Seattle996

I have a problem when it comes to cars. Me and depreciating assets are like best friends. It all comes from my dad. He sparked my interest when I was young with his old BMW 750 and Dodge Stealth RT (non turbo.. it was as fast as a Ferrari in my eyes when I was 10 years of age, lol)

Fast forward to the now.. and I've had my fair share of cars in the last 18 yrs ranging from BMW E36 M3 (both a 2dr and 4dr), E39 M5, E60 M5, Audi S4 Avant, Porsche 996TT (2 of them, miss them the most), Cayenne TT, Cayenne GTS and a few Range Rover Sport S/C.. with the current ride being a '10 RRS S/C.

I'm at that point when my mind drifts during the day to my next car choice. The IS F was never on that list until I drove one at a buddies dealership. I loved it. Not sure if its because I'm daily driving an SUV and it felt so different and sporty.. or if it truly is that sporty and different. With prices being around 40K or so.. it seems that the IS F and the CTS-V are the 2 cars peaking my interest, with maybe a small interest in a E90 M3 . I realize they are all completely different, and I've yet to drive a CTS-V. Still not digging that unusual rear end on the caddy but you can't deny that torque and a 6spd transmission. I wish the IS F came in stick.. would be a no brainier for me.

I really don't have a point to this post. My daughter is next to me watching some classic Donald Duck and I was browsing the forums as usual looking up car info. I think I'm going to put in a bid for a 2010 IS F at auction on Monday. I realize the main difference between that and the 11+ are the headlights and dash.. I still can't confirm if the suspension was actually changed or not to the new versions.. any insight would be good.

Anyways, if you had the same dilemma.. please share. I'm really torn on what car to get. I love manual transmissions.. had them in all of my cars, aside from the SUV's... (GTS did have a stick though, pretty cool).

Way long rant.. love the forum BTW.. seems like good people with some strong knowledge!

spddemon

If you really like a manual transmission's then don't buy it! Don't get me wrong it is a great all around GT car. But you might get bored after awhile. Just my 2cents.

Compthis

iTrader: (1)

I've driven many stick cars in the past and after having the F and using it on the track, I never want to stick shift again.

Seattle996

Thanks guys.. I've never been bothered by stick in traffic etc.. I love shifting. But I have to admit, the shifting on the IS F was pretty fun. I found a car that I believe I may purchase this Monday, it was a previous CPO to 100K. Does a CPO warranty transfer with the car like a BMW? Local Lexus says it only stays with the owner... sounded like BS to me coming from BMW's... but you never know. Any ideas?

INTMD8

I drive about 80 miles a day for work (EFI calibration, I tune CTS-V's daily) and was strongly considering a manual V wagon.

What swayed me towards the IS F was better gas mileage/range and overall reliability. Not that the CTS isn't a good car, it is, but I doubt I will be able to put 200k on it without any issues. Plus with a relatively small tank and maybe 15mpg I would be at the gas station every other day.

The IS F is working out perfectly. Absolutely love it. I do prefer a manual trans but for commuting, the Lexus is great. (and I have another car with a manual trans for weekends).

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

dont let others persuade you. if you want it, get it.

SoulFreak

iTrader: (1)

Just to answer your suspension question, in 2011 the suspension did get heavily revised. Along with the new headlights and tachometer. In 2010 they got the LSD installed from there on up. I daily mine, I LOVE it!

93MSB

iTrader: (8)

You buy an ISF for reliability, looks (IMO), and versatility. It can be daily driven and at the same time it can be beast at the track. Its one of the few cars that I can say pulls off the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde trick. You do not buy one if you love a true manual, or want to modify and make a ton of power. You need to have in your mind that your going to love it like it is.

You buy a CTS-V for a beast of a car with a pretty reliable drive-train that if you wanted, you could make gobs and gobs of power for the least amount of money. You do not buy one for looks (IMO), you probably also wouldn't buy one if you were picky about interior quality

You buy a E90 because BMW knows how to make a car handle, looks good, the ability to modify, and because its what everyone else bought. You do not buy one for reliability, or to make massive amounts of power.


If your going to drop 40k on an ISF I would not settle for anything less than a 2011+

F_Throttle

How were the 996 turbos? Were they reliable? I had my share of Bimmers and I have been oogling the 996s tt before they balloon in appreciation.

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

Get it, you wont regret it

Helo58

The CPO warranty is not transferable. I just bought a CPO car (prior owner) with 35k and the warranty did not transfer. However, the Lexus dealership here did complete warranty work on the car prior to me taking ownership of it. Here is a link to a previous thread on the topic...

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-transfer.html

Justind27

iTrader: (6)

I was a manual/turbo only car owner prior to the F, now I just want to put a stroked 3uz into my mk3 and supercharge it (due to the lack of aftermarket support for the F till I get more $ to experiment with it more). I was a bit skeptical about the F for a while but after 10 months and couple handfuls of mods I love it and it's going to stay in my collection.

2URGSE

Enough said!

2URGSE

Not from what I heard.

Seattle996

I never had a problem with either 996TT's.. Both were absolutely solid cars and I modified both of them quite heavily. The 996 non turbo supposedly had issues., but the TT is prob best bang for the buck out there in the used car market.