Lexus IS300

Lexus IS300

Well I have been doing some research into getting a different car when iI graduate from high school. Lately I have taken notice to the Lexus IS300. The specs on it look good and it seems that I wouldn't have to mod it out a lot. Anybody have any input on it? I'm thinking about going for the 2002 5-speed model.

i think its a great car, i woulda gotten one instead of the corolla if it were maybe twenty grand less :wink:

IS 300's are nice cars! Figure it's the better brother of the Corollas

faster with bigger engine, nice rims, e-shift, all this other stuff but as stated prior had it been less hell ya i would of had it.

But if you're going to buy a brand new IS 300 for sticker....i would spend the money on a G35 coupe!! I just love those cars as well. or get a 350Z that's less then both and get the greddy TT upgrade kit that they have (they have it for G35 too). My $0.02

i'd go with the is300 since it has the 2jzge and u can slap a big ole turbo on there pretty easy

very nice car..they seem to be built very solid...my friend has a blue 5 speed and loves it to death 8)

i've always been a fan of the IS. But they have the worst sales numbers in the US in terms of Lexus models which is why they're changing it. If you can afford it, i'd wait for the IS Coupe coming i think within the next year or two. It'll be a 300hp monster i hear and only available as a two door.

I'm thinking about going used, probably an '02. The price is pretty good and is better in terms of power and design compared to the RSX or SE-R.

Re: Lexus IS300

good luck with that. IMO the IS is a great car. around here (200 mile autotrader.com search for a 2002, 5 speed) they run $22,000-32,000. please share your secret for sucess. im quite sure the rest of us would love to know how a 17 year old is going to buy and insure this level of vehicle.

lets use a median price. $27,500 60 month 6% = 531 per month.

figure insurance is going to run 250 a month....

so about 800 a month for the car, not including fuel or other expenses. still sound good? lets continue....

lets give you a pretty good teen job at 7.50 an hour (most start at 6.50 around here.) if you work 30 hours (the most a minor can be scheduled) for four weeks (dont forget to subtract a nominal 15% for taxes) thats about your 800 a month car/insurance bill.

plan on doing anything else? maby take a gal to the movies in your new ride? how about a place to live? (...or you plan on taking that gal back to mom and dads place after the movie?)

take no offence, as in sure your about to tell us your graduating as an 18-19 year old and have a 15+ dollar an hour tax free job, but for those of us that live in the real world a late model IS is out of range for a teen.

Re: Lexus IS300

Whoa! That'd be 3000 a year for insurance?! Is it really that high?!? After an accident mines was still only about 2k.

IS300 is definately a very nice car but you better think about things economically.... I had a down payment for an Evo 8 in white but reconsidered after having a talk with my uncle. Good thing too, with the Evo, I'd be broke on gas alone and the amount I'd have to pay for repairs on my car, I could of probably bought a corolla!

Going into college you usually dont need a car unless you're a commuter. If you're bringing your car for pleasure uses only its not worth it.

around here i've seen a few 02 5 speed IS300's priced at around $17,000 to $20,000 w/ 40k miles on it. In fact I have a friend who got one for 19K w/ 35k miles on it. IMO he's a dumbass. His mom works at a college, which means he gets free tuition there. He still took out 20K in college loans to buy a car. So basically in 4 years when he graduates, he owns a 6 year old car that he owes 20 grand on. I laugh at him.

I also wonder how a kid in high school can afford to pay for an IS300. If your parents are paying for it, hey that's cool w/ me I won't hate, more power to you. But I find it near impossible for someone that young to be able to afford one. I myself, inherited money to buy my rolla. My car is paid off and i still don't make that much extra money each month. I have rent and bills to pay for, I work 40 hours a week at $8 and am still only left w/ $200 in "fun" money each month. I couldn't imagine having a car payment and higher insurance. I would literally have no spending money. My goal is to get out of college in the next 2 years, find a
"real" job and then maybe look into buying a used IS.

Re: Lexus IS300

Like everyone seems to be saying, nice car, but don't kill yourself financially just for a car. Live within your means and you'll be much happier. If you have other financial options, then go for it. The IS is indeed a nice luxury sports car. They can be modded to be very fast and very furious as long as you have deep pockets. They are other luxury cars out there too so don't limit yourself and keep and open mind. For reliability though Lexus is number one in the luxury line.

