Happy Saturday guys! Last month, we had a rare opportunity to film and drive a super mint 5-speed manual IS300, big thanks again to our good friend @tysonhugie for loaning us his car and for coming along for the ride. The manual transmission in this car was such a treat and its great to see how familiar the new IS continues to feel compared to this original 1st generation!
Tyson, awesome find. I have an IS300 as well. You may want to get a front end refresh kit for lower/upper control arms. I got mine from Figs Engineering
These were called Toyota Altezza back in my country back in the day. That gauge cluster is like a classic chronograph.... Classic from all angles, this car.
This is what made Fall in love with Lexus. I’ve always wanted one! I currently have 99 ES300 daily and 2013 GS350! Nothing like Lexus build quality,reliability and longevity!!
I have a '02 IS300 Sportcross with 80k miles and love it. You hit the nail on the head about the driving dynamics. I would like a manual IS300 but i plan to get a GRC at some point. Great to see the IS getting some love
I’m all here for the old school reviews. Fun fact: the 2006 6 Speed Accord V6 sedan that you reviewed probably ten years ago was the inspiration for me to eventually get one-now I own one that’s identical to the one you reviewed, down to the color.
I was a sales manager at a Lexus store when these were new. Great car, fun to drive with a V6. Had 2 things that owners would soon discover: a round, metal shift knob that would scald your hand here in Florida heat. And you would burn thru tires quickly. In fact, these were delivered to our store with a sticker on the window warning tires were good for about 10K miles.
@@JitinMisra Sticky and a thin side walled performance tires. We would get one or two once in a while that would have all season tires that would last much longer but didnt look nearly as good on the car.
great video. i daily a 2004 sport design 5 speed. mine is onyx black, black badges, lsd, spoiler was standard at that point, black full leather, and nav. i swapped the dash and center console for 01 with the nice two tone, and swapped the nav for the cubby with the lid. i put coilovers, bbs forged wheels, and hks catback on it. it’s my daily and i love it
Thanks so much for bringing us this video on this amazing IS300! I dreamed of owning one since it''s inception in '01. Finally got the chance to sell my soul for one back in '05 with perhaps the last 5 spd manual avail in Canada. The initial plan was to drive it year-round, however, couldn't bring myself to drive this very special car on our salty roads. As a result, she only gets out cruising on nice weather days, currently sitting at 12K kms (7.5K miles) on the clock..."Engineering Amazing"!
What a blast watching this video. I've always wanted one since they came out when I was in high school. A clean one is harder and harder to come by these days!
Love seeing some of the older cars. I loved the original IS300. I thought it was such a cool car. Would love you see you test more older sport sedans. I had a 07 Acura TSX- would love to see you drive one of those
The gen 1 feels more nimble to drive that hydraulic steering is very responsive. The inline-6 one of the smoothest engines I've owned. I have an IS500 but drive the IS300 Sportcross more.
I’m in the UK so had the IS200 with the in line six 2.0 1g-fe engine. We also got the IS300 here too as well as the sports cross/station wagon version too. Great cars!
I remember whiles in high school back in '99 i ordered a Lexus Brochure for my Mom. Since she was thinking about getting a Lexus. They sent us the Lexus Line-Up and towards the last Part of the Brochure they showed this All-New IS. It was Yellow and i thought the interior was so cool looking. I currently drive a 2018 Camry. Planning on getting rid of it. Was looking at a Pre-owned 2019 IS , watching reviews and stumbled over this Video. Seeing this Generation takes me back 20 plus years ago.😁
Great review it brought back a lot of memories. I had a 2004 manual in millennium silver and had just replaced the timing belt and clutch a month before i broke my left foot. Since i couldn't drive it and it was my only car, i foolishly sold it. I've owned over 20 cars in my lifetime(I'm old), and it's the only one i regret selling. Also, when Toyota was developing their GS racing program, their engineers drove these as Altezzas. So that tells you how special they were.
Great review! It would be cool if one day you could get a modern IS 300 and do a side by side comparison to this one. Would be nice to see all the changes that have been made over the years!
