IS300 as an alternative to s2000
 

well although an s2000 is my first choice in car it might be hard to actually buy it. the insurance rates are crazy high and + s2000 is not a car with much utility besides pure enjoyment. Therefore i am lookin at a is300, one of the best looking 4 doors i know and with lexus/toyota the quality should be good and with 215 hp/218 torque its not a slow beast either (although it is pokey when compared to s2k)

so speed aside how is the is300 in terms of driving experience, the transmission good? shifter feel, ergonomics, options like navi without heavy custom work is a pro, i love the look of the is300 too. How is the build quality in general when compared to hondas? would anyone suggest an alternative to the is300 because i cant think of any car that looks good, is fairly powerful and have more than 2 seats with high interior/exterior quality any comments would be very appreciated! also around a 30k price tag .... or less

IS300 is a good alternative for the S2K. The car has decent handling and has good steering feel. The throw on the manual shifter is kinda long, but the action is smooth. Engine is extremely smooth but slighly underpowered for today's standard (mod potential is high once you go FI). Built quality was a lot better than the S2K. My car was solid (almost like new) when I had 44K miles on it, and it was running with super stiff suspension setup.
Also, for 30K, I'd be looking at the new Subaru Legacy GT limited. The car has solid feel just like the IS, but has AWD, and more powerful motor.

To tell you the truth I like my IS much more than I liked my S2000. It is by far much more of a daily driver. I don't know how a 04 S drives, but my 2002 needed me to really push it get it going. The IS has a smooth torquey I-6 that purrs and is very quiet. You might be surprised on how quiet and comfortable the car drives. It feels small, drives small, but when on the highway it can cruise like a much larger car. I have the sports design, which has a 30% stiffer spring rate, and it is fine for my wife and 8 month old to use everyday, however I usually is my RX330 for that task. With N/A mods most people can get about 205whp, so it may not be fast, but it's still peppy.

Sam

i am looking at IS as well, but i am looking at the Sportscross (somebody trade me their sportscross :) )
the ONLY thing i don't like about IS (as far as i know) is the mpg, 18/24 is almost like V8 mpg (which is not good :p )
i am still wondering, when's the new IS going to come out??

I have mixed feelings on the IS300.

The first time I drove one a white 2001, I was amazed at how well it handled and thought it was a really fun car, but I didn't buy it.

I bought a 2001 CL-S because it was a better deal. It had leather and navi and more power for less.

Few months later I test drove a few other IS300's and the car felt slow and disconnected to the road. Soft Suspension. Its a fun car but I like a car that feels more connected to the road. Steering was good though.

IS300's need FI to be fast if thats what you want. NA mods don't do much for it. Automatics dyno ~175hp and H/I/E don't give you big gains. Stock five speeds do about 15.3 in the 1/4 mile.

I personally don't really like the interior. The 2002+ models have better materials but overall I thought the interior still felt cheap. Most of the plastic was hard and it wasn't the interior of a "semi-luxury" car. Definately more Toyota then Lexus, but thats because it is.

The exterior is still sexy looking to me though and I like the small proportions of the car. (3 Series demensions)

This is a funny and a true joke, however the IS300 is a good car. Its not an alternative to an S2000 though. S2000 and IS300 are just too far off on different spectrums to be alternatives for each other. If your looking for a daily driver though its a pretty good one. MPG suck though.
http://students.washington.edu/johnq.../is300haha.jpg

IS is a nice car....but isn't even comparable to the S2000...if you really need a sedan, probably the closest in terms of performance would be the evo

I have both and I love them both. :p
But if you wanted something for performance, go for the STI or the EVO MR.
For more luxury, I'd get the 04 TL or even the new RL for even more luxury, if you're willing to pay more money.
The IS300 is a little on the gay side, BECAUSE it doesn't have ALL the luxury there is like in the ES300, but it's got some. It's got a smooth engine and all, but it doesn't give you the power like the G35 or the TL unless you go FI.
You have to ask yourself one question before you decide to get this car, are you willing to pay for a car that has SOME luxury and SOME performance or where as you can pay the same price for all luxury or all performance.

i's suggest the g35 manual or the new subaru legacy 2.5t.

