TotalControl Thats right. Its certainly a bit thirsty if you put your foot in it, but not too bad. The 2J is a lovely engine. If you look on the 'Bay there are a few like this for 3-5 grand depending on mileage. I found mine at 99k and it feels much newer, people who dont know cars cant believe its 20 years old.
Also a legacy is a cool car in its own right, altho i understand they can be a bit troublesome.
@Heaveho Thats lovely!! Superb condition, not even the rot by the back wheels. I found the same, small items here and there, filters 30 and 50, oil filter and change about 150, a bulb for the dome light, 3quid, a valve in the engine, 100, nothing major or too scary. I had Lexus Gatwick take a look at it, they wanted 900 to fix said valve which I obviously said no thankyou, but the technician seemed to have a twitch in his eye when he said similar parts could be found online for much less... For my £140 I did however get a nice visual health check sheet and a proper diagnosis of the code with a video by the mechanic confirming the issue which made fixing it myself a breeze. And a very nice cup of coffee.
@Cambs_Stuart Hi Stuart, there is almost no rust except in two trouble spots: ahead of the back wheels, where a plastic guard must catch the salty grot in the winter. Almost all of them seem to decay here and require patching. Mine looks like it was welded in a rather agricultural way to get through its MOT but I think it will need it again; when it does I will get it properly sprayed at the same time.
Also the trunk lid has is alumnium but seems to undergo some kind of galvanic rot, a bit like on a Lanrdover Lightweight; you can see the aluminium oxide bubbling under the paint in two spots. Im debating what to do about it, at the moment im just ignoring it as you cant really see it.
I really liked my Volvo 480 but unfortauntely came over a hunpbacked bridge on the way to work one day to find a traffic jam right on the other side and that was that.
@gofasterrosssco Now youre talking!!
Thanks again for all your comments, such a pleasure to talk cars with you all, im really enjoying reading the other threads!
Here's a few more pics: there are some scuffs on the bumpers, not by me, but Ive left them, i live in the centre of Brighton where its very hilly so my neighbours are constantly bumping into it when parked, so for now Im fine with a few battlescars. When we move out of town to a place with a driveway I might get them sprayed or replaced. I replaced the numberplate for the MOT which was cracked (that one was me, i forgot how the gearbox worked the first day I bought it and drove into a bin in a carpark! D'oh! I replaced it with a nice aluminum number. The plate is HG03 SYP if youd like to check the MOT history.
I also added a pic of the Evap VSV valve that was throwing the code, £100 off ebay, 1 bolt, a vacuum hose and a plug was all i needed to disconnect. My cold fingers dropped the bolt into the abyss which added 10 mins of swearing and moving the car back and forth trying to get it to appear but apart from that i was very lucky it wasnt something more serious and knocked a bit of the asking price.
I noticed on a lot of IS300 forums, people wanted to know if they could fit a baby seat and stroller: I found the ISOFIX points to be a bit of a pain to reach at first and you absolutely must try out a few seats to find out which ones have a hinged locking arm at each side to reach the isofix bar, but once i figured it out its a breeze and snaps in just fine.
Its a little tight in the front for driver or passenger depending on which side you place the infant seat, and the door aperture is a little small: the car really is more of a hatchback pretending to be an estate than a proper station wagon but its still doable. After the child is a bit older and you can use a forward facing seat, its all good.
Hope that helps anyone looking to buy one, again let me know if you need any questions answered.
Other mods Ive done: new Pirelli P7 tyres, some brake bits, a Pioneer 360DAB wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto stereo headunit plus fitting (£400 + 200 fitting) which is BRILLIANT plus a charging pad with little walls so your phone doesnt slide out while charging (£20), a rubber boot floor matt to keep the carpet clean, and I bought the official Lexus Manuals in a leather case (£20) which are actually very good and helped a lot with the baby seat and explaining the gearbox modes etc. i think thats about it!
Im taking it to SRD Tuning in Heywards Heath next month to have it looked over. They do a amazing 1000hp monsters but I think for starters Id like the cam belt (last done at 45kmiles), waterpump, cam seals, valve cover gaskets, plugs, wires, radiator and rad hoses, boring stuff like that done...perhaps get the cam cover cracklecoated in green... and over time make the engine more turbo-friendly as budget allows.. im in no hurry, but id definitely like a turbo eventually! and perhaps a manual box? mind you youre then talking 10-20grand or more, and you can buy a proper car for that so, we shall see!
In conclusion, Id defintely recommend these cars so long as your kids arent teenagers, its a bit tight in the back, but overall theyre well made, seem to be owneed by nerds- i mean enthusiasts like us who care for them, it never leaks or burns oil, and they offer a decent combo of grace pace and some space. 220hp (and probably less after 20 years) doesnt sound like much these days when every hatchback seems to have 400 but you can absolutely breeze past people in overtakes very safely which is nice. And people dont hate them, and let you out of turnings. Good cars for not much money
Cheers, Alex
Some more pics
Thankyou so much for your nice comments!
