I'm well aware my answers here will be fairly biased but figured I'd get some input on this anyway.. What made you guys choose the IS-F over the competition, such as the C63, M3, Infinity M, etc. Price? Reliability? Looks? Performance? Interior feel? Just more convenient at the time? I love the look of the C63 but feel the interior could be better.. price is also about 5-10k higher than most F's still for a used one so that's another negative towards it. I've never driven an IS-F or a C63 but I have an IS350 in the family that I drive pretty frequently and feel like it's one of the best cars for the price.. I tried to get Mercedes to let me take out one of the preowned C63s that they had but of course, they see a guy in his mid-20's and immediately think I'm wasting their time and won't even let me drive it without a down payment lol. So basically, I need to buy it first.. The IS-F is a very rare sight around here and the last time we had one at the dealer in town, I wasn't even interested so of course I didn't bother asking about driving it.

Anyway, just hoping to get some insight into what you guys like/dislike about the F over the competition.

 

Was a Bmw guy for many years..honestly if they were more realiable Id probably be driving an m3 rather than my isf. The true BMW driving feel is beyond comparison. The interior on Bmw needs some work in my opinion. I love the nav in the lex. Prefer the seats in the M3..I really havent driven the cl63 but from my past experience with my E55..i wouldnt buy another mercedes again. Interior feels cheap and the drive was horrendus. looked good though. Wish the ISF came with the pano roof like my benz..that would be sick!! Love My F (probably more than my girl..shhh) Crazy thing...i live in ct and owned it for 8 months and still have yet to see another on the road..the brakes are fantastic. the sound is wonderful..Nothing beats hearing the intake on this car at around 6200 RPM...going to wait till spring for my header and exhaust install..Going to be a long winter with those parts sitting in my garage and more than likely sitting right next to my F..The F gets more looks than most cars I have owned..so be prepared.. LMAO i pulled up next to a friend the other day after work and i say when the light goes green were racing...She was driving a 06 mustang gt.. she says Ill blow the doors off that thing,,im not wasting my time...lol one thing is true people dont know much of what theses cars can do and what their capable of...Intake exhaust and headers and this CAR IS A BEAST!!!

 

seems like you are mainly comparing the c63 to isf. here's what i think

- isf is better balanced. c63 is more front heavy imho
- c63 is a rocket, straight line it pulls faster
- isf has better sound system
- isf has better interior design
- isf has better gas mileage

i guess the other thing to consider is the is350 in the family. i don't know how much you get to drive that, but to me that's a consideration. although the isf is clearly better, but i still think they are too similar. if i already have an is350, i probably won't consider isf (unless it's a trade up).

m3 imho is something quite different. i have the m3, but i chose the car for something else.

 

IS-F is so much more reliable than both those cars. Also I like the IS-F interior much better. I am an M3 lover, but would never buy one.

 

We work on Merc's all the time and BMW's as well, that said I think the Lexus is definitely of superior quality too both of the cars mentioned. The interior of the M3 is just sooo plain Jane it's sickening. And the Merc is nothing more than an electrical nightmare! I know I am starting to sound like a broken record on this but the CTS-v is also a vehicle worth considering. It will unequivocally blow all 3 of these vehicles out of the water in just about EVERY performance category mentioned.

 

I had nothing but problems with my '05 CTS-V to the point where I'd be very weary of buying another one. Maybe they cleaned up their act with the newer ones, but GM and reliability aren't two words I normally put together....

 

I also agree , I think the BMW in general quality is crap compared to Lexus. We have Lexus and BMW. When you compare my IS-F to the BMW its just a big boring unreliable pile of crap lol

I see a TON of M3 here in Utah though, I have seen only 1 other IS-F driving around at the same time as me, I think there are very very few here under 5 I would guess.

I would see GT-R vs IS-F a harder choice. I hope that the new gen of IS-F coming out will be awesome otherwise my 2010 IS-F will be sold and I will buy a GT-R :-)

I also wanted to say I had similar odd issues as you, I am 29 and when I go in to buy expensive cars they also look at me weird, but I dont take their **** either.

