mugenh22a4

iTrader: (9)

I'm starting small as I gotta let the piggy bank get full again.

Things on my near-future list are:

1) 3000K yellow fogs and DRLs.
2) Nav unlock
3) double-blade chrome wipers






















j/k about those wipers

is2seattle

iTrader: (1)

they had 2 F's last week and i almost went to check them out so did they still have the silver one when you were there?

mugenh22a4

iTrader: (9)

Yip the silver beauty was there. I saw the 2011 there too. The new wheel design looks pretty sweet, but I still prefer the 1st gen ISF wheels.

JDMToyotas

Why did you pick the ISF over the V8 M3 ? Did you test drive both before your decision ?


Your F looks great BTW.. little changes like tints and a bit lower will change the car looks drastically.

mugenh22a4

iTrader: (9)

^ My first experience with BMW (E46 M3) will be my last. My money doesn't grow on trees so I wouldn't get into a BMW again and risk having to deal with quality issues again.

mugenh22a4

iTrader: (9)

What are some good springs for the ISF? It would be nice to drop it about 0.5" all around.

BigMikeISF

^^There are a few threads out there regarding springs and F owner feedback.

To sum it up, for springs, most people appear to be enjoying the Teins. Eibachs are a little more harsh and don't drop the F as low. A buddy of mine had the Eibachs installed on his F and after riding in mine with the Teins, he immediately switched over If you want coils, there are quite a few nice choices out there including JIC, KW, Tein, etc. Good luck in feel free to continue to ask any questions

UCrazyKid

mugenh22a4: I totally feel your pain. I bought a Porsche 911 (2002 996), my long time dream car, only to be disappointed with the German reliability and the constant fear of engine failure or rear main seal leaks (I replaced the seal 5 times! at $1,500 each). I too am done with German cars.

Welcome to the Lexus Fold. I love my ISF.

ilocke

iTrader: (11)

Welcome! Enjoy the F.

T-Rex06

iTrader: (12)

Welcome! I saw your other thread and it's a shame that some label themselves as car enthusiasts yet so narrow minded. Anyhow, enjoy the car and looking forward to new mods.

Terrance

uclachan

Same here. i come from M3 E93. constant problem. had a car for a year and it stayed in dealer's shop more than 45 days. (drove ~8000 miles) finally BMW bought it back. many problems including water leak. hope IS-F doesn't have that problem.

i just need a great deal on 2011. car looks so sexy and 5L engine~ i know it's new and very hard to get a great deal but i am looking. if you guys know any, let me know!!!

JDMToyotas

What do you like about your ISF so far ?

Autobacs

iTrader: (1)

Welcome! Now there's 2 SGM F's that I know of in Greater Seattle.

CDNROCKIES

SGM FTW!!!

I actually wasted a bunch of time reading the posts over on M3forum. It seems you have a ton of respect over there. Surprisingly, I thought it was quite mature and respectful overall....except for the Serious dude who's a complete douche....and especially compared to M3post.

Congrats on the pick up. The M3 is a great car....IF you don't have to deal with the rest of the bs. Hopefully your F is everything you want it to be.

mugenh22a4

iTrader: (9)

Wow, where do I begin?

1) The engine! There's no replacement for displacement! Some reviews of the ISF say that the 6800 rpm redline seems too low. I'd say it feels just fine. I've been driving cars with low displacement, peaky engines my whole life (Gen 5 Prelude, E46 M3), and it's nice to no have to wrap out the engine to get power.

2) The looks. To me, the ISF has that "big body sedan" look without being big. It's something about how the front fenders blend in with the sideskirts that makes this car look low, long, and mean. I love it!

3) The upgrade in technology and ICE. The E46, although it was a 9 year old design, had a dated feel to the interior electronics. The GPS was non-touch screen, the instrument panel was the good old bulb backlit design, and the disc player couldn't even play MP3 disks. Now, I get DVD, a modern GPS system (with an interesting learning curve), and a much better looking interior IMO overall.

4) Peace of mind! I've had nothing but great experiences with Toyotas in my life. I can have peace of mind knowing that when I start my ISF in the morning, I'm not hypersensitive to noises that weren't there the day before.

Things I don't like about the ISF compared to the E46 M3?

1) handling...yes I do the the 300 lb weight gain, even in street driving

2) When the mirrors tilt down in reverse, they don't tilt far enough down. I'm not allowed to adjust how far down the mirrors tilt in reverse, so I'm forced to manually tilt the mirrors down further everytime I back up. I've also set seat memory 2 as the "reverse setting," which pre-positions the mirrors to a lower position.

3) I can't turn on the foglights individually. The headlights have to be on in order to turn on the foglights. For short trips at night, I don't like to fire up the HIDs for a short time. In the E46, I'm able to just turn on the foglights for short trips.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the ISF. It's more comfortable than the M, looks and feels more modern, and packs a serious punch with it's V8! Interestingly, I turn more heads with the ISF than with the M3. I don't know if it's because people more easily recognize it over a regular IS, or if it's just a newer car.