[MrEee]

Hello Lexus IS300 Enthusiasts.

I'm in the market for a new vehicle. I am seriously looking at the 2002 Lexus IS300 (5 speed). I am doing a comparison between the '02 BMW 330i (manual) and the '02 Lexus IS300 (manual), and a few other cars.

Apart from providing a manual transmission, does anyone know if the '02 IS300 has any performance specification changes (increases)? Will there be a hp and especially torque increase?

If the current model belts out ~215hp @ 5800 rpm and torque of ~218 lb ft @ 3800 rpm, providing a 0-60 mph at ~7.1s, shouldn't the manual tranny get the 0-60mph time to ~6.7s? And this is assuming that the horsepower and torque numbers don't change in '02.

I read a thread where a Swift Racing representative provided some good performance information. With the High Flow Intake with ECU, one could expect an increase of horse power of ~22hp. If this is the case, then wouldn't it be fair to assume that the performance numbers associated with the '02 Lexus IS300 (5-speed) with simple HFI w/ ECU upgrades, to provide the same performance numbers as the 330i?

Given that the handling of the IS300 is already comparable to the BMW 3-series, the pricing advantage of the IS300 over a comparably loaded 330i, and putting aside subjective matters such as aesthetics, the '02 Lexus IS300 (w/ stick) is making my decision extremely difficult.

At any rate, if any of you out there can provide some insight for me, I would really appreciate it.

 

[MrEee]

Oooppss!

Just read a thread below. It seems that you guys think that the '02 IS300 manual may be in the ~6.5s range.

Does anyone have any experience with slightly modding their car? Performance testimonials after a HFI w/ ECU upgrade?

Originally posted by MrEee:

Hello Lexus IS300 Enthusiasts.

I'm in the market for a new vehicle. I am seriously looking at the 2002 Lexus IS300 (5 speed). I am doing a comparison between the '02 BMW 330i (manual) and the '02 Lexus IS300 (manual), and a few other cars.

Apart from providing a manual transmission, does anyone know if the '02 IS300 has any performance specification changes (increases)? Will there be a hp and especially torque increase?

If the current model belts out ~215hp @ 5800 rpm and torque of ~218 lb ft @ 3800 rpm, providing a 0-60 mph at ~7.1s, shouldn't the manual tranny get the 0-60mph time to ~6.7s? And this is assuming that the horsepower and torque numbers don't change in '02.

I read a thread where a Swift Racing representative provided some good performance information. With the High Flow Intake with ECU, one could expect an increase of horse power of ~22hp. If this is the case, then wouldn't it be fair to assume that the performance numbers associated with the '02 Lexus IS300 (5-speed) with simple HFI w/ ECU upgrades, to provide the same performance numbers as the 330i?

Given that the handling of the IS300 is already comparable to the BMW 3-series, the pricing advantage of the IS300 over a comparably loaded 330i, and putting aside subjective matters such as aesthetics, the '02 Lexus IS300 (w/ stick) is making my decision extremely difficult.

At any rate, if any of you out there can provide some insight for me, I would really appreciate it.

 

[MrEee]

test

 

[ckolsen]

Expect the 330 5 speed to be slightly faster than the IS300 5 speed, but not enough that it should be a factor in your decision. The 5 speed IS300 will get a stiffer suspension, so will probably outhandle the 330, though currently the 330 is more neutral. I'd only get a 330 if you do Euro Delivery, where you can knock $4000+ off sticker, even then, it's a lot of money. You cannot go wrong with either car, they're both great cars. Go with what looks better and what you can afford - performance, comfort and reliability will be similar.

 

[ackboy]

Hey MrEee. I have a silver 2001 IS. I'll be honest with you. I bought the IS because I like toyota refinement and quality. Plus, it was not as expensive as the BMW. I'll admit-I like BMW's REAL leather interior and name brand more than toyota (lets face it folks--lexus/toyota same thing). If you have the money to buy a 330Ci and also pay for its maintenance, get the BMW. if you want a less expensive runner-up, get the IS. OH--and if you do get the 330ci, DO get a 5-spd. I really regret getting the IS automatic. oh well, just my personal preference =). My dad has an old 528e BMW, and that thing costed us close to $1000 to fix (i forget what it was). Also, I kinda wish the IS had REAL FULL leather. Sorry for rambling on and on..=)

 

[Lexus_IS300]

MrEee: It's really sums up to what you want. From a performance point of view, an IS300 will have advantage because of the aftermarket support. the IS300 is also about 10k cheaper than the 330i and performance difference isn't big. Also (I know people are going to argue with me on this), Lexus seems to be more reliable than BMW, and if there's a problem, it doesn't cost an arm and leg to fix it. Yes, I am biased. But the car I traded in for the IS300 was a '99 BMW M3, let I mind you. I checked out the 325ci at a local BMW dealership, and it had sports suspension, HID, wheels, and premium sound, the price tag on it was $36k. That's more expensive than the Lexus IS300, and the car had vinyl! Not even leather. I am not at all trying to convince your decision (hehe), BMW are great cars, but for the money, the IS300 is a bargain and can't be beat.

