I am looking to make an ISF my next daily driver, have been in a 03 s2k for the last two years and while I love the car living in a miata++ gets old. I have been looking at cars <$25k and am leaning heavily towards an 08 ISF. Is there anything I should be mindfull of before going that route? I am aware brakes on these cars a pricey. What else should I be on the look out for? The cars i'm seeing in that price range are in the 80-110k mile range. Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Welcome to this site. Lot's of GREAT information here and lot's of GREAT members who freely share much information. But, you have posted to the wrong forum. You should have posted here:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-f-2008-2014-200/

I have owned my '08 ISF since new, NINE years now, and have FBO. I have no plans to get rid of my "F" any time soon

Also, this forum has an excellent search function. I would advise you get to know it. May I start you off with these:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...f-with-v8.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-2008-isf.html

Lou

 

Just buy mine and call it a day. Exactly what your asking for.

 

The S2000 is a wonderful car (I had 2) and you will find many here came from owning them previously as well.
Brakes do wear out quickly (heavy car) but are no longer that expensive to replace as aftermarket replacement rotors are now on the market and there are many pads to choose from. They are also extremely easy to work on if that is your sort of thing.
There are some trouble spots with these cars to look out for, see if they have already been addressed in any car you are considering buying. The threads listed by flowrider detail the issues.
In short, it is a great car with very good reliability. Parts/work is expensive as it was a $65k car when new and VERY few were ever built. Dealer is unfortunately the only place to get some things or to have work done.
Look for a car with few owners, service records and is in very good physical condition. The car was expensive so most were originally "adult" owned, however as prices dropped with age many have seen some abuse from others. There is a growing aftermarket supporting these cars, but nothing like you would get from a more common vehicle.

I'm another owner since 2008.
For maintenance think oil changes, tires and brakes. There was a car here that was just purchased with >333,000 miles driven year round in Illinois (rust belt) and was in quite good condition. These cars hold up. Don't be afraid of higher milage cars.

 

Thankyou all for the feedback, I've been doing a good deal of looking in the last few days and going to go check out a one owner ISF later today.

 

I end up buying the ISF, it was a one owner 83k miles in fantastic condition apart from needing new brakes all around, very excited. Thanks again all for the advice.

 

Congrats on the purchase. You won't be disappointed. Maintenance isn't as expensive, and I'm sure there are vendors here on the forums who have parts that any IS F owner may need to keep these cars running great. I wouldn't exactly run to the dealership or parts department for OEM parts just yet. Members here have reported using the same part number for parts such as rotors and finding them much cheaper elsewhere. You just need to shop around and see what's available locally. Best of luck and enjoy your F!

 

For anything brake related, I recommend:

http://speedfreaksusa.com

They are a forum sponsor and offer a CL discount.

Lou

 

Congrats on the pick up, you pulled the trigger quick haha

 

How much did you pay?

 

Try and find the best dealer service dept near you if you don't plan on maintaining it yourself. We have great ones where I live, happy to let you bring in parts from elsewhere and install them and honor the work. Some will flat out refuse any aftermarket or any emissions related parts (or I'd imagine even if it is OEM so their parts dept can make money)

 

Do your own oil changes it very simple and at least you know its the oil you choose and done right. Cabin filter and air filter blind Freddy could do it, don't get him to change the plugs though a bit more involved enjoy .

 

After tax/fees/etc just under 25k.

Thanks all, I defiantly will be doing some searching as far as brakes go, it's good to see there are a good number of options out there as far as that all goes. I will defiantly be doing my own oil changes and such.

 

LOL!!! Blind Freddy.

Congrats on the purchase! Enjoy it in good health! It's an awesome ride! Seller partscontainer on eBay sells the rotors really inexpensive. As mentioned above, speedfreaks is an excellent vendor. I also want to add RR Racing, they sell winmax pads that perform way better than stock. Along with other awesome performance parts. Not sure if I missed it, but post pictures!

 

Congrats on the buy! I'm located in Hawaii and its so hard to find one here. If anyone is selling I'm in the market for one, financing all in order too, lmk