Man oh man the Altezza/I300 is one of the absolute best. I remember how awestruck I was by the tuned versions i saw at Hot Import Nights and other events
One of the things that really impressed me back in the days was what I would call the watch face cluster, for me it was the coolest thing back then, and still is today.
I have a black 2003 IS with the 5 speed. Ive had it for almost a year now and I find about any excuse to get in the car and drive it! Golden era of Toyota and Japanese cars in general.
That original IS 300 is a timeless car that’ll last years if you take care of it. This is a perfect example of such a clean IS 300, and Tyson and the previous owner have definitely given it lots of love. Also that 3.0L 2JZ inline 6 is just a gem of an engine. 215 HP is still not a bad amount of power, but for a modern sports sedan definitely lacking. But this is 2003, most sports sedans of this time had around that amount of power. But the sound and feel of the engine is just what drives people into this car too and it sounds glorious.
Good review, this is one of the best looking Lexus car tbh. The design still timeless. Last time you also review this car on long time ago, time was going fast😌
I had exactly the same one but mine was a 2004. I loved everything about that car and its 2JZ paired with the manual transmission. I have owned it since new for 15 years and 264k miles. ❤❤❤ And yes, my wheels were darker.
A friend of mine had a yellow one with the 5 speed manual back in 2002. His came with navigation with that cool motorized screen. 🤓 Fun little car 🏎️ great find.
I had this exact same model! Gosh, how I wish I never got rid of this car. I just had the worst luck with it back in the day. From someone who tried to steal it by using a blowtorch, to a kid in my complex crashing his bike right on top of the hood right in front of me. The best handling car I've ever owned with a sweet engine. Ironically enough, I traded it in for the new Acura TL, which, although was definitely more luxurious, it was not nearly as fun to drive as the IS. Had a few road trips to Vegas from Southern California on the wide open 15 freeway. Lots of fun going through twisty roads heading to Julian from San Diego. I'd buy another one of these in a heartbeat!
This generation of IS was a dream car of mine back in my high school days, I believe it was a drivable car in NFS Underground or NFS Underground 2 and that probably had an impact
If sofyan is going to review older stuff, a second channel would be nice, also we would get to see how these older cars hold up value, reliability and collector wise. Good examples of a altezza!
I recently purchased a 2007 TL Type S and was between that and the IS300. I'm a bigger guy so i went with the TL but the IS was definitely in consideration.
I hate to admit it, as I typically prefer Honda/Acura vehicles for their design/driving feel over Toyota/Lexus...but anecdotally the build quality on Toyota and Lexus as they age has to be superior to most cars at any price point. Even my husband's 2015 Toyota Yaris is incredibly well put together, with tight panel gaps and decent paint to this day. All of the random plastic bits, the paint, and upholstery were falling apart on my 2007 Honda Civic by the time I got rid of it around 2017.
Me and My wife just added a 2004 IS300 Sport Design last night. 230K miles. Possible Blown Head Gasket but for $800 being the 2nd Owner I think its worth the journey. Now my 2001 Lexus LS430 have a little baby bro! ❤ Plan is to make the IS300 "Altezza" setup. My wife "Tessa" will daily drive it once fixed.
How ironic! Saw one last night and it still looked amazing! Sad that Lexus abandoned their infamous inline 6……. And never revived it…… 🤦🏻♂️, also you can still see that cruise control stalk in the current gen IS 😅🤣😂! In 2024!!!
i've had a 5 speed IS300 since new. It was turbo'd but blew the engine due to a bad wastegate many years ago. I love it too much to get rid of. Have many plans in the works ( GTE block :) )
i have been watching your channel for some time now… I hope you can do older cars as well. Cars have gotten so large nowadays … this feels like a Mini. These old cars are so mechanical you can feel the difference between manufacturers .
I drove an 05 once. had the chance to buy it from a guy i worked with, but i was a broke college kid. few years later i had the chance to buy an 06 g35 6mt sedan, and I did. i'll never pass on a car I want again.
