I was pretty surprised to hear that the manual was so weak as well. It's by far the best auto tranny I've ever ridden in/driven....but then again, it's also the highest end car with an auto I've been in.
Seriously, check for a used 325 or 330. Those are damn nice rides. I'd rate them pretty highly on the quality factor, not to mention a 330 is damn fun to drive even stock.
Another thing that bugged me about the IS300 is that my bro spun it out in the rain with TCS turned on....now I know that TCS isn't the end-all solution, and it also could have been due to his wheel/tire combo (I'm not sure if they're the same diameter as stock or not)...but coming around a corner he gave it a little too much gas and pulled a nice 360. Good thing he didn't soil his seats. Anyways....if anybody wants to shell out 32k for a well modified IS300 with an auto, let me know.
I don't mean to dog on the IS300 too much, cuz I'm just flat in love with those cars. Once they fix the parking brake problem and the manual tranny problem, and I fix the money problem....I might be driving one. Hopefully they'll look at least as sweet by the time I'm in the market for one.
I've got an '01 Honda I'll sell ya.
b