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IS vs. TL vs. Infiniti I30

2K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  [VTEC]TL 
#1 ·
hey everyone. his is officially my first post here. i am in the market for a new car...and i don't know which car to choose. being in a lexus is300 forum, i'm sure most of you guys will tell me to get the IS. i've had my eyes on a TL for quite a while now, but just recently looked into the IS and the infiniti I30. what do you guys think? price wise? performance wise? any input is freatly appreciated. thanks.

dave
 
#2 ·
I would go with an IS, even though my Mom's had a Q-45 and it was really nice, I like the IS style more than a TL or I30... Just my 2 cents.

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******CAR FOR SALE IN BAY AREA********

1985 Corvette, Black, 61,000 Miles on it. New Rims, Tires ..

Great car, and looks GREAT!

Asking price **PRICE DROP** 9,000 is the NEW asking price.
Contact me on this board or at Boyie13@hotmail.com
 
#3 ·
Personally, I can say that the IS300 should have a higher resale value than the other 2. Mainly because the IS300 seems to be in higher demand and is something very fresh and new. It should make you one very happy camper, just take a look at all of us in here. =D Have you taken it for a test drive?

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White IS300
"Bein Bad Ain't EZ"
 
#4 ·
Yeah have you taken the IS for a test drive? Take a test drive .. and then tell us what you think! .. Trust me when I test drove the IS I was sprung! .. and still am after like a month , I was also looking at the BMW 325i that night also since both the dealerships (Lexus and BMW) are right next to eachother, and once I start to drive the IS I forgot all about test driving a 325i.

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******CAR FOR SALE IN BAY AREA********

1985 Corvette, Black, 61,000 Miles on it. New Rims, Tires ..

Great car, and looks GREAT!

Asking price **PRICE DROP** 9,000 is the NEW asking price.
Contact me on this board or at Boyie13@hotmail.com

[This message has been edited by BoYiE (edited February 16, 2001).]
 
#5 ·
Hmmm... you're kidding, right? I'm thinking if you want an unbiased opinion you should be at Edmunds or Carpoint or something. I certainly wouldn't go to a Acura dedicated site and ask them if a Lexus is better.

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Currently in the bodyshop
GGP w/ Graphite Wheels (MR,LP)
 
#7 ·
to start i have to say i dont own either of those cars and i consider myself very nonbias when it comes to these three choices. to answer your question i would go for the IS but im not you i highly recomend driving them and youll tell the difference. i actually drove these three cars at the edmunds driving event last year and i must say i drove them hard. i put the IS in first and the I30 in second and a very close, almost tie,TL in third. the IS just blew me away, it honestly out performed the others but they all had there good qualities so i highly recomend driving them as your needs vary from mines! just my opinion
 
#8 ·
As former owner of both IS300 and TL.

Here is what I think is a unbiased view.

In terms of acceleration, room, feature and comfort, IS will be trumped by both I30 and TL.

But IS300 is more fun to drive and has better assembly quality than TL.

If you hauls family around, TL is a better choice. But if you are single and loves to drive, IS is a better choice.
 
#9 ·
i personally like the interior of the I30 very much...did u happen to see the pop up navigation they have??? its really a neat gadget. it really raises up unlike the IS which rolls up... dunno, other people might not get as excited about that as me but just my opinion..i think its pretty neat. also the rest of the interior is more classy while the IS is something different. so its up to u whether u want to conform and keep it simple or go radical and go with the IS. as for the TL, my friend has one and i personally don't like it because of its styling and the interior is boring. thats all.
 
#10 ·
I own a 2000 TL, and I am not really happy about the car, and the dealers in my area...

I can't comment on the Infiniti, but my two of my friends go the IS300... So here is what I think...

TL is a nice car... and because the new body style is out, you can get a very good deal on the 2001 model. The 2002 model will be facelifted, and got more futures like 6 disc CD, memory seat, clear tail light...etc. Go to www.acura-tl.com for more info...

But keep in mind that the TL is just a family sedan. It will NEVER handle like the IS300 even if you put every single suspension mods you can find on the market. The TL might be faster while cornering... (very unlikely but it's possible if you got money to blow!) BUT IT WILL NEVER "FEEL" the same

You can drift with the IS, it's a RWD, it's fun, and it's got a better way distribution. That's really important.

The TL got some problems with the Engine computer, noise, and bababa... Damn, guess because it's made in the US, that's why! No offense intented...

But the IS300 is cutting corners, too. They don't even have full leather, auto-dim mirrow, and arm-rest. But that will change soon with the 2002 model.

Oh and SS on the Acura is better than the E-shift on the IS IMHO.

I can go on... but just be ture to yourself... Think about what you really want!

Do you want a good value? then they both are!!!

Do you want space, and comfort? Than go with the IS

If you want some FUN, and got sick and tired of those BMW's on da street. Go with the IS.

I think the BMW is still a better car in a higher price range. But that's JMHO.

Be true to yourself, you know what you really want!!! But don't get the automatic IS300 if you can wait for the stick. It will give you a lot more FUN!