Tyson brought something other than an Acura/Honda? Congratulations 😉 Great car. I test drove an Altezza with the BEAMS engine. Amazing thing back then in the early naughties
Lexus Is300 5sp 4doors is my favorite car and I don’t have money to buy. After 20 years But today I bought the new 2024 Cadillac ct4 v blackwing 6sp manual
![BOLIVIA vs. COLOMBIA [1-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zg15uVWjuf4/mqdefault.jpg)
Happy Saturday guys! Last month, we had a rare opportunity to film and drive a super mint 5-speed manual IS300, big thanks again to our good friend @tysonhugie for loaning us his car and for coming along for the ride. The manual transmission in this car was such a treat and its great to see how familiar the new IS continues to feel compared to this original 1st generation!
I remember your review of the acuraTL that stole BMW limelight doing it as a fwd at that! These cars are most definitely future classics
Cool Lexus IS300 Sport Line I think this at that time was a peach of a sedan.@Brian_Eugene_Lee
@Brian_Eugene_Lee Yeah
@@erorufurakku6378 No problem.
Hope we can see more older cars on this channel.
@theredline yes!! Please add some older unique cooler cars to the channel every once in awhile! I enjoy videos like this. 👍🏻
True I wanna see him review an ISF
Do a pinto plus. And glue an iPhone plus to the dash as a gps
Agreed
GSX ECLIPSE
Thanks for letting me part of this one -- and for putting a few miles on the IS with me!
Tyson, awesome find. I have an IS300 as well. You may want to get a front end refresh kit for lower/upper control arms. I got mine from Figs Engineering
*the* Tyson Hugie. I remember watching videos of your Acura Legend!
Anytime Tyson! Remember to call us when you're ready to part ways with this car ;)
I’m waiting for a recreation of sofyan driving Tyson’s Legend LS Coupe 6 sp 🤣🚗🚗
follow you since you were awarded by Acura, due to your impressive coupe Legend.
I always wanted this, a G35 or an Acura CL. Couldn't afford it back then, but those were definitely my favorite cars at that time
Keep these old school car reviews coming 🤪
Lexus in the early 2000's was *chef's kiss*.
Agreed. But that’s not the case anymore.
I have a 2003 Is 242,000 miles automatic for sale, still runs good. Same color and rims I live in Frederick Maryland.
I absolutely LOVE the IS line. Front Engine, Rear Wheel Drive, Motoring Goodness! 😍 Thanks for posting.
Dang T... surprise to see you here 😂. I probably drive my wagon more than the IS500 now
@@timw2083 ::heehee:: I’m here for any IS review! 😜
These were called Toyota Altezza back in my country back in the day. That gauge cluster is like a classic chronograph.... Classic from all angles, this car.
I don’t think I’ve seen an older vehicle on the channel. This is dope!
Expect to see more as the year goes by! :)
I dont think you havent followed him since the beginning. He used to have a lot of old cars before he got popular
Hey Naveen, 21 yo Lexus going strong. Bahaha 😂
He started out doing reviews of older vehicles on this channel and his personal one back in the day
Back in the day that was all reviewed as 2theredline lol
Glad you got this classic luxury car Brings back memories
This is what made Fall in love with Lexus. I’ve always wanted one! I currently have 99 ES300 daily and 2013 GS350! Nothing like Lexus build quality,reliability and longevity!!
I have a '02 IS300 Sportcross with 80k miles and love it. You hit the nail on the head about the driving dynamics. I would like a manual IS300 but i plan to get a GRC at some point.
Great to see the IS getting some love
I had a Lexus SC 300 coupe from this era. I plan to keep my 2017 GS F V8 5 liter for 20 years. It should hold up as good as this Lex.
This is one of my favorite Lexus' of all time! Still looks timeless today!
I remembering being in awe when I first saw the IS300 back then. It still looks great today on the road whenever I see one.
Still never seen one, as far as I know. Lexus' aren't very common here. No looking for an IS300 SportCross myself :D
"Open the hood"
2JZ no shiii
I loved this car so much! It was the perfect balance of sporty and luxury. The interior was perfect. Total gem
More of these old school classic cars please
I've owned 2 of these in automatics and still loved them! the 5 speed is a unicorn!
