RE: Lexus IS-F | Spotted

[MattsCar]

The reason for the "high" price is that as people have said, these are ultra reliable with no real known inherent faults. Just fill up, service, replace consumables and drive. A bit like an NSX.

Don't think you could say that about some of the German rivals.

[fflump]

NGK210 said:

5-star Evo review, for LSD version, here:
https://www.evo.co.uk/lexus/is/6815/lexus-is-f-roa...

There’s now’t wrong with the cabins compared to the Germans.
Rubberised, soft-touch switchgear?
No.
But there’ll be no ‘sticky button’ syndrome, either.
All switchgear has a nice ‘clickyness’, and there’re quality soft-touch plastics where you’d expect.
The leather is beautifully soft and supple – and freakishly durable.
Excellent surround-sound Mark Levinson hi-fi also deserves a mention.
And it’s a double-wishbone front end – no cost-cutting MacPherson strut tat here.

Lovely. They’re not called the Japanese Mercedes for nothing ;-)

[WhyOne]

Beautifully engineered things and for all those moaning about the cost and pointing at the obvious BMW and Mercedes (and Bentley!!! ) alternatives....I'd wager running one of these (even with a £20k purchase price) for 3 years would cost you one hell of a lot less after runing costs and depreciation.

Edited by WhyOne on Thursday 23 May 17:25

[belleair302]

For those comparing parts with a C63 AMG a new set of pads and discs fitted by Mercedes is a shade under £2000, I priced these up with Mercedes Watford! Not pretty. I also have a Lexus LS which is a beautiful car to own, a soft drive but throws up no bills and is great to sit in over distance. Lexus make a great car and few owners go elsewhere after owning them.

[andy43]

Heaveho said:

Cups Renault said:

It's a 16 year old Japanese saloon closing in on six figures mileage.

It should be far nearer 5/6k than the delusional 20k
Wasn't special new, has never been acclaimed as a great of it's era. Comical pricing and defence of the price here.

How long did you own yours for, and what wasn't good about? it We had one for a couple of years more than a decade ago. One of the few cars I really regret selling and I've had a lot since then. I won't defend the standard suspension, way too hard. I did something about it though, 16 way adjustables put that right. A truly epic car to throw down a decent road.

Only people who don't really know anything about them criticise them. It's a much better ownership prospect than many of it's so called competitors.

It’s telling that every owner that’s posted hasn’t had a bad word to say about them other than car tax.
M3 rod bearings? C63 valve train? Nope, but the buttons on the dash are a bit Japanese

[Heaveho]

andy43 said:

Heaveho said:

Cups Renault said:

It's a 16 year old Japanese saloon closing in on six figures mileage.

It should be far nearer 5/6k than the delusional 20k
Wasn't special new, has never been acclaimed as a great of it's era. Comical pricing and defence of the price here.

How long did you own yours for, and what wasn't good about? it We had one for a couple of years more than a decade ago. One of the few cars I really regret selling and I've had a lot since then. I won't defend the standard suspension, way too hard. I did something about it though, 16 way adjustables put that right. A truly epic car to throw down a decent road.

Only people who don't really know anything about them criticise them. It's a much better ownership prospect than many of it's so called competitors.

It’s telling that every owner that’s posted hasn’t had a bad word to say about them other than car tax.
M3 rod bearings? C63 valve train? Nope, but the buttons on the dash are a bit Japanese

We've had an M5 V10 and a few big engined modified Mercs. This won't go down well but I thought the M5 was a crap ownership experience. The two 600 brake SLK55AMGs we had were a right laugh in a straight line, but not cars to hustle. Great for attempting 200 mph runs in and to be fair very reliable considering the additional horsepower. The 730 brake E63 was beyond mental, but frankly uncontrollable in the wet.

The IS-F, after the suspension change, was strangely quite like my Evo in some respects on the same roads, very direct steering and supple enough to absorb most of what Hampshire and the surrounding area presented it with. I really did love it and the only reason I let it go was because I also had the Evo ( which I still own now ) at the same time and it felt a bit daft owning two black 4 door high performance saloons. I'd have another.

[havoc]

fflump said:

He is right that £20k is a bit punchy for a 16 year old Japanese saloon. You could get a similar age /mileage Bentley Continental for that

And yet E46 M3s are asking that money or higher.

They're older. They've less power. They've got known weaknesses that may need ££ fixes (Lexuses, quite famously, don't). They don't have a gargling V8 (although I do like the S54, in fairness, and they can be had with a manual).

First gen C63s aren't much newer, aren't much different in power or powertrain, ARE known to go wrong, and are similar money. Oh, and they're common as chips and far more likely to have been owned by the sort of scally that won't have cared about little stuff like maintenance.



So I'm not quite sure, except for the perennial anti-Japanese sentiment in this country when talking cars (performance ones especially), why there's the hate?

[andy43]

havoc said:

fflump said:

He is right that £20k is a bit punchy for a 16 year old Japanese saloon. You could get a similar age /mileage Bentley Continental for that

And yet E46 M3s are asking that money or higher.

They're older. They've less power. They've got known weaknesses that may need ££ fixes (Lexuses, quite famously, don't). They don't have a gargling V8 (although I do like the S54, in fairness, and they can be had with a manual).

First gen C63s aren't much newer, aren't much different in power or powertrain, ARE known to go wrong, and are similar money. Oh, and they're common as chips and far more likely to have been owned by the sort of scally that won't have cared about little stuff like maintenance.



