Another one joins the crowd
01-05-15, 06:50 AM
#1
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Another one joins the crowd
Hello,
Joining the community officially today. I actually bought my F last week. In truth, it wasn't my first choice. In August I bought a car that I couldn't believe my wife let me purchase, a BMW M5 (the e60 model with the V10). That car is amazing. Downside is that the one I bought refused to not quit breaking. After 10 or so significant visits to the service department (including one that was a $20k repair) the dealer agreed to refund the car. They did the right thing, but I was left with a problem... now what?
After a stressful week and a lot of test drives, I found my IS-F. (Read about my search here)
2008, Starlight Pearl, Black leather, Nav, and sunroof. 62kmiles. 1 owner local car, I bought it from a dealership but actually work with the PO. He's a good guy and very meticulous. The car was cared for very well and came equipped with a stealth radar detector.
Pics:
https://i.imgur.com/Aylbd0P.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gqIqfmY.jpg
I'll post more when I get a chance to get out in better weather.
I'm very happy with the car so far. My only real concern is backseat space. I have a toddler and I am tall. The F isn't nearly as spacious as my M5 (yes, I am aware they aren't in the same car category).
From a car background perspective, I've owned a couple Porsches, an old and a new Z, a hopped up Mustang, a project Lotus, a dedicated race car, a RSX hatch, and a few other less entertaining ones. I've been a member of the SCCA since 1999, Porsche club, BMW club, etc.
Also, I do a lot with Grassroots Motorsports Magazine. Whether it's road testing the launch of the new Porsche Boxster (and previous generations) for the magazine, participating in their $201x Challenge, or just posting random comments in their forums.
Hi, I'm Brad. What else would you like to know?
Joining the community officially today. I actually bought my F last week. In truth, it wasn't my first choice. In August I bought a car that I couldn't believe my wife let me purchase, a BMW M5 (the e60 model with the V10). That car is amazing. Downside is that the one I bought refused to not quit breaking. After 10 or so significant visits to the service department (including one that was a $20k repair) the dealer agreed to refund the car. They did the right thing, but I was left with a problem... now what?
After a stressful week and a lot of test drives, I found my IS-F. (Read about my search here)
2008, Starlight Pearl, Black leather, Nav, and sunroof. 62kmiles. 1 owner local car, I bought it from a dealership but actually work with the PO. He's a good guy and very meticulous. The car was cared for very well and came equipped with a stealth radar detector.
Pics:
https://i.imgur.com/Aylbd0P.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gqIqfmY.jpg
I'll post more when I get a chance to get out in better weather.
I'm very happy with the car so far. My only real concern is backseat space. I have a toddler and I am tall. The F isn't nearly as spacious as my M5 (yes, I am aware they aren't in the same car category).
From a car background perspective, I've owned a couple Porsches, an old and a new Z, a hopped up Mustang, a project Lotus, a dedicated race car, a RSX hatch, and a few other less entertaining ones. I've been a member of the SCCA since 1999, Porsche club, BMW club, etc.
Also, I do a lot with Grassroots Motorsports Magazine. Whether it's road testing the launch of the new Porsche Boxster (and previous generations) for the magazine, participating in their $201x Challenge, or just posting random comments in their forums.
Hi, I'm Brad. What else would you like to know?
01-05-15, 07:08 AM
#2
Congrats!! Yes our F also has small problems here and there but I don't think they will ever have problems like the E60 M, I wanted that car too at the time I bought my F. For the larger back seats and the intoxicating V10. I choose reliability since I drive 25k miles a year
01-05-15, 08:13 AM
#4
Congrats and welcome to the club Brad. 
Sorry to hear of the difficulties you had with the M5.
One thing you will find unless you are very unlucky, is the IS-F is pretty bullet-proof in comparison.
Just need to keep it properly serviced every year or 10K (that's for the UK, think you guys may be every 5K??), and it will look after you.
There are quite a few mods available to help improve the handling of the car, but that depends on what you want to do really.
Best of luck with it.
Cheers.
Peter
Sorry to hear of the difficulties you had with the M5.
One thing you will find unless you are very unlucky, is the IS-F is pretty bullet-proof in comparison.
