ilv1004s

iTrader: (8)

if your going to drive it daily ISF hands down
if your going to put it in the garage and stare at it and take it out once in a while to enjoy driving M3

MRxSLAYx

The M3 is too slow for that IJS. If hes going to buy a weekend warrior, I would recommend something more radical.

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

I really want to know the answer to this. I want to know what M3 owners have to say about this, both old and new M3's alike. I would start off the thread with something like "ISF vs. M3....still deciding"

You could try www.m3forum.net or www.m3post.com

Start a new thread there and report back to us

RustyHook

Endgame.... I was in this EXACT same scenario 3 months ago. I thought my mind was made up when I would watch videos of the M3 edge the win over the F in several track test...Even the dudes from Best Motoring loved the M3 when compared to the ISF..... BUT... ask yourself why they chose the M3....At the end of the day... those differences didn't apply to me or 90% of us. I do not take the Touge detour to work or stop by a road course on the way home from the grocery. If you do, then tell me what I am doing wrong in life. I value performance and RELIABILITY equally in a daily driver. I refused to sacrifice one without the other.

So what sold me was Lexus' confidence in their powertrain, 6 yrs vs bmw's 4yr warranty....and as other members have mentioned, a solid track record. Let alone the savings in maintenance cost.

It's a priceless feeling to give the car a beating at any given time and not have to think... "damn...I hope I didnt break something"

I'm completely satisfied with my F.... I sure you will be with yours too =)

Gymkata

I'm not sure where you are in Arizona. I live in Maryland and, aside from meets, have only seen maybe 10 other ISFs. I have easily seen 100+ current gen M3s. I have been in Arizona 3 times over the last year (Anywhere from Tucson to the border), and have only seen 2 ISF's...I have seen at least 20 current gen M3s during that time. I'm not saying you are wrong in your particular area of AZ, but I have never been in an area of the US where I don't see vastly more M3s than ISFs.

BTW, I am at 40k miles on my '08 ISF w/zero problem thus far. My only complaint is not being able to turn off both the traction & stability control while moving...that and the fact that 08-09 ISFs didn't get a mechanical LSD.

Endgame

Lexsane and VtotheJ - I did open a similar thread on M3forum.net. The consensus has been that the F WILL BE more reliable. They do say the E90 is the most reliable M3 ever.... "Remember its a Toyota" was one of the comments. They are well aware the M cannot beat the F out on that front. Go check the M3 forum under E90, E92. The thread is there and titled very similar to this one.

RustyHook - I COULD stop by a road course on the way home from a client meeting.... The only thing you are doing wrong in life is you JUST NEED TO DO IT my friend! =)

The M3 guys hit hard on the M3s looks, performance, and driving engagement primarily. Looks are subjective; I like the way BOTH look very much. They also hit on the lack of interior space in the F.

Thx guys!

Good stuff guys.

Evil Teo

iTrader: (13)

if you want to know, just join the bmw forum...im on there and the gtr and supraforum and some other ones as well...hehehe

to the op...i don't think this is a major factor in your decision as it is not listed on your post but I just wanted to point this out to you...ISF has better gas mileage! U don't get hit with the gas tax when you buy it. also u might want to test drive the ISF, 2008-2010 the suspension is a bit harsh to some people 2011-2012 suspension has been upgraded to be more firm and smooth. I was at one point in the same boat. just go test drive both.

LBmtb

I wish the back seat in the F folded down and I do think the M3 (coupe) looks better than the F. However, the combination of reliability, more torque, surprising fuel economy, and more upscale interior sealed it for me. Where I live (LA/OC), the F is also a lot more rare/special. M3's run around the OC as if they were Civics. Everybody says the M3 is more "precise" on the track but in my experience, it's entirely a driver's race. I passed a few the last time I was at the track.

You can't really go wrong with either. It's just a matter of your own personal priorities.

Endgame

More good points. You guys are starting to sway me.

Evil Teo: I did not say fuel consumption, but the F's miliage numbers are impressive. Thx for pointing out.

Murph145

If i was in the market for a coupe then obviously M3 coupe for me but i actually like the 4 door F style better than the 4 door M3 as far as styling is concerened and I got my F used about 4 months ago from the dealer a 2011 with 7K miles on it for $53K plus taxes. I was looking at similarly equipped M3's but I would have had to shell out another $10-$15K plus I like 4 doors just more practical for my life (no kids yet but still practical). I also added the extended warranty and I am at ease knowing I have a 7 year 125K mile warranty on the car I am not sure BMW would even offer something like that on there car. I take my F through the canyons every few weekends and it handles and pulls great! I get people always curious to what it is. Its a fun everyday pretty fast car

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

I did browse through other threads on the forums and wanted to chime in on the 8-speed tranny. I can say that the 8-speed poses no problems, my car doesn't "hunt" for gears or anything, it chooses the optimal gear and shifts smoothly in both D and manual modes. Nobody has mentioned that the ISF has a shift speed of 0.1sec (F1 tranny shifts in 0.05 sec), you will notice this in manual mode during upshifts. Regarding the reliability, it is too early to assume that e92's are reliable unless you find a high mileage one and pull up its service history (many ISF owners here can attest to driving 60K+ miles with little to no issues). The DCT may be awesome, but can be defective (Google "e92 m3 dct problems"). Yes the tranny is top-notch but who wants to dump that much money on a car that may have tranny issues?

With that said I will always love the way M3's look. When the e92 came out I was drooling over it but when I started to hear about tranny and electrical issues and see e92's everywhere it just became another sight to me.

I guess people have different priorities, some M3 owners prefer speed and modding over reliability. I would say the majority of ISF owners consider reliability and luxury as one of their top priorities.

Some M3 owners did say it best...if you're into the modding scene it's a known fact that the M3 has way more options than the ISF. If you're into reliability/exclusivity the ISF is for you (there are still bolt-on mods that can give you 40+ whp), since these cars are so close performance-wise.

I would join the bmw forums but it would be too tempting to post in the M3 forums and call out the fanboys...I want to avoid that

Evil Teo

iTrader: (13)

I would sit down with the wife and get her opinion as well, also let her test drive both as well and post ur result on what you pick when the time comes. both cars are awesome, u can't go wrong with either one. remember your in the ISF lexus forum so most of the members are gonna sway u to this side, so will the m3 forum will sway you to get an m3. I would say just go with your gut...YOLO!

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

BMW=Big Money Waste that's folk

Just F Me

We all have our opinions on why we chose the F...but i think a lot of us agree that it's definitely more reliable and the M3 guys know it too. Big deal...it's a bit faster than the IS F...how often are you pushing your car to the limits and the thing is are you even CAPABLE of pushing it to it's limits? Put a capable driver in a IS F and one that's not so much in the M3 and I bet you the IS F will come out on top. The cars are too close to decide on just performance alone...therefore you should look at other aspects as well.

The interior is also much better in the Lexus. I think BMW interiors are garbage.

Lexus hands down...you can't go wrong. BMW is great, but only if you're just looking for the "ultimate driving machine". But it's only gonna be ultimate for a few years...then it's gonna start breaking on you.



^^^Ever wonder this...Look how many BMW & Mercedes there are on sale vs Lexus... People who buy BMWs and Mercedes like the performance, and they know that in 3-4 years they're going to get rid of the car and get something new, because that's when the problems start happening.

Super6

iTrader: (1)

I would love a m3 and or a c63, but considering i was in need of a daily driver that could hold up to 25k to 30k miles per year, the isf was the hands down choice for me. Yep, gas mileage a huge consideration as well.