Opinion: Why to get an IS-F vs. E92 M3
10-11-09, 06:54 PM
#61
Pole Position
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: IL
Posts: 2,667
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lets start.
1. I'll never see a Viper around where I live, since its mostly suburbia where i am.
2. Smell makes the car imposing??
3. I dont really care about the humongous vents..
4. Sound doesnt scare me..What is the car going to eat me??
1. I'll never see a Viper around where I live, since its mostly suburbia where i am.
2. Smell makes the car imposing??
3. I dont really care about the humongous vents..
4. Sound doesnt scare me..What is the car going to eat me??
10-11-09, 07:43 PM
#63
Lead Lap
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: GA
Posts: 685
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anyway... As EVERYONE else has stated there are pros and cons.
If your not worried about having the car for a prolonged time or spending more money on service then the M3 maybe your choice. It is more of a "track" car, than the ISF.
The Lexus ISF is a more economical choice than an M3. Even people on the M3 board can agree to that. They may not like the exhaust tips, automatic tranny, and the similarity look of the IS350.
Lexus makes all their cars rounded to be luxurious, and economical.
10-11-09, 09:47 PM
#64
This is a lexus forum... your just gonna get the same responses like when I tried to comepare a IS-F to a G8 GXP. I like the M3 because you can tell the M3 is an M3, most ISx50 owners put IS-F tailights on there cars and to me thats a fail 
The M3 is not made to be a luxury cruiser just like the ZR1. I dont need a navi or anything like that my Garmin is perfectly adequate, i dont need a mark levinson stereo, the stereo in my camry is more then enough for me.... IS-F's have also not have sold well in my area... havent seen one on the road yet and the one in my local lexus dealership has been sitting there for ages. If they had made the IS-F coupe first maybe I would consider, but looking at the worthless backseat, the ISx50 styling, just makes me want to buy an M3. Hope I dont get blasted....
The M3 is not made to be a luxury cruiser just like the ZR1. I dont need a navi or anything like that my Garmin is perfectly adequate, i dont need a mark levinson stereo, the stereo in my camry is more then enough for me.... IS-F's have also not have sold well in my area... havent seen one on the road yet and the one in my local lexus dealership has been sitting there for ages. If they had made the IS-F coupe first maybe I would consider, but looking at the worthless backseat, the ISx50 styling, just makes me want to buy an M3. Hope I dont get blasted....
arguing over looks is always personal and never helps anyone. any non-car person cannot tell the difference between the special version of any car. (M, F, RS4, ZR1, etc)
arguing over stereo's on the camry helps no one. the F's ML > O in the M3 was opinated from a guy who had both. stating that's someone's elses reasons is irrelevent, especially when that person had an M3 before is becoming trolling.
the only point you brought up relevant would be that the backseat is bigger in the M3 sedan. but if OP needed a backseat, I would recommend the M5 then. hope that helps you see what you are doing wrong and why you get blasted continuously.
Last edited by malujerry; 10-11-09 at 09:53 PM.
10-12-09, 04:37 PM
#65
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ft. Worth, Texas
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm a bit late to this thread, but I am a former IS-F owner that will take delivery of a 2010 E90 M3 either late this week or early next. I didn't get rid of the F because I didn't like it. It had to do with cash flow. I was able to sell the F and pay cash for a swimming pool for the family instead of taking out a second mortgage at the current high rates. I figured I could finance a new car at a better rate.
I ordered a M3 instead of getting a new F mostly because I wanted to try something different. Also, I've never had a BMW, and a M car has been on my wish list for a while. Hopefully I will enjoy it as much as the Lexus. Only time will tell.
From all my research, which is considerable since I've been waiting over two months for the M to arrive, the cars are very similar in performance. It really comes down to what matters to you.
I'm excited about the customization options on the M. You can select from the following to tailor the car to your driving style: 2 different steering settings, three different throttle settings, three suspension settings, five different shift maps for the M-DCT in auto mode and 6 in manual mode, and three different stability control settings. Plus you can link your favorite performance settings to the M button and have them all change with the push of one button. I was happy to see that the M button is on the steering wheel as apposed to behind the wheel like the Sport button is on the F. Also, with the DCT you get shift lights which I think are cool.
There are things I will miss about the Lexus. I think the F has a nicer more solid feeling interior. I really like the woven aluminum trim and look of the gauges. I F also has better brakes that not only look a lot better, but will probably hold up better on a track. I also think the '08/'09 F wheels look better than the 19" option on the M3. Finally, I'm not sure how I'm going to like the latest I-Drive compared to the touch screen nav on the Lexus.
I notice that you like to mod. This might be the biggest plus for the BMW. The aftermarket support for the M3 blows away that of the F. The only downside is the "M tax" you pay as most mods are expensive.
Once I have my E90 and get through the 1200 mile break in I will have a better idea of the pros and cons of each car for the way I use it. I hope I end up liking the M better, but I have a feeling it will be pretty close. I know that if I have a lot of reliability issues I will regret not going with Lexus quality.