Just need to keep it properly serviced every year or 10K (that's for the UK, think you guys may be every 5K??), and it will look after you.
There are quite a few mods available to help improve the handling of the car, but that depends on what you want to do really.
Best of luck with it.
Cheers.
Peter
01-05-15, 08:16 AM
#5
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I've spent the last week reading 50 or so pages of this forum. Things I promise I won't ask:
- What exhaust?
- What intake?
Actually as long as we are on the subject, if I do mod the car it'll probably be subtle. HPS intake tube, Borla cat-back, real carbon fiber interior trim.
I'll probably take the F to a couple track events, and an autocross or two. Nothing too hardcore.
- What exhaust?
- What intake?
Actually as long as we are on the subject, if I do mod the car it'll probably be subtle. HPS intake tube, Borla cat-back, real carbon fiber interior trim.
I'll probably take the F to a couple track events, and an autocross or two. Nothing too hardcore.
01-05-15, 08:36 AM
#7
I've spent the last week reading 50 or so pages of this forum. Things I promise I won't ask:
- What exhaust?
- What intake?
Actually as long as we are on the subject, if I do mod the car it'll probably be subtle. HPS intake tube, Borla cat-back, real carbon fiber interior trim.
I'll probably take the F to a couple track events, and an autocross or two. Nothing too hardcore.
- What exhaust?
- What intake?
Actually as long as we are on the subject, if I do mod the car it'll probably be subtle. HPS intake tube, Borla cat-back, real carbon fiber interior trim.
I'll probably take the F to a couple track events, and an autocross or two. Nothing too hardcore.
I have done those mods (exhaust is up next) to mine. The real carbon re-skinning was one of my favourite mods. Hated the silver stuff!
Here's a link to my thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-the-pond.html
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01-05-15, 08:44 AM
#8
I've spent the last week reading 50 or so pages of this forum. Things I promise I won't ask:
- What exhaust?
- What intake?
Actually as long as we are on the subject, if I do mod the car it'll probably be subtle. HPS intake tube, Borla cat-back, real carbon fiber interior trim.
I'll probably take the F to a couple track events, and an autocross or two. Nothing too hardcore.
- What exhaust?
- What intake?
Actually as long as we are on the subject, if I do mod the car it'll probably be subtle. HPS intake tube, Borla cat-back, real carbon fiber interior trim.
I'll probably take the F to a couple track events, and an autocross or two. Nothing too hardcore.
Welcome to the forums! It's always nice to see a new owner, and particularly one that seems mature and knowledgeable when it comes to performance-oriented car ownership. The fact that you've read the forums, done some research and already decided a modding path tells me that you've done more than most people who post here for the first time!
I think you'll find that you made a fantastic choice in vehicle, even though it wasn't your first choice. To be honest, the ISF was not my "first" choice either--when it came to finding a do-it-all performance sedan, the first car that came to mind for me was the E90 M3. But, after having previously had a TON of issues with an E90 335i (that I purchased brand new, the first year they were available), I soured on BMW as a whole. Sure, the M3 may not have the fuel pump issues the N54 engine did in the 335, but I simply don't trust German reliability (unless we're talking Porsche) over Japanese reliability. Most of the cars I've owned have been either Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus, so it only seemed fitting that I found a high performing Japanese car... and the ISF fit that bill perfectly.
You have identified the main mods that people tend to do with this car. The mods are fairly limited. 400-410whp is about all you're going to see out of this car short of running Nitrous, so as long as you accept that fact, you'll be happy. The reliability record is stellar for this car, and if you're like the vast majority of people, you'll have many years and tens of thousands of miles of fun with this car without worrying about anything except routine maintenance. The way it should be.
Welcome again!
01-05-15, 11:11 AM
#9
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The carbon interior... usually that would be something that I would say is a bit flash and show-y, but compared to the silver stuff that is in the car currently it's toned down. Besides, I think it will look great against the black leather.
And despite this car not being my first choice, I do think it was a better choice. Hell, it has made it a week without breaking. It's already better than the M5!
01-05-15, 12:26 PM
#11
Instructor
congrats and welcome to the F family!
