Just F Me

So after reading forum member "vbb" response to someone's post about what other cars IS F owners were looking at getting....I think it's actually time to make a thread about this where the information is presented from any views.

Unlike threads of the past, lets keep this on topic to why you choose the IS F, and your experiences with it of ownership up to this date. Lets make this thread informational, rather than a discussion. If you have discussion, maybe we can PM each other. But lets try and get something that's more organized for new owners and future members to read about our experiences.

FOR ME...

I bought the IS F because I fell in love with it when I got to drive it at California Speedway during a "Lexus Performance Driving" event back in May 2008. 4 months later I had my own IS F, in exclusive-to-IS-F Ultrasonic Blue. I also looked at the E92 M3 and W204 C63 AMG, but I hated German interior design

At first, I did not want to buy the "IS500" because it was rumored to have an automatic transmission. I've driven manuals for most of my life. But after driving it on the track, the automatic was so fast and amazing that I had to second guess if I wanted a manual anymore because of the high performance of this specific automatic.

Lexus obviously just a Toyota and it's very reliable, and that was a major factor to why I bought it.

I also bought my car back in Sept 2008, the economy was on the brink of crap and no one would know that in October SHTF. I had great credit, so they sold me the car at a reasonable interest rate and no money down (yeah...LOL....exactly!). I liked the E92 M3 a lot, but they also wanted $15,000 more for a similarly equipped M3...

I currently have a little more than 96,000 miles on the car and it's so far been good except for a transmission replacement at 87,000 miles. You can PM me for details.

Interior = 10/10 - after almost 100k miles, the interior is still perfect. Nothing is broken, everything works, and what I'm impressed by is the quality of leather. My Acura TL, after 98k miles, the leather in the driver's seat SUCKED, CD player stopped working, steering wheel controls for audio no longer worked.

Performance = 9/10 - 9/10 only because you can always have more, but I don't know how to drive this car to it's limits so....

Reliability = 8/10 - it's been a great car except for the transmission issue. HOWEVER, it's important to note that it seems like I'm the first one on this forum that it has happened to.

My car is completely stock, except for the Optima Yellow Top battery, aftermarket subwoofer, and I also removed the mufflers and resonator.

That's my 30 cents!.

Here she is today (or on Saturday at least...)


For the most part...her paint is swirl free

bnizzle87

1) It's an F-- something entirely different that Lexus had not offered back in 2008. Even if it had been named the IS 500 like Just F Me mentioned, with all its amenities and sport-infused aspects, I still would've bought it- although I am so glad it was an F. Ms and AMGs have been constants in the super sedan segment, and I wanted to be a part of Lexus' rise and game-changing F division. The half-day at Laguna Seca to push the stock F to its limits and to learn about driving dynamics was simply a bonus for me. And I too was there at the Lexus Performing Driving Academy, and it was a treat to see so many people intrigued about the IS F. It might not be the halo car like the LFA or the flagship of the LS, but since the F's inception, so many more sport-oriented vehicles and have been added to the Lexus lineup. FTW!

2) 4 doors-- I've always considered sport cars to have packed a considerable amount of HP into its vehicle. Sports cars more often than not have 300+ hp, so under that presumption the F should've been tagged with sports car insurance. But having 4 doors can't possibly mean one can't have the sports car driving experience, or can he?

3) Gas guzzler tax--in this case, a lack thereof. I certainly didn't feel the need to fork over an entire year's worth of gas fill ups before I even drove my car off the lot (i.e. M3 coupe or C63). That lack of an extra add-on to the final price made my payoff much quicker.

4) Club Lexus--I'll be honest, I did peruse the bimmer forums, audizine, and even merc forums before even purchasing my car, and all were quite biased toward their brand, with the merc being a bit more cognizant and recognizing of competition. But when I found Club Lexus, there was no bias. It was info central. Sure it's a Lexus forum, but the members here, I have seen, have, for the most part, been cordial and inviting of others.

