I just bought a CPO 2008 ISF in matador red (photo attached). Love the car. I love performance but most sports cars have a horrible ride when commuting. I can only have 1 car so I love the Lexus ISF as it is a nice cross between perf and smooth Lexus ride.

When I search for reviews it seems every one of them is down on the ISF. They says its not as good as M3 or AMG's, etc. I realize why they says this as the ISF is not all perf like they are. They lack the ride and frankly, they lack the nice interior and the uniqueness of the ISF. I consider the ISF a little bit of a confused car since it does both perf and luxury.

Has anyone seen a good review of the ISF? Not one of these neutral ones?

Curious as to how yours are holding up too. I have 22k on my 2008, its loaded + 3 years more Lexus warranty, 3m shield, Mark Lev, nav, etc.

Is there any need to get the extended warranty now? Lexus dealership wants $3300 (inc taxes) to make it go for 6 years (I have 3 now). Seems like someone will offer something as mine expires I would think.

 

First of all Congrats on your new ride. I just bought my IS-F 3 weeks ago and I love it. Personally, I think some of the reviews that are out there are just bs. When I looked at most reviews the major complaints were how heavy it feels and the handeling. Though they are somewhat true, you have to ask your self - do you track/race the car daily? For me I was deciding between the M5 and IS-F and I chose this because for 3 points.

1. Reliability
2. Uniqueness/Style
3. Performance

I see more BMW's in my area than I see people in northern VA. I wanted a car that not most people have and is sexy. My IS-F is a daily driver and I love every sec of my driving. Its just an amazing machine. I get good gas milage, looks everywhere i go and power to whip some a$$es.

I think a true review is from an owner that owns an IS-F not some magazine, media companies testing it for few hours against cars and reviewing them.

 

A lot of the reviews I read before purchasing my car rated the ISF below the M3 but like you mentioned many of the review put much more emphasis on the performance factor and the M3 was always the perfect package. I've had my fair share of BMW's in the past and just wasn't satisfied with the reliability (blown engine, smg pump going bad, etc).

I felt like the IS-F was the best option for me. Luxurious and reasonably fast. I was also sold on the powertrain warranty that comes standard with Lexus's which I believe is 6yrs 70k miles. My car currently is only at 13k miles and I don't foresee driving the car over the 70k in the near future so having that piece of mind that my engine/transmission is covered for the next 5 years was key in my decision to buy the ISF. No problems yet on my ISF but I've only had it for about 2-3 weeks.

As far as the warranty goes, I don't plan on buying one because the powertrain is covered for 6 years, 70k. Would you pay $3300 to cover most of the other components of the car? I honestly don't see anything going wrong with this car besides the audio/nav system but I'll take my chances and save $3300 IMO.

 

the only review that matters is the one you have of YOUR car. what these magazines and blogs say about one car over another should mean nothing. to hear such banter about how the m3 is so much "better" than the IS F is useless and a waste of my time. fanbois will be fanbois, and luckily there isnt much fanboi talk on this forum. its pretty objective, IMO. very clear about the benefits and detractors of other cars equally.

what drew me to the IS F was the fact that i loved what it represented. lexus has always been known for reliability, luxury, and class, and adding the F lineup surely enhanced that. M3's and AMG's have been around longer, so i can understand why some would prefer those. but personally, i like not seeing F's all over the place. it's not an ultra rare car like a ferrari or a lamborghini, but when you see it on the roads, it becomes a real eye-catcher.

i would hold off on the extended warranty until your third year of ownership. most likely, you won't need it. i'd get one by then just in case the nav/electronics become inoperative.

 

My '08 is at 30K on miles without a problem. Probally not necessary to extend the warranty past what you currently have. As for third party reviews, it really doesn't matter what others say (subjective). It boils down to if you are happy with the car and it's attributes.

 

Welcome to CL!

Edit, i could of sworn i saw FL in your location haha

 

I agree that the reviews are not as valuable as owner opinions. Tough to find those outside of the forums ...but that's because the IS-F is so rare.

I bought the IS-F for the following reasons:

1. Rarity
2. Nice looks
3. Lexus reliability
4. Lexus smooth ride (less so compared to other Lexus models but much better than M3 or AMG)
5. Nice interior
6. 411 HP ... it flies and is quick off the blocks!
7. Engine sound
8. 3 years left on CPO warranty
9. Has usable back seat (no 2 seaters for me)
10. Handles fantastic! (turns, lane shifts, not stiff like competitors)

I don't race on a track. I just love the true sports car feel in daily driving. So the smoth ride (relative to sports cars) was really important for me. I see so many BMW' that it's just not exciting to me. The Audi S4's are nice, but the ride was bumpy as hell, cost was high, and looks were jsut OK (in and out). Plus I worried about reliability with them from reports and owners. I have never seen an IS-F on the road ... I love how rare it is.


Regarding mileage ... what are you all seeing? Its been a few days for me so its hard to tell. But so far 18MPG average with a mix of highway and city driving (mostly city).

I drive in "normal" mode most of the time (commute) and "sport" when I want to have fun.

 

Averaging 23.3 mpg mixed. Much better than expected.

 

Congrats and welcome to CL. If you're happy with the car, that's what matters most.

Terrance

 

As said the most important review is yours.

Personally I would not pay 3K for the extended warranty just because I trust Toyota reliability that much as long as you treat it with respect and I don't mean babying the car.

Reliability and quality is what made me decide the ISF over the M3.

 

Well I purchased the ext waranty with mine. Why because machines are not perfect. This is my second lex. I still drive the other and it has 150k on it. Not major problems yet with that. I paid 2000 for my ext warranty on the f. I also have the road hazard tire and wheel insurance. But I am the type of person that always get and ext warranty on anything over 1000 bucks. Wile the lexus is a reliable car you will never now. Plus I plan on keeping mine for atleast 10 years. **** my gs is a 2000 and I have had it for 7 years. If you have the extra cash I say get the warranty.