Absolutely Red ( bright red color) Smooth 5-speed Lexus Reliability Nice luxurious interior ( maybe not as high as other Lexuses but excellent) Sporty ride yet quiet and subtle on highway and rough roads. Peppy acceleration ( not as good as M3, but the M3 was almost insanely dangerous) Very safe: crumple zones air bags. Back seat space is reasonable for 2 even though car mags say it is small. Xexon HID auto leveling lights.

Gas mileage Small trunk No VSC on manual Small trunk

I purchased an Absolutely Red 2002 IS-300 on October 3, 2001 5-speed trading in a 1998 BMW M3 4-door sedan 5-speed. I am just now getting the car broken in, I have had is a couple of weeks and have about 800 miles on it. Remember, I am coming from a M3. I had previously test driven a 2001 automatic and the 2002 5-speed is much better! The IS 300 rides much better and quieter than the M3. The IS 300 has a taunt sporty suspension ,but it is not punishing. The M3 actually had a rough ride and was uncomforatble to drive much more than an hour. The M3 was fairly quiet on the highway, but the Lexus is very quiet. The stereos are comparable: the M3 had a Harmon-Kardon and the the IS 300 has a excellent 240watt stereo. I think both stereos are high level and would satisfy even audiophiles. The controls are well layed out in the IS-300. The steering is taunt and the handling is very good in the IS-300. The M3 would act squirrelly with heavy accleration in rain or sleet in first or second gear. Haven''t given the IS 300 WOT yet, but under moderate accelration in the rain it actually seems to handle better. My advice from experience keep very good Z- rated quality performance tires on the car with good rain grip even though the tread life is less. I put Toyo Proxy FZ4 tire on the M3 and they were good in dry weather and marginal at best in wet weather even though they were A rated and did appear to be wearing very well. The IS 300 comes with fairly stout Z-rated tires Bridgestone Potenza RE040 215/45-17. I will either cotninue using these or replace when worn with Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position , which have excellent wet and dry traction and handling or Dunlop SP sport 9000s which have very good traction and longer wear and are quieter. Keep good rate Z tires on the iS300. The IS 3000 interior is balck escaine leather with 35% window tin and the platinum package. The interior is modern (chronograph gages rotary HVAC controls) but I like it. It is warmer and more luxriuos than the BMW''s The escaine leather is very good at holding you firm around corners. I f I hard ordered I would have gotten the full leather but I think I like the escaine a lot better; it grips and it will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Only bad point gas mileage looks like it will be only 16-18 with mixed city/highay driving.

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BMW M3 4-door sedan 5-speed Acura Integra GSR 5-speed coupe

Everything!

It is super expensive.

My cousin has one and I thought it was awesome! But, I just wanted to point out "johnhooks", because nobody needs to know what this sick ass pervert does with his little "friends", not to mention that I don''t think anybody wants to know about how he likes to shove sticks up his ass!

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CAR SHAPE IS BEAUTIFUL VERY FAST. MOTOR IS VERY SMOOTH. I ENJOY PLAYING WITH THE MANUAL MODE ON STRAIGHT ROADS.

GAS MILAGE BUT IF YOU WANT A CAR WITH PULL YOU ACCEPT IT AND MOVE ON

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST CAR I HAVE EVER DRIVEN. I TRADDED IN A 91 CORVETTE THAT WAS MINT. AND I HONESTLY HAVE MORE FUN DRIVING THE LEXUS. THE SERVICE AND PEOPLE YOU DEAL WITH ARE SECOND TO NONE. CAR HAS A GREAT RIDE AND MEAN STANCE. I GET AS MANY COMPLIMENTS WITH THE ABSOLUTE RED PAINT JOB AS I DID WITH THE VETTE. I WAS ALL FOR THE BMW 3 SERIES UNTIL I TOOK ONE GOOD LOOK AT THE IS 300. IT JUST LOOKS BETTER. IMAGE IS EVERYTHING LEXUS IS #1

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Handling, Lexus quality

a bit small...but who cares

I have had my IS for about 8 months now and absolutely love it. First of all the buying experience when dealing with Lexus is second to none. The car itself is rock-solid. I love driving it and have a perpetual smile on my face as I take corners.

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BMW 328I

Nice yellow paint job Superb engine Classy interior...chrome ball shifter, chronograph-style gauges Superb assembly quality Available without leather, sunroof, or 17-tires, none of which I wanted. Pricey but not unreasonably so.

Automatic transmision not well designed... occasionally slips on 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts (even after a factory computer update). Slips on rolling starts. Shift buttons on steering wheel too small and unlighted. No way to downshift from 5-4 with shift lever...you must use buttons.(Lever is 5-3 only). Cannot use buttons to downshift from 2-1. Zigzag shift pattern for lever should be replaced with traditional forward-back slot. Gas mileage could be a little better.