5) Looks, Stares, and Compliments--Yes, I hardly care what others think, but it is such a nice refreshing feeling to have all eyes on the F. People, after 5 years of ownership, are still snapping pics, trying to get their long stares in without me or anyone in my car looking, and the occasional honk and from car enthusiasts on the road. I even had a random girl give me a hug and a kiss, and she said I had "one sexy car." My gf did not take too kindly, as we were just leaving a restaurant that night.

So why did I choose Lexus? It's anonymity with the F marquee.No one knew it then, and few people really know it now. But when you see it on the roads, it will still shock and awe you as much as an exotic. I'm proud to be one of the first owners when the F first made its way to my local dealer. Money wise, I bought it as a grad gift to myself at 19. Parents said it was reckless spending, but with the nickel and dime-ing I did for the seven years leading up to the purchase, I wanted what my heart wanted. Money was saved specifically for purchasing a car, though many of my friends have known it was to be for a ''98 Imperial Jade Mica Toyota Supra. And while that dream was not going to be in my driveway anytime soon, I figure it was best to continue working and save for something that no one else would have ever sat in, or most likely have farted in. For some reason, the Supras I sat in all smelled like lingering cheese cutting, and along with their high mileage and lack of conditioning, that turned me off on the one that I saw. And lastly. this group of Club Lexus- what can I say. I've met and corresponded with many informative members who really know their stuff, and I am fortunate to have such a wealth of knowledge at my disposal whenever I get online. Great people here, some of whom I've created lasting friendships with, and I don't see that ever changing. Thanks, Lexus!

DallasISF

iTrader: (4)

Great write ups. What can I say that hasn't already been said except in my own experience? I think it is important to note that I have the IS-F as a daily driver. I know there are others and probably some people who are looking in this class for a weekend toy, but my evaluation was based on something I could drive every day.

I did as most do and compared the most common cars in this class BMW M3, Mercedes C63 and Cadillac CTS-V. I didn't consider the Audi S4 since performance wise it was no match for the rest. I, unlike others, was looking for a a 4 door performance beast with an automatic. Yup, I said it, I prefer an automatic. Ultimately, I was looking for a luxury performance car and an automatic fits the bill for me.

Back on subject, I found that the IS-F offered all of the features available in the other options as standard and BMW and Mercedes charge extra for most features including a sunroof which seems like it should be standard on any vehicle in this class.

Then there is the real kicker, QUALITY. You just can't beat it and even the extended warranty companies know it. Test it out for yourself, find an extended warranty company and check what options you have for each of the vehicles you are looking at. When I did the same I could only get a 3 year extended warranty for either of the M3 or C63, that wasn't the premium bumper to bumper and it was priced higher than the 8 year bumper to bumper warranty I found for the IS-F from the same company.

Modifications are definitely limited compared to the other options, so if you are looking for something you can mod to no end go another route. However, I think that most on this forum will agree the options we have today (as well as potential in the future) has been plenty. Add on top of that the reliability and quality you get from the IS-F even after mods is impeccable.

I'd also like to comment on the forum and the quality of the community. As bnizzle87 said, the people here seem to be a different breed. Keeping in mind the IS-F has only been around for 5 years so most everyone here comes from some other performance car background, the sense of community if fantastic. I get so much support, answers, advice and just general guidance from the IS-F forum as well as the local chapter.

**EDIT** Boma's comment below made me think of something that I think adds perspective. I decided to purchase a new car when I got an oil leak diagnosis on the Jaguar S-Type R that I had recently put several thousand worth of repairs in. That was the last straw and that week I started my search and the following weekend made my purchase. When I was searching and comparison shopping, the IS-F was not on my list. It wasn't until I did a search on Autotrader for vehicles that were V8, 4dr, and automatic that I realized I had made a mistake and missed the IS-F. I couldn't be happier that fate turned out the way it did.

In summary, if you are in the market get out there, test drive everything, do your research and good luck.

