s4m222

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

Mark_is300

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.

BPUKiller

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

stockae92

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 )
i am still wondering, when's the new IS going to come out??

MaxGeek

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.

hpark

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

DC_AP1

I have both and I love them both.
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.

VTEC_Junkie

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

under-rated

That's basically it!

In that case...

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

dcak

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.