@Macron Thankyou! I will add a pic, keen eyed viewers might notice a small moth has made a tomb of the dial cluster, I need to take it apart to get it out, its on my list. Fortunately its just a few screws..
@C5_Steve Thankyou so much mate! Id always fancied one. There's still a few out there for around the £3-4k mark in similar condition, but this was the only one in green with cream leather, and the previous owner was a great guy, very helpful and honest. It seems to have been treated well, full history and regular maintenance.
@carinaman Thats so funny, Ive been idly browsing MR2s recently, i think that would be an amazing 2 car garage, the impractical fun silly sharp steering manual MR2 and the more comfy cruiser auto IS300. the mrs fortunately agrees. I think the MK3s are starting to look rather good these days, now that MK1 and Mk2 are appreciating. one day!
@Mr Tidy Thankyou! I really am not sure! There were a few manuals but theyre like hens teeth. I had an MX5 Mk1 before so really love a manual but honestly, the auto makes this car so placid in traffic or on the motorway, and for the twisties you can use the buttons on the steering wheel to go up and down the cogs. You can even -sort of- rev match altho without a clutch its not as easy and probably a bit silly to do. Sounds good tho!
I also wish theyd done an IS Series 2 SportCross, so we could have had an IS-F Touring... I understand Lexus made a single IS430 with the V8 for SEMA but never moved forward with it.
@TotalControl Thats right. Its certainly a bit thirsty if you put your foot in it, but not too bad. The 2J is a lovely engine. If you look on the 'Bay there are a few like this for 3-5 grand depending on mileage. I found mine at 99k and it feels much newer, people who dont know cars cant believe its 20 years old.
Also a legacy is a cool car in its own right, altho i understand they can be a bit troublesome.
@Heaveho Thats lovely!! Superb condition, not even the rot by the back wheels. I found the same, small items here and there, filters 30 and 50, oil filter and change about 150, a bulb for the dome light, 3quid, a valve in the engine, 100, nothing major or too scary. I had Lexus Gatwick take a look at it, they wanted 900 to fix said valve which I obviously said no thankyou, but the technician seemed to have a twitch in his eye when he said similar parts could be found online for much less... For my £140 I did however get a nice visual health check sheet and a proper diagnosis of the code with a video by the mechanic confirming the issue which made fixing it myself a breeze. And a very nice cup of coffee.
@Cambs_Stuart Hi Stuart, there is almost no rust except in two trouble spots: ahead of the back wheels, where a plastic guard must catch the salty grot in the winter. Almost all of them seem to decay here and require patching. Mine looks like it was welded in a rather agricultural way to get through its MOT but I think it will need it again; when it does I will get it properly sprayed at the same time.
Also the trunk lid has is alumnium but seems to undergo some kind of galvanic rot, a bit like on a Lanrdover Lightweight; you can see the aluminium oxide bubbling under the paint in two spots. Im debating what to do about it, at the moment im just ignoring it as you cant really see it.
I really liked my Volvo 480 but unfortauntely came over a hunpbacked bridge on the way to work one day to find a traffic jam right on the other side and that was that.
@gofasterrosssco Now youre talking!!
Thanks again for all your comments, such a pleasure to talk cars with you all, im really enjoying reading the other threads!
Here's a few more pics: there are some scuffs on the bumpers, not by me, but Ive left them, i live in the centre of Brighton where its very hilly so my neighbours are constantly bumping into it when parked, so for now Im fine with a few battlescars. When we move out of town to a place with a driveway I might get them sprayed or replaced. I replaced the numberplate for the MOT which was cracked (that one was me, i forgot how the gearbox worked the first day I bought it and drove into a bin in a carpark! D'oh! I replaced it with a nice aluminum number. The plate is HG03 SYP if youd like to check the MOT history.
I also added a pic of the Evap VSV valve that was throwing the code, £100 off ebay, 1 bolt, a vacuum hose and a plug was all i needed to disconnect. My cold fingers dropped the bolt into the abyss which added 10 mins of swearing and moving the car back and forth trying to get it to appear but apart from that i was very lucky it wasnt something more serious and knocked a bit of the asking price.
I noticed on a lot of IS300 forums, people wanted to know if they could fit a baby seat and stroller: I found the ISOFIX points to be a bit of a pain to reach at first and you absolutely must try out a few seats to find out which ones have a hinged locking arm at each side to reach the isofix bar, but once i figured it out its a breeze and snaps in just fine.
Its a little tight in the front for driver or passenger depending on which side you place the infant seat, and the door aperture is a little small: the car really is more of a hatchback pretending to be an estate than a proper station wagon but its still doable. After the child is a bit older and you can use a forward facing seat, its all good.
Hope that helps anyone looking to buy one, again let me know if you need any questions answered.