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

Fell in love with the ISF back in 2007 when I was a sophomore in college. That's when I saw it for the first time, as it was just coming out. Until I got mine, in 2011, I had only seen 2 in person - 2 ISF's in person within a span of FOUR years. I remember going through my AIM logs telling my friends I would consider one.... and here I am with a 2008 Ultrasonic Blue Mica IS-F. I purchased a 98 Integra in college (that's all I could afford at the time) circa 2009 and immediately starting saving for my next car. Every penny earned would go into savings and I was extremely frugal whether it came to buying myself gifts or going out. When I had enough money to be dangerous, these were the cars I considered: IS-F, E92 M3, C63 AMG, S4, Cayman S, Exige S, even the Dodge Viper RT/10 (all used).

IS-F was the first on my list. I joined ClubLexus in April 2011 to inquire about the F, common problems, maintenance costs. Members were so nice to even vote on a list of 3-6 cars I provided from cars.com and elsewhere. I remember joining Rennlist forums and asking about maintenance costs on a Cayman S. Most people were disrespectful and gave me extreme cases, such as if the engine blew how much it would cost. The attitude from the members dissuaded me from Porsche.

Members on here are the complete opposite. I owe it to many (PurduePete, Ucrazykid, and others) for helping me extensively with my search. The first and last car I test drove was the F. I was sold. I didn't even bother test driving the German cars due to quality issues and major replacements on the CarFaxes. IMO, there is no other car that has luxury, reliability, looks, speed, rarity, sound, and even fairly reasonable maintenance costs all in one vehicle. For those prospective buyers that want traditional manual, drive the F and you will see how fun the paddle shifts are. My Integra is manual and I get my fix, but paddle shifting, blipping the throttle, is just sublime.

Too lazy to put up a pic, but my car looks exactly like Just F Me's... bone stock except for muffler/cat delete. The car doesn't need anything else!

Boma

iTrader: (4)

It all started when I was sitting in a theater way back in 2008. I was still driving a 2005 Celica GT-S which I bought brand new back in October 2004. It was the last model year they would be made and it was in an exclusive Thunder Cloud Metallic gray with the Tsunami body kit.

Anyway.. as I sat in the theater I saw an ad for the ISF. I thought it was a neat looking car but at the time I made up my mind that my next car would be an E92 M3. Little did I know that that exact in-theater commercial would plant something in my head that would influence me a few years later, kind of like Inception!

Fast forward to February last year. I just got my pay raise and I have been aching to purchase a high end car for some time. I've been browsing around for an E92 M3 for a couple years but many of them had too many miles or didn't have the features I was looking for. I was also comparing it with the Audi S5 and even the M6. The ISF was also on my comparison list but I didn't dwell too much on it as I wanted to get my feet wet with German engineering, and at the time I thought that I wanted another coupe. One day I was talking with a coworker and we passed by a fully loaded Lexus which got us into a discussion of which high end cars would be nice to have. For whatever reason I thought of the ISF and did more research on it. I did more comparisons between the F and the M3 and determined that the F would be great to have. So I look for some local Fs for sale.. no luck. Later that day I talked with some coworkers and they asked to show them the car I was talking about. I looked again not expecting to see any new listings for Fs but lo and behold, there was a fresh listing of a blue 2009 F just down the street from my house. To make a long story short I went out to test drive it after work and over that weekend made the decision to buy it! The rest is history.

The reasons I bought it are simple: I wanted performance, reliability, luxury, and exclusivity. Simply put the F fit the bill easily. I am still a fan of the M and the other German brands, and I wouldn't mind owning one down the road but the F is really something special that I hope will last me for a very long time!

vbb

iTrader: (3)

I'm so flattered that I could inspire this thread, lol! But yes, I think this is a fantastic idea.

