Used 2003 Lexus IS 300 Sedan Consumer Reviews
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The IS300 used to be cool...
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.
German fun - Japanese reliability
Excellent handling makes fun out of any canyon roads. Engine is like butter, and the 2002 Auto is smooth
- 300MSRP: $8,991139 mi away
- E-Shift SedanMSRP: $8,998773 mi away
- Base SedanMSRP: $18,8641,218 mi away
IS300
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.
I LOVE MY IS3
Not only the IS300 is fun to drive but Lexus Customer Service is one of the best!
NOT FOR THE COLD STATES
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.
@1
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?
Well designed car
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.
Disappointed
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
Why buy a fancy camry?
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 $$
new car
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.
THIS CAR IS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!!!!
add those turbos
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.
problematic ride
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.
Japanese Copy of BMW 3 series
Should have bought the BMW, penny wise pound foolish