2002 Lexus IS 300 Sportcross: The Oppositelock Review

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
07/30/2019 at 10:57 • Filed to: sportcross, oppo review, sportly

T wo years ago today, I murdered the previous automotive version of myself by buying this car.

I spent two years looking for a good Sportcross. On one glorious summer afternoon — July 30th in the year 2017 — fate decommissioned my third Tercel and I bought this car a few hours later. It was the right car at the right time.

BEYOND THE STEEL; STARTING WITH THE FEELS

While it has been one of my better financial decisions, it’s also been somewhat of a painful one.

It is still the most expensive car I’ve ever bought for myself. And then I turned around and shelled out for major service, timing belt, and had the rear bumper repainted. It was a real psychological barrier, but I knew if I was going to buy something that wasn’t a total piece of crap, I had to do it right. And in exchange I have a car that needs *nothing* and has given me absolutely zero problems. Incredibly antithetical to all other vehicles I’ve owned.

There was the typical honeymoon phase, which lasted an exceptional amount of time by my standards. But then came the clash of “new” me versus old me. The interior was nice and clean – TOO nice. I don’t bring food in there, or any open drinks. The existing minor physical imperfections on a 17-year-old car SCREAM at me, in my weaker moments (“You mean: all the time?”) SHUSH! I carefully disassemble the cargo cover when I lay the backseats flat. I have a blanket or towel under any and all cargo. I think I had an existential crisis the first time I curb-rashed a wheel.

It is also the first vehicle I spent a cent of superficial bogus nonsense. Specifically: my grille, tint, and Altezza-delete. I mean, I’ve already dropped some thousands of dollars, so what was a few hundred more?

This car also turned my expectations upside down. For years I thought my wife’s Pontiac Vibe was a nice, enjoyable car. But after a few days with the IS, the Vibe feels like a hard-plastic penalty box. Same with my base work truck: I really enjoyed the ride back in 2014 – because it was sadly the nicest (and newest) thing I’ve driven long term… Now it’s just sloppy, uncomfortable, rattling cabin of cost-cutting. I sometimes wonder if I would have been better off never “upping the stakes” and lived in blissful ignorance…

But…

Let’s face facts: this car broke my Cycle of Shit (pardon my French). I suspect had I would have probably bought and gone through three more sub-$3k cars and lost money on all of them. Whereas now I have something I’ve kept, improved, maintained, AND it still has actual value. And I don’t necessarily mean dollars and cents; I mean something that is reliable, enjoyable, and comfortable.

Other things I take more delight in that I want to admit: the social aspect. I get compliments all the time, even though no one knows what it is. Perhaps that’s an indictment on the perception of the Lexus brand. Backseat passengers happily comment on the comfort, and people don’t believe it’s actually 17 years old – until they notice the tape deck, I suspect. My wife wants to take it for any long drives or leisurely errands. People don’t even believe the Lexus badge. “They made a wagon?!?”

AESTHETICS

The Sportcross seems to have a bit of a polarizing design. They sacrificed utility, (referring to the D-pillar) which results in a heavy “sporty” rake. But it is only less than 1” longer than the sedan. And I think it looks fantastic. I didn’t even hate the factory Altezza (get it?) tail lights, but the pearl metallic paint and all the shiny chrome just really didn’t work for me, so I had the tail lights tinted red. The factory “black chrome” Altezza lights you could get worked great on some colors, but I could tell I wasn’t going to like them on mine. It has five brake lights which is mildly amusing.

CREATURE COMFORTS

Did I mention the tape deck? Good, because mine’s broken. True luxury.

About as advanced as the pullout method.

In all seriousness, the seats are wonderful, and the heating and air conditioning are better than any vehicle I’ve ever even rode in. In winter, you don’t have to drive around for 5 minutes to feel some lukewarm heat. It’s hot within a few blocks. Same speed with the air conditioning, which is so cold you could cryogenically freeze some putz named Philip so that he could be welcomed to the World of Tomorrow!

QUALITY OF MATERIALS

The stalks are heavy and purposeful. The steering wheel is enjoyable to caress. The little “clicks” when you press buttons and switches – especially when you put on the turn signal — are so satisfying, as opposed to feeling like they’re about to fall off. The armrest on all doors are padded. The door handles have the correct amount of feedback. The doors shut with authority. Even little details, like the cargo cover, are high quality. Not some stretched-out tarp with tangs. It’s a lovely scroll of ventilated leather(ish). This was from the last era of Toyota putting out overbuilt vehicles. Having driven Toyotas of all decades from the ‘70s until now, this really was the sweet spot.

