Hello;

Am contemplating buying a used IS 350c as a 2nd car for top down summer only driving. There are 2 available, 1 is a 2012 non-FSport and the 2nd is a 2015 FSport. Both have relatively low mileage, both are white with red interior. Both are almost the same asking price, private sales. Was wondering if folks here could chime in on the differences and recommendations? Am a little older and wider, had an RX350 FSport before and the seat bolsters on the lower cushions were a bit snug for me, so am looking for feedback on the FSport seats in the IS.

Would appreciate any and all input. thanks in advance.

 

If both cars are equipped the same, there is no difference between 2012 and 2015 IS-C models. 2011 was the last update for the platform.

AFAIK, the F-Sport didn't get different seats in the IS-C.

Note that you may have trouble finding the correct parts for the 2015 if you tell suppliers that its a 2015; by that year, the 3rd generation IS sedan was available and most parts counter people are not the brightest in the bunch. This can be easily rectified by providing the VIN when asking for parts.

 

Thanks much for the feedback, appreciate it.

 

I just bought a 2010. The previous owner also has a 2012. Was updated in 2011 as mentioned above. Only difference I could see was there is a button on the 2012 to lower and raise ALL windows. The 2010 does this using the roof open/ close button.

 

The 2015 will hold its value much better than a 2012 though, since very few convertibles were produced in that year. Differences otherwise, there aren't many, but the 2015 F-Sport will have a different bumper than a 2012 non-F-Sport and will be harder to find the same bumper if you ever did need one. Other things to keep in mind are wheels may be different and I'm not entirely sure when they did black roofing inside of the car, but those are some things to look out for. For example, my ISC has black seats and beige roofing, but I would have preferred it to be black and black.

 

Thanks much for the reply. Have decided to pass on the purchase. Wife would rather spend the $ travelling. We're not big sun worshipers either, had another Basel Cell carcinoma removed in the spring so I need to be careful about too much exposure.