At $29,700, Is This Custom 2001 Lexus IS 300 A Turbocharged Temptation?

While we generally stay away from OPP (Other People's Projects), today's Nice Price or No Dice custom IS 300 looks to have been completed and fully realized, meaning we can perhaps cut it some slack. Let's see how much you're willing to spend to cut a deal on this custom.

Considering that the average new-car buyer is signing away over fifty grand to drive off the lot, and that no one even bats an eye over four-figure car payments on said new metal, it's no surprise that used car prices have likewise been creeping up over the years. Supply and demand and all that.

It seems that, since the pandemic, basic used-car prices have climbed to about double what they were before we all masked up and started working from home. We might not like it, but that's simply our crazy economy these days. With that in mind, what were we to make of last Friday's 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (Baby Love) and its $7,998 price? After all, it wasn't just a used car; it was a classic. Well, based on the comments, not many of you liked that price tag. However, seeing the 60% 'Nice Price' win, it achieved, most of you got over that fast.

Speaking of fast, imagine how quick this 2001 Lexus IS 300 most likely could be. It does, after all, have a big-boy turbo and an acre of intercooler feeding its twin-cam 24-valve 2JZGTE straight-six. I say it could be because the suspension holding all that fun stuff up has been dropped on aftermarket coilovers, which will likely make any exuberant activities behind the wheel a game of "what did I bottom out, today?"

First introduced to the U.S. market in 1999, the RWD IS 300 took on the role of Lexus' 3 Series fighter. It's always stood in the shadow of its German competition, and seeing as the current edition has been on the market for over 12 years, it's pretty obvious that Lexus and parent company Toyota don't give a rat's rearend about such pissing contests any longer.

These first-generation cars, however, have proven pretty popular with the tuner crowd and people who like to drive sideways. This custom job seems to straddle those two audiences and appears—save for the "uh, oh, a railroad crossing" suspension—suitably streetable.

Fortunately, that slammed suspension can be easily tweaked upward, as the ad notes that the BC Racing coilovers offer 32 levels of adjustment. Pretty much everything on the car has been modded or replaced with higher-performance parts, while the basics still remain. That includes heated front seats, working A/C and heat, and a double-DIN stereo that appears to offer navigation along with the tunes and news.

The car's party piece is under the hood, though. The 2JZGTE is claimed to be a full build, based on a new OEM block filled with stronger-than-stock parts and topped with a flowed and ported head, making the most of the monster turbo it proudly presents on the passenger side of the block.

It appears that a lot of thought has gone into the engine build, as has into the rest of the car, to keep that motor in check. The brakes have been upgraded, as has the driveshaft, tailing out of the six-speed manual, and the sway bars on each end, which are fatter than stock. Per the ad, the car "runs very strong and reliable."

It all looks to be in good condition too, although oddly, the seller claims two of the pictures in the ad are "what I invision (sic) for the car to look like. The rest of the photos is (sic) actual photos of the car." I don't know about you, but I don't see any difference.

While we've been told that a picture is worth a thousand words, it's really in the ad's description that the work undertaken on this car begins to shine. It's also full of fun acronyms like 2JZGTE, ARP (head bolts), ACL (bearings), and, as a grand finale flourish, "OEM JDM HID head lamps."

Craigslist

The car rides on new performance tires, comes with a clean title, and, according to the ad, has an odometer reading of 21,000 miles. That's specious, but considering how much of the car has been renewed or replaced, does such a distraction even matter?

Okay, we're just going to have to agree at the outset that this is not a car for everyone. In fact, anyone with a standard driveway apron and no street parking would probably have to pass on this IS.

That's not to say a build like this wouldn't find favor with certain crowds, and for those folks, we now need to consider the car's $29,700 asking price. That's not cheap, but it could be argued that the amount of work that has gone into this car—and the top-tier parts claimed to have been used in the build—couldn't be replicated at that cost.

What's your take on this custom Lexus and that $29,700 asking price? Does that make this an IS you might get into or is that way too high a price for a car that's been slammed so crazily low?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Roger McKinney for the hookup!

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