rominl

i agree some. the is is definitely small and it's not the car to get if you want something more classic. go with the tl by all means, that's where the class look is.

but the handling of the is3 is good NOT all about the z rated tires. it has much less body roll, stiffer suspension than the tl, shorter wheel base, and a stupidly small turning circle. these stuff are what really kill the tl on handling. get the tls with a set of 225/45/17 performance tires and you will still lose to the is300 on curves.

for sure though, the 330i is a very nice car, but it cost like almost 8k more than the is300 too.... and umm.... nop, a turbocharged is will eat the stock gs430 alive. you can't compete 500hp on a car of this weight to a 300hp at crank car on the gs4 which is 3800lb.

rominl

awesome info eddie, it's some awesome news to hear i have to say. and thanks for the great review. if anything, to those who are close to me, i have already said many times, when the is430 come out, i will most likely get rid of the acura and get the is430. i already have the gs4 and it's a big car, so i want something smaller. though the rumor on the gs500 would be awesome.

and eddie, like i said there are already couple of is430 on the road here in south cali, very positive on that. i got insider news and there are some other that i can't say

rominl

actually, try to test drive both?

rominl

*****ing?! he's talking everything about fact. he didn't say the tl is slow by all means. i agree the tl is best bang for the buck, so i will never agree that the tl is a great car. it's a great car for the value, but it itself is not a great car

y2ks2k

To the trolls from the Lexus web site.. or whatever... This is a TLs forum.. We own the car becasue we know its better... thats why we bought it.. so if you have a problem.. read the message below and please leave, your not going to change our minds:




Note: This is my typical troll responce:

rominl

trolls? let me see

rominl: 02 nbp tl type s, 98 gs400
1sicklex: gs400, his sister owns a 02 tl type s
wilz: ex owner of the tl type s, current owner of is300
shoffin'tl: owner of tl, is300

if you don't know much history, don't say it. which part of us are bashing the tl? none of the above person was trashing the tl and praise the lexus. none of us is saying that the tls is a crappy car, in fact if someone say that i will be the first one to criticize that. but saying the tls is a god made car, or saying that it's way better than the is300, or saying the is300 is a trash, that's just plain stupid, unfair, biased, untrue, wrong.

from what i can tell most people in this thread has been responding very well to bring out the best and worst of both cars, the tls and the is300. if this useful thread for acurasouthfl to help him decide what car to get irritates you or makes you feel bad in any way, by all means don't read it.

and before anything, all four of us DRIVE/DROVE the tl/tls, so we bought the car, umm.... and sorry buddy, no one is here to CHANGE your mind. i am here to help acurasouthfl.

oh and btw, if you really want to link a pic, try not to link something in your internal network. 192.168.x.x is reserved for internal use only. i am sure you enjoy the pics and all of us are enjoy the x.

rominl

ah, now it's all about swearing. it's sad to see this thread closed very soon, hopefully to acurasouthfl you have gotten enough information to make your choice.

car_lost

sheesh... forget everything that everyone has said... you cant ask other people to tell you what car is better... everyone has different needs. YOU decide what SUITS you.

acuraguynj

As a former TL owner and now a Lexus & BMW owner, you know this thread would be over by now if we just compared both the IS & TL against the BMW 330i with sports package. HA! Just kidding, it's never going to end.

But I do think we all have to agree somewhat that the 330i is almost the perfect car in this sports sedan category. Sure people will have complaints about it, especially about the price, but once you step into a 330i with sports package, you have it all. No reason to spend more money on mods, you get what you want right out the door, because BMW gets it! They give you the Sports Package option for people like us that think every car should come with this dealer option. Handling, power, performance all taken care of, right off the bat.

The BMW 330i is amazing, you just can't explain how much fun this car is is to drive on a daily basis.

When it comes to reliability, Lexus and Acura are at the top, but don't think that BMW's break down all the time, since these are also solid cars with good reliability marks.

However when it comes to value, you just can not deny the bang for the buck that the TL offers.

acurasouthfl

I appreciate all of the responses that this topic has generated. You guys know so much about cars it boggles the mind. Last weekend I test drove both cars back to back and still could not make up my mind. The IS 300 had a stiffer feel, better handling, and a less luxurious interior. The tl-s had a more luxurious interior, smoother ride, better acceleration. If only they could morph these two cars into my perfect car. That would solve everything..lol

rominl

very true, there is a reason why bimmer is known as the ultimate driving machine, it's really a piece of fine machine i have to say. and the look of the 330i is definitely appealing.

rominl

umm.... how many and who will primarily drive the car? does the car usually carry pessangers at the back? how about luggages? how's the road condition in the area you live?

