*help* Looking To Buy Have A Few Questions! Any Help Would Be Grea

[Jimmy Lin]

Hey everyone,

I found a deal locally for a 2001 IS300 and I just have a few questions that I would like to ask owners.

The car has a Odometer reading of 162,000 KILOMETERS (100,662 MILES), should I be worried about this high mileage? How reliable/solid are the engines on these cars?

What are things I should look out for?

- Anything specific that MY01 have problems with?

- I plan on having a mechanic take a look at the vehicle is there anything that he should specifically look for that?

How much is maintanence costs on the car? (Oil changes, Brake/Transmission/Coolant/Spark Plugs etc.)

Anything else anyone would like to add would be great! Good or Bad!

Thanks in advance!

Jimmy

[smooth1]

Hey everyone,

I found a deal locally for a 2001 IS300 and I just have a few questions that I would like to ask owners.

The car has a Odometer reading of 162,000 KILOMETERS (100,662 MILES), should I be worried about this high mileage? How reliable/solid are the engines on these cars?

What are things I should look out for?

- Anything specific that MY01 have problems with?

- I plan on having a mechanic take a look at the vehicle is there anything that he should specifically look for that?

How much is maintanence costs on the car? (Oil changes, Brake/Transmission/Coolant/Spark Plugs etc.)

Anything else anyone would like to add would be great! Good or Bad!

Thanks in advance!

Jimmy

The car itself has proven to be one of the best and most reliable mechanically Toyota/Lexus has made. But, with that said, any car that has that many miles on it, the reliablity and mechanical condition are much more dependant on the maintenance history and the care provided by the owners over the life of the car, and not so much about the car itself. Maintenance care costs are no more than you would spend on most other cars, and less than most luxury brand models. I would strongly reccommend having a Toyota/Lexus tech look at the car and not just a mechanic. As that car has been out now for quite a few years, and the 2JZ motors are almost a legend. So Toyota/Lexus techs will have alot of years of working and specifically focused training and know exactly what to look for and the wear points of the motor, chassis, and electronics.

[Jimmy Lin]

How about the maintenance schedule?

Obviously oil changes every 5000km is pretty standard for all cars. The car that I am looking at doesn't use synthetic. On a engine that has 162k KM on it do you think it's to late to switch to synthetic for extra protection?

How about differential fluid? What kind does everyone use and how often is it changed out?

Brake/Transmission/Coolant - What is the best and how often should it be changed out?

Spark Plugs - How often should they be replaced?

Thanks again,

Jimmy

[smooth1]

LOL!

So long as the oil changes have been done according to the schedule, it really doesn't matter if synthetic or dyno oil was used. And it's fine to change it over to sytnthetic now, in fact they have high mileage formula's available now just for your situation.For the diff, the manual calls for 80W-90 syntheic, but 75W-90 is fine, you can use Mobile 1, Amsoil, Toyota OEM or whatever brand you cherish. It's an easy diy, you only need a 10 mm allen and a 3/8's drive and socket, along with a small pump. Brake fluid is is brake fluid, DOT4, transmission fluid I would use Toyota ATF, but Amsoil ATF works just as well as I have expereience with that. (I only reccommend what I have used and know works.) Coolant is Toyota OEM as well. Spark plugs are Nippen Denso irridiums, I would stick with those, they are the best, and last for a stupid long time, like I would change them every 50k miles or so, but I know people who go alot longer than that with out issues.

If you serach this forum, you'll see all these questions and answers all over the place. Along with a bunch of others. If you go to the top of this forum, you'll even see where you can download the owners manual for yourself and get all these answers along with everthing else you'll need to know about the IS. It's a great car by the way. For the money, it's a great buy.

[Jimmy Lin]

Thanks alot for your help! I was just a little concerned about the high mileage on the one I am looking at 162,000 km ( 100,662 miles ) but it seems to be not to bad for a 2001 especially.

[bartkat]

If it was serviced by a Lexus dealer they can pull up the records.

The owners manual and service schedule are posted at the top of the page here.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26434

[jbrady1965]

There is a nice black 2002 with 79,000 miles for 14k for sale in memphis.

http://www.cityauto.com/Vehicles/Detail.as...mp;Stock=248280