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This is a great discussion and solid points made. In my world of computer security, we have similarly robust discussions for the exact same reasons - there's the "ideal" and then there's what makes business sense. I see both sides of this here, and while I feel disappointment the same way Joe does, truth be told, I am not the person Lexus wants to ask when making business decisions about what to produce, even for performance oriented buyers. I'd have them building a car I would buy, but few others would see the value in it. Flipside was dead on point when he said many IS F owners went cheap on rotors when it was time to replace them because 1. They didn't need the OEM performance in the first place 2. They just wanted to stop the car mostly from normal street speeds reliably. Me? I bought rotors from Figs for $2k!! I also put in an OS Giken spool that I like better than the TVD in our GS F. I bet I can count the number of member of this forum who have done just these two relatively expensive performance enhancements (that make a HUGE difference on the track) on one hand. So Lexus did the smart thing and focused on the most probable buyers but provided the key pieces for those who see the stock car as a blank canvas. I wish them great success with this because at the end of the day, they MUST be reasonably profitable for the F line to continue, and I know all of us would be truly disappointed if Lexus abandoned the F models because they just won't sell.
And something else I just remembered - in 1998, the Supra sat an average of 8 months on the showroom floor. That's a pretty long time. Much like our beloved F cars, they sold a ton of them in 1993, and after that it rapidly tapered off with each model year. The NA Supras outsold the turbos hands down because they were much more affordable, typically about $10k less at a time when $10k was significant and car loans were only 60 months tops. There was no 1999 Supra in North America. Production in Japan continued through 2002. They weren't selling here. Then Craig Liebermann got his Supra in The Fast n' Furious. All of a sudden used Supras were skyrocketing, and everyone was lamenting the fact there were no new ones available. I bought my '93 in January 1997 to replace my 1994 my ex drove into a concrete wall in 1995. I got it for $28,500 with 32k miles on it. So glad I beat the rush! But ultimately, Toyota missed out on a great opportunity by terminating North American sales with the end of MY1998. We all know what happened after that!
So Lexus did the smart thing and focused on the most probable buyers but provided the key pieces for those who see the stock car as a blank canvas. I wish them great success with this because at the end of the day, they MUST be reasonably profitable for the F line to continue, and I know all of us would be truly disappointed if Lexus abandoned the F models because they just won't sell.
This line of thinking falls in line with how Toyota debuted their new Supra. I remember several times during the reveal they mentioned how the aftermarket would fill the gaps... one example of this that stands out in my mind is their mentioning of the fender vents on the MkV. I don't like what they're doing lately with their performance lineup... but it does make business sense. At least they're putting a thoroughbred toyota engine in this car. I imagine we'll see lots of parts coming available for this from Figs and hopefully JoeZ.
Your all right on the market. I look at F cars as coveted cars that should be driven hard and treated rarer than they really are. That’s what I do with my ISF. I don’t even daily it though. If I were in the market for a new daily, I’d be looking at this or the GSF used, or possibly a Tesla for future proofing reasons. I’d probably land on a GSF used, but this would be a close runner up. I don’t need brembos for daily use. But I do want them on my sports car.
My current daily is an 08 IS350... which is sort of the 08 version of this in my opinion. My only complaint in my daily is the small size... but all newer cars are much bigger.
Yes IS F / MY14 was manufactured from July 2013 to last one made in July 2014
Joe Z
The first 2014 MY IS F built for the US market was JTHBP5C22E5011301 built on September 2, 2013. The last IS F built for the US market was JTHBP5C20E5011572 built on July 28, 2014.
The first 2014 MY IS F built for the US market was JTHBP5C22E5011301 built on September 2, 2013. The last IS F built for the US market was JTHBP5C20E5011572 built on July 28, 2014.
I was using standard turnover cycles of July @ Lexus Factory...
However the move to Sept 13' could have been a delay driven by retooling the factory for the 3rd Gen. IS
Joe Z
July is often the last month of a model year for Toyota/Lexus, but August is typically the first month (with some overlap).
The 2nd Generation IS was built at two plants, Tahara and Miyata. The non-F sedans were built at both, IS C built exclusively at Miyata, and IS F at Tahara. The 3rd generation IS is only built at Tahara, however production of the 3IS started in April 2013. There was a bit of a gap though, so they may have still had a bit of downtime while changing over production for other models. The last 2013 IS F was built on August 8, 2013, so there was a gap of about 3 weeks.
Comparing this to the previous year, the last US-spec 2012 was built on August 24, 2012, and the first continental US-spec 2013 was built on September 5, 2012, that said, there were cars built for other markets in between (including MY 2013's for Puerto Rico and Canada).
Is the IS500 F-Sport Performance the spiritual successor of the E90 M3 sedan, except reliable and minus the manual?
On the surface, they seem very similar, both normally aspirated V8s, both 400+ hp, RWD only with LSD, both electronically adjustable suspension, both on the surface have very easily adjustable and very immediate throttle response due to the free revving NA V8 engine. Both Daily Driveable 4 doors with acceptable ride quality on normal roads. Very similar 0-60 times.
People have critiqued the F80 M3 as too mechanical and the boosted engine power response makes it hard to drive smoothly unlike the NA V8 E90 M3. Could Lexus have inadvertently captured the essence of the E90 M3 sedan(previously hailed the world's most complete car) with the IS500 F-Sport Performance?
Could people wanting to relive the old school BMW driving experience obtain it with the IS500, now with added liveability and much better reliablity?
In that case, the IS500 could be a hidden gem and future classic. Imagine : " Classic BMW, except without the headaches."
The first 2014 MY IS F built for the US market was JTHBP5C22E5011301 built on September 2, 2013. The last IS F built for the US market was JTHBP5C20E5011572 built on July 28, 2014.
Yeah. We discussed it in another thread previously. :\
Originally Posted by Jeff Lange
The last IS F built was 011572, an USB 2014 manufactured in July 2014 and destined for the USA. VIN was JTHBP5C20E5011572, and it was written off about a year and a half ago from my Google searching.
The 2 Great OG of this site Flipside909 and Joez 
02-25-21 | 12:59 PM
We discussed it in another thread previously. :\