1SICKLEX

:thefinger

acurasouthfl

This will be my car primarily...not planning to use it to hall to many people around...will be moving next year after medical school to do my internship/residency...will probably end up in either D.C., washington state, atlanta, or honolulu

I just wish the IS 300 was more powerful...I'd buy it in a heartbeat...I just love the sporty exterior and the way it handles...but I just can't deny that I'll be missing out on all the features the tl-s has and the value of the car itself

rominl

ok, if you don't carry many people around, then the added room on the tls won't really be a big concern for you. in fact the tls and the is300 give you pretty much the same head room. i don't think the is300 has telescoping steering wheel (correct me) so the two cars would be the same if you are tall.

so you already know about the handling of the is300 and love the styling. the next question would be, do you drag or street race a lot? coz' imho, if you don't do both, and you drive a stick well, you can easily handle the is300 freeway on freeway and curves over a lot of cars.

but you really enjoy pushing yourself into the seat when you drag from a red light, now that's a different story. the is300 definitely won't give you as good feeling as what the tls could

rysky007

cant we all just get along

WiLz

you can get the IS over 300hp if you have a couple extra G's

vandy786

If I had a couple extra G's, I wouldn't even think about an IS300

this is me

Ok
Why would you spend say 32k on a car and spend a couple more g on just making it more powerful??
If you buy an IS and throw a couple of g into it. Why not getting something like the GS or the M3(used one)?

rominl

umm.... it's all about the fun, experience, etc....

so with the same theory, why people get an accord v6 and put 10k to make it just as fast as the tls? why i got the tls, put in coupld grands, and only make it a bit closer to the 330i? why i got the gs4, put in over 10k, and makes it to hang with other cars? it's all about the fun in modding cars, learning stuff, etc...

otherwise, if we are all looking for a stock cars that's fast and good, just wait till you have the money to get the m5 and you are done but then i know even if i get the m5 i would still mod it. what gives

WiLz

it just depends on personal preference, i mean some people don't like used cars. some people may rather have a "turbocharged IS" rather than a "used, stock GS"

acurasouthfl

a 2002 M3 with the SMG and low miles with all the usual options...is atleast 50K...way out of my present price range

rominl

and if you put in the cost for maintenance down the road it isn't even funny

edgalang

OK normally I wouldnt respond to a pointless thread like this...but seeing as though this thread actually kept it clean, I'll join in on the fun.

I have a 2002 TLS and 2 best friends with a 2001 IS300 auto and a 2002 IS300 stick. I have driven them both (short and long distances)...and all I could say is that it all depends on what type of category your driving habbits fall under.

The grass is always greener on the other side...so while I love the handling, quietness, build quality and the luxury service that they get with their cars...they in return envy the small little details like memory seats, automatic folddown side mirror, freeway passing power, the NAV, and (who'd of thought) long distance fuel efficiency of the TLS.

Ask yourself. Are you going to be spending most of your time going fast on the freeway? Or darting in and out of small city streets?

But...before we go off on a tangent of well this car is better yata yata, we have to have a baseline to make our decision easier. First gather up some discipline and set a fixed price for yourself. Obviously you cant compare a fully loaded TLS with an IS300 because personally...if by miracle some fool offers me an even trade for an IS300 with NAV for my car, I'll do it in a heartbeat and drive away without looking back. But...reality hits...and as usual, $$$ is the bottom line right?

Don't listen to other peeps about mods and what not. I don't know about you, but I generally don't buy a car for what it "could" be...I am more focused to what my money is getting me NOW. Think about it, if modding is such a high priority, then everyone should be getting an econobox and moddifying that instead. But alas, not everyone has the time or energy to do so, nor can justify returning to the bank and finance an additional 10k loan for a turbo. Modding is done so that over the years you can continue to feel good about your car, and is not something that should be overly praised...especially if used as a daily driver.

Here's a quick low down.

My friends' IS300 complaints:
Long distance driving conditions suck. (esp with 2001 auto...no armrest)
CD player keeps jamming up.
NO NAV!