When I got my IS-F I brought a check (official bank check) to pay for it AFTER flying down there, they wouldn't let me take it until I passed some kind of background check from Lexus Nexus and they still required to check my credit is that odd or what? This was at Chandler Audi / Lexus in Phoenix Arizona.

Figure that one out lol

 

Main reasons for purchasing the ISF over a C63. I did not consider the M3 as I prefer engines with low end torque. It is also going to be a 60-80 mile daily driver.

- Long term reliability and lower maintenance bill.
- Going to laugh at this one, but real world MPG and ISF does not have a gas guzzler tax.
12-16 mpg for the C63 isn't going to cut it for daily driving. I believe the M3 has lower mpg than the ISF since it is hit with the gas guzzler tax.

I have driven the C63 and it is indeed quicker, and honestly, I feel that it handles better than the 2008 ISF. Both are enjoyable to drive and make you want to take the long way home, but being that they're still luxury sedans, practicality takes precedence.

GTR and ISF cannot be compared. The GTR is a pure performance sports car which is excels at. Of course, if you can choose, GTR all the way.

 

-I would lease the other 2 but ONLY buy the IS-F
-Lower end tq is better in the F over the M
-A bit cheaper
-I LOVE how rare it is, so far I've only seen 1 in the past 4 months
-The interior is way nicer than the dated M's

*I like the M's drivetrain, the dct is sick
*I like the M's premium stereo over the F's

 

One thing I have noticed everyone thinks the IS-F is just a different looking IS250/IS350.

I even stopped by a TOYOTA dealership and they thought mine was an IS250 with cool looking exhaust system lol.

 

Well just a few comments. I like the exclusivity, fit, finish, what others have stated above. However I have to change my answer on reliability from what I have previously stated. At this moment my car is with Lexus, the motor is out and it has been COMPLETELY torn down. Everything is off/out of the block, the head has all valves removed, etc. What will define Lexus now is HOW they deal with my issue and so far I am impressed. They are interested in getting to the bottom of the situation and the current plan is to replace the engine with a new crate motor. In my personal experience with German manufactures (Porsche, VW) getting them to admit there is a problem that is not "normal" (in this case, engine noise; with German cars it was oil leaks "that is within acceptable limits" no warranty service). Porsche changed my rear main seal on my 2002 911 no less than 5 times! (this is an expensive engine out procedure) and NEVER admitted that there was a problem with the engine (perhaps it wasn't the seal, but that the HOLE was not to spec?). I truly believe that Lexus and Japanese manufactures in general Stand behind their products better than German manufactures. I am able to accept that my engine troubles are isolated (nothing is perfect) and if Lexus steps up and treats me well and handles it right I will still be a satisfied customer. So far so good. I would buy another Lexus product.

 

If you're planning to buy a car and keep it for years, I would go with a LEXUS because they are just more reliable. Plus, an IS-F is enough power and the interior does look good.

 

I just traded in my ISF that I bought May 2008, I actually traded it in on an 2011.5 M3 Carbon roof 6sp manual. I absolutely loved my F, it was bullet proof and pretty fast, the only reason I got rid of it is that I really wanted a true manual car again, I have been driving manuals since I was 17 years old, this was my longest stretch with out and I couldnt take it anymore. So far the M feels pretty good, quality wise, end of life cycle gets rid of most kinks. I also looked at an mb c63 coupe flat black 1 of 100 edition, nice car but it defeated the purpose since it had no manual. If my F was manual I would have probably kept it forever.

 

I just bought a new M3 with a 6 speed manual also.

M3 is a total drivers car, love how it drives, feels, and sounds, No regrets. Feels incredibly solid. Maybe this is what BMW is famous for. I cant relate because this is my very first BMW. ISF was a little "soft" for my taste. I wanted something more raw and the M3 seemed to have what I was looking for.

 

for what you looking for you are going to love the m3