Dean’s Lexus IS300 SportCross first caught my attention when I was browsing through Instagram. While there seems to be plenty of clean examples of IS300 SportCross’ on Instagram and other social media platforms, I hardly see them on the road. The rarity aspect and the fact that Dean’s wagon is bagged and sitting on BBS RS-II wheels sparked my interest to have him featured on this blog; I’m glad he agreed to it.
I sat down and chatted with Dean over coffee to know more about him and his IS300 SportCross. Dean’s story is somewhat like mine: he started off with a IS300 sedan and later upgraded this IS300 SportCross. Once Dean got his hands on this wagon, he started getting busy personalizing it to his own style: fully refinished BBS RS-II wheels, Altezza Gita Front Lip and Side Skirts, Elixir spoiler and taillight covers. TRD cluster was added to spice up the interior.
To my surprise, this wagon once belonged to the late Tony Saggu. If you are a car enthusiast from SoCal, you must’ve known or at least heard of Tony’s name and his excellent fender rolling craftsmanship and reputation. And if you are a VW enthusiast like me, then you have seen a lot of Tony’s works on the PVW magazine. Dean shared how he and Tony used to go to car meets and had many great conversations. With many special memories, it’s safe to say that Dean will keep this car for a very long time.
Introduce Yourself: (brief info that include your name, which country / state you live in, and may possibly include your work field / industry that you are in)
Dean Collis from SoCal, The Valley 818.
I work in the grocery industry.
WHY A WAGON?
Share your unique story behind your WAGON ownership
A friend really wanted me to buy it and I needed a daily.
Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?
Not at the time.
What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?
Originally bought as a daily but now I wanted to see how far I can take it interior and exterior.
What style would you say best describes your car?
More stance I would say.
Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?
Tony Saggu aka fender rolling Tony. RIP my friend. Since he started the build before he sold it to me, he told me I can never sell it.
What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?
The fact that it’s a wagon and it’s rare.
What is your final goal with this car?
Short term plan is to have the front end resprayed / freshened up. We shall see what’s next.