My TLS complaints:
They laugh at me when I can BARELY make U-turns.
Build quality doesn't compare to theirs. (Open and close the doors...that should be enough)
People always want to take my car on long trips (well...not really a bad thing I guess)


Sure the RWD and handling is nice...but I primarily bought my car for long distance commute. Oh, and you can call me a geek...but the NAV was actually the MAJOR selling point. So...the choice is yours...what type of driver are you? I've personally had MANY adventures with my lady friend in mine, so all in all I believe I made the right decision (at that time).


P.S.
Im suprised...if this car is primarily going to be just for you, then why not a 2 door?
OMFG..it's almost 7 in the morning...I gotta get out of here and go to sleep!

acurasouthfl

well..2003 IS 300 has added an arm rest and a pop up navigation system...but 215 bhp vs 260 bhp in the TL-s...that's a considerable difference

edgalang

So is the sticker. I thought we were looking at 2 different cars for the same price. I know they added in those options, along with other things...but unless you are going to stick to around the same same price of the TLS, then an IS300 w NAV is no longer an option. That was my point. Don't compare the same cars fully loaded...compare them with the same $$$ amount.

1SICKLEX

Tsk, Tsk, u get what u pay for....."Value" is such an overused word, like peak Hp and Love....

rominl

HAHHAAA..... this is a really really good one

edgalang

Whats wrong comparing them with the same $$$ amount? There HAS to be a limit on your budget right? All I'm saying is how much can you spend, then judge how much can you get from that. Plus I never used the word "value". If money was no object, why get Lexus in the first place

this is me

Can you tell us which one you will buy? i'm dying to know.

RAdams

Isn't the very definition of "value" what you got for what you paid?

1SICKLEX

VALUE is paying LESS for an item that has the same features as a comparable item.

For instance. The GS and 540 and E-class share basically the same features but the GS is 5k cheaper. That is a value. I am not missing out on anything but the additional prestige a BMW or Benz has. I am not missing real wood, dual zone AC etc etc...

I do not find value in a product that is obviously cheaper made and is well CHEAPER. That is a cheaper product, not a value.

That is why IMO, (IMO ladies and gents) value is so overused. You can say a LS 430 is a value over a S 430 or 500. YOU CAN't say it is a value over a S 600, causethe LS 430 missing a few features and you would sound dumb stating so.

Lexus has done so well cause it gives you equivilent or more features for the money, not less features and less money....

edgalang

Well said...but then why make a tsk tsk value remark on my post, when all I am trying to do is compare 2 cars that one would pay exactly the same price for. So in a sence, even if I did use the term...woulnd't I have used the term correctly? Don't get me wrong...I consider an IS300 with NAV more pimp than a TLS with NAV...but $$$ usually falls as the bottom line (that's why the 2 cannot be comparable). Just speaking from personal experience, whenever my friends and family asks me for electronic/computer advise, I always start with "how much are you willing to spend".

Michellene

The TL is a dressed up Accord. It's OK!!

I shopped around for several months before deciding the the TL-S. I drove Mercedes C240, IS300...even test drove a Lincoln...

I decided IS300 or TL-S. Bottom line was cost...I wasn't about to pay more for the same options...I am by far getting more bang for my buck with the TL-S than the IS300.

Just my .02

TommiGSR

iTrader: (1)

i considered an IS300, but the altezzas just made me turn my head to a TL

acurasouthfl

I dropped by the infiniti dealership to check out the new g35 sports coupe. My intention was merely to take it for a little joy ride and see what it was all about. It had an unbelievable feel on the road and an extremely responsive steering wheel. I took each corner with confidence and I had a silly grin on my face when I stepped on the gas on a straight away and heard the most exquisite exhaust note I've ever heard. I swear the exhaust sounded very similar to the time I was lucky enough to be a passenger in a ferrari 348 spider. The perforated leather seats felt very firm yet confortable. I felt like it was custom fit to my torso. The in dash 6-CD changer with Bose audio sounded awesome.

I realized that this was the car that I was looking for. So I've decided on the infiniti g35 sports coupe instead of the acura or the lexus. Now all I have to do is wait for it to get here.

rominl

haha you changed all the way from a sedan to a coupe? but it's definitely a freaking nice car

WiLz

i wanted one of those...but i didn't have time to wait

snapple

I got the '03 TL-S with navi and I have beeten soo many IS300s and don't forget about the looks that you get in a TL-S.

acurasouthfl

well..look at it this way wilz..the first year any car comes out is usually the worst...by the time you decide you still want a g35 coupe, it will have gotten rid of all the imperfections as well as design and mechanical miscues that always plaque the debut model