2002 Lexus IS300 from North America - Comments

Nothing has gone wrong yet. Build quality seems very good.

This car has a great interior. Climate controls are laid out in a simple easy to use fashion. Seats aver very supportive eight way adjustable driver and passenger seats. Stereo is very nice in dash 6 disk changer. Nice chrome accents in the car are tasteful. The back seats are nice, a little short on space, but seats 2 fine. I drove twelve hours strait in this car the day after I bought it, and enjoyed the whole trip. I was always comfortable. HID lights are a nice touch. Heated seats are nice it would be nice if they had a dial for degrees of heated instead of on or off. I have used the heated seats almost ever day so far this winter.

The brakes feel great. The engine is silky smooth. The car is respectfully fast. Corners very well. Fully independent suspension is very nice over bumps. Traction control is a little sensitive. It can be disabled, which makes for more spirited driving.

I'd have to disagree, the new Infiniti G35 is far better than any Lexus IS300.

The G35 is a good car, but the cheap plastic that was used inside of it turned me off to it. I own a 02 Lexus IS300 with a Peter Farrell Supercars stage 2 turbo kit running 407 horsepower to the wheels. This car can outperform, out maneuver most cars on the street. Love the styling of the IS300 more than the G35. I also own a Acura TL-type S and would say its equal to the G35 more. The tunability of the IS300 far succeeds the G35 hands down. The infamous 2JZ engine is a great powerplant to work on.

Wait 5 years. The Infiniti will be worth far less than the IS. Toytoa products hold value better over time than Nissan.

I must agree that the Lexus IS300 is far superior to almost all other sports sedans. When you factor in price, reliability, resale and drive-ability, the IS would likely win hands-down against all comparisons. The IS300 seems to be an excellent (smart) choice.

Lexus is a nice car, but it is not at the same class as BMWs and MBs. I worked at Toyota. I know. The Japanese benchmarked German cars.

I test drove the Audi A4 3.0 Quattro and It looked great and ran great. I really wanted it because of the sporty sound to it, but I ended up getting the 04' IS300 and I don't regret it at all. But Isn't the IS300 too quiet? I want it to sound like a Ferrari one day.

If you want to add a throatier sound to your IS without being obnoxiously loud, just get a Short Ram Intake from Injen. (that's where I got mine) At idle it's just as quiet as stock, but when you romp on it at a high enough engine speed for the VVTi to kick in, it sounds like an RB25. It's an exhilarating sound to hear and it really grabs attention.

I bought a 2002 IS300 last month. It's been great; the reliability specifically far exceeds the Volvo I'm getting away from. One concern: I've heard that the I6 engine in the Lexus, along with the Toyota Matrix, (maybe others) is prone to oil thickening (due to the heat or rpm?). The person who informed me was a mechanic. My first thought was not my baby! Is this a valid argument against my precious?!