15th Feb 2006, 10:21

Well, it was able to shift the car if that's what you mean. But it truly felt like my friend's 1973 VW Beetle, not a smooth or even notchy transmission like my BMWs or Toyotas of the past.

24th Feb 2006, 20:26

I agree, I really wanted to love the IS300 when the stick version came out and I was very disappointed. Granted it was brand new and not broken in, but the transmission was anything, but sporty. The tall shift lever with the tiny chrome ball looks and feels funny. I bought a V6 5-sp Jetta, chicks love Jettas. It found me a wife, now it is hers and I can try again with an IS300 auto.

23rd Nov 2008, 15:24

I have a 2002 IS300 with 100K on it. Stock clutch and stock transmission. It can be a bit rough when it's first cold... other than that... If you know how to drive, it's a fine transmission. I haven't had to replace anything on the trans and It's all completely original.

28th Jul 2011, 22:33

I am not sure what this guy is talking about. I have had a Lexus IS300 for almost 5 years. The car is amazing; my 6 CD changer works fine and sounds great. I am not sure what this guy is putting in the CD player.

Performance is outstanding; the car has very high torque, and makes extremely sharp turns, which makes the tires wear out fast. BMWs are very nice cars as well, but both feel completely different.

I think IS300 is an excellent car, and makes me happy when I drive it. I also have BMW 528XI, which is also a great car, but again, both are different in terms of drive and feel.

Talking about reliability, no issues whatsoever. 100 times better than most of the American cars with poor quality. No major electrical problems like AUDI, and not very expensive to fix like German cars such as BMW, AUDI, MERC etc.

If I could go back in time with all the experience I have with this car, I would still buy this car with my eyes closed.

:)