Last night I met up with a bunch of friends at TGI Fridays for some food, talk and drink. My buddy with a 2001 IS300 was there and we were both admiring each others cars. I let him drive my Maxima. hehehe

He loved the 5-speed and the power. He said that it handled almost as well as his car but mine was a little stiffer/harsher. He also said my tires held better than his.

After that we went back into TGI Friday's ate some, talked some and then as we left to go to another location, he followed me. I knew he wanted to test the cars so we both gunned it. I pulled away from him uphill..

He told me when we got to the next place that he couldn't keep up and he had it floored. I was pulling on him in 2nd gear like you wouldn't believe.

I like the IS300's. They're really nice looking, a little small for my tastes but very nice cars. I guess the new ones might be a bit faster with the manual tranny's but the 2001's just can't keep up with a 4th gen 5-speed. Might as well forget 'em with a 5th gen.

yeah nice car, good looks, rear wheel drive should make it fun, and it's suspension setup is nice. They're pretty quick, but I doubt a match for any 5spd maxima.

IS300
 

my understanding is that off the line they are not fast, that's one reason they don't sell as well. Suppose to be pretty strong at higher speed. Handling wise they are better than stock max due to RWD, weight distribution, suspension etc.

They are fun to drive. However, they are small, not as fast as they should (another 30 hp and ft/lbs might be anothe story), and not so good on gas.

They give my automagic a run for it's money. I wish i had a fifth gear.