The ultimate Generation-X car. Young guys go ape over it, especially in yellow. Most of the people driving it are less than half my age (49). The most distinctively styled gauges I''ve ever seen. This car hopefully will take some of the arrogance away from the BMW crowd....a very stubborn group.

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BMW 3-series......surpasses the Lexus in steering and road feel, automatic transmission design, and door solidness....the Lexus clobbers it in everything else. Mercedes C-class...a throughly boring o

Very good right out of the box.
Beautiful to look at.
Nice wheels (17").
Rear wheel drive (this ain't no Civic).
Sharp handling.
Firm yet compliant ride.
Nicely weighted steering (very comfy steering wheel too).
Fit and finish.
Quiet, with a sporty snarl when pushed hard.
Great brakes.
Supportive seats w/ grippy Ecsaine inserts.
Nice finishing touches, i.e. shift knob, alum. door sill trimming & pedals.
Sweet stock stereo.
Surprisingly comfortable back seats.
Excellent dealer service.

Gas mileage.
Trunk space.
Suspension problems - 3x's to dealer for rear susp. noise already.
Cheap materials used on the dash.
Shift action from 1-2 and 2-3 is a little harsh when tranny is cold.
Manual hood prop on a $30K car?
No memory seats.

I've owned the car for about 3 months now. It was first purchased as a substitute to the 3-series that I really wanted, but wasn't quite ready to spend the $$$ on. The more I drive my IS, the more it grows on me. Some may say it looks like a glamourized Civic. I can only see that from an aesthetic standpoint. Mechanically, it is worth every penny. This is a find piece of machinery. The fine mechanical balance of this car makes all its shortcomings easy to bear.

The sticker price on mine was $34K and change, but I was able to get it for $29700 plus tax & license. I also splurged for extended warranty, bringing the out-the-door total to $33K.

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BMW 330Ci - My first choice, but I wasn't ready to plop down $40K.
MBZ C320 - Ugly, inside and out. Too much $$$.
Audi A4 - Good all-around, but boring.
Acura 3.2TL - Nice & luxurious. Not enough "sport."

Styling is a real head turner. BMW drivers try to catch up with me on the freeway to see what it is. My balck beauty has chrome wheels and you can't help but stare. Kick ass sound system.

Sparse interior, but it was not why I bought the car.

The black color and chrome wheels caught my eye. It was a must have. My neighbor thought it cost $50,000. Sorry, I'm not that stupid.

This car rips off the line. Lots of young bucks try to race me (why are Camaro drivers such basket cases?). I haul of the line with the manual transmission, and let them pass me after a block (I still am a good citizen).

There are so few IS300's out there, that it is not just another Beemer (are all Beemer drivers frat boys or what?).

This car is a study in quality. I am an engineer, and was blown away by this first year exhibition.

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BMW 328, Audi A4

Good power, stereo, and seats

Cheap plastic interior, shifter buttons hard to find on wheel in turns

Had a 325 with sport package and a 328. The IS 300 is roughly equal performance for 10k less than a 330i. Great stereo and good firm handling. Missing lots of the luxury features you don't need... like auto wipers, computer, the self dimming mirror in the BMW was a nice feature tho.

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I love this car's design.

Terrible off the block speed. The jerking shifting between 1-3 is a Lexus ECU problem. Get it upgraded by Lexus.
However, I added an intake that increased the HP by 17HP. It has made an amazing difference.

I love this car. Lots of fun driving.

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Beautiful appearance... very bold and defined. People tell me it looks like a hooked up Civic, but I think it has its class. Great sound system! Smooth Ride.. typical Toyota/Lexus feel.

If you are young, or if you just love to drive.... get a 3-series... this car drives well, but it isn't a BMW. I almost bought the IS300, but I couldn't do it, it just didn't have that tight feel I am lookin for. The handling is loose and you don't feel like you are in a cockpit. For the same price, get a 325i or Xi... you wont regret it. If you are having a tough time finding a good deal on the 325i.. and you are in the MD/NJ/DE/VA/DC area - call Rusell BMW.. ask for Jerome - and tell him Vinay sent you.

Save your money... I pondered the idea of the IS300 for a while... for 30 - 35k its too small, too light, eats too much gas, and isn't yet in the ballpark with the BMW 3-series. Maybe the next generation IS300 will be more worthy of an opponent, but as of yet, the Japanese have a ways to go. Also, if you are in this arena - stay tuned for the New AUdi A4. If you are confused or have any questions, you can email me - I have done my research. escape@skyweb.net

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C240 - more feeling, less power, less kick
325xi - same power, MUCH more feeling, makes me love driving, AWD
330 - MUCH MORE KICK, MUCH MORE FEEL, makes me love driving as well
A4 - same power, more feeling, QUATTRO