datax976

Hello lexus world. I use to have a gs300 and loved it. I love lexus and always have. I am torn though between An IS-F or a 2009 MB CLS AMG/S AMG. I crossed Audi S4 off the list seeing as i hear there are so many problems with Audis(i personally owned an A4 and A6 and had so many problems with both). I want to know if anyone has owned an IS-F what kind of problems, if any, you have experienced. I would also appreciate some feedback on whether i should go with lexus or mercedes Benz. I like both as they are lux and beautiful cars. MB is a higher price tag if i go with a newer benz versus a 2009 IS-F. thanks for your help.

melbitoast

iTrader: (1)

Well, in all, Lexus probably has the fewest issues mechanically. Several of my friends have had BMW's and Audi's, and they spent 30-40% of the time in the shop. My ex-wife's family has owned MB for a long time and had few issues. But when they did, they cost a bloody fortune to fix (after warranty expires). If you're not planning on keeping the car that long, it would say you could not go wrong either way.

The final decision for me back in '08 b/t MB and Lexus was that my Lexus dealership here does FREE car washes for life. Any Lexus, and they don't care where you bought it. I'm not sure if anyone else's local dealership does that, but that was the final factor for me. Other than that, it was splitting hairs really.

Both vehicles sound great, but the 2nd intake sound on the ISF will likely seal the deal for Lexus. Go test drive it, and you'll understand our addiction.

Dv8tion388

iTrader: (2)

I recently bought my IS-F at 46k miles and looked at 335i, M3, CLS, S4, SRT8, G37, CTS-V. In the end, the IS-F had it all for the buck. It’s a Lexus after all so mechanically we should expect few problems and so I’ve researched. The auto transmission is what sealed the deal for me. It shifts way faster than anyone could in a manual and the power is always right there.
Since it’s a Japanese car, maintenance is less expensive overall and you can do most of it yourself if ever you should choose to do so. Not sure why the euro cars are so keen on the woodgrain, but the white/silver carbon fiber in the F is such an eye catcher and conversation starter, especially with the ladies...yea im a single man..haha!

Drive one hard.


~Christian

bnizzle87

The CLS AMG or even the S AMG are great rides, have great power, and look much better than the non AMG version. They're quite luxurious inside and out, but they will both eat up plenty of gas and probably require more maintenance than with the IS F. All three you're comparing look great- it's a matter of preference.

I'm with melbitoast....test drive the F to hear that second intake open up, and you won't regret getting an F. best of luck to you!

UCrazyKid

CLS and ISF are very different beasts. Drive both, pick the one you like. Make sure to drive the ISF in sport mode and try out the manual shift, makes for a very different experience than the ISF in "relaxed" mode.

datax976

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It helped me a little more. I asked a coworker at work and she (yeah a girl enthusiast) told me the same thing....Lexus IS-F. I would never be sad about choosing to go with the IS-F. I love that car. Def a driving enthusiast car. ALot cheaper than a MB amg too. about half the price. I think that says alot. I can take the left over of what i would spend on a MB and do some upgrades or modifications (not that it needs alot im sure). Thanks everyone for your help!!

NOW!!! whats the color i shouold go with? I have always loved the pearl white color but the Blue one stands out. I guess its a matter of if i want the miami vice look, or the obnoxious "look at me" look. lol

Dv8tion388

iTrader: (2)

StarFire Pearl here. My second color was Silver. Other colors either really stand out or offer little to no contrast.

~Christian

melbitoast

iTrader: (1)

Only a few performance mods can be done, so yeah, take the savings and deck out the car!!

Personally, I went with the Matador Red b/c everyone else goes after the USB or SFP, and it's almost an exact match to my college colors.

Weapon F

I had 08' IS350 in Starfire Pearl love the color when it came down to picking a color for my IS-F, I went back and forth between USB and SFP both are awesome colors day or night and the way they both look when the sun is setting what photographer call beauty light is just that beautiful. I choose USB because it's color you don't offen see on Lexus cars unlike SFP which is probably one of the most common color you will see on certain Lexus vehicles such as IS, ES, and GS but you can't go wrong with either color the F looks sick in both colors good luck.

Here are some pics for you to compare colors one was my SFP ISx50 the other are my USB F i hope this helps.


Look how the red of the sun set is pick up by pearl paint





Take at night.

noma56

iTrader: (3)

Go with the Starfire Pearl

pc1990

get the black..."once you go black you never go back." The black is a sleeper and looks more classy imo. In terms of what car to choose, you cant go wrong with the isf, its smaller than the cls amg, and will be much more fun to drive.

bnizzle87

You can't really go wrong with any of the available colors for the F. All are pretty unique and have a distinct appeal on the roads. But I've always been partial to black cars. Such a pain to keep clean, but the look is undeniably sexy!