I ordered a M3 instead of getting a new F mostly because I wanted to try something different. Also, I've never had a BMW, and a M car has been on my wish list for a while. Hopefully I will enjoy it as much as the Lexus. Only time will tell.
From all my research, which is considerable since I've been waiting over two months for the M to arrive, the cars are very similar in performance. It really comes down to what matters to you.
I'm excited about the customization options on the M. You can select from the following to tailor the car to your driving style: 2 different steering settings, three different throttle settings, three suspension settings, five different shift maps for the M-DCT in auto mode and 6 in manual mode, and three different stability control settings. Plus you can link your favorite performance settings to the M button and have them all change with the push of one button. I was happy to see that the M button is on the steering wheel as apposed to behind the wheel like the Sport button is on the F. Also, with the DCT you get shift lights which I think are cool.
There are things I will miss about the Lexus. I think the F has a nicer more solid feeling interior. I really like the woven aluminum trim and look of the gauges. I F also has better brakes that not only look a lot better, but will probably hold up better on a track. I also think the '08/'09 F wheels look better than the 19" option on the M3. Finally, I'm not sure how I'm going to like the latest I-Drive compared to the touch screen nav on the Lexus.
I notice that you like to mod. This might be the biggest plus for the BMW. The aftermarket support for the M3 blows away that of the F. The only downside is the "M tax" you pay as most mods are expensive.
Once I have my E90 and get through the 1200 mile break in I will have a better idea of the pros and cons of each car for the way I use it. I hope I end up liking the M better, but I have a feeling it will be pretty close. I know that if I have a lot of reliability issues I will regret not going with Lexus quality.
10-12-09, 07:18 PM
#66
F is for Fraud
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Québec
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm a bit late to this thread, but I am a former IS-F owner that will take delivery of a 2010 E90 M3 either late this week or early next. I didn't get rid of the F because I didn't like it. It had to do with cash flow. I was able to sell the F and pay cash for a swimming pool for the family instead of taking out a second mortgage at the current high rates. I figured I could finance a new car at a better rate.
I ordered a M3 instead of getting a new F mostly because I wanted to try something different. Also, I've never had a BMW, and a M car has been on my wish list for a while. Hopefully I will enjoy it as much as the Lexus. Only time will tell.
From all my research, which is considerable since I've been waiting over two months for the M to arrive, the cars are very similar in performance. It really comes down to what matters to you.
I'm excited about the customization options on the M. You can select from the following to tailor the car to your driving style: 2 different steering settings, three different throttle settings, three suspension settings, five different shift maps for the M-DCT in auto mode and 6 in manual mode, and three different stability control settings. Plus you can link your favorite performance settings to the M button and have them all change with the push of one button. I was happy to see that the M button is on the steering wheel as apposed to behind the wheel like the Sport button is on the F. Also, with the DCT you get shift lights which I think are cool.
There are things I will miss about the Lexus. I think the F has a nicer more solid feeling interior. I really like the woven aluminum trim and look of the gauges. I F also has better brakes that not only look a lot better, but will probably hold up better on a track. I also think the '08/'09 F wheels look better than the 19" option on the M3. Finally, I'm not sure how I'm going to like the latest I-Drive compared to the touch screen nav on the Lexus.
I notice that you like to mod. This might be the biggest plus for the BMW. The aftermarket support for the M3 blows away that of the F. The only downside is the "M tax" you pay as most mods are expensive.
Once I have my E90 and get through the 1200 mile break in I will have a better idea of the pros and cons of each car for the way I use it. I hope I end up liking the M better, but I have a feeling it will be pretty close. I know that if I have a lot of reliability issues I will regret not going with Lexus quality.
I ordered a M3 instead of getting a new F mostly because I wanted to try something different. Also, I've never had a BMW, and a M car has been on my wish list for a while. Hopefully I will enjoy it as much as the Lexus. Only time will tell.
From all my research, which is considerable since I've been waiting over two months for the M to arrive, the cars are very similar in performance. It really comes down to what matters to you.
I'm excited about the customization options on the M. You can select from the following to tailor the car to your driving style: 2 different steering settings, three different throttle settings, three suspension settings, five different shift maps for the M-DCT in auto mode and 6 in manual mode, and three different stability control settings. Plus you can link your favorite performance settings to the M button and have them all change with the push of one button. I was happy to see that the M button is on the steering wheel as apposed to behind the wheel like the Sport button is on the F. Also, with the DCT you get shift lights which I think are cool.
There are things I will miss about the Lexus. I think the F has a nicer more solid feeling interior. I really like the woven aluminum trim and look of the gauges. I F also has better brakes that not only look a lot better, but will probably hold up better on a track. I also think the '08/'09 F wheels look better than the 19" option on the M3. Finally, I'm not sure how I'm going to like the latest I-Drive compared to the touch screen nav on the Lexus.