Thats crazy, literally going to see one of these today and this video pops up. Guess its meant to be!
Look at that paint quality!
Indeed, it was beautiful, quality paint to begin with, and clearly well taken care of by its owners over the years
lexus has always had stellar paint quality, along with mercedes.
the worst? Nissan & Hyundai.
This is awesome! I had an 04 with a 5-speed about 10 years ago, those were fun times! Such an awesome car… keep these OG type of uploads coming!
I had the OG 2001 IS300. This takes me back, thank you for the throwback
YES YES YES! So refreshing seeing older cars, reminds me of watching you back in the 2012ish era. Hoping you can review more! 🥹
TWO JAY - love the plates
Those wheels are so hot!
Timeless OG Lexus IS sports sedan, thanks for the wonderful video.
Bring back a manual Lexus!!🤩🤩
Yes another old car review keep them coming 😁👍
Thank you for posting this! I love this car and old JDM. 😊
I’m all here for the old school reviews. Fun fact: the 2006 6 Speed Accord V6 sedan that you reviewed probably ten years ago was the inspiration for me to eventually get one-now I own one that’s identical to the one you reviewed, down to the color.
I had a blue manual 5 speed. It's still one of my favorite cars. Out of the 40 cars I have owned
Spectral Blue Mica.....the IS looked great in this color The Ultrasound Blue looks pretty nice too
I was a sales manager at a Lexus store when these were new. Great car, fun to drive with a V6. Had 2 things that owners would soon discover: a round, metal shift knob that would scald your hand here in Florida heat. And you would burn thru tires quickly. In fact, these were delivered to our store with a sticker on the window warning tires were good for about 10K miles.
Why did tires wear out on these so fast ?
@@JitinMisra
Sticky and a thin side walled performance tires. We would get one or two once in a while that would have all season tires that would last much longer but didnt look nearly as good on the car.
Hell yea, IS300 is 🔥. Thanks for posting this video because I can’t get enough IS300 content.
great video. i daily a 2004 sport design 5 speed. mine is onyx black, black badges, lsd, spoiler was standard at that point, black full leather, and nav. i swapped the dash and center console for 01 with the nice two tone, and swapped the nav for the cubby with the lid. i put coilovers, bbs forged wheels, and hks catback on it. it’s my daily and i love it
Awesome job, Sofyan !!! Finding this gem 💎 of a Lexus. I would like to see if you can find the Old IS with the V8. Now that's a little monster 👻 ❤💪🏽🔥
Love the old car reviews reminds me of the old days of redline reviews
Thanks so much for bringing us this video on this amazing IS300! I dreamed of owning one since it''s inception in '01. Finally got the chance to sell my soul for one back in '05 with perhaps the last 5 spd manual avail in Canada. The initial plan was to drive it year-round, however, couldn't bring myself to drive this very special car on our salty roads. As a result, she only gets out cruising on nice weather days, currently sitting at 12K kms (7.5K miles) on the clock..."Engineering Amazing"!
Man, I've been looking for an early 2000s IS with a manual to restore. I loved these cars and appreciated how simple they were.
Loved watching this! Please do some more videos like this with older vehicles. Great video. 👍🏻
Wow, what a throw back. Thanks for this great video.
Still have mine after like 7 years. Can't sell it, especially with LSD.. and my beautiful blue.
What a blast watching this video. I've always wanted one since they came out when I was in high school. A clean one is harder and harder to come by these days!
I had one of these for 6 years. I lovedddd this car and plan on getting another one very soon. It runs!
I loved this car's interior and still do looking at it again
Love seeing some of the older cars. I loved the original IS300. I thought it was such a cool car. Would love you see you test more older sport sedans. I had a 07 Acura TSX- would love to see you drive one of those
What a great video! This was a great look back at a car I dreamed of while driving my LS400. Should of bought one when I could. Glad one survived!
Sofyan a comparison with this IS and the current one will be awesome
The gen 1 feels more nimble to drive that hydraulic steering is very responsive. The inline-6 one of the smoothest engines I've owned. I have an IS500 but drive the IS300 Sportcross more.
