IS 300 issues?

The only issue I'm aware of stems from the engine. First, some are prone to valve seal problems. Secondly, it's a royal pain to remove the oil filter if you change your own oil.

Front tyre wear - the inside edges can go very rapidly - especially if you enjoy the sports handling.

That's why it's important to rotate. This assuages the issue with a modicum degree of success.

Thanks all for your insights. I picked up an '04 with about 19,000 on it yesterday. As for rotating the tires, the wheels on the Sportcross are staggered with the rears being 1/2 inch wider than the fronts. I've always rotated every 5,000 miles on other cars and I'm not sure if these will have wear problems but we shall see. Next time it needs tires, I might look into replacing 2 of the rims so that they are all match.

Connect over at

I've been over there since early 2002 before I bought my '02 5-speed. This is the very first reference I've ever heard of about the valve seals. I have 45K miles on mine and so far the repairs have consisted of replacing the dome light twice. That's it. With respect to the tire wear issue, staying on top of the alignment helps a lot I got almost 35K out of the OEM Bridgestones.