is300 vs 240sx... desision

[ChrisCantSkate]

im kinda in a toss up right now.. i want a is300 for a car that i can relax un, drive to and from school and go home in with comfort, have nice styling and desently quick with tons of possible aftermarket support, or i want a 240sx with a sr20det and the whole nine yards and have a drfit machine that runs 12's. ride comfort probobly wont be great, and gas milage and reliability will not be there(because of extreme modding to the engine) the 240 would be cheaper, no debts, and still fun to drive.. but the is300 will be extremly nice and well... its a lexus. im just kinda out growing my prelude and i think within 6 months or so it will be gone. ive seen a handful of is300's go for ~$20k in my area with under 10k on them. hoestly what would you guys do? any other cars up for sugestions? i will probobly get ~10k-11k for my car. and would prefer not to have a huge loan.

[TonitrusEN]

IS300

[Racing Rice]

This is a hard decision. But I would have to say the IS300. I am kinda getting tired of the ride and such. Mine would probably have very few mods and just be driven.

Just get the 240 first and get the IS later since you wont have payments on the 240. ;)

[ebpda9]

yup i would go IS300 all the way. the car is fast, looks nice, great handling, in the snow you might have some problems but since you live in FL. there is no need to worry about that. I gotta stay on fwd or awd because of the snow. also a 240 sx is nice but i like IS300 better

[Racing Rice]

Originally posted by hondaman-iac
...I gotta stay on fwd or awd because of the snow...

That makes too of us. Atleast have a beater car for a winter ride. 4thGen, your lucky you can get away with that. :yes:

Tho its funny to watch FL people try to drive in the snow! They freak out.:D

[Accord Man]

why not a WRX?? That would be my pick.

[juvenile]

go for IS300!
That car has class!
It's not always about running 12's imo.
I think spring a little higher! :yes:

[spoogenet]

I dunno, I was thinking of getting an IS300 sometime, but until they fix a few probs then I certainly wouldn't get one.

Design flaw #1, the parking brake only connects to one of the rear wheels. My bro got a flat in his and was changing the tire when the car rolled and fell off the jack, smacked right down on his Tom's suspension stuff he had installed....if it weren't for the Tom's, it woulda smacked right down on the body. Not too good, not to mention he coulda been under the car when it happened.

Design flaw #2, the manual is weak. My bro was talking with some of the guys from the Atlanta Lexus dealer and they had gone out to one of Lexus's meets where you get to drive all the cars. They claim to have run consistently better 0-60 and lap times with the auto than the stick. Of course maybe they didn't have the best drivers out there that day....but it's still surprising. Their auto is quite nice, I must admit....but a stick's gotta be in my ride. The manually-controlled auto shifting novelty gets old real quick.

Get a 330.

b

[ChrisCantSkate]

the is300 has the distant possibility of a 2jz-gte engine with a supra 6 speed tranny though... i agree auto is the think holding me back.. and im really supprised their 5spd sucks.i never really see wrx's cheap enough to grab my attention. i'd like to have class and speed and rwd (picky i know) ive also thrown the idea around about a sc300 5 spd. same engine, cheaper.. can probobly buy without payments, the aftermarket sopport isnt as great though in america, and i would want to at least do a nice suspension setup and a LSD. i now drive in orlando rush hour traffic alot.. and hoestly, the clutch kills my leg sometimes.. (ACT) if i went with a s240.. i KNOW a twin plate clutch would be in there.... im gonna talk to my parents this weekend and see what they think. the title is still in mine and my dads name, and since om at college, they pay insurance. they would like the is300 for the quality, safty and the fact im trying to pick up responsability and in a sence grow up but buying a nice car, and they MIGHT not go for me spending alot of time working on a project car while im in college.... i'll let you guys know how it goes... anyone have any other car ideas that would be reliable.. reasonalby prices, not fwd(sorry... its not me anymore) and not a lemon?

[NooNz]

for the 240....which gen???? the s13 or s14?...

[juvenile]

Originally posted by NooNz
for the 240....which gen???? the s13 or s14?...

Your back.
Long time no see you posting! :)

[NooNz]

yea i kno....been busy with work and school....hate them both....

[spoogenet]

I was pretty surprised to hear that the manual was so weak as well. It's by far the best auto tranny I've ever ridden in/driven....but then again, it's also the highest end car with an auto I've been in.

Seriously, check for a used 325 or 330. Those are damn nice rides. I'd rate them pretty highly on the quality factor, not to mention a 330 is damn fun to drive even stock.

