2002 Lexus IS300

Wagon

3.0L 2997CC l6 GAS DOHC Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

JTHED192320052471

Clear

GAS

One of the rarest cars in the United States (an unintentional classic) - only 3088 sold in the US for all yearsReserve is below NADA bookVehicle is in very good condition, no rattles or squeaks, solid front end and alignment, excellent shocks, 23 mpg on average (asks for Premium, but is fine with mid-grade). Interior is in very nice condition - never smoked in. Vehicle is rust free, and the engine runs as it did the day I purchased it. Only Mobil 1 oil changes.2nd owner – vehicle originally from Texas (off lease) Bridgestone Blizzak studless Snow tires at present with 2 spares – less than 4000 miles. 2 spare BF Goodrich G-Force Comp Sport 2 tires (summer) also. First aid kit Amber fog lightsNew drilled and slotted rotors front and rear with ceramic brake pads Leather interior - no cracks - leather is still very supple. Electrochromatic rear view mirror Cargo mat in rear 6 cd changer in dash Aluminum pedals Paddle shifting control on steering wheel (manual mode) Dual lighted vanity mirrors Leather door trim Cargo net and cargo area cover HID headlights Timing belt changed at 105,000 Patrick Bedard – Car & Driver - June 2002 Readers of continuing immersion in this journal over the past 40-some years will say, "Yup, that's what it is, all right," when we describe this Lexus as a "shooting brake." Affluent Brits of yore occasionally had a sporting coupe, something from Aston maybe, cut and welded into a wagonlike conveyance for those afternoons of grousing around with the pointers and the Purdys. Or pheasanting around. At least that's the way American scribes portrayed the cars. Slaves to accuracy will note that British writers use "shooting brake" pretty much synonymously with station wagon. Anyway, this IS300 SportCross is a shooting brake of the fabled sort, a quick and rakish-looking runabout with moves remarkably like those of the zingy sedan from which it's derived, and with minimal concessions for hauling kids and hounds and large-screen TVs. That nails the legend dead-on because the "brakes" of those old pages were carrozzeria creations meticulously trimmed in luggage leather. No muddy boots allowed! These were special cars. That's the only reason we cared about them. The SportCross plays the special-car role so convincingly it should be an Oscar nominee. No one serious about creating a hauler would taper the roof so low and narrow in back, or fill the wheel openings out flush to the flanks with 45-series neck-wrecker tires, or tuck and fold the fine-grain, cut-pile carpeting so painstakingly around the load area. The details are gorgeous, from the subtly contrasting gray piping on the black leather seats to the lustrous metal grip on the smooth-pulling blind that unrolls to cover your cargo. Where to pack madame's backup Rolex and pearls? No problem. Lift a hinged panel in the load floor, and you'll see hidden compartments of varying sizes down in what amounts to a basement. Surprise! There's even a round, basin-shaped receptacle just perfect for an angel-food birthday cake, with candles already installed and awaiting ignition. All the normal station-wagon tricks are present here, although on a small scale. What can you expect from a car three inches shorter than a Corvette? The rear seats fold flat, leading back to a small ramp in the floor down to the load area behind. The front-passenger bucket folds forward, making a table of at least theoretical value. The greatest benefit of tabling the seat may be that it opens a space for long objects, all the way from the tailgate to the dash. Say your nine-foot boa locks into the unconstricted position and you need to schlep him off to the chiropractor. Just poke him in through the tailgate. If you need a fraction more, uh, headroom, pop the glove-box door. Mechanically, the SportCross is little changed from the sedan. Same silky 215-hp in-line six up front, same five-speed automatic with the shifter buttons on the steering-wheel spokes (no manual in the wagon), same lean padding on the snug-fitting buckets. On the go, wind roars a bit around the posts of this squarish windshield shape. Ride motions are crispy, or sporty, if you prefer. This is a spunky, nimble machine. Lexus admits to 125 pounds gained in the transformation to wagon. Length increases less than a half-inch, aero drag increases to 0.31 from 0.29, and occupant space both front and back changes not at all. Still, there is that special-car flavor. Where the four-door has 7.0-inch rims all around, the SportCross has 7.5s in back with one-size-up 225/45ZR-17 tires. Very unwagonlike, that arrangement. A different car we drove had shiny gray "graphite polished" alloy wheels ($400), giving a look of exotic metallurgy. Unwagonlike, too, is the effortless closing of the tailgate, and the remarkable illumination of the HID headlights on a dark country road. Decades ago, everybody knew a "brake" was special, according to those old pages at least. Would anyone get it today? At, say, the Home Depot's loading zone? Three men with orange aprons gathered when the mid-40s housewife pulled up for her potting soil and softener salt. They gave it the slow walk-around. One ventured a sticker price of $60,000 at least. And the youngest one asked what she was doing on the weekend. For the record, she denied giving out those signals, so it must be the car. PRICE AS TESTED: $33,924 (base price: $31,350) ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve 6-in-line, iron block and aluminum head, Toyota engine-control system with port fuel injection Displacement: 183 cu in, 2997cc Power (SAE net): 215 bhp @ 5800 rpm Torque (SAE net): 218 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic with lockup torque converter Wheelbase: 105.1 in Length: 177.0 in Curb weight: 3536 lb C/D TEST RESULTS: Zero to 60 mph 7.7 sec Zero to 100 mph 20.3 sec Street start, 5-60 mph 8.0 sec Standing 1/4-mile 15.8 sec @ 89 mph Top speed (drag limited) 140 mph Braking, 70-0 mph 167 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad 0.82 g