Remember when EK’s were $1500 or less all day and you could choose from like 5-6 at any given time lol

EKs are becoming the EGs, which became the EFs. Don't think EP will be that desirable though. I am willing to eat my words however.

What about 2is? Theres the Mt 250s and you can always get an altezza with the beams motor. But the auto one I drove was very gutless not sure if it was a bad one. :accepted:

The 250 is a motor to avoid at all costs, regardless of transmission. The 350 is somewhat a sleeper.

Yeah the 250 is one of the most bland cars I have ever driven. I cross shopped it with the gti way back when.

I don't think the 2is is comparable. The 1st gen was made in the golden era of cars (at least for me), IS300, E46 330Ci/i/zhp, the W203 C32/C55, the list goes on. So much want.

The 2is is meh like a E9X or E8X non M.

Yes but is the 1is worth 3 e46s lol

Well for starters a similar spec'd 330ci/i/zhp would be around the same price if not more. ZHPs are reaching 2020 E46 M3 pricing. So in this specific instance, 1:1, yes. Plus you'd probably be more financially ahead with the 1is. You lose that big baller bmw clout tho

The e46 will have better driving dynamics if it’s ZHP (which it would be at that price) but the Toyota will be a Toyota and be reliable. Take your pick. Both are cool cars.

I own two IS300’s so I should be biased, but even I know at some level Toyota failed to meet the bar set by BMW driving dynamics wise. Magainze reviews at the time in the early 2000's also reached this same conclusion. Almost........ but not quite. At stock height the handling can be a bit of an adventure on the IS around bends particularly if the pavement has a warp or bump to unsettle the car… I found a subtle drop (1”) ironed that out completely.

The shifter on the manual is truck like and the BMW is obviously better in this regard too. The Altezza with the Beams engine and the 6spd manual has a much better shift action, but then you're dealing with RHD and a very peaky engine.

That said, BMW’s come with BMW problems… and the Lexus basically has none. There are some common fail points on these cars in the suspension and some random interior bits that I won’t get into, but certainly drivetrain wise there are basically none and you can expect 500,000kms+ with basic maintenance.

For a first car and if you'd want to get into the community and learn to wrench, the e46 would be my pick. I might be wrong, but I think BMW has one of the best enthusiast communities. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences (ppl i've met, bmw bs (fun), etc) with my BMWs for an IS, but if I were to buy one now, it would be the IS.

If you can DIY, the problems on a bmw are overblown. If you can’t, then they are 10x worse than you think they will be.

I feel the 1is is basically a Japanese E46 330. A little more reliability and a little less fun. I can't wrench worth shit so I'll pick the 1is, but even Toyota/Lexus can get pricy if things go wrong.

There's a IS430 prototype somewhere:
https://jalopnik.com/the-lexus-is430...s-f-1831009997

To this day, I still have "BMW problems" with my Type R. The biggest difference between the bullshit problems with BMWs vs Japanese cars (namely Honda), is the lack of DIYs and technical info.

BMW is super easy. You can quickly look it up on the forums or look up diagrams on RealOEM or even search TIS. Honda? Zero fucking support. I don't even have an owner's manual lol. The E46 M3 had a dedicated owner's and service manual. The Type R? You get the civic hatchback owner's manual if you really want one LOL. BMW also has a bunch of programmable features to turn on via Carly or something else. VW also has the same. Honda? Nope you're stuck with one option and there's no way to customize something without going full Hondata.

I think that's more a 2020 problem than anything else... manufacturers don't want you to work on your car anymore.

I don't know BMW's beyond seeing my neighbour across the street constantly underneath his, borrowing my tools to work on them, or seeing them towed home on a flatbed.

Something put him on a BMW kick, like had 2 Audis (Sedan that he drove, and wagon that wife drove, can't remember exact model). Then he replaced the sedan with an E46 325, which he was constantly under, then that was written off and he went to an E90 328 and that was towed home a couple times. Then he replaced his wife's audi with an X3, and that's been towed home and he's been under that a bit. Although about 2 years ago he replaced the E90 with an F10 535 and that seems to be pretty good, it only got towed home once.

When I had my E46 and E39, I replaced the cooling systems, the VANOS seals, and other components in the engine bay on my own. The thing about BMWs is that the enthusiast community is very strong with a good parts network. And because of the way the older BMWs drive, you want to tinker and wrench on your car.

This could be of interest to an Audi/VW enthusiast:

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/bnc...485453885.html

Why has this NB been sitting on the market for so long? Pricing seems to be fair given where the NA market has gone:

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds...481286812.html

It's getting hard to find an E46 with a manual transmission these days at a reasonable price. Might as well get something from the same era that will haul all of your outdoor gear and your dog:

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/pml...483881662.html

2003 Honda Accord LX. V-6. Coupe $5,000
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds...485418712.html

2003 Honda Accord. 2 Door. 3 litre V-6. Full Load including Leather Seats, Air, Sunroof, new 6 speed clutch, brakes and newer tires. Bought it new off a Dealer in 03. Rebuilt motor 5 years ago.

+1, that's a good solid price in this market.

There's your problem !:gay::gay:
https://i.postimg.cc/SNJ8Psqr/00-M0-...M-1200x900.jpg

Get the fuck outta here.

The manual IS250's are awful lol, 200hp is just not enough for a luxury sedan.

Well..... the IS300 is only 215hp and everyone wants ones these days!

Power isn't everything I guess

saw that too, thought..wtf..

man I sold my modded 99 miata with less mileage for way too cheap =(