Though it’s not all roses… This car spent some many years in Florida and California. Thus, the infamous sticky dash that plagued ’02-’05 dashboards has graced me with its presence. And it’s not just the dash itself; it wraps all the down the center console and shifter. I had plans to strip the dash and refinish it. But I’m kind of terrified to do so dash-in, because of my light interior. There is also the issue of varying degrees of success. So later I schemed to buy a new dash, made for an ’01 that doesn’t have the black sticky areas. But that’s some serious money. So basically, I’ve been waiting for any sedan to show up a local yard so I can just take out that dash – and hope it is also not sticky. Not a whole lot out there, so I’ll just wait and ignore the problem. But it would make the interior look brand new if that was remedied. The suede on the driver’s seat is starting to wear out, but this car is getting old. And I’ll take some frayed suede over ripped leather any day. There’s a penny-sized ding on the fender that mocks me. Minor things like that.

HANDLING

This thing is bored with most corners. I’ve never made it break loose. To be fair, I’m relatively unskilled and unadventurous as a driver so… Anyway, it drives like it’s glued to the damn road, no feeling of instability at high speed. And I absolutely love that it’s RWD. The steering feels incredibly direct. A touch of the wheel and the car follows. I’m worried there is some serious eye-rolling going on right now about me gushing over an old Altezza, but try to imagine having only owned the vehicles I’ve owned. Where one comes from shapes all perception and future experiences.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

AUTOMATIC — What can I say? It’s this transmission. It’s smooth and punchy on the freeway when you’re already flying which is a lot of fun, but good Lord this car would be vastly improved with a third pedal. This automatic short-shifts like nobody’s business when you try to drive it like an economy car. The PWR button helps hold revs a little longer for some occasional on-ramp jollies, but for normal driving it is still an automatic. I’ve actually found that you can eliminate those sloppy shifts by putting your foot in it. Yes — the car shifts and moves better if you have a lead foot. Feathering it is totally futile and yields unsatisfying results.

Two of my favorite things

The manual mode is uninspiring. It’s better to just enjoy it as an auto versus living in denial by hitting those steering wheel buttons and waiting for it to shift. But the gearing is great, so when I stomp the pedal *snaps finger* we are movin’. It just pulls away. In reality, I don’t see myself ever springing for a swap, nor do I want the sedan (though I considered it strongly for a time). It’s still a great cruiser. My bum left knee really appreciates the two pedals. And doggo loves the hatch.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS AS A DD....

If an alcoholic were a car.

It’s like getting kicked in the genitals twice every time you go to the pump: one kick for the wonderful 20.7 or so miles per gallon, and a second for the premium fuel. If I had to actually drive this as a commuter car, I can guarantee it would have not been a candidate. Some of you may remember these ramblings from my car-shopping posts from back then. Fortunately, I only drive this maybe 3,000 miles a year, so distance between each kick is dilated.

I’ve had worse.

The cargo area has actually been perfect for me. Doggo fits nicely – and relatively safely – in the back without protest. There’s something like 21.4 cu ft of space behind the seats, and 40 with the seats back seats down, which fold 60-40. But as with some other Toyotas, the front passenger seat folds flat forward, so you could really cram some crap in this in a pinch. However, due to the light-colored interior with carpeted everything, we know I’ll never risk scuffing anything. But someone else could, in their Sportcross. Not mine. That’s what the pickup is for.

Another major adjustment for me has been the ride quality. It’s a smooth powertrain, but there is no sidewall on these tires and you feel everything. In other words, if you’re on a freshly paved road: sweet Moses, it’s delicious. When you’re on a road that hasn’t been service in a while: you’ll get to where you need to go, but you actually have to watch that you don’t bottom out on a shallow pothole.

Speaking of bottoming out: let’s talk about ground clearance. This is the lowest of any vehicle I’ve owned by a country mile. I even scraped the bumper backing out of someone’s driveway that had an otherwise incredibly inconspicuous dip. The ground clearance on my Celica was almost as high as my Tercel wagons. And my pickups, shoot: they have better from clearance than a new Colorado. The Sportcross though… Not for the faint of heart.

LOOKING FORWARD

Every day, I’m looking up other cars. That will never change. 4Runners, Z4 Coupe, Paseo convertibles – countless “what-ifs” and researching various models to death that I am highly unlikely to purchase. The difference between the Sportcross and past cars is what I window shop all day but then sit back in it for a nice drive, I think, “No. This is right.” I remember when my infatuation for the Celica waned, the drive was no longer enjoyable. This is not a problem with the current ride.

