THE ROVING EYE.

CHRYSLERS and Fords might be OK for people in the Midwest, but in L.A. the fastest-selling car appears to be a Lexus.

According to J.D. Power & Associates, the average amount of time that a 2001 Lexus IS 300 sat on a Los Angeles car dealer lot during the May 1-Aug. 20 period was five days. That's five days from when the car is delivered to the lot from the manufacturer until the time it's sold.

While Lexus is a luxury brand, the IS 300, dealers say, is more affordable than most cars in the luxury category, with a base sticker price of $30,500. The actual drive-off cost could be several thousand more, but Michael Molnar, sales manager at Lexus Santa Monica, said standard features like leather seats, six-CD changer and a moonroof make the IS 300, "a lot of car for $33,000."

Lexus markets the IS 300 model as comparable to the BMW 3281, which has a base price of $33,970, and the Mercedes C280, which has a base price of $36,595.

The IS 300 has a 215-horsepower engine and, according to Lexus, can go from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.

The Los Angeles "days to turn" figure from J.D. Power is based on data from more than 400 Los Angeles dealerships. While the number doesn't measure actual sales, J.D. Power officials say "days to turn" is a good indication of a car's popularity.