I've gone through a fair amount of fun cars in my 17+ years of driving, and like with most people, the only thing really controlling my decisions was my budget. Because of my family (a wife and 2 kids) and the fact that going out to lunch with coworkers is almost a daily activity, I wanted/needed something with the utility of 4 doors, but that was still performance oriented enough to keep me happy as a daily driver. I did the whole "sports car in the garage, boring family sedan for daily driving" thing, and decided that I wanted ONE car that I could enjoy all the time.

My budget had me in the $45K-$50K range, and so that put me in the market for a gently used S4, M3, ISF, a slightly more used CTS-V or C63 AMG, or a brand new 335i. That was pretty much the list. I quickly crossed off the 335i because I used to have one and got annoyed with the whole fuel pump reliability issue and the C63 because I just don't love Mercedes or trust their reliability. So I was basically down to the other 4 cars.

I decided against the S4 after a test drive because the car felt kind of bland. It reminded me a lot of the A4, which is a nice car and all, but nothing special. The interior is fantastic... I really liked the seats, NAV display and the instrumentation. I understand that if I decided to get "chipped" by one of the aftermarket tuners, I'd have power similar to an IS-F, but it'd also likely void much of the warranty for the car. Nobody wants to own an Audi out of warranty, do they?

I decided against the M3 because I didn't like the fact that you had to get high up in the RPM band to really extract the power out of it. That's fun for the track and all, but for everyday driving, revving around like a maniac didn't appeal to me. Plus, I'd owned a couple of S2000s before, and though they are awesome cars, I didn't want the high-revving thing anymore. Also, M3s are everywhere, the interior layout is dated, and like with the Audi, extended warranties were more expensive and virtually necessary.

I didn't drive the CTS-V. I decided that the newer ones that I wanted were out of my price range, plus I know a guy who had to have the supercharger rebuilt after only having the car for 2 years. Not saying that was a rational reason to shy away, but it is what I decided.

So why the ISF? It provided the best all-around package in terms of reliability, performance, rarity, gas mileage, and design out of all of the cars in the class. I had an IS250 once (well, my wife did) and I always liked the layout of the car. The things I didn't like about it (vague steering feel, lack of power, floaty suspension) are all absolutely non-issues with the ISF. I like the fact that I'd only seen 3 of them EVER on the road even though they'd been out 4 years before I got mine. I liked the fact that they have low end torque all the time. I liked the fact that they have Lexus reliability. And most importantly, I loved the test drive. I found a 3 year old ISF with 13K miles in the color I wanted and got it with the extended warranty out the door for slightly under my upper price range. Win-win.

Okay, I'm not answering this question again.

darbs242

iTrader: (5)

Had a real integer type r I dumped a forutne into and was great but I wanted a serious upgrade after college. Isf is luxurious, 4 door, jap super car that has some serious styling, packs a punch and does not stand out like some to the wrong crowd (po po).....especially in MM

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

For me is very simple , had an IS300 for 5 years, was going to up grade the F didnt get good deal when it 1st came out so ended up with IS350, 3 yrs later got the F lolz. Enough said

anxiouz

iTrader: (9)

I had always been really interested in the ISF since it came out. Just knowing it had Toyota quality but with 400+hp, and I loved the styling, it was something I always kept an eye on. I considered it the closest thing I would get to a new Supra.

I came from loads of heavily modded cars prior...2 Evo 8's (the last one 394whp on E85), a 2011 WRX, and of course a 03 350Z at launch that initially started my whole modding bug ages ago.

So with my love of Evo's I started looking at the Evo X but hated the weight and since I started having knee issues I was only looking at paddle-shifting cars (so the Evo X MR was my #1 prospect).

On a Mitsu dealer lot they had new Evo X MR's (in white which was my fav color) for almost exactly the same price as a used 08 white ISF. I drove both and there was no contest. My biggest issue with all of my previous "racer boy" cars was that when my parents visited they always complained when I drove. I even had modded-car friends tell me the rides were harsh.

