RCM83

iTrader: (1)

Well one of my friends bought an 08 M3 and took me on a crazy run with a bunch of other ridiculous cars up to Philly and I was hooked. I've always been a car guy but never really had the money to get anything in this league. Got out of the military and pretty much doubled my salary, single, no kids, 29 years old I said screw it you only live once. I was pretty dead set on the M3 after driving his but was worried about all the possible repairs + the car payment and the warranty is ridiculously priced. Started looking at the C63 but couldn't find one very close to test drive and same issues with repairs and warranty. There are 3 other guys with Fs in my apartment complex which I always thought looked nice but never really knew it was in the same category as the M till I started doing some research. Found an 08 with 35k miles right up the road from me and went to go test drive it, figured it wouldn't really compare to the M since its not a 6 speed but once I drove it I was hooked. It was in great shape, my favorite (practical) color and IMO just looks better than the M both inside and out.

7 1/2 months and 7000 miles later I haven't regretted my decision once. I know everyone says the M is faster in the corners or on a track and with a professional driver it is, but I can say driving to cars and coffee or just messing around with my buddy in the M3 it is pretty much neck and neck.

The M is an awesome car and I would still love to have one but I don't think I would buy one unless it was new, or maybe some years down the road once I have established myself more and won't have to worry about the repairs as much.

Auscoach

I am probably too early into my experience to make a comment, but i'll spill my thoughts anyway

I have had my black 2008 ISF for about 36 hours, and its amazing in every way so far!!!!

I contribute par of my buy to this Forum.... Thanks guys!!

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

i've been in love with cars since about 15 years old. been modding cars since i was 17 with my first job until now. broke up with long time gf of 9 years and wanted to get rid of my car because i really made me think of her. it was also my goal to buy nice car before the age of 25. when i say nice, i dont mean a g35 or something. more of a top tier car. a car that nobody will have at little ricer car meets and a car that ricers can't get their measly hands on, lol. only three cars i wanted. e92 m3, GTR, e55 amg. e92, quite disappointed, feels slow around town. e55 amg, not sporty enough with the tranny. repair and maintenance price was scary as well. 2009 GTR, i liked it but of course i could only afford the first year model of this car and its not a very good idea. also, looking at maintenance and it only having about 8k left on warranty, i had to be smarter.


a few weeks later, saw a random ISF exhaust clip on youtube in my "recommended video" section. Wow, i didn't know that car would sound like that. so i kept researching more videos and forums. Every clip i saw, ISF looked indestructible. they were beating everything 95 percent of the time. I came on here and found out how quick they were in the quarter mile. how reliable they are. even the little problems ive read, compared to the other euro cars was nothing in my eyes. bad waterpump? thats easy and simple on this car. little maintenance stuff? cmon, it's made by toyota, this is just getting too good to be true.


Im not going to lie. i was jaded by the media and just misinformed. the auto tranny, was lightyears better than i was expecting. i was thinking more like the e55 amg, just stomp on the gas . this tranny was the best auto tranny ive driven. the gearing is perfect to me. it will make the car feel sporty yet it can feel like a strong automatic muscle car as well when you shift into D.

Ive been in is250/is350 and ive read it's the same interior basically. so me not knowing how much nicer the ISF interior looked and felt. from the all black headliner, to the blue stitching and silver textured dash pieces, it saves me a lot of money because those are things i would modify if i bought the other cars.

The sound of the car. just amazing. the ISF is so rare around these parts, i didn't even know how they sounded modded. ive always wanted an american muscle car but never wanted an american car or the quality. i felt with this, i had what i wanted. a big 5.0 v8 but with the quality of a japanese car. also the best luxury japanese car. i saw with bolt ons, 45-50whp, i just had to get it.

searched online and found one out of state. flew to look at it, signed papers and shipped it home. been the best thing i bought in 2012. usually i get bored with cars fast but everytime i drive, i still get that excited feeling and i love how rare it is around here. its nice to drive and never seeing another owner with the same car. i saw one but he was like 70 years old. its nice to not have a highschool kids car anymore.

still saving for my GTR but i dont see myself letting the ISF go. this car is in too good of shape with low miles to let go .

FforLife

Because of this forum and youtube. I just want to see if it's true and there is only one way to find out is to own One

blue42

Love of driving fast and safe....reliability and quality...proving people wrong and looking good in the process.

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

Driving slow also looks good in the process

MDISF

Because the IS 350 just didn't do it for me. I honestly forgot that the IS F existed until I saw it sitting right next to the 350 on the lot. After the test drive I didn't want anyone else to touch it! I made the sales dude put a sold sign on it before I left the car to go back inside and write the check lol

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

I have logged well over 230,000 miles in 3 different Lexus IS models....

Honest truth, it has never left me on the side of the road over the last 13 years..!!