I really have no idea what 2020 will bring — it’s a small miracle that I’ve lasted even this long. I’ve got just under 99,000 miles, with all updated maintenance, so there’s certainly no sense of urgency to move on, nor a worry of reliability. This is damn fine car. I have total and complete confidence in it. I love how it looks. I don’t think there exists a better smiles-per-dollar value out there for me right now if I were to consider replacing it… It would have to be a real budget-buster.

But for now, I’ll say that I’m incredibly pleased with this my 17-year old fancy Toyota.

Almost as beautiful as the sunset.

Thanks for reading.

DISCUSSION (33)

Cash Rewards > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 20:58

Nice write-up!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 21:28

Sorry, as a millennial I need this to have more emojis and a clickbate title.

“I bought my dream Lexus and what happened next will shock you”

wafflesnfalafel > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 21:42

that car still has one of the best gauge clusters

SiennaMan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 21:57

I really enjoyed this review. It's a pleasant reminder of how much enjoyment can be had from a car most of the country would seem "too old".

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 22:31

Your step up reminds me of changing up from the fintail to something made after I was born, a then decade-old W126. Unfortunately for savings plans , that got me hooked, and aside from one car I kept for 7 years, I’ve moved on to something else every 3 years or so. You get addicted to the niceness and tech (AC! tape player or even CD! power windows and locks! cruise! shoulder belts!) and want more and more, or so I did. Maybe you will have better willpower.

The wagon thing was good too. Not long ago someone mentioned that to me about my recent new mouth to feed, the E wagon - “they make a wagon version?”.

Spaceball-Two > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 22:35

I love that cluster. So nice!

Derpwagon > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 23:18

I love it, and I would love to own one. You have the right color too.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 23:22

I totally get that feel, sometimes I worry my 528i has spoiled me and ruined my ability to enjoy other cars. Every time I’m driving something else I can’t help but find myself comparing every little thing to my car, “ Well , MY center console doesn’t flex when you push on it”. Fortunately, that fades after a little while and it means I get to appreciate my car anew once I finally get to slide back behind the wheel.

RTordie > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 23:31

In 2010 I bought 2003 IS300 sedan. 315k later its still going strong. It too suffers from sticky dash. I get the oil changed every 3-4K miles and new tires as needed. It’s the best car I’ve ever owned and I plan on driving until there’s nothing left. It’s also pearl white like yours.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/29/2019 at 23:43

There are not many 17 year old cars I really like this and the 3 series from the early 2000'a are still very attractive

Tristan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 00:03

Never stop spamming Oppo with pictures of this beautiful machine.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 11:07

Glad it’s treating you well. They are still such incredibly cool cars to me, and I love that it has the contrasting interior.

But damn, 3k miles is nothing. I can’t be sure (broken odometer) but I think I drive the Alfa more than that.

Also, your comments about what it felt like compared to the previous cars you thought were “nice” reminds me of my stepmom. She had a base CX-5 when she moved in, she new has a 2nd gen CTS and loves it so much, says she can’t see ever going back to the types of cars she’d always driven/

vicali > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 11:32

Awesome review. I’ve always thought the Alte zza was a perfect mix of nice, fast, and rare.. Sportcross goes to 11.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/30/2019 at 11:55

The late 1990s and 2000s were a great period where manufacturers had moved past the blobs of the 90s but before they realized they can over style all the things. It was a golden age for gracefully aging designs.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 12:00

The mileage gauge goes to 80? I think 40 is far more than optimistic.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/30/2019 at 12:03

Agreed. When in the market last year my two most serious contenders were either an IS300 (sedan, because I wanted a stick) or an E46. That glorious engine in the IS300 (and solid reliability) were a huge pro for this car…but I was surprised by how expensive they were.

Clean ones are very few and far between, and as a result they command quite a premium. And being rock solid cars, they mostly had a lot of miles on them too.

All told I was able to find a low mileage E46 ZHP with a stick for thousands less than a fancy Toyota, go figure! They were much easier to find as well. Would still love to own one of these some day though - especially with the rare factory navigation. It’s absolutely useless but so awesome at the same time!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
07/30/2019 at 12:07

I didn’t like BMW’s until I got to drive a 2002 or so 330 CI, needless to say I was instantly enamored.

Sovande > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 12:27

That’s a hatchback!

