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Used 2003 Lexus IS 300 Consumer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
127 reviews

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5 out of 5 stars

I love this car!

Nickel, 03/19/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This car has satisfied every penny that I have spent on it, especially its style. The headlights and the tail lights just amaze me every time I see them. In fact, everyday I can't wait till it gets dark just to have a reason to turn them on. The interior maybe a bit small, but what do you expect from a luxury compact sport sedan? The orange dashboard lights against the black really looks good too. The car rides very smoothly and nimbly through the forest of cars on the highway at rush hour. Overall, I think this is a better buy than a BMW 3 or a Mercedes C.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Well designed car

Mountainman, 04/30/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I test drove several other vehicles (Acura's, Infiniti, etc...) The Lexus is by far the best. Handles like a dream, well made and the instrumentation is intelligently designed. It has a beautifully smooth ride, but feels "tight" when you want to drive aggressively. By far the best car for a young adult with more mature needs (family etc...) but having that sports car drive. Kudos.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Fast and Comfortable

d12ew99, 01/03/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

LEXUS IS 300 Is a great car. Great pick up and beautiful design. Looks more expensive than what i paid for it. LSD, RWD, 215hp, 5speed,17inch graphite rims, with a lip spoiler. This Car has it all for performance! :LUXURY wheres the wood? hahah.. SAVING THE TREES? Full Leather Interior with attractive Gauges for Speedo! Full Spare with rim included!

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3.63 out of 5 stars

NOT FOR THE COLD STATES

Brenda, 01/13/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Love the style, fun to drive. Not good on gas but not suprised. The biggest suprise was it's performance on a snowy road!!! TERRIBLE! I relocated to a cold state just 2 months ago, bought this car and I'm not sure what to do. I couldn't start accelerating from a stop and slid while driving. Tire dealer recommended slow down and drive a different car! Great car but only in a sunshine state.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Tons of fun

snaik1, 01/10/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

For the money this is a great car. Lots of fun. I have the tickets to prove it.

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4.63 out of 5 stars

IS 300

E M, 01/16/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Very fun to drive.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Sporty and Fun

Royster, 03/12/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 SportCross 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I love this car. It's more fun than I deserve.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Best in Class

Jobu, 11/20/2002
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I compared this with the BMW 325 and Audi A4 and I liked it the best. It handles at least as well as the others and it won't have the quirky electrical problems the BMW has.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Nothing but fun!!!

javi01, 01/19/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

From day one this car has been nothing but fun. It’s so much fun to drive that I think I’m addicted to taking unnecessary trips to the store. I expected a very good car bearing the Lexus name. I got even more than I expected. The IS fusses luxury, performance and value. Plus the great reliability of the proven 3.0L Lexus engine (Used in the GS300 as well) gives me peace of mind.

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5 out of 5 stars

awesome car

Lnoch86, 05/21/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Its by far the best mid-price 4 door sports car on the market.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

My IS

ryan1984, 05/24/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I just got my IS300 5 months ago and love it. I am actually 18 and have 4 friends with one, and I have never heard a complaint. The E-shift almost makes it feel like you are actually shifting, and when your not it is so smooth. NICE!

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4.25 out of 5 stars

The IS300 used to be cool...

BenzE320, 05/21/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I got my car in late 2002, its now 2003 and every 'homie g' who can scam up $35k is driving one. I am truly sick of every honda teenager wanting to be me with the tail lights and oversized exhaust. I am happy with it overall, but it's a bmw or infiniti for my next car, unless lexus grows up.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

German fun - Japanese reliability

thomasrex, 05/22/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Excellent handling makes fun out of any canyon roads. Engine is like butter, and the 2002 Auto is smooth

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4.88 out of 5 stars

IS300

Jeremy'sIS, 06/02/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I've owned my IS for a week now and I love it. It handles great still has a good ride considering the low profile rubber on the 17" wheels. Has decent aceleration and never feels bogged down. The seats are comfortable. I wish I had an office chair like it. this is a fun to drive car. Oh yeah and you get Lexus service and reliability of a toyota. Everything about this car screams fun and luxury.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

I LOVE MY IS3

SXE-10, 06/09/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Not only the IS300 is fun to drive but Lexus Customer Service is one of the best!

