Hey there IS-F owners, Im needing some advice from you guys that have owned an isf for more than a couple of months..

You guys can answer any of the following questions:

1) Would the ISf's ride quality be too bumpy/stiff for a baby (seat) every once in a while? ( are baby seats even allowed to go in an ISF )

2) Are there any issues with the '08s that are now surfacing?

3) Imagine if one were to plan on purchasing a used '08 ISf for $40k with 30k miles.... is it worth the money to put an extra $15k to 18k and buy one brand new?

thanks!!

 

1) baby seats will be fine, but not recommended because it has to go on either side in the back seating (baby seats should be in the center in the event of an accident)

2) there are no issues with my particular ride, but others have mentioned primarily brake dust, engine clicking noise, and rarely some electronic malfunctions. lexus has been primarily great with its production, leaving few complaints and claims about engineering issues inside and out

3) the '10 IS F comes with Limited Slip Differential, sliding headrests, and some other stuff, and IMO its worth it. i love my ride, but new cars get their glory for a reason...better technology, upgrades from previous models

 

I can certainly help in this thread. I have had my 2008 IS-F for 2 months now. Traded in an IS350 for it. I can tell you the baby seat fits fine, I have a 6 year old with his own car seat and there is no issue. A baby seat would work as well. The ride is a bit stiff, more than my IS350 even after I replaced the springs and shocks with the F-Sport products. Not horrible but it is stiff. As for problems, its bullet proof as was my IS350. Believe me when I say, I hear the "Beep" a lot and do not feel this car will fail. Its a Lexus.
Hope this helps.

 

I've had my F since early December. No issues.

Baby seats fit fine. We currently move a toddler seat around between the three vehicles you see listed below. There is a TSB out for a vibrating inside mirror that I had done. The service folks wont mention it, the owner needs to complain about the mirror and mention the TSB. The mirror gets replaced with the one from a 2010 model. IMHO, you MAY be able to still find a new '08. If you still can, and work out a deal, this would be the way to go. If you can do good on an '09, I would take it.

Lou

 

I have 2 baby seats in the back of mine. They work perfect. Ride is much softer than my 2002 911 that my son LOVED to ride in the back of. I have a rear facing baby seat on one side and a toddler 5 point on the other and all is good. I'd be happy to take some pictures for you if you wish.

Issues I have seen are with a very early '08 (build 243), alignment pull to right that was fixed with the TSB for caster blocks, and the vibrating mirror that was replaced under warranty. No other issues here.

I think you can do better on that price for a used one with 30,000 miles. I paid $44.5 for a car with 8K miles 2 months ago.

 

I've had my IS-F for over a year now and I can tell you that this car is bullet proof. Baby seats fit OK, I've had them in my car with no problems. I find the ride a little bouncy, but not stiff at all (well, I used to drive an Evo so it's hard to find a stiffer ride). Brake dust is normal with performance brakes, that's not a problem but a side effect, you can go with ceramic pads and have no brake dust, but braking power will be downgraded. Someone mentioned engine clicking noise, I read a post about it but I think it was an isolated case, no other people had it. Electronic malfunction? First time I hear about it.

The rearview mirror is the only think that I can mention, and if it wasn't because of this forum I'd have never done it. I don't drive with the sunroof fully opened, so I didn't notice about this issue.

 

Good feedback and good comparison to the IS350 with F-Sport springs/shocks, I always wanted to know that in case I buy an IS-F later.

 

I traded in my 08 G37 for my IsF. The ride is a bit bumpy but then again, I really dont think its that bad, coming from a lowered civic, It cant be that bad. Besides, Im pretty sure alot of Mommy and Daddy with their SUVs cant be riding too much smoother than the IsF. For your 2nd question, Do Lexus ever break at all? Lol Im pretty sure they have problems here and there but seriously, what manufactures dont have problems. The only complaints about this car are all minor stuff, ie rear view mirror shake, brake dust, all petty stuff. Not like we have Honda Tranny problems, European Electrical issues, etc.... and for your 3rd question, I would buy new for this car, I dunno, if you can afford this type of car why buy used? we are not hyundai or kia, or ford escort shoppers, no need to hunt for the best bang for the buck, Im not telling you to pay full sticker for this car but no need to buy a 1 year old car with more than half the warranty gone already just to save a few bucks. If thats the case, might as well buy a salvage title one to save even more money, Right? Still Rocking an IsF but for 1/2price...