Thread: Thoughts on IS300?

My Co-Worker is looking to get a new daily driver and asked for my opinions on this car. I'm not really too sure what I think though LMAO.

Basically the car needs to be:

1.sequential automatic tranny (w/ paddle shifters would be better)
2. have some potential to be lightly modded,
3.reliable.

I already told him it's not the same as a manual but I guess he has to compromise somewhere.

The big kicker is that his budget is closer to around $6,000.
He has linked me to a few of them around that price range with about 100k-120k miles which I think is reasonable for a Toyota.

He pretty much wants to mod the car with coilovers and some sick wheels with a stretched tire.

I've seen the reviews from when the car was new and they seem good but just wondering what other options you guys think fit in the price range?

That's an over priced sentra. Lol. About the same in performance. I've heard bad things about their auto trannies, and 5 speeds are rare, even if he isn't getting one. Better luck asking on an IS forum. Abe has one, that I don't even know if it runs. Lol

my buddy has a 6 speed one. its nice. just turbo it it will be like a supra

lmaoo i think on an IS forum the feedback would be more biased, kinda like the b15 forums when a 1.8 owner asks about performance everyone tells them to buy a spec v HAHAHA.
Everyone is gonna say buy a manual LOL.

I'm Abe.

Originally Posted by thesammythecurse

That's an over priced sentra. Lol. About the same in performance. I've heard bad things about their auto trannies, and 5 speeds are rare, even if he isn't getting one. Better luck asking on an IS forum. Abe has one, that I don't even know if it runs. Lol

I'm pretty sure the auto tranny problems is mostly if not only in 2001's. Also I personally wouldn't buy one with that high mileage, IS300s are old enough and cheap enough these days that young people are buying them and beating the shit out of them, maybe if you can find an unmolested one. Other than the 01 auto tranny problem there's no big problems, mostly just small inconveniences. Idk where you live but it's not great in the snow, even with snows and traction control on it's meh at best. Any questions feel free to ask away and I'll answer best I can.

Originally Posted by rnagal

my buddy has a 6 speed one. its nice. just turbo it it will be like a supra

Unless he swapped transmissions no he doesn't, only came in 5spd.

Do you have pics of yours? Curious to see how you modded it.

Regarding the mileage, consider the age of the car shouldn't that be reasonable? I definitely would advise him to try to find a 1 owner kind of car but that might be hard as well. In the price range and for the features he is looking for there really isn't much. He was checking out the IS250 but that car is way out of the price range. The styling on the IS300 isn't dated which is what he says attracted him to it.

What is this E-Shift tranny like though? I see on the steering wheel it just has a button for "DOWN". Can't you upshift from the steering wheel or does the car do that on it's own?

Originally Posted by fullah

Do you have pics of yours? Curious to see how you modded it.

Regarding the mileage, consider the age of the car shouldn't that be reasonable? I definitely would advise him to try to find a 1 owner kind of car but that might be hard as well. In the price range and for the features he is looking for there really isn't much. He was checking out the IS250 but that car is way out of the price range. The styling on the IS300 isn't dated which is what he says attracted him to it.

What is this E-Shift tranny like though? I see on the steering wheel it just has a button for "DOWN". Can't you upshift from the steering wheel or does the car do that on it's own?

I'll try and get some pics off my old laptop.

As for mileage i suppose that's what it "should" be, low mileage ones can be had though, I got my 02 with 52k original miles.

I cant speak from personal experience on E-Shift, I know you can shift it both up and down yourself if you want, from what I've read though most people dont like it for various reasons one of which being its slow and laggy.

i was looking into one of these as well, but queens has become flooded with these so i passed

Research the cheapest possible one, the price for a corvette LS engine, and mount and harness kit

Corvette LS2 > Supra 2JZ anyday

RWD 400hp NA DD with room for four - priceless.

Not going to happen for $6,000 plus the whole point of a daily driver is least modifications. He is looking for something stock aside from drop and rims.