So seeing an ISF I knew it was the perfect blend of the performance I needed, and the luxury that would match my age. But I couldn't help myself...I still had to get a custom lic plate of "ISF <3 ON" (ISF hardon). My first Evo had "EVO <3 ON" so once I knew I could slip that past the DMV screeners I had to give it a try lol.

So my choices were Evo X MR, ISF, and since they are somewhat comparable...the Caddy CTS-V. But I wouldn't want a full auto car and with my knees a manual wasn't an option. So the ISF was a perfect fit.

Right now the only car I feel I would be ok with swapping the ISF for would be a GT-R. But the ISF really does accommodate all of my needs and concerns so my #1 swap is actually just a new ISF (with the new Tach, LEDs, and LSD).

avgj0F

iTrader: (2)

Had to know what 400HP+ can do and not many F on the road at the time, especially USB.

toky916

So my story I guess had a few cars before and my last one was BMW 2002 M3. I liked it was fun until I had a few issues that after the first few started bugging me then decited to post it for sale 2k above KKB price. So I looked at many cars and new 335i or m3,Audi and Benz I did not heavely look for American cars none had the looks and interior I was trying to spend money one and lexus was not on my list ! My parents both have lexus mom gx470& dad 2011 IsC dislike the ride and looks and felt the IS was everywhere at that time.

While getting the BMW serviced I asked how much trAde in for mine for a new one with "extra Packages" or 335 and m just for comparison I was just not sold on the looks and pricing.

I finally gave up trying to get rid of my car then uncle came over and was like hey come take a look at this lexus ISF I was like I know about it a little. I was Hesitant about lexus making a sports car ! Like every other BMW M fan boy but I decited it will not hurt just to check it out. Test drove it and boy was I sold red&black Interior price with everything ML ect...
Put deposit and contacted a buyer I was avoiding that really whated my BMW and sold it the next day and picked up the F a happy man with a on his face. Knowing that the car has only been out for few years and I've only ever seen 2 before not like M3 around every corner .

Love 4 door,options,pricing,performance,looks, Maintenance we all that fit the bill !!

Just F Me

bump to keep this on the front page so we don't get a billion threads about the same thing

LegendGT1

Before I decided on this car I was pretty sure I was going to upgrade to a g37 coupe or sedan from my Legend coupe but as nice as they are I wasn't too convinced on the G's styling. At this point I found interest in the is350 which I liked but was priced more than the G and arguably had less performance potential.

I knew I wanted to stay with Japanese sport luxury cars for their overall reliability and lower cost to maintain but if I did go German it would have been an s4, s5, or 335i.

After I graduated I decided I would pay off all debts before I treat myself. I knew about the F in college but I didn't really pay attention; but it was during this time I fell in love with both the F and the e90 M3 after my mechanic suggested them both as an upgrade.

The other cars went right out the window when I found out I could find a lightly use m3 or F for about the same price of a new version of the other cars. When I heard that the 2010 F had the Torsen limited slip dif, I was pretty sure this was the one I wanted especially since I prefer the twin gauges over the single big tach.

Why I chose the F over the others is because I think it is the closest thing to a perfect street car for those who value performance and practicality. It comes better equipped than all its competitors for less, its more reliable, has better gas mileage, cost less to maintain, looks gorgeous and out of all the cars around you in traffic, it's probably the fastest more than 85% of the time and does this while being some what of a sleeper. This brings me to one of the major reasons I decided on this car, it's ultra rare, just like my Legend coupe was. I see all the competitors on the road all the time and I can go months without seeing another F. Combine that with the potential of this car being a future collectors item like the first M3 is becoming, I was sold.

Autobacs

iTrader: (1)

Well I can't articulate any better what you guys already said so Luxury, Power, Sports Handling, and Japanese/Toyota engineering is what made me buy the F.

vbb

iTrader: (3)

It'd be nice if the powers that be would go ahead and make this a sticky. This question must get asked 2-3 times a week, every week. Just sayin'