2001 IS300 - purchased July 3rd, 2000 (Special Ordered New, Totaled)

2008 IS350 - purchased Sept, 2007 (Special Ordered New, Traded-in)

2008 IS-F - purchased April 2009 (On the Lot New, the way I wanted it)


~ Joe Z

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

I have exactly same cars with Joez same colors as well except the F lolz , but he drives much more than me lolz I had logged only 160k miles of all 3 cars lolz.

psixtc

I brought the prototype RX350 to a local dealership back in '08 (camo and all) for its first service. As a thank you for letting the owner of the dealership look at it, she told me to come back after work because they just took delivery of a car she wanted me to drive. I went back that evening and she tossed me the keys to an '08 ISF they backed off the truck earlier that morning. She pointed to the hill behind the dealership and suggested I 'take it on some twisties to have some REAL fun". Who am I to turn that kind of suggestion down!? I was hooked from the first push of the start button.

From that point on, I always joked with my wife that it would be a suitable replacement if things didn't work out between us. 3.5 years later, we mutually decided to divorce before kids came into the picture. During the divorce process I thought "I wonder if I could finally get an ISF now?!". Sure enough, with my employee pricing I found out that I could not only afford it, but I was SAVING money by replacing the wife with an F. The day after the divorce was finalized (1 year ago today actually), I placed my order. Best decision I've ever made and have been smiling ever since.

cremaster

iTrader: (1)

when i was about 8, an older friend had a bunch of us neighborhood kids over to watch a movie on SelecTV. remember that? the movie was The Road Warrior (or Mad Max 2.) i fell in love w/ that V8 interceptor/ford falcon. the grumble of that engine, the whine of the weiland blower (which wasn't even functional on the movie car), Lord Humongous! you get the picture. a couple years later, one of my dad's former liquor store employees came to visit us. he pulled up in a brown firebird. it looked like it was lifted in the rear, w/ fatter rubber and wheels than the fronts. he asked it i wanted a ride. i couldn't wait to hop in. i still remember sitting down low, the car burbling and vibrating, the slight smell of fumes coming into the cabin. he told me to 'hang on' and off we went down the street, tires screeching. my god! since then, i knew that i always wanted a proper muscle car. still want a 67-69 camaro. one day!

fast forward to 2007 ish. i was driving around in my g35 sedan that i had dumped too much money into (wilwood bbk, kw coilovers, full exhaust, wheels, etc.) i remember seeing ads for the IS-F and thought, 'damn! 400+ horses?!' i knew i wanted one but couldn't afford one at the time. like someone else said, i always wanted a V8 and to combine that w/ japanese reliability, comfort, good fuel economy? a 5.0 japanese muscle car was what i knew i wanted. i also got to sit in/see the F before they went on sale in the US. i ran into a guy that worked for lexus/toyota in redondo beach in front of a starbucks. i waited till the owner came out and asked him about it. he was more than happy to tell me all about the car, revved it for me, etc. he was part of toyota r&d and got to drive everything for about a month before being released. i loved the interior, the F insignia's, the seats, aluminum trim, etc., etc. i was even more hooked!

over the years, i've wanted various "when i get older, i'll get" cars; 500e hammer, c36 amg, clk 55, m3, 911 slantnose, e55, s4, etc. and most recently considered the cts-v. but when it actually came down to replace my g35, i knew i wanted another japanese car, after having gone through headaches w/ two previous Vdubs i had prior to the infiniti. and after 5 months of searching, researching, watching the ads on cars.com, ebay and autotrader, i had finally found my 09' almost a year ago today. but when the wife and i get a bigger house, i will get my proper, classic american muscle one day!

WebSoCal

iTrader: (4)

For me, it's the reliability and hp!!! Since I knew I was getting a second-hand car, reliability was my priority... Plus ISF isn't as flashy as other Ms and AMGs.... just my two cents!!!

streetx

iTrader: (4)

Around July 2011. At the time i was driving a 2010 scion XB RS7 and i was kinda in the market for a second car, a sports car. At first I was looking at Honda S2000 because i wanted a jap sports car and it was the only thing at the time that was worth looking at. Then for whatever reason i came across this ISF on auto trader.

Did some quick math in my head and went to the dealer to check out the car. next thing i know scion is traded in and I now own an ISF

Always liked the ISF but never thought i could afford one but here I am with one lol

MRxSLAYx

Why I purchased it: It was my second choice to the M3, but that fortunately didn't work out... Walked into the local BMW dealership and got weird looks from most of the staff. Put my name on a list and waited for a long time to talk to a salesman. About 30 mins into waiting another person walked in an was met with a salesman asap. I got super pissed, told the manager what happened and then went to the Lexus dealership. I guess they though that a kid wearing a pokerstars hoodie and vans couldn't buy a BMW lol. Manager was especially pissed when I drove my sister to pick up her 5 series 2 weeks later in my F

Why I've kept it: I fell in love with the F the second I sat in it. This car has been nothing but great to me and I love it more and more every time I look at it. Its been through Tx2k, 2000 mile road trips, and all the other crazy things I put it though.

Performance: Not a problem when we have nitrous
Luxury: Its a Lexus
Reliability: Its a Lexus

I love this thing so much that I just washed it the other day and it doesn't even have a motor in it . If my life stays on track, I will keepf my F forever and just keep making additions to the collection.

StraySheep

iTrader: (1)

I bought an ISF because I needed a car that's reliable, with back seats to pick up kids, drive to work, and perform well at the track.

I can't afford/justify a new ISF, so had to buy used. Therefore reilability was very important, so I did not consider M3 or C63 because they are not as reilable as the ISF.