Other mods Ive done: new Pirelli P7 tyres, some brake bits, a Pioneer 360DAB wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto stereo headunit plus fitting (£400 + 200 fitting) which is BRILLIANT plus a charging pad with little walls so your phone doesnt slide out while charging (£20), a rubber boot floor matt to keep the carpet clean, and I bought the official Lexus Manuals in a leather case (£20) which are actually very good and helped a lot with the baby seat and explaining the gearbox modes etc. i think thats about it!
Im taking it to SRD Tuning in Heywards Heath next month to have it looked over. They do a amazing 1000hp monsters but I think for starters Id like the cam belt (last done at 45kmiles), waterpump, cam seals, valve cover gaskets, plugs, wires, radiator and rad hoses, boring stuff like that done...perhaps get the cam cover cracklecoated in green... and over time make the engine more turbo-friendly as budget allows.. im in no hurry, but id definitely like a turbo eventually! and perhaps a manual box? mind you youre then talking 10-20grand or more, and you can buy a proper car for that so, we shall see!
In conclusion, Id defintely recommend these cars so long as your kids arent teenagers, its a bit tight in the back, but overall theyre well made, seem to be owneed by nerds- i mean enthusiasts like us who care for them, it never leaks or burns oil, and they offer a decent combo of grace pace and some space. 220hp (and probably less after 20 years) doesnt sound like much these days when every hatchback seems to have 400 but you can absolutely breeze past people in overtakes very safely which is nice. And people dont hate them, and let you out of turnings. Good cars for not much money
Cheers, Alex
Some more pics
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Wednesday 22 February 17:41
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Wednesday 22 February 17:43
Edited by Green2JZWagon on Wednesday 22 February 17:56
Love these! Had 2 IS200's - my last one was last of the line before Lexus replaced with the IS250. ALWAYS hankered after the IS300 in Sportcross guise
They are let down by two key things - poor fuel economy and rust. Watch out on the rear sills - proper water trap Rear tailgate on the Sportcross also notorious.
Alloys on the IS300 Sportcross are also mixed sizes front to rear despite their style. So if you're picking up any new (used) sets from the likes of ebay keep an eye.
They are let down by two key things - poor fuel economy and rust. Watch out on the rear sills - proper water trap
Rear tailgate on the Sportcross also notorious.Alloys on the IS300 Sportcross are also mixed sizes front to rear despite their style. So if you're picking up any new (used) sets from the likes of ebay keep an eye.
Ha youre not wrong, if i go for a drive in the Downs or down the motorway hanging onto 2nd and 3rd to hear it sing it can sip fuel, but in auto mode it just sits in 5th, theres plenty of torque to cruise around, and then its very serene and really not that bad on fuel. I nearly bought a lovely 545i Touring which would have been much worse! I just like small cars with big engines and don't have to commute or do that much driving, its just for going to the park or B&Q or holidays. That said I would happily commute in it. I dallied a 94 MX5 1.8 for years this is like a Bentley by comparison!!
It definitely has corrosion in the exact places you mentioned, in the post above ive added some pictures. One day Ill get it full repaired.
If you did fancy one as a bit of a fun reliable hack here is one in roughly similar condition to mine (a few marks, a bit grubby but generally solid) for £3200
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212302...
Its actually higher spec and has built in ancient satnav and maybe a memory seat mode (not sure what the console in the centre is by the handbrake)
I would have bought it but I just had always wanted a green/tan/walnut burl car so went for this one.
let me know if you have any other questions.
It definitely has corrosion in the exact places you mentioned, in the post above ive added some pictures. One day Ill get it full repaired.
If you did fancy one as a bit of a fun reliable hack here is one in roughly similar condition to mine (a few marks, a bit grubby but generally solid) for £3200
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212302...
Its actually higher spec and has built in ancient satnav and maybe a memory seat mode (not sure what the console in the centre is by the handbrake)
I would have bought it but I just had always wanted a green/tan/walnut burl car so went for this one.
let me know if you have any other questions.
Green2JZWagon said:
@carinaman Thats so funny, Ive been idly browsing MR2s recently, i think that would be an amazing 2 car garage, the impractical fun silly sharp steering manual MR2 and the more comfy cruiser auto IS300. the mrs fortunately agrees. I think the MK3s are starting to look rather good these days, now that MK1 and Mk2 are appreciating. one day!
Heaveho is the PHer I was referring to who also has a Mk1 MR2 and he's replied to your thread a couple of posts after mine.I went looking on Autotrader lastnight following this thread an is didn't come up on the menu so I don't think any were on there.
Edited by carinaman on Thursday 23 February 00:51
carinaman said:
Heaveho is the PHer I was referring to who also has a Mk1 MR2 and he's replied to your thread a couple of posts after mine.
I went looking on Autotrader lastnight following this thread an is didn't come up on the menu so I don't think any were on there.
Don't give me a reason. I went looking on Autotrader lastnight following this thread an is didn't come up on the menu so I don't think any were on there.
Edited by carinaman on Thursday 23 February 00:51
Coincidentally just out of the garage after a two year lay up and getting MOT'd tomorrow if the rain stays off.
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