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3.63 out of 5 stars

NOT FOR THE COLD STATES

brenda, 01/13/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Love the style, fun to drive. Not good on gas but not suprised. The biggest suprise was it's performance on a snowy road!!! TERRIBLE! I relocated to a cold state just 2 months ago, bought this car and I'm not sure what to do. I couldn't start accelerating from a stop and slid while driving. Tire dealer recommended slow down and drive a different car! Great car but only in a sunshine state.

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4 out of 5 stars

@1

fabio, 10/28/2002
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

fun to drive, eager to run. lots of power, high fidelity road noise. You will eventually understand why someone said it's a sports car for the Nintendo generation. The value seems to be on the short end, the underlying Toyota Altezza personality shows. Shouldn't I get a something else for the money?

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Well designed car

mountainman, 04/30/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I test drove several other vehicles (Acura's, Infiniti, etc...) The Lexus is by far the best. Handles like a dream, well made and the instrumentation is intelligently designed. It has a beautifully smooth ride, but feels "tight" when you want to drive aggressively. By far the best car for a young adult with more mature needs (family etc...) but having that sports car drive. Kudos.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Road trip

KJsIS, 06/16/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 SportCross 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I took a road trip from Texas to NY and back about 3 weeks after buying this Sportcross. I found that I had to use cruise control on long drives, otherwise the seat would become very uncomfortable for my gas pedal leg. I've taken this trip before in a GTI VR6 and didn't experience any discomfort. Of course, this problem wouldn't be noticed during day to day driving, only on 600+ mile cruises. Besides that, the paint chipped much more than I expected for a premium car (GTI fared better). Other than those issues, I've truly enjoyed the 2 months with this car.

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4.13 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Pathdoc, 06/16/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Great handling. Needs more power. Disappointed by clunking noise when shifting 5 speed (District Operations Manager finally admitted a design flaw in dual plate flywheel) Quirky auto climate control searches for right cabin temp. Dealer service arrogant and indifferent. Not what I expect from Lexus! Now have a dashboard rattle

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3 out of 5 stars

Why buy a fancy camry?

robcrowley, 05/01/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 2 people found this review helpful

nothing really thrilling about the eshift automatic. This car is loaded yes but the automatic is so boring to drive and the handling is ok but not all that - rear wheel sucks who cares. after 2 mos I am buying a Saab 9-3 Arc. thankfully with the dealer incents I am not losing my shirt on the lexus. Make sure you test drive Saabs, Audis etc This is really a revved up camry and I am not so happy. oh yeah and after 20K of boring drivng you'll have to cough up over a grand for the new tires you need. Also the service coverage ends with the first oil change so get out your $$

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1 out of 5 stars

new car

playmaker, 11/11/2002
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 4 people found this review helpful

If this is entry level, then I'm not much interested in what else Lexus has to offer. Ride was excellent but they saved money inside. Seat was not all leather, dash was worse than a ford.

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1 out of 5 stars

THIS CAR IS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This car is bad!!!, 11/14/2002
2003 Lexus IS 300 E-Shift 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 4 people found this review helpful

My car broke down in two hours after I got it from the dealer...Bring it back to dealer, got it back and it broke down again in 2 weeks. I should have got C-class, 3 series or Audi A4!!!!

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5 out of 5 stars

lexus is

matt pickett, 06/18/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 SportCross 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful

love the look handling and performance of the car

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5 out of 5 stars

add those turbos

Aaron J. Lexus, 03/14/2003
2003 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful

The 5-speed is definitely the way to go. Add aftermarket air induction, a turbo, and a back-cat exhaust. This alone will up the performance value to a 10. I want to directly port a 50- shot or 100-shot bottle of NOS on mine for some real big horse power gains. Some aftermarket turbos, although reaching about $6,000, offer a boost of up to 500 horse power! Improved handling and a slammed stance can be found in an AEM suspension system. I would think that this car would have a little more room in the cabin since it is a sedan. And I've always liked 2 door coupes so much more. It's still really phat for being a Lexus.

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1 out of 5 stars

problematic ride

Navigation, 11/11/2002
2003 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 6 people found this review helpful

I bought my car and the next day I had to take it in because the car wasn't going where I steered it. Not sure what the problem was. Service was great, but expected a perfect ride from a 1 day old new car.

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1.13 out of 5 stars

Japanese Copy of BMW 3 series

Johnby, 10/07/2002
2003 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 8 people found this review helpful

Should have bought the BMW, penny wise pound foolish

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