That's basically it!

In that case...

G35 / 350Z / S2000 would be the three most comparable cars in the 30k range you should consider! :thumbup:

I got about the same insurance quote for the Z as I did for my S though, so not sure if he'll be seeing savings with the Z (or G?). And the Z doesn't really offer more of the utility he's looking for. To say the S and the IS aren't comparable is true, but he doesn't seem to want comparable. He wants a comprimise. Which the IS300 sort of is. Again, I haven't priced insurance for all the cars mentioned, but i do know that the 325 was quoted about a hundred bucks cheaper a year than my S- not much savings despite being a coupe.

I have mixed feelings about the IS300 as well...

In my book, the pros are that the car handles very nicely for a sedan, and has decent power and acceleration. It feels lighter and more nimble than I would have expected.

The cons are that the interior does feel a little cheap. Build quality is fine, it's the materials themselves that leave some room for improvement.

I'm kind of neutral when it comes to the clutch and transmission. Both are very light and easy to operate, but there isn't much feedback in either. Stepping on the clutch is like stepping through air.

Overall it's a good choice IMO. Not as much power, luxury, or as nice of a transmission as comparable cars like the '04 Acura TL, but is RWD and handles better. :thumbup: Give the G35C a look also... I drove one of those and loved it. The interior is only so-so (nicer than the IS300 though), but it's a total blast to drive.

[QUOTE=MaxGeek,Aug 25 2004, 06:06 AM] I bought a 2001 CL-S because it was a better deal. It had leather and navi and more power for less.

Few months later I test drove a few other IS300's and the car felt slow and disconnected to the road. Soft Suspension. Its a fun car but I like a car that feels more connected to the road. Steering was good though.

IS300's need FI to be fast if thats what you want. NA mods don't do much for it. Automatics dyno ~175hp and H/I/E don't give you big gains. Stock five speeds do about 15.3 in the 1/4 mile.

I personally don't really like the interior. The 2002+ models have better materials but overall I thought the interior still felt cheap. Most of the plastic was hard and it wasn't the interior of a "semi-luxury" car.

I considered buying an IS300 for a daily driver not too long ago. As far as my test drive impressions (I drove a 5spd), I thought it was a very smooth car with a slightly floaty ride, at least compared to an E46 BMW. The car had two big turnoffs for me: 1) gas mileage (18/24) very poor for the size/performance of the car, and 2) no folding rear seats, which meant limited cargo carrying capacity. I mountain bike and folding rear seats were a must-have option for me so I can drag my bike around.

IMHO, a 325i with sport package is a better alternative to the IS300. You get similar if not better performance, better handling, available folding rear seats and better fuel economy for about the same price.

TeCKis300: :hello:

Excellent, unloved car that's available at reasonable prices.

Actually the most comparable car I've driven to the IS300 is, actually, the Acura TSX, which though FWD has that outstanding "drive-me-to-my-limits" feeling that I used to get from Preludes. The IS has more grunt but it costs more and IMO is a bit less elegant on the inside. I consider the two a very even matchup. I do not know what a TSX costs to insure.

I don't feel that the TL is in the same league as these cars - it's a torquey car all right, but it just feels very big, boatish. The IS and TSX are the nimble entry level lux sedans on the market.

Another option to toss out to the peanut gallery - a Pontiac GTO. It's even more unloved than the IS, and dealers are starting to recognize this so prices are dropping. You get a pretty damn well assembled car, with a surprisingly luxurious and elegant interior, that will blow the doors off the cars we're talking about here. With the '05s soon arriving with the 400hp LS2 and hood scoops, the vanilla intro GTO likely will be available at great prices. You just have to live with that sedate styling. Again, I don't know how expensive a GTO is to insure.

By luxury I mean, I got the ES300 for a courtesy car for a few hours. The little features in it are amazing, like the one-touch up AND down for all 4 windows, it's got the auto sun blocker things for the back glass and the sides.
I'm not saying the car's got NO luxury, but I can't really complain since they classify the car as a SPORT sedan and not a LUXURY sedan.