I used to lust after that car!! Wanted the rwd, manual, V6. Perfection! Couldn’t afford it at the time.
1 of the best sedans in history still never gets old . I know there are many in those car grave yards Singapore . Would love to have a g9od 1.
I’m in the UK so had the IS200 with the in line six 2.0 1g-fe engine.
We also got the IS300 here too as well as the sports cross/station wagon version too.
Great cars!
Been following Tyson's channel for while. Funny to see him on here.
I remember whiles in high school back in '99 i ordered a Lexus Brochure for my Mom. Since she was thinking about getting a Lexus. They sent us the Lexus Line-Up and towards the last Part of the Brochure they showed this All-New IS. It was Yellow and i thought the interior was so cool looking. I currently drive a 2018 Camry. Planning on getting rid of it. Was looking at a Pre-owned 2019 IS , watching reviews and stumbled over this Video. Seeing this Generation takes me back 20 plus years ago.😁
Great review it brought back a lot of memories. I had a 2004 manual in millennium silver and had just replaced the timing belt and clutch a month before i broke my left foot. Since i couldn't drive it and it was my only car, i foolishly sold it. I've owned over 20 cars in my lifetime(I'm old), and it's the only one i regret selling. Also, when Toyota was developing their GS racing program, their engineers drove these as Altezzas. So that tells you how special they were.
Great review! It would be cool if one day you could get a modern IS 300 and do a side by side comparison to this one. Would be nice to see all the changes that have been made over the years!
Man oh man the Altezza/I300 is one of the absolute best. I remember how awestruck I was by the tuned versions i saw at Hot Import Nights and other events
Awesome plate Tyson. 👍🏻
Great car.
32k in 2003 is crazy.
It was reasonable, the 04 TL started around there a well. A German would be pushing high 30s low-mid 40s fully optioned out.
yea. that was chump change. I worked at a Hyundai dealer and Sonata's were going for $24-$28k@@hollaz2
Those wheels are so hot!!!
I loved this review really missed your reviews on older cars
One of the things that really impressed me back in the days was what I would call the watch face cluster, for me it was the coolest thing back then, and still is today.
I have a black 2003 IS with the 5 speed. Ive had it for almost a year now and I find about any excuse to get in the car and drive it! Golden era of Toyota and Japanese cars in general.
Just beautiful, you did good Tyson. Enjoy.
Older models like this please
Love your reviews..... this took me back. You should do it more often 💯💯💯💯💯
First comment!! Beauty of an IS 300!!
That original IS 300 is a timeless car that’ll last years if you take care of it. This is a perfect example of such a clean IS 300, and Tyson and the previous owner have definitely given it lots of love. Also that 3.0L 2JZ inline 6 is just a gem of an engine. 215 HP is still not a bad amount of power, but for a modern sports sedan definitely lacking. But this is 2003, most sports sedans of this time had around that amount of power. But the sound and feel of the engine is just what drives people into this car too and it sounds glorious.
Good review, this is one of the best looking Lexus car tbh. The design still timeless. Last time you also review this car on long time ago, time was going fast😌
The IS300 sport cross wagon is the car if I can now I would still buy it
Didn’t see the throwback episode coming. Let’s keep it going 👍
Sofyan, This is the right used car I might buy.
Good to see you sofyan you starting review of old cars that's very classy❤keep it up love from pakistan
I had exactly the same one but mine was a 2004.
I loved everything about that car and its 2JZ paired with the manual transmission.
I have owned it since new for 15 years and 264k miles.
❤❤❤
And yes, my wheels were darker.
I had one during my high school years. I still miss those JDM yellow fog lights. Then I traded in for a CL-S 6 speed and Comptech SC’d it.
Paradise Valley, AZ 🌄🌵
My dream car in high school ❤
A friend of mine had a yellow one with the 5 speed manual back in 2002. His came with navigation with that cool motorized screen. 🤓 Fun little car 🏎️ great find.
