[Shotimes] OT Lexus IS 300

[George Fourchy]

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 12:42:25 -0400, Jim Koper wrote:

>George did have an IS300. I drove it on the touring lap at Blackhawk!  Too
>small, indeed, but nice car overall. George does have, or recently had a
>GS300. I rode in that one. Sweet--but not a SHO!
>
>Where's George in this discussion?!  :-)

LOL!!  I'm sleeping in.  Monday's my Saturday, and I moved a BUNCH of dirt around in
our yard yesterday after getting up after my midshift.

You're all more or less correct.  Those who were with us at the convention last year
obviously have the straight skinny, and those who only got parts of it on the list
have less.

I got an IS 300 'Sportdesign' (limited production version...about 2500 of them) last
summer, just before the Madison Convention.  It was as close to a new luxury sport
sedan ( that I could accept) as I could find, since the Lowrider was not going to be
ready for who knew when.  The Sportdesign model of THIS line (only...not the GS) had
different (better) suspension, wheels, tires (B/S S03), paint, and emblems.  It was
a TERRIFIC car.  (I don't look at BMW because a friend at work and also a neighbor
have had nothing but trouble with them for years and years....I won't have trouble
in my driveway...and Eva's RX has been perfect, plus the dealer is VERY friendly.) 
It was as fast as any stock SHO, and got a mile or two more per gallon on the
cruise, plus...it was a Lexus.  All good points.  But then on the way home from WI,
I started realizing I was hitting my hands on my knees, just sitting there driving
it on the freeway.  If it had had the electrically adjustable steering wheel, in and
out, that would have been fine.  But it didn't.  I was going to put up with it
(should have kept it!!), but when we went in for an oil change, my REAL salesman was
there, and he said the GS-300 Sportdesign was the same thing in a bigger car.  We
got a pretty good deal on one (I pretended to be REALLY mad!), and it's here at home
now.  It is as nice a car as the IS, but it doesn't have any soul.  ....yeah, I
know...define soul.  SHO equals soul.  So shoot me!!

It doesn't have the same tires...just G/Y 225/55/16 GT +4s, like we had on the SHOs
when they were new.  Wheels are boring.  The struts are ho-hum.  The stereo is two
years old (design-wise, it's a 2001 version..needs an extra amp and sub for good
music...no Mark Levinson system w/o GPS, which I didn't want.).  So after the black
car came home and the Lowrider started up, the GS was 'out in the cold'.  Mind you,
it's beautiful inside....lots of wood (California Walnut)..even the wheel is wood. 
But it's boring to drive, even with the E-shift.   It is graphite pearl dark gray
with black interior...very pretty.

I've been threatening to sell it, but I found some wheels I like on the internet,
and I can put 17 inch 40 series Pilot Sports on them.  There are brake kits and
springs.  There are KYB struts, and maybe I can talk Tokiko into something...they
make ES struts, but not GS.  And there is a good exhaust system on the way from an
outfit that makes custom systems for Japanese high end cars.  If I could make it
FUN, I'd keep it.  I know I'd never have to FIX it.

I WANT to like it, but it has stiff competiton from a car that I continue to love
after driving it almost 300,000 miles and 14 years.  I hope I can build it into
something nice.

George