2002 Lexus IS 200 Sport 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

One of the best cars on the road today

Faults:

Nothing, It has been excellent.

General Comments:

This car is very comfortable, the 2.0litre 6 cylinder engine with 6 speed close ratio gearbox delivers when you need it most. Performance isn't great, but it does handle well (more so when TC is turned off). Looks good, paint quality is excellent if looked after.

A great rival to the BMW 3 Series, but with more gadgets.

Easy to work on and service yourself if you really want to, but no need to avoid the dealer as dealer service is outstanding and honest.

I love this car and will keep it for a long time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th January, 2007

2002 Lexus IS 300 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Piece of junk

Faults:

CD player broke after about 6 months.

Rough transmision.

My clutch and flywheel blew out at 45000mi.

General Comments:

This car is just OK. Go with a BMW or Acura if you can.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th December, 2005

3rd Jan 2006, 19:59

Try learning to use a manual transmission correctly. Maybe you are a terrible shifter! Duh!

4th Jan 2006, 10:19

I drove the manual transmission version on a test drive and was shocked how agrarian it was. I have owned a few Toyotas in my day and they all had great trannies.

In my mind, this Lexus was the perfect car except for that horrible transmission. Very sad since I was close to buying one.

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2002 Lexus IS 300 3.0 from North America

Summary:

This car is absolutely amazing, it's quick, it handles great and looks good

Faults:

There's a noise that it makes when you put it in gear. The manual says that it's the traction control and the VSC. Does anybody else have the same noises. Please e-mail me back @ gbb357@aol.com. Thank you.

General Comments:

I love this car. Everything about it is just perfect. Well almost perfect.

The only thing that I might not like is it's back seat. It's small, but functional. There's enough room for my daughters car seat. Other than that this car is quick and beautiful. It turns heads a lot. I got the pearl white color which I think is very hard to find.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th November, 2005

2002 Lexus IS 300 3.0 gas from North America

Summary:

I'm happy I leased this one (so I can get rid of it), and even happier that I bought a new STS V8

Faults:

The brake rotors warped at less than 10 thousand miles, resulting in uncomfortable braking maneuvers.

The sunroof failed for any number of reasons, yet was repaired under warranty.

Switches get nicked up easily, and the entire dashboard somehow looks and feels tired after three years of gentle use.

The car failed to start at least four times a year, even on days with pleasant weather.

General Comments:

A good performer, the IS300 handled and took off well, yet brakes were unpredictable; sensitive one minute, squishy the next.

Leaving the transmission in full automatic mode, while driving in a spirited manner, produced some sort of burning smell. Unsettling at first, my fears were abated when nothing came of it. I feel hard times are in store for the next owner, however.

The dealer experience is great; they treat you nicely as they pick your pockets.

The back seat is vestigial, yet the fronts are supportive and comfortable. The leather with mouse-hair inserts is a touch tacky, however.

The interior styling and sculpting of the dashboard look as if they came from any number of cars. There is absolutely no harmony within this car.

The large trunk is disappointed by a small opening.

The exterior styling never became clear or grew on me. Especially in its watery silver paint finish.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd September, 2005

9th Dec 2006, 05:43

The Cadillac STS is indeed a very reliable car as a wheelie bin.

17th Dec 2007, 11:30

A Warranty does not mean no expenses at all.

23rd Mar 2009, 21:37

I've owned my IS300 for over a year. Driven the car from CA to Ohio, from Ohio to MN. No problems.

I've had to replace the brakes and do a oil change every 3,000 miles.

The author seems ambiguous when it comes to stating what problems he encountered with his car. Smelt a funny smell? OK... NO mechanical problems. Replaced brakes??? OK... you have to do that with most cars.

He dislikes the exterior and interior looks. Why did he buy the car???

After owning BMWs, Audis, Saabs, Hondas, etc... my only problem with the IS300 is that it handles poorly in the winter. Any other time it behaves properly. Very quick, great handling car, with very few mechanical issues (typical Toyota).

23rd Apr 2009, 20:39

Lexus is the most reliable car for 15 years, Cadi is garbage. I have IS300 02, it runs like a dream and looks good too. Cadi is just a waste of metal and plastic. This is reality, just accept it and face it. If you can't learn to live with the fact that American cars suck no matter how hard they try. How the hell can you compare IS300 with Cadi? The IS300 is a sports car and a Cadi is luxury sedan (or luxury wannabe sedan). Drive a GS300 or LS600H and you will see what Lexus is.

Keep dreaming in your Cadi, it might make it more powerful.

Lexus and Cadi are like "Tropicana 100% pure and PC from concentrate orange juice" Both are orange juice, both are drinkable. The difference is one is better quality, pure and tastes good, and the other is just wannabe orange juice.

Guess which one is Cadi? Yes you are right, "from concentrate".

Easy.

In reply to 9th Dec 2006, 05:43

10th Apr 2011, 12:19

What, pray tell, is a "wheelie bin"?

29th Jan 2012, 23:40

Even though the Lexus IS300 is not a mid-size car, the gas mileage it gets says otherwise. To say that the "mid-size American" car is a gas guzzler, as if that is negative in comparison to the IS300, just lacks logic. The IS300 gets 23-25mpg highway, which is worse than the I quote, "American gas guzzler"