Love these old car reviews 🫶
Before this car, Lexus was considered the “old mans” luxury brand
This was a car I really wanted several years ago but I never managed to get my hands on one It is a great car.
I had this exact same model! Gosh, how I wish I never got rid of this car. I just had the worst luck with it back in the day. From someone who tried to steal it by using a blowtorch, to a kid in my complex crashing his bike right on top of the hood right in front of me. The best handling car I've ever owned with a sweet engine. Ironically enough, I traded it in for the new Acura TL, which, although was definitely more luxurious, it was not nearly as fun to drive as the IS. Had a few road trips to Vegas from Southern California on the wide open 15 freeway. Lots of fun going through twisty roads heading to Julian from San Diego. I'd buy another one of these in a heartbeat!
This generation of IS was a dream car of mine back in my high school days, I believe it was a drivable car in NFS Underground or NFS Underground 2 and that probably had an impact
If sofyan is going to review older stuff, a second channel would be nice, also we would get to see how these older cars hold up value, reliability and collector wise. Good examples of a altezza!
This video explains why you were in Tyson's visitor log so recently 😅
These cars were so beautiful when they were new ! It’s nice to see one in perfect condition ❤
I recently purchased a 2007 TL Type S and was between that and the IS300. I'm a bigger guy so i went with the TL but the IS was definitely in consideration.
I hate to admit it, as I typically prefer Honda/Acura vehicles for their design/driving feel over Toyota/Lexus...but anecdotally the build quality on Toyota and Lexus as they age has to be superior to most cars at any price point. Even my husband's 2015 Toyota Yaris is incredibly well put together, with tight panel gaps and decent paint to this day. All of the random plastic bits, the paint, and upholstery were falling apart on my 2007 Honda Civic by the time I got rid of it around 2017.
thanks god, i did not sell mine early this year! still fun to drive! love it!
I hope you turn this into a series; retrospective reviews of older cars are kinda more fun than brand new flashy cars.
It was built as a BMW 3th Series copy back then. Headlights and backlights are brilliant.
Me and My wife just added a 2004 IS300 Sport Design last night. 230K miles. Possible Blown Head Gasket but for $800 being the 2nd Owner I think its worth the journey. Now my 2001 Lexus LS430 have a little baby bro! ❤ Plan is to make the IS300 "Altezza" setup. My wife "Tessa" will daily drive it once fixed.
How ironic! Saw one last night and it still looked amazing! Sad that Lexus abandoned their infamous inline 6……. And never revived it…… 🤦🏻♂️, also you can still see that cruise control stalk in the current gen IS 😅🤣😂! In 2024!!!
i've had a 5 speed IS300 since new. It was turbo'd but blew the engine due to a bad wastegate many years ago. I love it too much to get rid of. Have many plans in the works ( GTE block :) )
i have been watching your channel for some time now… I hope you can do older cars as well. Cars have gotten so large nowadays … this feels like a Mini. These old cars are so mechanical you can feel the difference between manufacturers .
I drove an 05 once. had the chance to buy it from a guy i worked with, but i was a broke college kid.
few years later i had the chance to buy an 06 g35 6mt sedan, and I did.
i'll never pass on a car I want again.
Tyson brought something other than an Acura/Honda? Congratulations 😉 Great car. I test drove an Altezza with the BEAMS engine. Amazing thing back then in the early naughties
You need to review a 2003 Nissan Maxima with a 6 speed manual!
That’s the first thing i thought of when i saw the rear lights lol. those 4th & 5th gen Maxima SE models were treasures
@@JokerG16the 05 Altima SE-R another one
@@RomanM803 of yeah, I remember that version too. those were the 2nd golden yrs for the JDM market. it was never the same after that
I had an 02 6-spd Maxima. I wish I had kept it but sold it for a G35 coupe.
@@timw2083 I had an 03 Maxima with the 4 speed auto. 😂
Lexus Is300 5sp 4doors is my favorite car and I don’t have money to buy. After 20 years But today I bought the new 2024 Cadillac ct4 v blackwing 6sp manual
🔥 Morning Coffee ☕ A Classic and Sofyan🔥....