------------------
'01 IS300
'91 NSX
'95 Maxima

 

[ckolsen]

Lexus_IS300, I'm surprised if you owned an M3 you think Lexus has more aftermarket support. BMW has 10 times as much support, ranging from full BMW warrantied Dinan, to ACS, Hamann, J. Comforti, you name it. Lexus has TRD, which costs way too much. You can buy anything for a BMW, lightened flywheel, S/C, turbos, suspensions, headers, etc.
Also, maintenance of a new BMW won't cost you anything for 4 years, so it's more an issue for used ones.
BTW, does Lexus offer free maintenance for 3 years like Audi & BMW?

[This message has been edited by ckolsen (edited January 20, 2001).]

 

[Eddy]

I don't know about that BMW reliability. If you race it and push it hard, i've seen the engines go bad in them in low 15k - 25k miles. I dont know how..could've just been a melon, or maybe the guy redlined the engine all the time and it finally just died. But then again I have a friend who has the 325i (i believe, i get the #'s confused) and that thing hasn't given him problems yet with pretty high miles...so i don't know.
As for me, i like the toyota reliability cause i've seen it for myself. Dad use to have a '81 corolla and it actually reached 1 million miles, and all that it needed was just regualar maintenance. NOTHING, i mean nothing ever went bad on it. Dad sold it after awhile (which made mom pissed) and he bought a Ford Minivan (in the minivan era) and that thing has been constantly breaking down.

My dad regrets selling that corolla.

 

[Rookie84]

Originally posted by Altezzer:
Don't forget the 2 cool guys that go with either of the new IS300 models, compliments of Lexus. With the manual you get a guy named manuel who will perform all the maintnence for 5 years an be a great road trip buddy and with the sportcross you get a guy named Weagon. He's not quite as cool as Manuel, but he has a lot of good ol hippie stories to tell.

Hey!!! That was my line!!!!!

------------------
K.P.

 

[vlad_a]

Here's what I think.
Test drive both cars. See which one feels beter to you. That's what I did. I tried BWM 328i (330 wasn't out yet) and for some reason I didn't get the same feeling feeling of control I got driving IS (maybe because it's my 3rd Toyota). That and the price difference were my deciding factors for getting IS. The only thing I regret is that the manual tranny wasn't available.
Oh, well I'm still taking unneeded trips in my IS.

P.S. One thing I don't like about IS are those pesky paint chips on my hood. I didn't notice that many on my friends' BMWs.

 

[ShoRoom_IS300]

I bought my IS300 a week ago and I test drove the 330ci and I found that the handling was better in the IS300 and the comfort level was better in the IS300 but I found the the 330ci was a little more quick and had a little more ups than the IS300. I perfered the look of the IS300 over the hundreds and hundreds of mom and pops BMW's out there. Just my opinion. You will not regret your IS300 purchase!!

------------------
TC
Spectra/Blue
17" Lexus Chome
01 Nissan Pathfinder

 

[BMW330ciNJ]

**** the cheap ass IS...go for prestige and get a Bimmer

 

[MrEee]

You know, one thing that I find refreshing about this board is that it does not get the amount of subjective crap like you just put out. It is unfortunate, but your comments re-affirms that a lot of people are simply buying a BMW because of the name (a.k.a., prestige).

How can you refer to the Lexus IS300 as "cheap ass". Do you really think the build quality is inferior to that of BMW? Do you think that it is not as reliable as a BMW? If you resoundingly said yes to any of those questions, you are not being objective at all, nor true to yourself.

Do you call it cheap because the Lexus IS300 includes premium sound (240w), in-dash 6 disc CD changer, anti-theft alarm, metallic paint, etc as part of their stardard base package? You do know that these are all additional charges on your 330. Do you call it cheap because a Lexus IS300 fully outfitted cost ~12K (CDN) or ~$8K (US) more than a similarly outfitted 330i?

You have a nice care (I hope it is 5 speed). I am currently a ('99 323i) BMW owner myself. The reality is that the luxury sport segment is really heating up. BMW is not the only store in town anymore. Audi, Lexus, and MB are right there, and in many cases are providing the market with a better value proposition.

You go ahead and buy prestige, that is absolutely your right. However, I want the car that can provide me with the best driving experience at a reasonable price. Before my 323i, it was an e36 325is, and prior to that it was an e30 318i, etc.

Tomorrow, it may be the '02 Lexus IS300. Man, I hope that the manual version provides a sweet ride.

Peace out!

Originally posted by BMW330ciNJ:
**** the cheap ass IS...go for prestige and get a Bimmer

 

[vlad_a]

MrEee, don't mind BMW330ciNJ. He is just a weed (not the kind you smoke) on this board. He wants to see you reply.

