dmk08

Guys,

Carmax in Kennesaw, GA is selling a 2008 Silver IS-F with 58k miles.They were asking 38 but actually told me they would do 34,500 so I'm interested in purchasing it. It's SCARY how much better this car drove than the 2008 w/ 33k i took home before. It comes w/ a warranty up to 7 years or 125k for that price.

It's got a painted front grill (black) and some vinals on the headlights. Looks to be in good condition. The owner was from McDonnough, GA.

VIN: JTHBP262585001974
Clean Carfax, Clean Autocheck.

Link to Autotrader ad. http://tinyurl.com/3dsxnyq

It does have Nav and ML.





Anyone know this car or have any comments? One thing I would like to mention is I drive less than 8,000 miles a year and work from home. They agreed to hold it til tomorrow at 6pm so I have a bit of time to decide.

MiiK350

iTrader: (8)

It appears that the front wheels are on backwards. Make sure they fix that. If the tires are directional, and are going the right direction as mounted now, then they will have to dismount them, and mount them in the right direction on the wheels placed in the right position on the car.

mentroc

not a bad price because it comes with the extended warranty.

dmk08

What's buggin' me right now is I could buy an M3 sedan for practically the same price. Well ok 10k more but you know.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

thats a great price since carmax never moves on the price.. Plus i'd take this over a BMW anyday..

MiiK350

iTrader: (8)

In my opinion, brand new M3 or IS-F question is a conversation I deem tolerable, in which it always seems to end in favor of the same one every time( especially with the 2011 upgrades).

Now used M3 or IS-F is a joke, not a question, especially if the M3 is 10k more. If it was 10k less, then you have legitimate decision to make.




My opinion has further been strengthened last month. I have four friends who all bought BMW's. Three brand new(2 335i's, 1 M3). One bought a used 335i. The three have all lemon'd their cars, the last one being last month. The fourth that bought used, had the same issue as the others, but was denied the buyback because it was used.

With that said, I've yet to hear a problem with the IS-F other then wheel pitting, and brake dust(lol compared to BMW's problem).

pc1990

Wow...If you can get a brand new M3 sedan for that price($44,500k), its a no brainer. Is the m3 really brand new(<20 miles) or is it a demo car(>100 miles). I'd first make sure if it the M3 was a demo car or not. If it was, BMW has strict break in periods and I bet it was abused if they're selling that low.

I don't blame you, you have quite a decision to make with this one. Oh, BTW the IS-F looks in great condition but check out the car report first...you never know.

dmk08

Not brand new. Cpo with 10k. The is-f is clean on carfax and autocheck.

7No

iTrader: (1)

I belong to the local BMW club. With membership, you get their national magazine, Roundel (http://roundel.imirus.com/). Every month the magazine is absolutely full of letters from members complaining about the things going wrong with their cars. There is a reason they sell them with free maintenance for the first X000 miles. The cars may drive like a dream, but the reliability is (relative to a Lexus), horrible. A buddy of mine has an M3 and he rags on me about the F, but he just paid $1500 to have his power steering pump replaced. I have other uses for my time besides sitting in the dealer's customer service area or driving some crappy loaner.

avgj0F

iTrader: (2)

Good deal if the warranty is an exclusion and covers bumper-to-bumper with low or zero deductible. Also, shouldn't consider Carfax a solely source. Pay a trusted body shop to look for any paint repairs / collision.

Good luck.

PurduePete

There is no such thing as "an extension" to the basic manufacturer warranty (aka bumper to bumper). Once the manufacturer warranty is up, (aka, 4 yrs 50K) then no other additional warranty or third party warranty added can ever match the original. Therefore don't ever be misled by the salesman telling you that it either comes with additional or extended warranty. There is only 1 bumper-to-bumper warranty and it ended at 50K miles. The fine print to these additional warranties can drive you suicidal. They are not the same “cover-all” that you might have been led to believing.

Therefore, I recommend you buy a car that is fewer than 50K miles so that you can get whatever is either about to break or you find broken, now that you have cleaned and waxed every inch of the car at home. You know, the things that you missed at the dealership.

The availability of the manufacturer's "bumper to bumper" warranty is your key to guaranteeing an enjoyable initial ownership b/c it's the warranty that comes with minimal dealership BS rebuttals (aka - the fine print) when you bring up an issue.

Pricing and availability of used IS-Fs should be buyer friendly now due to influx from leases. Find one with the bumper-to-bumper warranty still in place.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

PM me if you want to meet up there. I'll drive my F. It's pristine in terms of being able to see if all the nuts and bolts are in the right places. We can do a side by side check.

dmk08

lobuxracer, I appreciate that. I am getting a 5-day return if I purchase from Carmax. If I pull the trigger maybe we could meet up somewhere tomorrow and give it a look.

The last sticking point is that I have $3500 wheels being delivered Wednesday for my IS350 which won't fit this car. I'm worried about being able to sell them as I have no voucher or anything. lobu would you be willing to vouch for me if we met and I showed you the wheels brand new in boxes?

dmk08

I also found this when searching the service records on Lexus.com. Should this be concerning?

dmk08

Also found a newly listed MRM 2008 w/ 35,000. CPO @ reinhardlexus in Alabama. Waiting to see what they can do on the price. $46,995 seems high.