A few months ago I was window shopping for an 08 IS-F but now I'm getting serious about it, after doing some serious number crunching. I came across a few IS-F's. Based on your experiences, which car(s) in your opinion should I consider in this list, which should I not.. etc....

1. Smoky Granite Mica, 39k miles, $41k
- one owner
- according to carfax, windshield was replaced

2. Maroon / Matador red, 27k miles, $40k
- one owner
- haven't done a carfax check, under Lexus manufacturer warranty

3. Silver, 12k miles, $41k
- this one baffles me, it's only $1k more than the one above, and has 15k less miles.
- has 2 owners (2nd owner only owned it for a month)
- according to the Carfax, the ignition coil has been replaced THREE times (at 2.5k miles, 6.5k, and 10.5k)... is this a common problem in these cars? Also, the fusible link was replaced at 6.5k.


Thanks!

 

The F uses coil packs (one above each spark plug) so replacing ignition coil doesn't say much. Was it the same coil pack or different ones. It is important to know why this has happened. A fusible link, doesn't sound serious.

On the one with a replacement windshield, was the windshield replaced with a Lexus windshield or a cheappy? You don't want a cheap windshield.

Lou

 

1 & 3

Get the VIN's and register into Lexus's website you should get more repair history.

I just dont get the color red they use, doesnt belong on an ISF IMHO.

~Dv8

 

Since I can see the carfax and which dealer the car was serviced at and I couldn't find a place to put a VIN on Lexus's website, should I call the dealer and find out what work they did on each car?

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home, register a userid, use the VIN you have as "your car", and you'll be able to see the full dealership service history online.

 

OK so I got access to the service records, the report says 2 things which caught my attention:

6MM LEFT ON FRT. BRAKES, 7MM LEFT ON REAR BRAKES

and

7/32 LEFT ON ALL 4 TIRES

Does this mean it will need new tires and brakes very soon? How often do rotors need to be changed?

What's also suspicious is that the last service record was done at 10,849 miles, yet the pictures show the car having a little more than 12k miles.

Any thoughts?

 

No. The front pads are still in great shape - only about 1/3 worn, the rears are even better at about 70% remaining. 7/32 is almost new for tires. 8/32 is pretty common for new tires.

 

When I was on the search for my car, I noticed that certain colors sell faster than other colors. I kept looking at the same cars and the Smoky Granite Mica along with the silver seemed to be the ones not selling as fast.

To me color is a personal choice, but it seems like those colors don't move as fast. I think all colors look good on the IS-F, but my favorite was Starfire Pearl with the alpine interior. I paid more for mine than other cars at the time, but that is the color combo I wanted.

Many of the three year leases are up now so there are many 08s on the market. I think they are a bargain at $41k or less.

Choose the one that appeals to you. The silver one might have some kind of electrical problem maybe not fixed yet and that is why the previous owner sold the car.

 

are all three being sold by dealerships? there will be price difference between dealer and privately sold cars.

 

Yes, all three are being sold by dealers... the majority of ones I've seen are sold by dealerships.

So an electrical problem could be the reason why the 2nd owner sold it so soon? Maybe that's why the price is quite low, even though it has low mileage, considering a SGM IS-F is selling for nearly the same price for more than triple the mileage.

The lexus service records don't state any major issues (for the silver one), although the carfax does state the ignition coil replacements like i mentioned before. I'm a bit skeptical about this one, but it seems like a steal.

 

well you cant tell if that is the reason why the last owner sold it, but if all that is listed on the carfax, then that might be the reason why it is priced that way. the powertrain warranty is 6yr/70k so at least it will be covered. you can always be patient and wait for a better one.

 

I might keep looking, I was able to get my 2008 USB ISF in January with 40k miles, certified preowned (100k mile warranty, bought from mobile, al lexus), for 38k @3% interest..

 

Yeah, keep looking. You should be able to find an '08 with under 30k miles for ~40k +/- 2k

 

Spoke to the dealer, it seems the battery was replaced due to the car not being driven all that time. Aside from that, no other major repairs...

 

I like number 3.

could be this: car presents with rough idle, suspicion is bad coil pack. Change one pack, still rough, change next coil pack, still rough, change third coil pack, fixed. Problem was third coil pack. not to worry.