I've seen European commercial where women determine what kind of cars men drive by the size of their dicks. I guess, if BMW330ciNJ feels his car is so superior, it must say something about his size.

 

[Lexus_IS300]

Originally posted by ckolsen:
Lexus_IS300, I'm surprised if you owned an M3 you think Lexus has more aftermarket support. BMW has 10 times as much support, ranging from full BMW warrantied Dinan, to ACS, Hamann, J. Comforti, you name it. Lexus has TRD, which costs way too much. You can buy anything for a BMW, lightened flywheel, S/C, turbos, suspensions, headers, etc.
Also, maintenance of a new BMW won't cost you anything for 4 years, so it's more an issue for used ones.
BTW, does Lexus offer free maintenance for 3 years like Audi & BMW?

[This message has been edited by ckolsen (edited January 20, 2001).]

do not tell me BMW has 10times more support, because you know truely it doesn't. i can give u a list of lexus/toyota support that would make BMW's list look silly. speaking of prices, have u checked out a body kit from hamann lately in comparison to TRD's? and if you wanna talk about 3 years maintenence free, have you ever realized why the 330 costs about 10k more than the IS300? =] realize japanese cars HAVE the biggest aftermarket support.




------------------
'01 IS300
'91 NSX
'95 Maxima

 

[MrEee]

Meant to say:

... Do you call it cheap because a Lexus IS300 fully outfitted cost ~12K (CDN) or ~$8K (US) less than a similarly outfitted 330i? ...

Originally posted by MrEee:

You know, one thing that I find refreshing about this board is that it does not get the amount of subjective crap like you just put out. It is unfortunate, but your comments re-affirms that a lot of people are simply buying a BMW because of the name (a.k.a., prestige).

How can you refer to the Lexus IS300 as "cheap ass". Do you really think the build quality is inferior to that of BMW? Do you think that it is not as reliable as a BMW? If you resoundingly said yes to any of those questions, you are not being objective at all, nor true to yourself.

Do you call it cheap because the Lexus IS300 includes premium sound (240w), in-dash 6 disc CD changer, anti-theft alarm, metallic paint, etc as part of their stardard base package? You do know that these are all additional charges on your 330. Do you call it cheap because a Lexus IS300 fully outfitted cost ~12K (CDN) or ~$8K (US) more than a similarly outfitted 330i?

You have a nice care (I hope it is 5 speed). I am currently a ('99 323i) BMW owner myself. The reality is that the luxury sport segment is really heating up. BMW is not the only store in town anymore. Audi, Lexus, and MB are right there, and in many cases are providing the market with a better value proposition.

You go ahead and buy prestige, that is absolutely your right. However, I want the car that can provide me with the best driving experience at a reasonable price. Before my 323i, it was an e36 325is, and prior to that it was an e30 318i, etc.

Tomorrow, it may be the '02 Lexus IS300. Man, I hope that the manual version provides a sweet ride.

Peace out!

 

[ckolsen]

I'd like to see the list of Lexus/Toyota aftermarket stuff, cause I honestly don't know of much, can you list a few? Tons of Honda stuff I know. I can buy any part for my BMW right here in New England at Bavarianautosport, and it's cheap, even stock stuff like engine components, belts, gaskets, you name it. Hamann is high end, there are plenty of reasonably priced vendors for BMW.
We're not discussing BMW's high prices, just who has more aftermarket support.
I was just pointing out that BMW buyers won't have to pay for ANY maintenance for 3 years, and reliability is not an issue for at least 4 years.

Originally posted by Lexus_IS300:
do not tell me BMW has 10times more support, because you know truely it doesn't. i can give u a list of lexus/toyota support that would make BMW's list look silly. speaking of prices, have u checked out a body kit from hamann lately in comparison to TRD's? and if you wanna talk about 3 years maintenence free, have you ever realized why the 330 costs about 10k more than the IS300? =] realize japanese cars HAVE the biggest aftermarket support.

 

[425hp]

I agree with ckolsen. E.g. I can find six different cat back exhaust systems for my M3. There is one for the IS300 from Toyomoto which I have not seen pictures or specs for. There are countless supercharger/Turbo charger systems for the M3 all of which have racked miles on them. For the IS300, I think that SRT is still developing their supercharger system and I dont think that the turbo systems have been sold in any large quantities.....

------------------
2001 IS 300
2001 RX 300
2000 Corvette Coupe
1998 BMW M3-Just Sold

 

[Rookie84]

Of course IS has less aftermarket stuffs than 3-series. Because IS is a NEW CAR!!!! Can't you see it?? It's the first year that IS came out! Of course IS doesn't have big aftermarket supports YET!! I don't know how many BMW aftermarket companies are there, but I know that toyota/lexus has good number of aftermarket stuffs. Take Supra for exmaple. You can find tones of aftermarket stuffs for Supra. IS WILL have tones of aftermarket stuffs after a year or so.

------------------
K.P.

 

[425hp]

Exactly