makena88

iTrader: (1)

Rick, I feel the same way, I never drive any of my friends cars If the dealership won't let you test drive a IS-F, please do come by and drive mine.

Go over to Pleasanton Lexus and talk to Bob Slap and tell him Steven Fong sent you. Our family only buys from the Hendrick Automotive Group so you can imagine how cars we have bought in the last 10 years. They also pass on savings to friends of family.... Give it a try.

s4play

iTrader: (2)

Well I drove this car about a week ago prior to leaving on vacation.

The car is very intoxicating to drive and it seems the car has a VTEC mode when it hits the upper rpm spectrum as the exhaust note changes quite a bit. I love the deep V-8 tone and the paddle shift is top notch.

Only thing that really bugs me is the back seat is buckets and thus the car can only seat 4 people. Has anyone used a cushion to fit 5 in a bind? haha j/k

This would be a really cool 4-seater to own just that back seat bugs me...

Do you guys feel the car sits low enough in stock form? I actually find it sitting pretty decent for a stock look. All the small accents really make this car unique but still Lexus clean. I like how you can play DVD movies in the stock setup when the car is not moving.

What have you guys gotten in real world MPG on this car?


rk

UZ214

i get anywhere from 18mpg heavy foot driving to 27mpg on highway driving..
oh yea i loved the AMG c63 too, i was all over it when it came out but i want to drive my car not have it in the repair shop all the time.

nuttybar08

My .02 worth:

When buying a car in this class emotion and subjectivity mean as much as hard facts and logic, because let's face it you really want to like what you bought at this price level. The IS-F fulfilled my subjective requirements while also playing well enough against the M3 and C63 to earn my dollar.

Some other thoughts:
MB's quality/reliability are on the upswing and the C's interior looks very nice, at least up front. I like the look overall...definitely more blingy than the IS-F. My wife particularly liked the exterior of the MB but is quite happy I bought the Lexus.

The historical depreciation on AMG models is nothing short of brutal, and I don't see that changing with the C63 unless it turns out to be unusually reliable.

Driving home from the dealer I bought from (2.5 hr drive), the F reported 25.5 mpg and judging by the fuel gauge that was pretty close. This is simply amazing for a green non-LSx OHC engine rated at 400+ hp. I expect 27+ mpg once the motor loosens up.

Do not accept "no test drives" from the dealer. There are too many IS-F's sitting around (hence my good deal on a supposedly rare Ultrasonic Blue) for dealers to continue playing games. No drive=no sale, no exceptions. Of course, I did have the opportunity to drive an IS-F in anger at one of the Lexus Performance Driving Academy events.

primecut

iTrader: (1)

^ I agree. All 3 cars are very close in performance, so it'll be hard to pick one over the other based on performance numbers, unless you are planning to track the car exclusively (In which case the m3 would probably be the best bet). Unfortunately, it seems like many people do make their decisions based on magazine numbers and reviews alone.

The following sums up how I compared the cars subjectively (Performance and driving experience aside):

C63
- Love it... but 12 MPG? Nah.
- No discounts and $ compared to similarly equipped F.
- Maintenance = $

M3
- Interior...blah. Leather is an option on a 60k car?
- Nice exterior, but not different enough from regular 3-series
- Low torque = high revving = annoying for street driving
- Options = $
- 1st year DCT = Problems
- Less discounts than the F

ISFChamp

I had the pleasure of doing a magazine comparison almost two months ago with www.motivemag.com. I actually posted it in the first post that lists all the reviews for the IS-F. Check it out, I think it really comes down to what your going to use the car for "most" of the time. Everyone always says they are going to "race" but do they really?

timeToy

iTrader: (11)

The C63 is a Merc, enough said, my wife bought a MB '07 GL450 last year around that time frame, by December we had sold it to buy a LS460, the Merc was so poorly put together, squeaks, rattles, non working electronics, tires that loose pressure, man, the list was so long; the car spend just enough time in the shop so they avoid a Lemon Law, but enough for us to know all the service and maintenance staff on a first name basis. No more Merc after that...

As ISFChamp put it in the motive review, the M3 is for the Track: high revving, low torque, surgical precision steering, dreadful comfort, a tool on the track but a ***** on the road; The C63 is a street toy: massive tire-vaporizing torque, but too soft for the track, though comfy on the street, a fun car to drive as long as you are not trying to go fast; the IS-F on the other hand is the perfect street/track balance, power and torque are present all across the power band, handling is up there with the best without compromising day to day comfort, perfect toy for the street and a great tool on the track.

nuttybar08

I'll counter a couple of these since I drove the M3 before buying the F:

- The comparatively low torque is a non-issue for street driving. The torque builds early and stays flat across the range...it's plenty for tooling around town. The M can move easily and smartly from a stop with little perceived effort. And let's be honest, that V8 sounds incredible when you wind it up.

- If you can live with a 6MT sedan then you can get a pretty good discount on an M. A dealer I was working with offered to throw out the 2009 price increase ($1000) before we even started negotiating...