Another thing that bugged me about the IS300 is that my bro spun it out in the rain with TCS turned on....now I know that TCS isn't the end-all solution, and it also could have been due to his wheel/tire combo (I'm not sure if they're the same diameter as stock or not)...but coming around a corner he gave it a little too much gas and pulled a nice 360. Good thing he didn't soil his seats. Anyways....if anybody wants to shell out 32k for a well modified IS300 with an auto, let me know. :)

I don't mean to dog on the IS300 too much, cuz I'm just flat in love with those cars. Once they fix the parking brake problem and the manual tranny problem, and I fix the money problem....I might be driving one. Hopefully they'll look at least as sweet by the time I'm in the market for one.

I've got an '01 Honda I'll sell ya. :)

b

[ChrisCantSkate]

finacialy a is300 now seems out of the question.. but i still have my prelude.. so i never know untill it comes down to it.

[spoogenet]

Are you still willing to spend up to 20k??? Get a Mini, the new ones are tight! Although it's FWD, so I guess it'll fail your drivetrain criteria.

Have you thought of looking for a used S2000? Hehe....now that would be a nice ride to have.

b

[Racing Rice]

Originally posted by spoogenet
Have you thought of looking for a used S2000? Hehe....now that would be a nice ride to have.

b

Used S2000 havent come down that much in price either.:no:

[ChrisCantSkate]

actualy.. ive seen a few with 5-8k miles on them for 20-23k. im gonna see if i actualy get a job.. how much money i'll be making. that will determine if i get a loan or not.

[slowEJ6]

im in the same boat, but ive made my decision. and ill have an IS300 in March.
minimal performance mods.....cuz itd take about $10k to put that car into 12's. just gonna make it look good

[ChrisCantSkate]

yeah.. im gonna test drive one, and see if i relly like it. but its an iron block 2jz motor.. so if you happen to come across a supra engine.. ya know...

[slowEJ6]

the swap costs $10k. :)

[ChrisCantSkate]

installed? or doing it yourself? i saw a video of a is300 with a turboed 2jz(not sure if it was a gte but it was turboed) drifint around... soooo clean

[slowEJ6]

i believe thats installed. saw the ads in a few SCC's near the back.
thatd be somethin though....yes indeed it would. ;)

[ChrisCantSkate]

i'd do the swap myself.. it cant be much different than a sc300 2jz swap.

[ebpda9]

i don't know where i read that but i've heard that the engine in the is 300 the same as the NA supra. that should be like f22 to h22 swap.

[spoogenet]

After driving around a 330 for a while yesterday, I still gotta say those are damn nice cars. Rollin with the top back is fun, but put that baby up and it's blind spots galore. See any good deals on a 330?

Lexus really needs to fix that parking brake problem....perhaps they have by now, but that just scares me. Anyhow...anybody want a pre-modded is300 for a pile of cash? ahaha.

What kind of a job do you think you'll be getting? Like, how much money a year? You talking full-time post-college or any other time of your life?

b

[ebpda9]

yup one thing i don't like about lexus and most convertibles is the blind spots. i'm sick of backing cars up in fences and poles :eek:

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by spoogenet
After driving around a 330 for a while yesterday, I still gotta say those are damn nice cars. Rollin with the top back is fun, but put that baby up and it's blind spots galore. See any good deals on a 330?

Lexus really needs to fix that parking brake problem....perhaps they have by now, but that just scares me. Anyhow...anybody want a pre-modded is300 for a pile of cash? ahaha.

What kind of a job do you think you'll be getting? Like, how much money a year? You talking full-time post-college or any other time of your life?

b

well i have no expensis as of now besides snack food and gas, so if i made 500 a month at a part time job.. i could do 400 a month payments.. and i'd put about 11000 down on it.

[spoogenet]

I didn't find the is300 to be bad with blind spots. I haven't driven a hard-top 330, but the convertible is horrible with the blind spots (top up). The A4 isn't the best, either, I don't like the tiny rear view....it's like looking out a peephole compared to my Honda.

How long do you think your expenses will stay low? Also, how much have you thought 'bout insurance? For M < 25 and a nice ride you're looking at a good 200-300/month on insurance alone.

If your expenses will stay low for a while, and insurance isn't a problem (like, 'rental units paying for it), then you can afford quite a bit. If it's something you plan to mod heavily, I'd probably say go used. If you don't plan on doing lots of mods, you could afford a pretty nice new car.....that is, if you're gonna be having low expenses for the next 3-5 years. :)

I financed slightly less than 10k for 60 months @ 5.25% with a minimum payment of ~$190/month. Of course I pay much more than that, I don't wanna run for 5 years of this crap....but that's just to put payments into perspective in case you hadn't seen how much it really would cost on a monthly basis.

I think you should ditch the RWD and go for a new Mini. Oh yeah....ok, ok, so I want a Mini.

b

[ChrisCantSkate]

nah.. the mini is unique and all... but its not me.. i need a car that feels like me.. the prelude does, but i need a change.

[slowEJ6]

insurance on an IS300 isnt bad at all. im a 20yr old male too.
the mini is pretty sweet, but as ^^^ said, its not me.
a bagged IS300 is.... :D