I notice that you like to mod. This might be the biggest plus for the BMW. The aftermarket support for the M3 blows away that of the F. The only downside is the "M tax" you pay as most mods are expensive.
Once I have my E90 and get through the 1200 mile break in I will have a better idea of the pros and cons of each car for the way I use it. I hope I end up liking the M better, but I have a feeling it will be pretty close. I know that if I have a lot of reliability issues I will regret not going with Lexus quality.
10-12-09, 08:13 PM
#68
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ft. Worth, Texas
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From what I hear from other DCT owners the tranny seems to be holding up fine. The biggest issue has been the time it took BMW to get the software squared away so the tranny functioned correctly in various situations. With the most recent software update it appears they have got it sorted out. This was one of the main reasons I ordered a 2010 even though I could have got an '09 at a better price. I wanted the latest and greatest updates for the M-DCT.
10-13-09, 08:50 AM
#69
Driver
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WP
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My friend owns an m3 DCT and I have had a lot of experience using one and driving them because i was initially going to buy the m3. I can't say there's anything wrong with the DCT, but like all dual clutches (even the ones found on the a GOLF GTI) it CAN be jerky at low speeds so you just have to get used to it.
The m3 is a great car. It really is. I enjoy the F so much but I can't say I don't miss the m3 sometimes. The revs at 8400 rpms really make the car a joy to be in.
M3s and Fs are very different cars and both very good. It therefore is basically a matter of personal choice. But ive grown to love the F so much that maybe, just maybe... im a full convert.
Enjoy your car! and let us know how it is!
The m3 is a great car. It really is. I enjoy the F so much but I can't say I don't miss the m3 sometimes. The revs at 8400 rpms really make the car a joy to be in.
M3s and Fs are very different cars and both very good. It therefore is basically a matter of personal choice. But ive grown to love the F so much that maybe, just maybe... im a full convert.
Enjoy your car! and let us know how it is!
10-13-09, 11:07 AM
#70
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ft. Worth, Texas
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
10-13-09, 11:23 AM
#71
I'll add a few more things pros/cons for both cars:
BMW M3 positives:
1) Faster car on the track no doubt
2) ///M car race car heritage
3) Factory covered scheduled maintenance included
4) More aggresive overall look
IS-F positives:
1) Better gas mileage
2) Interior fit/finish is far superior no arguement there
3) Best looking 4-door to 4-door comparison (m3 coupe is sexy though)
4) Lexus unbeatable service department and reliability
5) Mark Levinson audio is awesome!
I'll leave you with this picture, how can you now like seeing this mean front end in your rearview mirror!
BMW M3 positives:
1) Faster car on the track no doubt
2) ///M car race car heritage
3) Factory covered scheduled maintenance included
4) More aggresive overall look
IS-F positives:
1) Better gas mileage
2) Interior fit/finish is far superior no arguement there
3) Best looking 4-door to 4-door comparison (m3 coupe is sexy though)
4) Lexus unbeatable service department and reliability
5) Mark Levinson audio is awesome!
I'll leave you with this picture, how can you now like seeing this mean front end in your rearview mirror!
10-13-09, 11:35 AM
#72
Driver
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WP
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is no question bout the F's capabilities, in the hands of a driver who knows the F in a straight line tested and there is definitely muscle beneath that hood.
Anyhow there is something about german engineering that makes you just go wow They make improvements to existing technology etc and while im going off point and not really talking about the m3 per se, just take a look at this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkbAS8ISJU
nuff said Porsche. I mean Doppelkupplung just means double clutch but what a buzz word PDK or Porsche Doppelkupplung has become! lol
tested and there is definitely muscle beneath that hood. Anyhow
there is something about german engineering that makes you just go wow They make improvements to existing technology etc and while im going off point and not really talking about the m3 per se, just take a look at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkbAS8ISJU
nuff said
Porsche. I mean Doppelkupplung just means double clutch but what a buzz word PDK or Porsche Doppelkupplung has become! lol
10-13-09, 03:41 PM
#73
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ft. Worth, Texas
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
very well put! but i might add, that for the majority who are fortunate to obtain an IS F or an M3, they usually dont track it. it is a small group who are track and racing enthusiasts that actually do choose to track it. though it is a faster track car, the F surely would win down a drag strip hands down.
10-13-09, 07:24 PM
#74
Driver
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WP
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes Launch Control does help and the m3 definitely is quick off the line with a nicer torque band i admit!
Cabinetman, make sure you read your owners manual, it says somewhere (as with most DCT cars) that launch control shouldn't be used more than 20 times otherwise there goes your gearbox. I think that goes without saying though!
Cabinetman, make sure you read your owners manual, it says somewhere (as with most DCT cars) that launch control shouldn't be used more than 20 times otherwise there goes your gearbox. I think that goes without saying though!
10-13-09, 07:45 PM
#75
F is for Fraud
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Québec
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
One of the reasons you might want to get an F over an M3 is exclusivity. There are about a hundred ***** driving M's around here but I've yet to see more than a handful of F's.