your thoughts on is300 and sc300
 

lately ive been thinking of selling my car just because i need more room and dont want to own 2 vehicles(was thinking of a small pickup).it will be just to much money,time parking space and work.

my car is running awesome on 12psi and always puts a smile on my face when i drive her.i really dont want to sell her but i think its my best option.

every day when i drive to work and what not,it makes me sick,when i think about selling it.but then i need some more room to fit people:td: and cant.

with that said ive been looking at is300 and some sc300.i still want a RWD, 5speed.setup and to be able to add a turbo when i get board

the IS300 and SC300 are great cars, I have one if you haven't noticed. Its also for sale ;) As far as turbo'ing them.. its nothing like the miata. Turboing an IS/SC generally becomes a high budget project, and don't break anything because it gets really expensive really fast. :) Standard turbo kits put them around 300 rwhp... next step up requires bottom end work, and the next step from that requires alot of work but will yield 600+.

I know that they handle surprisingly well for their size/weight and are comfortable and fun to drive. I've considered one myself a number of times.

2jz swap in either of them hehe. If you can find a nice SC300 I would do that. You don't really see many around.

IS300 looks really good though too.

Thats dumb. They come with a 2jz motor. The only swap you could do is swap the GTE bottom end, which contains the stronger pistons and the lower compression ratio (which is part of the upgrade i stated in the first post). Or if your looking for a full motor, people have been known to swap the BEAMS motor in, but thats a headache.

seems like more of a headache starting off with the GE and then finding a GTE bottom end etc.

I'd just swap a complete 2jz gte for 2500 or so.

doesn't the GTE have oil squirters as well as the stronger bottom end?

Newb the beams motor is the hottnesssss. Course this is coming from someone with an MR2 with a 5SFE :doh:. Awesome car...but oh does it need some stickier tires and more power.

Swapping the GTE is not that easy or cost efficient. This argument goes on all the time at is300.net. Better of using either the GTE internals or just forged internals. the GE internals are good to 400-450 rwhp which is plenty for most.

Its very easy to say you'd swap an Aristo motor (4k) in too, until you look at the write ups of people who have actually done it.

I am the owner of an 01 IS300, and am now looking for a replacement for it. I love this car because it rides so well, has plenty of power, is super quiet inside(quiet exhaust note) and they are such a value. For a comparable 3 series BMW with the same mileage I would've spent 5 to 6 thousand dollars more. What I don't like about it is the gas mileage. I only live about a mile from my work, but it seems like I am constantly filling the gas tank. I knew when I bought it that anything with an Inline 6 in sports/luxury car wouldn't be the most efficient on gas, but it is still a dissapointment at the pump. My VW GTi 1.8T is just as fast, has many of the same features and it gets way better gas mileage. For me the better gas mileage is better than the luxury of the lexus. For me living in South Dakota where we get snow, the lexus is pretty much worthless in winter. The traction control is probably one of the worst systems I have ever experienced, good luck on getting anywhere even with only an inch or two of snow on the ground. I do have to say though, during the time I have owned this car I haven't had to do a single repair on it. Beyond oils changes, it hasn't cost me a dollar to maintain(knock on wood). The toyota reliability is present in the IS300 as well. My advice is that if the gas mileage isn't a problem for you, then buy one. They hold their value pretty well, look great, and drive awesome. They are a great car. My replacement for it will either be an 03, 04, or 05 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro, or possibly another VW, with a turbo of course

Yeah one thing I gotta say is the reliability is amazing.

What is the gas mileage on the IS300? vs. similar cars?

I have a company Fusion SE V6 and that gets 26 mpg freeway (point of reference).
thanks,

I would say I think I get 21 city and 24 highway..been awhile since I checked.

EPA MPG 18-city 23-highway. I wouldn't complain too much if that is what I actually got, but not even driving it any harder than is necessary to keep up w/ traffic I get around 16 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway. Probably doesn't sound all that bad, but compare that to the 25 city and 34 highway w/ my VW, the difference is pretty significant.

here is a good short review of the 01 IS300 and it has all the important specs
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...rticleId=45114

no 2jz. you do the 1jz from the chaser, single turbo 2.5L setup FTW

I'd love to have an is300 for a daily, but they bring so much coin.

a complete 2jz-gtte motor swap only brings around low $2000 here.
ive only really looked into the lexus because i can get the main drivetrain parts cheap from my jdm distributor.

vw,benz,beamer,audi parts would rip me a knew asshole for parts.

plus ive found some low priced is300s

I'm seriously considering buying a $2000 miata to daily for a while until I get a desk job, since I travel 100%. I'd hate to buy a used car like that, and not drive it for another year and see how much further my money could have gone.


However I need something to drive during my miata build.