I have to agree that many items BMW considers "options" should be standard on a $60K car, but BMW isn't quite ready to market its brand as a value play. Yet.

s4play

iTrader: (2)

Guys I appreciate all the comment and useful article links, I will read some more since right now I can't move on a car till I sell my e46 m3 first.

The car I get MUST be an AUTO this time around as I already have too many manual cars that my g/f can't drive This is why I ruled out the RS4 which is my top pick!

C63 is too expensive for me and the dismal gas mileage just makes it easier for me to pick the IS-F. Something has to be said about Lexus to make a car with 400+ hp and still do 27mpg on the highway ~ amazing!

I agree that buying a car in this "category" is about class emotion and subjectivity as one poster said. You are not going to take these cars to the track for the most part. I'm looking for reliability, great service and customer support plus a nice car. I think the IS-F fits my needs perfectly. Only the 4-seat is a minor problem for me.....

Oh yea I will never buy a car from a dealer who says no test drives. Shows no respect to me as a buyer. I'm no teenager going for a joy ride and when I go there with my g/f expecting an honest test drive and the sales guy gives me that attitude I just walk away. In contrast I test drove a 2006 Gallardo a while back at the encouragement of the sales guy. He shocked me by not only letting me drive the car but then said, hey you MUST take your g/f for a drive as well so off we went!


rk

BigMikeISF

Getting 27 mpg in the F really is an awesome part of the vehicle. Perhaps the best parts along with the power, braking and reliability is the service you get at the dealerships. I've owned various makes of vehicles and I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am with all the Lexus serves departments. I constantly travel throughout Texas and every city I go to, the Lexus service departments are always on the their game and always friendly, I couldn't be happier I would recommend the F over any other right now Let us know how it goes and what you end up getting

Dam* that would be awesome! I think I'm going to a Lamborghini dealership this weekend to snoop around

VelvetBlue

What are you doing visiting all the Lexus service departments in Texas? Free donuts? Because it certainly can't be that your car is broken.

Damage

Oh god, Rick trolls this forum too with his bullsh|t, "hey guys, I'm interested in this car, I wanna buy it, but I can't decide between this car and a gallardo, enzo, bugatti, etc"?

Trust me guys, he's not worth replying too. Most of the time his posts are just BS posts to act like he can afford high end cars or just to get a feeler for the demand of a car so he can put himself on the waiting list for one and then turn around and sell his spot. He does this in a crapload of forums and many have already caught onto his BS. He's claimed to have owned a gallardo in the past and never could post pics of ownership. He's claimed to take delivery of an R8, but couldn't back up that claim anywhere also. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

And after this, he'll probably reply to this thread trying to be all civilized, but he's already banned from other sites for his BS that people caught. He's a compulsive liar. He tried to fake being a Porsche enthusiast to sell his position in a waiting list for the 997 GT3. He got discovered as a poser trying to profit off board members and ended up not being able to sell the car before delivery. LOL. Then went around on S2000 board showing the car off like he could afford to keep it. Ended up finally selling the car and settling on an NSX and claimed the reason was the NSX was just something he's always wanted...riiiiight.

Some examples:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...f430-deal.html (look at last post)

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/o...all-shame.html (find his name in the list)

Trying to flip an R8 before delivery
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...ghlight=S4play

Trying to flip the 997GT3 before delivery
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/a...ghlight=S4play

Trying to sell the same 997GT3 on cars.com under a DIFFERENT name
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/g...t3-4-sale.html

LOL
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/2040034-post54.html

And just so you guys don't think he's just a harmless poser...he's notorious in the BMW community:


From a BMW owner:

I'm happy that it hasn't affected you in any way and you are one of the fortunate ones. However, it has affected a lot of members on the M3 forums because they have gotten ripped off by S4play with their ICE work, among other things. He has convinced them that the work was done by him but in reality it was Sound Innovation that does them. He basically charged them double the price so he can get a cut for himself. The worst thing is that some of the customers who I got to know at sound Innovation still has to spend their extra money to fix Rick's mistakes. And when they finally learn of Sound Innovation from someone else, they face the reality that their cars were originally done by these guys and they could have saved a lot of money if they had gone to them in the first place.

I can understand being the middle man and everything, but lying to your own customers.....now that's low. You can't imagine the number of people who have talked badly about you at Sound Innovation. Even the installers at the shop doesn't think so highly of you. The same goes for most of the guys that you actually think are your buddies on the M forum. These are the guys that you know from day one and these are the guys that you see at the Lake Elizabeth meet, Milpitas meet, etc. You are what you are S4play, but continuing with these lies will get you nowhere. You just don't know the magnitude of how your reputation has been tarnished in the M community because of your actions.

I actually believe about your GT3 after talking to you, but no one in the M community believe about your Gallardo. And our beliefs started a few years ago when we had asked you countless times to bring the car out to the meets. Good luck with the future. I just hope you don't involve any other victims in your business scheme. If only you can hear the ones that had work done by you. If only you can hear what the shops you take your business to say about you.

More..
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/1645521-post144.html

Due to his tactics, 6speedonline changed their "For Sale" subforum to only allow posting of a car that you have title to so flippers like him don't take advantage of members.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i think it's better to have this thread closed now