LOTS of IS200 questions.....
LOTS of IS200 questions.....
No one actually tried to answer my questions there, But I've quite a strong feeling that my queries won't be ignored here.:thumbup:
Anyway, Here's my original post (Edited slightly) asking about early IS200's......
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]I've been looking at them on Ebay and can't understand why nice '00 to '02 reg ones only go for around the £2000 to £2500 mark, But the asking price for '03 and '04 cars seem to jump by well over a grand? Was there some sort or minor revision or update around that time that makes them more desirable? Unless the reason's something major I think I'll keep looking in the two to two and a half grand range.
Also, After reading the (other) sites "What to look out for" guide I can't believe that the handful of reasonably minor problems mentioned are the only (Model specific) stuff I should be looking out for. Is there anything in particular to watch out for on an '00 to '02 plate IS200?
As I drive a van for work, My MX5 only gets used for weekend trips to see friends, Blowing out the cobwebs on twisty roads and the occasionally shopping trip (I only do about 1000 to 1500 private miles a year...... Compared to the 100,000 or so I do in the works van). Would it be likely that weeks of inactivity could cause problems (I need to free up my MX5's callipers for pretty much every MOT)?
Besides suspension, What other factory upgrades does the Sport model have over the bogo standard one?
Am I right in thinking that when I see one listed as a "IS200 Navigator" it just means that the car has satnav?
What sort of price would I be looking at for a major service, And how often (Time rather than mileage) does an IS200 need them?[/COLOR]
On top of that I now have a few more questions,
As standard my MX5's suspension geometry can be moved all over the place, it's totally adjustable front and rear (if you want it to safely under steer, No problem! If you want to go drifting, half hour of tweaking and your good to go! All out track car? Fine, just remember that when you finally step over the limit of grip, you'll probably be off the track..... Backwards.... At speed!
cared
So, I'm wondering how tweakable the IS200's setup is? I'm sure I read somewhere that, Like the MX5, it's another all round double wishbone setup, Is this right?EVERY car has some failings, Be it design compromises due to cost cutting, Or something that's not particularly well thought out in the first place, So, What's the biggest problems with owning a 2000 to 2003 IS200? (Under the heading of "If something looks too good to be true, Then it probably is", I currently feel like I'm being kept outside of a huge conspiracy to make the IS200 look better than it could possibly be. :blink
Are any problems ludicrously expensive to fix?
I've never liked having garages do work on my cars (Bad experience From my Capri days when some plonk that was younger than my car managed to f**k up all three minor jobs it was taken in for. :cursing
, So, Are IS200's "Home mechanic" friendly, Or do you need 2000 quid worth of specialist tools just to change a cam belt?Failing that, Does anyone know of a good "Non franchised" (Ie, Cheaper) Lexus friendly garage for servicing anywhere near the Bristol area?
Thanks in advance for any help that can be offered,
Scotty B.
I asked this on "The Other Forum" before I realised my error. It seems that the few people who wanted to reply over there only did so to tell me about their IS300 sportcross auto (When my questions were asked about manual IS200's) or to point out that there was currently one (That's going to be outside of the price range I mentioned in the original post) for sale on there...... Bunch of useless munters ! :tongue_smilie:
No one actually tried to answer my questions there, But I've quite a strong feeling that my queries won't be ignored here.:thumbup:
Anyway, Here's my original post (Edited slightly) asking about early IS200's......
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]I've been looking at them on Ebay and can't understand why nice '00 to '02 reg ones only go for around the £2000 to £2500 mark, But the asking price for '03 and '04 cars seem to jump by well over a grand? Was there some sort or minor revision or update around that time that makes them more desirable? Unless the reason's something major I think I'll keep looking in the two to two and a half grand range.
Also, After reading the (other) sites "What to look out for" guide I can't believe that the handful of reasonably minor problems mentioned are the only (Model specific) stuff I should be looking out for. Is there anything in particular to watch out for on an '00 to '02 plate IS200?
As I drive a van for work, My MX5 only gets used for weekend trips to see friends, Blowing out the cobwebs on twisty roads and the occasionally shopping trip (I only do about 1000 to 1500 private miles a year...... Compared to the 100,000 or so I do in the works van). Would it be likely that weeks of inactivity could cause problems (I need to free up my MX5's callipers for pretty much every MOT)?