There is a guy in Ny selling a super clean stave 3 turbo Is300 from Peter Farrel Supercars for around 30K, he is the second owner, the first put about 60 into it. Fully built motor done the right way by a great company!!! go to www.is300.net for more info!!
MAtt

ps I had 2 is's one man one auto, loved them both, good resale, just not enough hp for me for the $. very comfy

Legacy GT > IS300

legacy is nice but i hear interior is crappy and no HIDS! i agree s2k and is300 is not comparable i was just looking for an alternative since the s2k is an unattainable treasure ^^ also i would like to enjoy the fun of an RWD car, FWD is just boring

i would like the 330 or 325 but getting the 325 is like getting an rsx base vs rsx-s and the 330 is a bit to expensive i think a bit too much for a 19 year old---

EVO and STI again very nice cars but the sti's looks turn me off and the EVO is great but once again interiors is shabby i hear and mitsubishi aint doing too well as a whole company

g35 would be my perfect car but once again i think the price is a little to high

350z does not offer much utility over s2k

i love the fact that s2k ooffers such great miles per gallons for the performance it gives

i dont know its hard to find alternatives ahhh mind boggling, rx8 seems okay but i hear those get even worse milege like 15-20 because of ecu issues or something ahhhh the choices, or lack of...

If you've given even passing thought to the G35C, Legacy GT, or Evo and STi, I would strongly recommend at least test driving them before making your final decision. :thumbup: It's true that none of those cars (except the G35C) has as nice of an interior as the IS300, but they are absolutely loads of fun to drive!

The G35C looks and drives - as expected - very, very much like a 350Z. It has a nice shifter, lots of power, and handles well. Interior isn't as nice as other luxury cars of the same price, but it sure is a whole lot more fun to drive. You can probably find a lightly used one for about the same price as a new IS300 (I saw a few used ones with asking prices of $35k at the local dealer last year).

I haven't driven the STi personally, but a buddy has an Evo, so I've driven that a lot. It's a total blast. It's fast, handles well and is forgiving when it comes to driver error, and has that great turbo rush. Interior does feel almost identical to a regular Lancer, but it doesn't bother me at all. The car is so much fun that it doesn't matter. My friend took the enormous wing off his and is currently spoilerless, and that improves the looks IMO. If you're so inclined, you can put Katzkin or similar leather seats in to spiff it up a little.

I drove the Legacy GT this past weekend, and it's a lot of fun too. The interior has a lot of cheap plastic pieces lining the doors, but the leather seats are nice. It's also the least expensive out of all the cars that have been mentioned here. The top of the line model had an asking price of just under $29k I believe. I saw a few other cars with fewer options for around $26k sticker. The turbo in this car is loud! Sounds real nice for a stock turbo. The shifter is probably the least refined out of all these cars, though. It's definitely more performance than luxury oriented.

G35C is defintely a good option...

But if you are going to college and absolutely need some utility.... Take a look at the trunk. It's surprisingly worthless for such a relatively large coupe.

No one mentioned the RX-8?

I like the IS300 better than the RX-8, but IMO the 8 is the closer car to the S2000 what with it's 6-speed MT (the IS has only 5-speed I think), about the same HP and TQ as the S2000 and the high red-line. The RX is like a 4 seat S2000 IMO.

But I like the Subi Legacy GT better all around

The interior of the Legacy is not crappy. Go check it out before passing off what you heard as truth. And who cares that it doesn't have HID's, the projecter headlights the car comes with are very very good, they're just not the "cool" HID's all the kids are oogling over.

HIDs are a must ! its just different from normal halogen yellows...
rx-8 was considered but when i went on their forum alot of members reported POOR mileage, down to like 10mpg to 20mpg on a 1.3 liter! not tracking something wrong with rx-8 ecu or something

i guess im leaning toward the is300 pretty heavily and was wondering if any one could change my mind set

g35 is what i will push for but i doubt i can get that =) g35 lack of trunk is probably because it has back seats so u can just put stuff back there =)

how much is a g35 equipped similarly to an IS300, leather , nav etc?

http://students.washington.edu/johnq.../is300haha.jpg

with this picture i think is300 is more like a fox in comparison to a wolf
less power, less style but still sexy