Audi/VW owners chime in (1 Viewer)

[toyotaspeed90]

Every manufacturer has something stupid they did.... if not every car has something that makes little to no sense. For instance - my 93 80 series.... I don't think Toyota had a clue how to simply control idle yet... and is why there is electronic means (TPS, Stepper motor) and mechanical means (vacuum/diaphragm) for idle control. In my old 1990 Corolla SR5 in order to even acess the rear speakers you had to completely remove the rear seat and all rear interior pieces.

I think what makes working on some cars worthwhile vs a pain in the ass - is what doesn't make sense and how often do you have to do it - or how many things don't make sense that seem to need attention...

For instance on the Subaru example - if all you have to do (other than oil changes) is those plugs every 6-7 years / 70k miles... I would consider that difficulty of the plugs is worthwhile when talking ease of working on.

Audi, VW, BMW, and Mercedes..... they have a reputation for being a pain in the ass not just because of "interesting engineering" (for instance the timing chain photos posted) but also because of somewhat nutty SST's always being needed. Not much is worse than getting into a job then realizing you don't have the tools needed - and even worse if you can't go somewhere to get the tool on say, a weekend.

As for spark plug/cap replacement - just be happy it wasn't a 1995 Camaro V8 with AC.

 

[Heckraiser]

Welp, I guess that settles that.

 

[ryanCA]

Congrats on the new ride! Locally CarMax is way over priced. Is it better in your neck of the woods?

 

[toyotaspeed90]

Welp, I guess that settles that.


View attachment 1163532

Congrats on the car! I had an IS300 - quite a different beast than the later year IS models.... but still fun,.

Can't see in the pic (or I need my glasses on)... that a 250 or 350?

 

[Weedhopper]

Looks like 250.
Get that Carmax sticker off the trunk and you are good to go.

 

[ryanCA]

Congrats on the car! I had an IS300 - quite a different beast than the later year IS models.... but still fun,.

Can't see in the pic (or I need my glasses on)... that a 250 or 350?

It's an is 350


I had a is300 sportcross in yellow. It went 275k miles and replaced it with tsx wagon

The Inline 6 of the first gen IS were legendary

 

[Heckraiser]

It's a 350 awd. Carmax price was about $500 over the only competing listings I could find, but 16k fewer miles and carmax doesn't charge dealer/handling fees (or you might say it's already built into the advertized price), so ultimately they were the best deal in the state.

The only burning sensation I have from the purchase is that the tires are pretty much shot. Carmax policy calls for them to replace if less than 4/32. Of course, the center grooves measure more than that, but the outside edges are cashed. Thankfully my TL has a set of snow wheels/tires that should bolt right up. If that works out, then these tires will be fine for next summer. TL will get a brand new set of all seasons for it's happy new owner

 

[toyotaspeed90]

I had an 04 Sportdesign manual with factory LSD in thundercloud - that plus cash is actually the trade that got me my 80.... Oddly enough an IS300 with all of about 220hp and 220ft/tq was enough to pucker you up on backroads with traction off... (I've heard in the AT/sportcross models traction control always kicked in after a few seconds... not the case with mine). In many ways I do miss that car.

the 2JZ was/is an exceptional engine.

The 2GR (which is what's in yours) is a rightful replacement.... almost 300hp and off cheap pump gas getting nearly 30mpg?! The is300 wouldn't hold a candle to that. That engine is being sought after by the MR2 crowd for swaps now... making 2nd gen MR2's extremely reliable with better than 3sgte power...

 

[Heckraiser]

That didn't last long. The is350 was averaging 18-19mpg under the exact same conditions my TL was averaging 27. I decided to trade it in, cheap out and get a Chevy. Not exactly "luxury" but it does have almost all the same bells and whistles as the IS. Will probably appeal to the hippie/yuppies I frequently work with. Got a lot of money on the IS and should be a lot cheaper to operate ( warranty, which includes all electrical up to and including the big battery to 125k--lets hope it never comes to that).

Plus it looks like a storm trooper

 

[Dubbinchris]

That didn't last long. The is350 was averaging 18-19mpg under the exact same conditions my TL was averaging 27. I decided to trade it in, cheap out and get a Chevy. Not exactly "luxury" but it does have almost all the same bells and whistles as the IS. Will probably appeal to the hippie/yuppies I frequently work with. Got a lot of money on the IS and should be a lot cheaper to operate ( warranty, which includes all electrical up to and including the big battery to 125k--lets hope it never comes to that).

Plus it looks like a storm trooper

Oh man...that's a shame. Especially since you got it at Car Max. Hopefully you didn't get ripped off too bad. On a better note, the exhaust system for my B6 Avant should be arriving from Techtonics Tuning tomorrow.

 

[Heckraiser]

I don't know why all the haterade for Carmax. Their price on both the lexus and the chevy was the best in the state (from a dealer) for mileage/condition. Nothing private party was cheap enough to compensate for the tax savings by trading in. They pretty much gave me back every penny I spent on the Lexus, even though I put 2k miles on it. Very fair, IMO. They actually had one that was cheaper than this, but "grandma blue," which is the only reason I didn't choose it.

After being stuck in traffic for 2 months with the IS, "sportyness" moved down the priority list quite a lot.