Besides suspension, What other factory upgrades does the Sport model have over the bogo standard one?
Am I right in thinking that when I see one listed as a "IS200 Navigator" it just means that the car has satnav?
What sort of price would I be looking at for a major service, And how often (Time rather than mileage) does an IS200 need them?[/COLOR]
On top of that I now have a few more questions,
As standard my MX5's suspension geometry can be moved all over the place, it's totally adjustable front and rear (if you want it to safely under steer, No problem! If you want to go drifting, half hour of tweaking and your good to go! All out track car? Fine, just remember that when you finally step over the limit of grip, you'll probably be off the track..... Backwards.... At speed! cared So, I'm wondering how tweakable the IS200's setup is? I'm sure I read somewhere that, Like the MX5, it's another all round double wishbone setup, Is this right?
EVERY car has some failings, Be it design compromises due to cost cutting, Or something that's not particularly well thought out in the first place, So, What's the biggest problems with owning a 2000 to 2003 IS200? (Under the heading of "If something looks too good to be true, Then it probably is", I currently feel like I'm being kept outside of a huge conspiracy to make the IS200 look better than it could possibly be. :blink
Are any problems ludicrously expensive to fix?
I've never liked having garages do work on my cars (Bad experience From my Capri days when some plonk that was younger than my car managed to f**k up all three minor jobs it was taken in for. :cursing, So, Are IS200's "Home mechanic" friendly, Or do you need 2000 quid worth of specialist tools just to change a cam belt?
Failing that, Does anyone know of a good "Non franchised" (Ie, Cheaper) Lexus friendly garage for servicing anywhere near the Bristol area?
Thanks in advance for any help that can be offered,
Scotty B.
There is a mistake in the factory wheel alignment spec which causes very bad wear to the inside of the rear tyres. This can be corrected easily with a decent alignment session.
The service interval written in the engine bay for the cambelt change frequency is wrong. Lexus revised it from 100,000 miles to 60,000 miles.
Biggest problem IMO with the IS200 is they are sodding useless in slippery conditions due to having no weight over the rear axle. This can be cured to a degree with winter tyres. You'll be used to this if you've owned a Capri, though.
They are pretty easy to work on. No stupid designs going on really aside from the usual Toyota floating brake calipers where the sliders can get gummed up and stick. Most of the jobs that were done on Dan's car him and I managed to do with a pretty average toolkit. Worth getting chummy with your local Toyota / Lexus dealer, they can give you 25% off parts if they're feeling nice.
That said, I've never owned one :lol:
Sport model has a different grille, factory LSD and factory tinted windows. Traction control is involved somewhere as well.
Have a look through the workshop guides, particularly the brake ones as this will give you plenty of photos of hubs, suspension, wishbones, etc. http://www.outlawjapclub.co.uk/forum/for...y.php?f=60
No idea about the price difference unless they're different trim levels? If anything the really early ones save you a bunch on tax, because they are pre emissions-based taxing.. There is an update but not a lot changed from what I remember, other than the colour of the lights.
There is a mistake in the factory wheel alignment spec which causes very bad wear to the inside of the rear tyres. This can be corrected easily with a decent alignment session.
The service interval written in the engine bay for the cambelt change frequency is wrong. Lexus revised it from 100,000 miles to 60,000 miles.
Biggest problem IMO with the IS200 is they are sodding useless in slippery conditions due to having no weight over the rear axle. This can be cured to a degree with winter tyres. You'll be used to this if you've owned a Capri, though.
They are pretty easy to work on. No stupid designs going on really aside from the usual Toyota floating brake calipers where the sliders can get gummed up and stick. Most of the jobs that were done on Dan's car him and I managed to do with a pretty average toolkit. Worth getting chummy with your local Toyota / Lexus dealer, they can give you 25% off parts if they're feeling nice.
That said, I've never owned one :lol:
Sport model has a different grille, factory LSD and factory tinted windows. Traction control is involved somewhere as well.
Have a look through the workshop guides, particularly the brake ones as this will give you plenty of photos of hubs, suspension, wishbones, etc. http://www.outlawjapclub.co.uk/forum/for...y.php?f=60
If an LSD is essential, it is the same one on the Lotus Excel so go to this place and pick one up!! http://www.lotusbits.com/upgrades_diffs.html
Edit: ma61 supra diffs also fit, which are plated 2 way but it's gunna be old and sloppy by now. But you can buy rebuild kits.
