JetBlack25

What's up CL!

Great forum you guys have here, I'm currently a couple months away from having enough $$$ saved up for a down payment on an ISF. Had a couple of questions for you guys, if these have been answered somewhere before, feel free to point me in that direction.


1) I keep reading that the 2011+ have a noticeably improved ride quality, compared to the previous models. I'm not a big fan of the floating feeling when it comes to ride quality of other traditional Lexus models, however how big of a difference is the ride quality between the 2008-10's and 2011+?

2) I'm in Southern California and I've noticed an extreme shortage of ISF's that are locally available. I don't mind going to Nevada or even Arizona if I find the right car, but any tips on where else to look. So far I've checked out Auto Trader & Carmax.

3) Ideally I'm looking for 2011 Black ISF with relatively low miles 25-35k. Can I find one for about 39-40k for that price?


Any other tips, advice or helpful links you want to share are welcome.


Thanks guys, hope to have my new ride soon.

sethISF

You will not find a 2011+ with those miles and clear title for that price. It will be more in the $47k+ range.

bnizzle87

First off, welcome! The IS F is a great all around car- great performance and such a great balance of sport and luxury. Finding an '11+ for the price range would be difficult right now. Something will have to give, either slightly higher mileage or the pricing. None of the MY IS Fs seem to have a floaty feel in stock form, especially prior to the suspension revision. I'd first look into whether the car has had any service done, such as brake pads/rotors, tires replaced, etc. This might save you some money in the immediate future so you can worry about other things like burning gas, because with a beast this great, you won't be playing it safe, or mods (because CL seems to gravitate the majority of members into modding ).

Secondly, if you're really interested in a particular model, I'd try to give it a hard look. Test drive it, get a feel for the car, and more importantly, negotiate when you're ready. I've heard numerous stories of my friends second guessing themselves for not pulling the trigger on a car that they really wanted, only to find that it was sold right when they were ready to negotiate. I know certain color combos sell quickly, and if that's something you're looking for, then as soon as you can find one, I'd advise to jump on it. The F isn't a rare car, but rare enough to where you may or may not get exactly what you're looking for upon first searching.

Do you have a color combo in mind to narrow your search even more? And of course, best of luck, and hopefully we'll see you posting pics of your F soon enough .

dannyk8232

After just going through the process two months ago of finding one with the parameters I wanted (locally, and I may have the only F in the whole county), I was surprised by how quickly the dealer was willing to come down in price (although not at all at first)....while I was looking at pricing on autotrader, cars dot com, etc. I saw a great deal of variance with year, miles, and price (assuming clean title/carfax) even amongst Lexus/Toyota dealerships....earlier today I did a search and found a 2011 with 29,000 miles selling for more than a 2012 with 4,000 miles, both in CA from Lexus dealers...With my 08, in the end they were asking about $9,000 (incl CPO warranty 4/48 from purchase date, taxes and fees) more than I bought it for. The possibility exists, so if you've ironed out your parameters, keep hunting! The market for these beasts changes constantly!

Also, I went form a 96 LS400 to the 08 F. The LS was like a couch floating on the road (not like a Buick, but in a perfect and elegant way) and the F is still stiff as hell to me. I would assume the updated 11's-present are much closer to the 08 F suspension than the old LS...just my $.02...

Edit: in no way do I mean to refute/jade/disagree with any other posters' advice...the most valuable guidance I have come across while searching for my car and for questions to this day are found here...CL FTW!

Hope this helps!

vbb

iTrader: (3)

I test drove a 2011 back in 2012 when I was shopping for mine, but ended up buying a 2009 because it was the color I wanted and with the mileage I was looking for (the 09 had less than the '11). I can say that the ride quality difference was not even that noticeable. If you're used to sports cars, you will not be bothered at all in my opinion.

Your price range is a bit unrealistic for the mileage you want. To give you a comparison, my car was 3 years old when I bought it with 13,500 miles and I paid $48500 with extended warranty out the door. Sticker was $47xxx and I negotiated from there. You're looking in the mid to upper 40s for a clean low mileage '11.

Many of us bought our cars out of state to find the right deal and color combinations. There are several threads on this on the first page of this forum. Good luck with your search!

WillRockwe

You have to drive the F pretty hard to even notice the difference after the 2011 suspension change. Most of the nicest F's I've seen in the Northeast are 2008-09 (mine is an '11). Unless you plan to spend a lot of time on the track, the older model will be just fine, and affordable.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

what you could do is get a 2008-2010 and later wait for someone to sell their 2011+ OEM suspension and swap it out. There is a substantial price difference between pre 2011 and 2011+ A lot of the upgrades the 2011+ has you can do most of them to the 08-10 models pretty economically: find someones 2011+ suspension when they get aftermarkets, 2011+ steering ECU

JetBlack25

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

Money isn't really an issue, I'll just save until I have enough $$$ to get what I want, I'm willing to be patient to find the exact one.

So for a 2011 with 25-35,XXX miles I should be expecting to pay $43-45k out the door, depending on color combo etc? That seems realistic.

DannyK mentioned the wide variance in pricing on these cars and that was my thought as well. Since they are somewhat rare, i was thinking with the new model coming out soon, they might be willing to negotiate.

You guys bring up another good point, I definitely should go test drive an 08-10 model and then a 2011 to see the differences.

I'm coming from a solid axle supercharged Mustang Cobra, so its not like a need to be floating, but having a better ride quality than that will be more than enough, which I'm sure it has….haha

I also was thinking I might have to go out of state, which I don't mind, but didn't want to go too far.

I'm open to a couple different color combos, but really have my heart set on Obsidian & I really love the 2011 up BBS wheels.

However if I can find a clean 2008-10 model with low miles for the right price, I'm open to it and then I can mod it, like I know I will.

I'll keep researching here and keep you guys posted.

Feel free to chime in with advice.

shyguyF

you want to buy mine 08 MM color , black interior, 9,500 miles. PM me

WillRockwe

I just checked Autotrader. You won't find a low mileage '11 for less than 45K. There's a white one in Portland with 34k miles for 44K.

darbs242

iTrader: (5)

i was in lex dealer in upstate new york last weekend discussing a trade and they were ready to give me 35k for my 08 with 55k on it.... at trade in pricing, your going to end up spending more money or getting an older one.

Maxxam

The good part is that there seem to be more Obsidian available than just about any other color.

Mrd916

Real low mileage 2010 obsidian on Carmax website for $43k, it has the funky terra cotta interior, not my thing but different.

RCM83

iTrader: (1)

Seriously bro?? That is one hell of a trade value. I haven't actually been to the dealership but they are constantly giving me fliers in the mail saying they want to give me (up to) 33.5 for my 08 with 50k on it

JetBlack25

Shyguy: Thanks for the offer, but your a little far in IL. PM me pics though, because you never know.

I know these cars are built to last and will go forever. So I'm not opposed to buying one with more mileage, but ideally I want one with 20-35k max.

If they are price tagging at 44-45k in that range, how much do you guys think they will be willing to come down when negotiating here in So Cal or possibly Nevada, Arizona?

Mrd: Thanks for the heads up, yeah I'm not a fan of that funky interior either.

Found a Maroon 2011 with very low miles on Autotrader for 41k. Almost makes me think something's up with it at that price and mileage. I believe the mileage is around 34-40,XXX from a private seller.