Four doors, reliability, and an unstoppable grin on my face everytime I drive it- my IS F does just that. But, given my stage in life, I'll need all that and some more leg and cargo room for family trips. The F will always remain mine, as I don't plan on ever selling it, but the only test drive I've had that comes close to the F with all three factors I had earlier was a Panamera 4s. I have always wanted to own an Aston Martin- in particular the Vanquish, but reliability and practicality wise, it' doesn't fare as well. Of course, I probably won't have a need for speed with my family in the car, so an LX would suffice, as the future wife says.

 

I would go with .......... 2007/2008 Porsche 911 gt3. W/ sport chrono package, ceramic brakes.
Arguably best, most rewarding drivers car ever. And....it comes with MANUAL transmission.

 

458 Italia, LFA Nurburgring if not keep the F

 

The 911 is a good choice. The GTR is an amazing car too.

If you don't mind having an older car, a MKIV Supra TT is a good choice.

 

Ferrari 360 Modena. Or GTR.

 

Depending on how you dump money and if you plan to mod.

A ZR1 is a beast, can be daily driven, and tracked with a simple tire swap. It can easily get away from you so you better watch yourself especially in the rain. The interior is plain and the hardware is American. It might be a better fit and finish then in the past, but its sill not as good as the Euro or Japanese cars. I assume you mod this thing and you void its warranty, like most cars. I imagine parts & labor are relatively cheap considering it power level.Still car costs more than the first year GT-R. Modded GT-R can go way further than a Zr1in terms of performance.

A CTS-V was one of my serious contenders before my F (07' model) and before my GT-R (12' model). as almost a mirror to the vette above, but much heavier and less money, the CTS-V is excellent for those than need 4 doors or a wagon. I was looking at coupes. The fit and finish were nice, but rearend whining and supercharger drive problems, along with having to use drag radials to really get out of the hole was its deterrent, even though I could afford a new 12' compared to a used 09' GT-R. As always the difference between RWD & AWD was my major deciding factor. I want to go fast in a straight line and the GT-R did that better for the money, period.

A Porsche will probably get you the best blend of driving experience, performance and over all look and feels. It has a premium price and its exclusivity isn’t as high as a Zr1 or GT-R. Parts and labor are among the highest short of going high dollar exotic. Because of the price, you will be looking for an older model.

A GT-R is a bargain, will be fast out of the box with its awd system. It still needs to be controlled and the rush is just as good especially when teetering on the edge of grip through windy roads, it will do a much better job from allowing you to crash it than say the ZR1. The Transmission on early models (09-11); mostly 09 &10's can fail prematurely just operating under normal stock conditions. The failure is usually due to dollar parts, that ends up costing thousands to fix. It’s clearly a Nissan problem they won’t admit to and recall, because the 12-13 have reported very few problems. If the GT-R isn’t stock, the replacement under warranty is a tossup; otherwise power train is covered 5yr/60k on the base warranty.
Starting at 6-7k, very stout transmissions can be setup through the aftermarket. Otherwise, not much else plague’s this car. Aftermarket is huge, power is huge and the sky’s the limit with how far you want to take it, like a Porsche for less $. Labor and parts can range from cheap to ridiculous, because it’s a Japanese car with supercar like performance.
Take it from me; mechanically it’s easier to work on than the F and way easier than a Porsche.


~Dv8

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I think the Panamera could definitely take the F's place. The other possibility would be a GSF (if one ever appears) or maybe even an LSF (now that could be an interesting car).

 

Another duplicate thread.......let's merge it with this one

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-next-car.html

 

I would steer clear of Aston Martin's 2 of my friends fathers have them and they have both spent ample amounts of time at the dealership trying to problem shoot electrical problems. Also, you're not really getting a performance upgrade over your current car.

Porsche 911 Turbo is a great car and is famed for being a drivers car. However, you get the same relative performance out of a GT-R for about 35% less initial investment. When you're thinking of dropping this much money on a car you might as well take one around a track. In Las Vegas last year, I took a couple high end cars around the infield of the Las Vegas motor speedway. I drove several and out of all them I would have taken home the GT-R. Might be worth the flight and short little trip to do what I did and see for yourself which car meets your performance needs.

I think if I were to leave the F for any car it would be a Panamera Turbo. Not the prettiest car in the world but amazing performance out of a sedan. Also, the new M5 is quite the car for the price and still being a comfortable sedan for trips. Also, I think you can find a used SLS for somewhere around the price of a new 911 Turbo and from what I've read it's a great and fun drivers car. Just a couple other cars to look at.

 

Some very good responses here. I myself was going to jump straight into a GT-R from a 350z, but due to other circumstances I didn't. The Panamera Turbo or GT-R are both good choices. Like other members said the initial investment on the GT-R will be much less. Also the benefits far out weigh the negatives on the car. Just make sure if you buy an 09-10 make sure they have 2012 transmissions. Most of the ones I considered had 2012 transmissions.

 

For those talking about a Panamera, do you realize how big they are? I had one as a loner while my wife's Cayenne was getting maintenance...It is a very nice car, but HUGE compared to the ISF.

 

If I were going to get a something more sportier than this I would definitely want something with a V10, I love the exhaust notes on them. I would probably choose the Audi R8 v10.

With a 65-75k budget, I think I would go:
Aston Martin Vantage
e63 M6
GTR
possibly an RS5 or the new Jaguar F-Type if they release a coupe version...I think this thing looks better than the vantage to me

 

I'm thinking about the next generation NSX.