Sport models had metal pedals also, and tinted windows. There is no performance or engine upgrades on the sport its all cosmetic.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
FirebirdPhil
03-10-2018, 08:45 AM #5Sport models in the early years didn't all come with LSD, that was a dealer option. You can tell by the Diff code on the VIN. decode your diff plate here: http://www.celica-gts.com/resources/diff...codes.html
If an LSD is essential, it is the same one on the Lotus Excel so go to this place and pick one up!! http://www.lotusbits.com/upgrades_diffs.html
Edit: ma61 supra diffs also fit, which are plated 2 way but it's gunna be old and sloppy by now. But you can buy rebuild kits.
Sport models had metal pedals also, and tinted windows. There is no performance or engine upgrades on the sport its all cosmetic.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
2tongues There is no performance or engine upgrades on the sport its all cosmetic.
All cosmetic?
From reading a couple of old road tests I was under the impression that the "Sport" has firmer suspension? If the springs and dampers are all the same does it have larger diameter wheels (Just trying to work out why they said the sport's ride was a little too firm at times)?
Scotty B.
2tongues There is no performance or engine upgrades on the sport its all cosmetic.
All cosmetic?
From reading a couple of old road tests I was under the impression that the "Sport" has firmer suspension? If the springs and dampers are all the same does it have larger diameter wheels (Just trying to work out why they said the sport's ride was a little too firm at times)?
Scotty B.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
FirebirdPhil
03-10-2018, 09:11 AM #7Sorry yes they are slightly lower, therefore firmer there are no power differences is what I meant.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
The late 2004 were darker lights, 11 spoke alloys, xe-03a dials with silver parts of trim, and full leather too? (Im not sure about full leather?)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Dark Samurai
03-10-2018, 09:30 AM #8I thought the sport grille was an option too, the sport also has tinted windows with sport logo on the rear quarters.
The late 2004 were darker lights, 11 spoke alloys, xe-03a dials with silver parts of trim, and full leather too? (Im not sure about full leather?)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
the sport grille was an option and the later versions ie 2003> had different wheels and headlights if i remember
but as TOXO said on older cars you are cheaper on Tax as its outside the Tax banding on emisions
![[Image: FB_IMG_1474048273787_zpsnbfq6a3s.jpg]](http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee440/davis5835/Mobile%20Uploads/FB_IMG_1474048273787_zpsnbfq6a3s.jpg)
i had and early 2001 sport it came with stainless pedals n kick plates, lower suspension, LSD, tinted rear windows and different dash trim.
the sport grille was an option and the later versions ie 2003> had different wheels and headlights if i remember
but as TOXO said on older cars you are cheaper on Tax as its outside the Tax banding on emisions
As to faults with the mk1 IS200 they really do have very few, its one of the best screwed together cars ever made . To back that up the VOSA website that covers car recalls , list the IS200 as floor mats could get stuck under the pedal and that's about its.
Lexus never managed to duplicate the same reliability on the later IS models, they have had many more recalls.
What makes the IS200 unreliable are the drivers that use and abuse them, lots of £1000/1500 ones kicking about with space shuttle mileages, even some of them can be good but you need to hunt down a car with history and check everything works ( save you the trouble of fixing it later ).
The other site does paint a grim view of the IS200 , as all you ever read Are first time poster with a problem they don't want to spend a penny on to fix!
In reply to a couple of your questions, the younger you go with the mk1 IS200 the price will go up, by the time you get to the 2004 it getting towards the end of production ( 2005 ) so anyone looking for the last of that shape is going have to pay a fair price.
As to faults with the mk1 IS200 they really do have very few, its one of the best screwed together cars ever made . To back that up the VOSA website that covers car recalls , list the IS200 as floor mats could get stuck under the pedal and that's about its.
Lexus never managed to duplicate the same reliability on the later IS models, they have had many more recalls.
What makes the IS200 unreliable are the drivers that use and abuse them, lots of £1000/1500 ones kicking about with space shuttle mileages, even some of them can be good but you need to hunt down a car with history and check everything works ( save you the trouble of fixing it later ).
The other site does paint a grim view of the IS200 , as all you ever read Are first time poster with a problem they don't want to spend a penny on to fix!
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