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 12:53

Are you my Washington twin brother? I felt like I was reading about myself and my old fancy wagon.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/30/2019 at 13:07

Yeah mine is a 2005 330ci with the ZHP package. Only complaint is that you couldn’t get an LSD on any 3 series short of going for an M3 with this generation, that was a real shame.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Sovande
07/30/2019 at 13:37

It’s a wagon on a technicality - even though it looks like a hatchback, hatchbacks are shorter in overall length than their sedan equivalents, while wagons are the same length or longer. As mentioned in the article, it’s just under an inch longer than the sedan, meaning it’s definitely a wagon, regardless of the rake. It misses on some definitions of a wagon, but not the most fundamental requirement.

Using my car as an example, the hatch version is 172" long, while the sedan is 178.5 " long. The wagon version (because they made wagons, too, which makes it a great example) was 179.4" long.

RallyWrench > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 13:47

This is fantastic, great review of a sweet, rare, rad ride . Excellent call on the De-Altezza’d rear lights, it really classes it up.

Sovande > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
07/30/2019 at 13:55

My wagon is the exact same length as it’s sedan counterpart (2015 Volvo V60). Both are 183 inches long.

W hen you look at the picture of the dog in the cargo area it is sitting outside the roof line. It’s a hatch. A damn fine looking hatch, but a hatch none-the-less. Also, it has no separate window aft of the

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Sovande
07/30/2019 at 16:18

Proving my point in the first paragraph.

All modern wagons have raked back windows.

It’s a wagon, but only technically. If they had shortened the body, it’d be a hatch.

Sovande > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
07/30/2019 at 16:27

If that dog was sitting in the back of my car he would be covered by roof. I think the goofy rules that make a wago n a wagon need to be reevaluated. The cargo area needs to be longer than the rear door.

The Sportcross is no more wagon than my C30 was.

B_dol > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 17:37

The rotated tachometer (OEM) is a nice touch! I see a few of these regularly and they still look great.

If you’re browsing Z4 coupes you already know that the holy grail is the 3.0si MT MSport - a gem worth holding onto for some time.

Les H. > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/30/2019 at 19:56

Everything you have written is true! I own a `02 Sportcross and everyone is shocked that it is 17 years old as you wrote. One person said it best when he said it “still looks relevant”... So true! Thanks for the great review on a seventeen year old car.....I c urrently have 234,000 miles on the odometer! Only had to do regular scheduled maintenance, Alternator at 185k, radiator at 230k, and suspension work as needed. The 2JZ is bulletproof!

Kinja'd!!!

Nothing > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/31/2019 at 10:28

This was a great read on one of my favorite cars, despite never actually being in one.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Sovande
07/31/2019 at 12:37

A C30 isn’t a wagon because it doesn’t have enough hinged doors. It could be argued that it’s a hatchback -or- a shooting brake, but a wagon requires rear side doors. It meets the hatchback requirements because it is shorter in length than the sedan equivalent on the same platform (S40) and the shooting brake requirements because the rear end otherwise meets the requirements of a wagon except with only two side doors.

Nearly all SUVs/CUVs/etc are technically lifted wagons.

Sovande > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
07/31/2019 at 12:59

Hogwash.

Kinja'd!!!

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Sovande
07/31/2019 at 13:42

That’s a very obvious shooting- brake.

Sovande > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
07/31/2019 at 14:45

No. It's a two door wagon. No American car manufacturer has ever made a "shooting brake." shooting brake was a term used at the turn of the century in Europe. That Chevy is from 1964 in the US.

RPM esq. > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/31/2019 at 19:23

Great review, great car. You’re right that driving something nicer makes it really, really hard to go backwards, if not impossible. It’s not even necessarily about something newer, although that can be part of it , but just ... nicer. When I test drove that Land Cruiser up in Mount Vernon , I was turned off by how rough around the edges it was but was also painfully aware that it was still in ten times better shape than my FJ80 was when I bought it, and obviously much more luxurious . Sometime in the last five years I must have killed the version of me who was happy with that ratty old FJ . And while that’s a little sad, it’s also not really a bad thing, because along the way I also killed the version of me who would try driving a lowered E46 M3 on high-performance tires home on hilly Seattle streets in a foot of snow with my girlfriend in the passenger seat , and also the me who was afraid to work on anything that cost more than $3000. Basically, I grew up.

...I also know deep inside that I am not done forever fiddling with ‘80s/early-’90s beaters, and that I would give an awful lot to resurrect the (kind of a POS when I bought it!) E30 that was my first car.