dk206

I love my is3 f sport, even tho I pay a lil too much for it, 55,500 otd. If I can go back in time, I'm do it again, love the car!

Dark9t316

Although I would've loved to have auto side mirror tilt option (parallel parking is a b*tch without it), owning the car that I love to look at alone is worth the extra $3500 or whatever for the fsport option. Since the price will be comparable anyways, just buy the one you think you can live with for the next however long you plan to keep the car for.

Glashub

KeyserS -- thoughtful and well written. I know you've taken some abuse from another forum -- don't let it get you down. If I wanted luxury items I'd never have bought an IS. Here's the difference for me: had a 2012 Genesis with every tech trick one could want + 385hp. A mighty fine car and a great commuter. But I never really felt an urge to drive it. Cars like that are more like appliances -- like a refrigerator. It was there when I needed it and everyone thought it was a Bentley and it was a nice car. But I never felt like I just had to go drive it.

The Fsport stirs my blood like cars used to when I was younger and I find myself looking for any old reason to go drive it.

corsjr28

Agree with what most others have said above... get what will make you happy!

Completely agree with the OP on the IS250... couldn't believe how underpowered it was for what you're paying (40's)... for just a few thousand more, you get a noticeable jump in power in the 350.

At the end of the day (after test driving both IS350 base and f-sport numerous times)... I choose the IS350 F-Sport because I felt I would regret not having the F-Sport package. The IS350 base just didn't do it for me... I felt that if I was going to buy the base model, that I should just buy a used 2010-2013 instead (just my personal opinion).

Lastly, I didn't buy the F-Sport because I plan to track it or actually use the F suspension... I bought it because I loved the exterior styling, the sport+ mode, the LFA gauges, the ultra white/red color combo, etc etc... essentially, I bought it because that's what I liked the most and I knew I'd have no regrets.

KeyserS

I totally agree with that advice and I often point out that the best way to spend the least on cars throughout your life is to buy cars that you will keep the longest. The incremental cost associated with each new purchase will easily overcome much of the differences in fuel savings or whatever else you will save by buying an economy car, if you end up trading it earlier than you have traded a more expensive car.

KeyserS

I don't let it get me down, not too much at least. I knew full well what was going to happen there if I did that, and was fully expecting it, so there were no surprises there. But I was annoyed at some of the comments which really were ridiculous, and annoyed that no one had said that they were ridiculous, so I said so. I did not even read but the first few replies. I still haven't quite decided between the two cars, but presently I am leaning pretty far toward the IS350. There are nitpicks with any car that you buy. Even if you bought a Bentley, there would be things that would annoy your. The climate control interface in the Q50 is very much like it is with my Audi, which I have never liked in the least, but in the Q50, it goes one step further by putting the AC switch in the touch-sensitive arena. Of course the layout of the buttons is different from my Audi, but the functionality is very much the same: press/tap buttons for temp and fan. The sliding, dedicated touch-sensitive temperature controls in the IS strike a nearly ideal compromise between *****, which are nowadays deemed unattractive, and something with a cleaner, ****-free look. It is a styling thing, as soon as all cars have stopped using *****, and about five years have then gone by, they will probably make a come back, and everyone will say, "Wow, look at that! It has *****!" Anyway, the climate control interface for the IS is head and shoulders better than it is in the Q50, without any question, and you get Mark Levinson instead of Bose, which I have had in two different cars and just have not ever enjoyed. So, notwithstanding that the seats are tighter than I would prefer and that I still have concerns with that turn signal business, it is probably about 90% certain at this point that I will be buying an IS350. I'm so confident of it in fact that I pretty much think of myself as an IS350 owner at this point. It wasn't this way until just about three days ago, when I had an epiphany of sort and realized that I really did not like the interior layout of the Q50, especially the climate control layout.

That is an interesting observation on that car. I looked at it seriously when it first came out, and was expecting to like it, but when I sat in it, it just did not rub me the right way. I didn't bother to drive it, but if I had, I probably would have had much the same reaction to it that you did.

There is no better reason to have a preference for a particular car. Ultimately it comes down only to the one question of whether it has that sort of effect on you. I just wish that it were possible to buy just the grill and the gauge and the decorative things on the exterior, but keep the fog lights and the leather interior. I absolutely have to have leather interior. And I can live with the more conventional gauge, and I can even live with the plainer grill. But honestly, if it weren't for giving up the leather and the fog lights, I would probably give some serious thought to the F Sport, because there is no question that it adds something pretty special to the car.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

I tried to diligently prevent this over a year and a half ago.....


I can also say it has only gotten worse instead of better...


~ Joe Z

mahtbeezy

My F Sport came with power tilt steering as an option with ML

gecis

For me more than anything the deciding factor was the front seats. I've noticed the seats on f sport are low profiled and snug fit vs on the regular I felt they're way too conventional which for me takes away the fun of driving. I didn't even know that f sport had that fancy lfa gauge until I picked up my car which was a pretty nice surprise.

spwolf

i dont understand why people have to justify not getting the F-Sport package.... thats why there is choice of two - if you dont like F-Sport, you get regular.

Me - i cant imagine getting anything but the F-Sport.I value having cool LCD screen in front of me, as well as looks and AVS a lot more than I value anything else I lose because of it.

GeorgeHill

I can't stand the boy racer look of the F-"Sport" package to be honest!
I agree 100% that the best value is on the IS350 with Luxury package with ML sound system for 46K

Dustin2011

You know, you could always get the non-Fsport with all the luxury features you want, then complete a front bumper conversion and put on the FSport bumper. A person in the GS forum did just that. He wanted the luxury features of the non-Fsport. His car turned out awesome and he has the best of both worlds. Might not be the cheapest way to go, but you'll get your cake and can eat it too.

Tone2002

Who cares?? Get what suits you. Looks like the F Sport package is pretty popular. Get over it.

Ramon

Sounds like you need to get over the fact that people do care and will continue to complain.

euro.r

Also seems like many people here are fixated on performance. Not all buyers of the IS250 care about performance let alone that hideous Fsport grill which is totally subjective.