1998–2005 Lexus IS300, which one of these is the best year? Why?

Question

I'm thinking of getting a IS300 but don't know which year I should get, what are the differences from those years and which year is best? It looks like the exterior of each year looks almost the same, am I right?

Answer 1

While production of the IS300 started in 1998, the model years for the first generation of this vehicle were between 2001 and 2005.



They are all basically the same vehicle (first generation) with only minor refreshes each year.

The dash and interior of the vehicles are generally the same.



Based on owner surveys, the 2004 IS300 got the best overall marks / satisfaction according to Consumer reports. Overall reliability is not able to be determined because the sample size is too small.

Answer 2

Well, the big complaint a lot of people have about the '01, is that there isn't an armrest, and the cupholder is garbage and always breaks.



HOWEVER, the 2001 had a W54 transmission, where as the following four had the W55. This is just for the manuals, but the W54 was prone to premature wear. So if it's a manual, try to look at the '02 to '05. (By the way this info is all on the USDM, which started in '01. I'm sure any earlier ones in other markets would have the same tranny)