Oh and the IS300 is not that fast... Keep that in mind. The TL can hang with the IS and have a very good chance to win in a drag race. I am not talking about the Type-S, just the base TL. Oh, and the seat on SUX. I am 5' 10' and I don't have enough knee space with the TL...

Feel free to E-mail me if you got any more questions... Personally I will NEVER buy an Acura again in my life. But I would go with the Bimmer instead of IS. That might change however, with the full leather 5 speed
 
#11 ·
I think I will disagree with you on your point that the TL and I30 will trump the IS in acceleration. The TL's 0-60 times are 7.4 and the I30's are 8.4. The TL might give an IS arun for its money but not trump it. As far as comfort goes I do believe the TL supercedes both of these cars in that territory. Although I think you would get more for your money in a I30. Imho. Overall between the TL and I30 I would chose the TL. I believe its a better engine and very comfortable. I dont think you can put the IS in this category. The IS is definately a better sports sedan.
Originally posted by chiawei:
As former owner of both IS300 and TL.

Here is what I think is a unbiased view.

In terms of acceleration, room, feature and comfort, IS will be trumped by both I30 and TL.

But IS300 is more fun to drive and has better assembly quality than TL.

If you hauls family around, TL is a better choice. But if you are single and loves to drive, IS is a better choice.

 
#12 ·
Originally posted by triz:
I think I will disagree with you on your point that the TL and I30 will trump the IS in acceleration. The TL's 0-60 times are 7.4 and the I30's are 8.4. The TL might give an IS arun for its money but not trump it. As far as comfort goes I do believe the TL supercedes both of these cars in that territory. Although I think you would get more for your money in a I30. Imho. Overall between the TL and I30 I would chose the TL. I believe its a better engine and very comfortable. I dont think you can put the IS in this category. The IS is definately a better sports sedan.
Okay man, I raced with my friend's IS300. Believe or not, I win by less than a car most of the time. Some time he wins... Depends on the reaction time, really.

Go take the TL for a spin, it is at least as fast as the IS300 if not a bit faster. I am not crazy about my TL, neither to the IS300. What I really want is the Bimmer. Anyhow I am just trying to give out some opinions and facts. Now the IS300 is not a faster car for SURE!!!
 
#13 ·
Sorry, forgot to say that you IS300 owner will smoke my TL BAD on the track... but again, not at the drag strip... Stock vs stock thought... You lucky IS owners got lots more aftermarket goodies... Damn, I think if you turbo a 5 speed IS, the car can hang with the M3. All we got at this point for the TL is NOS. No SC or turbo. But with I/H/E and NOS. A guy did 13.998... or something like that. in the 13s, and it was with 18's or 19's can't remember...
 
#17 ·
I still think the I30 is a better buy for your money.. a fully loaded car sticker is $31K If you looking for a great car go for the I30. I really cant say the last time I raced someonw from light to light, or was up to 130mph. It rarely happens to me. Don't get me wrong... the IS is a dream, but i like the interior of the I30 and all it's gadgets much much better. That would be my choice.. I30
 
#18 ·
I would go test drive a 2001 Maxima SE 5spd, they are the same car as the I30 same engine, same frame, just different cosmetic changes, but available in a 5spd. That car is extremly fast, and can hit 14.7-15.1 depending on how good of a driver you are, and does .84G in the skidpad. You have to drive one to believe it.

Originally posted by dsjun:
hey everyone. his is officially my first post here. i am in the market for a new car...and i don't know which car to choose. being in a lexus is300 forum, i'm sure most of you guys will tell me to get the IS. i've had my eyes on a TL for quite a while now, but just recently looked into the IS and the infiniti I30. what do you guys think? price wise? performance wise? any input is freatly appreciated. thanks.

dave
 
#19 ·
Originally posted by 3wheelin2kse:
I would go test drive a 2001 Maxima SE 5spd, they are the same car as the I30 same engine, same frame, just different cosmetic changes, but available in a 5spd. That car is extremly fast, and can hit 14.7-15.1 depending on how good of a driver you are, and does .84G in the skidpad. You have to drive one to believe it.
Or wait until August and check out the 2002 Maxima SE-R. Rumoured to be 3.5L V6 with 280 HP.

Went to the T.O. Autoshow yesterday. The silver IS300 still had the most attention amongst all Lexus line-ups (well, maybe after the SC430 that was on display).
 
#20 ·
I thought the TL was sweet and nice quiet ride. Very comfortable. Felt nice like my friends '99 ES300. The older ES300's kinda sucked IMO. The comfort feels different.

Don't know much about the I30.

But if you're looking for great value, i'd go for a TL all the way. Its practically fully loaded..navigation and everything and cost less than a IS. Probably get an awesome deal right now with the new '02 models coming out.
And the car actually doesn't look that bad with the optional skirts and spoiler. It makes it look sporty. My neighbor has one with the optional skirts and spoiler and it looks sweet.

Tell you the truth, I don't think the IS is worth what is comes with. But i still love the car...its fun and a nice ride. And I don't see that many of them out there yet. Mainly for the reason of the taillights, but hey i'm not complaining. The more rare the car the more special I feel

Plus I've been wanting an Altezza forever when i first saw a race video of it taking turns on a track. That or a Lancer Evo
 
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