Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

In order of strength - handling, transmission, visibility, size, comfort, power, luxury.

Handling - tight quick steering, big tires/wheels, stiff suspension, wide wheel base

Transmission - 5 spd auto - shifts manually from steering wheel or console - great for speed braking.

Visibility - remove excess head rests and bling spot is minimized - outside mirrors are good for American market. Parabolic outside mirror would be improvement.

Size - easy to park, easy in/out with 4 doors, power seats optimize space used, trunk configuration with spare below is very good.

Power - 3 liter engine with 1 passenger has all the power needed to out accelerate almost all normal road traffic for passing.

Comfort - power seats, low front console passenger foot well, headliner are all best in class.

Luxury - std CD radio speakers very good, power seats could only be improved with memory, seat fabric could be improved with leather.

Faults:

Dysfunctional fuel gauge, which I was told was because of an after-market amp and speakers I had installed, ha!

Completely shut down twice while driving down the road.

Hesitation when the gas is pushed to the floor, it will not go like it used to.

Erratic shifting.

Faults:

Generally, I really like the car.

The biggest problem has been with Lexus Mission Viejo, CA dealership. They took a highly tested car, and added inadequately tested custom wheels. The result was an intermittent vibration.

It's my opinion that the dealership has dragged their feet in addressing the wheel problem. At this point they've finally put on wheels that stopped the vibration and put on new tires. I let them try the wheels with the agreement that I didn't like the wheels, but was willing to try them to make sure the vibration was gone, and to see if the wheels "grew on me." I did not ask for the new tires. I was told that if I decided that I still disliked the new wheels they would be replaced on my say so, with zero cost.

The vibration is gone, but I don't like the appearance of the new wheels and I strongly dislike the different tires that they decided to mount. I didn't ask for the new tires.

At this point I've now have custom wheels mounted that I dislike which originally cost me well over $2500. I also have relatively new tires that are both noisy and get flat spots when they sit for over 10 minutes. I would have much preferred that the originals had been left on in retrospect.

Lexus Mission Viejo "implied" that they would mount factory wheels and fully refund my money at one point. Now, for the past 3 weeks they have been "working on the wording" for an offer to mount factory wheels and refund only $850. I've already told them that the offer is totally unacceptable to me at this point. I've invested 7 to 9 trips to Lexus Mission Viejo and over 25 phone calls while they tried to figure out the problem. They have admitted in writing that the custom wheels caused the problem.

On March 21, 2001, I called the 800 number that Lexus publishes for these types of disputes, and so far haven't heard anything back. If I haven't heard anything within a week, then I'll move on to the Lexus arbitration process.

General Comments:

I would consider recommending the Lexus IS300 to others (and I have), but I would state my opinion that Lexus Mission Viejo, CA dealership has been unfair, unresponsive and probably unethical as well.

I'm waiting to see whether Lexus will jump in, or whethet we have to go to arbitration. I have a witness to what was said during the sale, and documentation of what happened on various trips to the dealership. I also have in writing the head of Customer Satisfaction - Service admitting that the Mas/Italy wheels that the dealership mounted before I ever saw the car were the source of the vibration problem.

Meanwhile, I have potentially unsafe problems that are not being addressed, including the wrong sized wheel key and tire wrench, and a major hesitation problem.

Faults:

Plastic panel on the underside of the car came loose & was dragging on the ground.

General Comments:

If I'm not mistaken, the IS300 delivered stock here in the US is essentially trimmed out the same as is the IS200 Sport, but with the larger engine and different transmission.

Can't get my hands on it enough. My wife is very selfish! Some unhappiness though. The car is very slow to respond to emergency starts from a dead stop. I think it has more to do though with the fact that the throttle is not mechanically linked to the accelerator pedal than it does to the transmission. However; the transmission shift points are rougher than I expected (my 93 Camry shifts more smoothly) and we got better mileage out of our 97 Avalon with a 3.0L 6cyl that we traded in (a much heavier car) than we do from the IS300.