First of all let me let you know that it is still a plan and by all means it could change between now and whenever. However, I am not an average kid in high school working at McDonald's or some place. I happen to work for a bank making quite a sum of money. I plan on having most of my college payed for by receiving scholarships and grants, and the rest I will probably have to borrow from my parents or get student loans. I also plan to trade in my 03 Corolla. So now that I have the wages and means to pay for a car in the low $20k's all I have to worry about now is how to insure it. I turn 18 in less than a month, which means in Texas my insurance will go down a bit, I have no tickets and have been in no accidents, and I qualify for my insurance companies good student discount, and I'll still be insured under my parents so the cost will be further reduced. Pending the insurance, I bet that I can afford one. Just because most people my age either have a) no job, or b) work for minimum wage 15 hours a week doesn't mean all teens follow that same pattern.

As for a secret for success, here is one for some of you:
If you are in high school in either your Junior or Senior year there are excellent work programs in place to help you receive higher wages and prepare you for the business world. Most teens are unaware of these programs because they don't care, want to have a blow-off year, or don't know about the school's work program. The experience from these work programs are great. Where else can you earn a higher income than most people your age, get excellent job training, place a good occupation on your resume, and earn high school credit at the same time? If you aren't looking into buying a car then you can save that money into a money market where it will still earn interest and be easily accessible. That should put you well off for most people your age.

Sorry. I'm just venting a little. Hehe.

I agree that you can get good jobs out of high school. I ended up making 30K at 18 and by 20 I was making 50K. Still, when you go out and live on your own, there are a lot of expenses you don't think about when your in High School. Heck, I use to tell myself in HS that all I needed to make a year was 36K and I'd be set. Thank God I was wrong.

It is good you have your head on straight and have a good outlook on life. If I was in your position, I'd get the IS. I considered getting one when I was looking for a car, but when I realized I'd put well over 100K on it in about five years, I decided to get the commuter car while my wife got the "cooler" car. The deal was though that I would get to mod my car up to decent performance levels...

hey anybody wanna hook a fella up with a job?!

this weekend during hte hurricane my car was stuck on empty with gas. My dad was in new jersey and said i could drive around his clk-430...... I WANT ONE!!!!!!!

hahaha went from a corolla to a clk430 huh?i dont think i could handle a jump like that :wink:

it was so great. ima ask for a trade. lol

Jobs

Believe me when I say that there are a lot of good jobs out there that do not require flipping burgers or stocking schelves. A lot of offices take on student interns to help with filing, presentations, or other office activities. If you are interested try going into a law firm or insurance office and see if they are hiring high school kids.

grocery stockers make 20-30K a year, managers can make up to 6 figures in time

machine operators in manufacturing plants make 11-18 in the midwest and 15-22 on the westcoast

customer service reps at my company make 40-50K per year. One has been there 6 years, makes 40K, one 17 years, makes 43K, and one before time makes about 50K.

utility meter readers make 30-40K per year

telephone and cabel installers that work for Time Warner or SBC make 40-60K here in the west coast, at least the ones I have talked to

just a few. many places pay "under the table" here too, illegal, but reality

im 17 and im gonna be starting later in the year working in my cousins cpa. i even get a credit for it in school

Re: Lexus IS300

Who is this guy with all this maturity talk :roll: ¿

Well here's my .02 I think the car's are great, but take it from a 21 year old who has a perfect driving record and a 4-dorr car, my insurance is still $1900 for 6 months and that's the cheapest, true I live in FL which is a no-fault state. But when my ex husband was stationed in TX I still paid a good amount for insurance. You may be under your parents insurance, but what about when you move out?

I agree about the job thing, you can get a good job, and yes you can work 40 hours a week heck I was doing it at 16. But you have to think worst case scenario, what if something happens to your job will you be able to afford this is you don't get a high paying job right away. And are your parents gonna sign for the car? At 19 with a 835 credit score I still had a 7% interest rate, and now I finally have it lowered to 4.25% and i'm still paying $200 a month and that's on a $9000 car!

My advice as someone who just experianced the teen years think worst case scenario, anything can happen! Especially in TX

It's an awesome industry to get into, that's one thing that will never go away!! My mother is a CPA and makes pretty good money!

Here is another way to help out your financial situation. Try to find assets that put money in your pocket that you are comfortable with. You do have to do some work, but as long as you have rights to it, youll still generate money from it. Thats my .02.