varunkumar

Hi guys,
I am new to Lexus. I am planning to buy a 2008 IS-F with 38000 miles out of warranty. Is it advisable ?? How reliable is the car ?? My brother was mentioning about some snow mode which cuts off about 200 hp and becomes very fuel efficient and behaves like an IS250, Is that true ?

Thanks for your help.

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

very reliable. the gas has always been good with me, no snow mode needed. just be easy on the gas and keep the rpms low and you are looking at 25+ mpg. i get 32 on the highway.

seems like the only thing you need to do is oil change and brake jobs on this car.

only other thing is the water pump going out but it's not really expensive, even if you are out of warranty.

Just F Me

My transmission went out at 87k...if i paid for it myself, it would have been $6000 bucks, but Lexus kicked half the cost of a replacement transmission even though i was out of warranty.

if you drive a lot, maintenance will be pricey. Front brakes will probably be replaced every 30-40k miles. Rear brakes can last you 70k+ miles. These are OEM parts...buy after market, and the life could be more or less. Be prepared for $1800 in parts for front and rear, and dealers will easily charge you $2500-3000 just to replace your brakes. (this is highway robbery, you can do it yourself for $1800 with OEM parts, or as little as $600 with aftermarket parts, how good these aftermarket parts are? I'll let you know in 30k miles if i still even have my IS F then)

Oil changes will cost more since it's 10 quarts of oil, and if you run synthetic, more $.

There is a SNOW MODE, however, if it cuts off 200hp, i don't know about that. The car is still pretty damn fast. It just makes it so that the throttle isn't as responsive so you don't accidentally from my experience. I use it when i'm driving in the rain.

High performance car demands high performance tires, which can set you back easily 1200+. Rear tires can last around 20-30k, front tires 30-40k, depending on brand and your driving style. This is my experience and my car has only had Bridgestone RE11s on it.

Overall fun car...but it's damn expensive if you drive it a lot.

DRMKLLR

hey CL
I'm new to here but i just bought a 08 IS-F a month ago and i absolutely love it even though it is expensive to maintain if you drive a lot. so far the car has been reliable and mine has 36,xxx miles. i flew to cali and bought mine and its the best car i've owned yet so depending on the price you should be happy!

rupavi

"Expensive to maintain" is very subjective. If you come from driving a stock camry or civic or a car along those lines. Yes, it is fairly expensive to maintain, but if you come from MB or BMW or audi the ISF costs nowhere close to what those cars cost. For what you are getting i think the ISF is very reasonable in the maintenance aspect.

Also, as Just F Me states, if you get the parts yourself and have an independent workshop do the replacements you will save a substantial amount of money. I live in Dubai and order my parts from the states and UK and it still turns out cheaper than going and purchasing from the Dealer here.

BULLIT

I agree the ISF is a lot cheaper to maintain than a Euro car. Haven't had my car long but it seems rock solid and couldn't be happier.

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

JustFme what were you doing to the car? Drag racing, street racing? How often? I am sure there is more to the story.

jbjones85

iTrader: (20)

I have a 350 so I can't comment on the F specifically but as with most other Lexus's (Lexi?) it should be pretty trouble free. I am not aware of any widespread problems with the F from my several years of being active on the forum. Brakes, oil, and that's about it. If you get it, enjoy it.

varunkumar

Thanks all for the replies guys. Now i come from a 2002 Mitsubishi galant, have been using this since as a student got a Job and have been working for the past 2 years. That my story. First i thought i will buy a used infinti G37 but always liked IS-F and is my dream car. If you guys don't mind can we compare this to Infiniti G37 expenses. I don't mind paying more upfront but yearly expenses are something to think about. Thanks.

rupavi

A G37 would cost roughly the same amount as an IS350 (parts and maintenance). I have an 08 IS300 and now the 08 ISF and can tell you that there isn't much difference in maintenance costs (keep in mind I'm speaking about the prices here in Dubai). To give you a rough idea 10,000 km service would cost me $135 on the IS300 and on the F its $160 (both cases full synthetic oil and oil filter replacement etc. at the dealership). Buying the parts online (search around for the best prices) makes the car very affordable honestly.

The stock brakes on the F are Brembo and if you do a search a lot of aftermarket brakes like raybestos for instance are manufactured by brembo and are a fraction of the cost. if i were to compare the standard IS (along the same lines as the G37) to the ISF i would say the ISF is about 25-30 percent more expensive to maintain at most.

Now i haven't owned the car for long, but i did a full major service when i got the car from the states, in which i replaced all the brakes (rotors and pads) the fuel filter, AC filter, oil filter, spark plugs, air filter, bilstein engine flush, coolant flush changed wipers and many more minor things i cant remember and my total cost including parts and labor was $1545. The brakes were the only thing i bought online (stock brembo rotors and stoptech street performance pads), the rest was replaced at the service center.

Hope that helps.

varunkumar

HUmm i just found this online. Lot of guys mentioned brakes.

OEM Front: $319
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-Brembo...6b3ef6&vxp=mtr

OEM Rear: $194
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-Brembo...6b4637&vxp=mtr

Is this for real. It's a complete brake replacement, correct ?? Why is it only so much ??

lilcop17

i bought a 80k isf with no warranty. no issues what so ever. knock on wood!

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

It is so much, because it has the Lexus name on the box Cheaper and better alternatives are available

There is so much brake information on this thread concerning, it would make your head spin

Here is a very good thread concerning brakes:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...struction.html

I am in the process of doing my front brakes now. I will be using a site sponsor, Adams Rotors with Ferodo Pads that I am getting from a very good house, speed Freaks:

http://speed-freaks.net

If you decide to use them, I can provide you with a discount code for the Ferodo or Carbotech pads. But, there are many choices when it comes to pads.

If you prefer a low dusting ceramic pad to a high performance semi-mettallic one, you can save a lot of money. However, that is a tradeoff I am not willing to make, though a lot of forum members have.

Welcome to the forums and learn to use the search function, you will glean much knowledge. This forum is full of knowledge and it's members are willing to share. Enjoy

Lou

Just F Me

My apologies...expensive to maintain is very subjective. I came from an Acura TL, which replacing front OEM Brembo brake pads (4 piston caliper), was $140 bucks, and rotors were 120 each. IS F is $250-300 for OEM pads and $275-$325 ea for front rotors.

No racing... Took it on a couple of "canyon runs", but never to the track. Wish there was more to the story....because in that case I could have said that it is what it is. Some of the very technical members on the forum still question why this happened.

If you come from a Mitusbishi Galant, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you'll be paying 2x-3x more for maintenance. Even more if you don't do it yourself.

You should message a forum member 2ndGF...I believe he used to own a G35 and he logged some 200k miles on it in a relatively short period of time. I have 93k on my IS F.

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

you might be living out of your means if you buy this car. im just being honest from reading your posts.