So I'm not quite sure, except for the perennial anti-Japanese sentiment in this country when talking cars (performance ones especially), why there's the hate?

There are ISFs for 12 to 30 grand on Autotrader. Same price roughly as C63s but I know which one I’d rather pay to maintain. ISF has the wrong badge to have wider appeal. Shame, but thats the way it is. On the plus side it’s never really been through the cheapo last season chav wagon of choice period all knackered old German performance tat goes through, so chances are it’ll have been looked after better.
27k for this one up for sale with a main Lexus dealer. They must have confidence in it to be flogging a 14 year old car.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404208...

Edited by andy43 on Thursday 23 May 20:09

[Dombilano]

Looks every bit the £15k to £20k it's realistically worth. Only thing that put me off when I was V8 shopping a few years back was the lack of DAB radio on the pre facelift ones.

[ZX10R NIN]

Cups Renault said:

It's a 16 year old Japanese saloon closing in on six figures mileage.

It should be far nearer 5/6k than the delusional 20k
Wasn't special new, has never been acclaimed as a great of it's era. Comical pricing and defence of the price here.

Have you driven one?


These are very special, they're a creeper as in they grow on you & the longer you own one the more you appreciate them.

Tey say they lack torque but in reality there's plenty the M3/RS4 have similar torque curves only the bombastic Mercedes 6.2 makes these feel inadequate.

20k is around the right money for one of these.

Compare it to it's contemporaries:

M3 Saloon:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405169...

C63:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405219...

RS4:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404048...

VXR8:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405169...

The performance saloon bargain is the XFR:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405079...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404198...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405169...

[havoc]

andy43 said:

...but I know which one I’d rather pay to maintain. ISF has the wrong badge to have wider appeal. Shame, but thats the way it is.

You and I are clearly on opposite sides of the coin here, and can I politely suggest yours is based off cliche'd prejudice.

Badge - yes the C63 sounds the mutt's but it's essentially become a high-end chav-wagon, and Merc's reputation is very very much playing on past glories - they're no longer hewn-from-granite and you WILL be paying to maintain a 15y.o. one. S-Class aside I can't think of a single Merc which stands out the way they used to. Conversely Lexus is the modern equivalent of 80s Mercedes - engineering and build integrity through and through. And yet they still managed to release this and the LF-A.

This one is (comparatively) just up the road from me - if I wasn't still finishing paying for all the st going into our extension I'd be toddling along to have a nose at it.

[Misanthroper]

There’s a very good reason why they barely sold any, the M3 is a better performance saloon, as is the AMG.

If you had a choice I feel you’d be hard pressed to find something the lexus does significantly better enough to offset its iffy looks and old man image, tough sell.

[ZX10R NIN]

havoc said:

You and I are clearly on opposite sides of the coin here, and can I politely suggest yours is based off cliche'd prejudice.

Badge - yes the C63 sounds the mutt's but it's essentially become a high-end chav-wagon, and Merc's reputation is very very much playing on past glories - they're no longer hewn-from-granite and you WILL be paying to maintain a 15y.o. one. S-Class aside I can't think of a single Merc which stands out the way they used to. Conversely Lexus is the modern equivalent of 80s Mercedes - engineering and build integrity through and through. And yet they still managed to release this and the LF-A.

This one is (comparatively) just up the road from me - if I wasn't still finishing paying for all the st going into our extension I'd be toddling along to have a nose at it.

Disagree my CLK63 has been pretty much (one A/C unit & an alternator) bulletproof & mine's 15 years old.

I agree newer Mercedes aren't as well made my E500 coupe feels a cheaper place to be than my CLK.

[Heaveho]

Misanthroper said:

There’s a very good reason why they barely sold any, the M3 is a better performance saloon, as is the AMG.

If you had a choice I feel you’d be hard pressed to find something the lexus does significantly better enough to offset its iffy looks and old man image, tough sell.

Lol, well it's one man's opinion, and having owned most of the stuff you've mentioned I'm happy to say it's completely opposite to mine. I like my performance cars to be long term reliable. German stuff just isn't generally.

Edited by Heaveho on Thursday 23 May 21:52

[Robertb]

Dombilano said:

Looks every bit the £15k to £20k it's realistically worth. Only thing that put me off when I was V8 shopping a few years back was the lack of DAB radio on the pre facelift ones.

I wonder how easy it is to replace the satnav with a retrofit unit with CarPlay and DAB.

[thargon]

legalman58 said:

It is a Lexus

It will go on forever- and unlike rivals, it will generate no nasty sudden expensive bills- just fair wear and tear replacements over time

A close friend has a big Lexus- it has done over 200,000 and if it were clocked to 25,000 you would really struggle to realise it

Their build quality is legendary- and that represents a real world saving in terms of money and peace of mind to me

I have had almost every type of fast BMW and several fast MBs and Audis- and every time after a while a bill has been thrown up at me and bitten me hard on the ankle.

The 4 Lexus (Lexi?) I have owned have never presented me with any bills other than just consumables such as brake pads etc

It is a steep price- 6K is too low but at crca 15K it will still be going when most of us are long gone

Lexi? It's the Japanese Mercedes

[llcoolmac]

Robertb said:

Dombilano said:

Looks every bit the £15k to £20k it's realistically worth. Only thing that put me off when I was V8 shopping a few years back was the lack of DAB radio on the pre facelift ones.

I wonder how easy it is to replace the satnav with a retrofit unit with CarPlay and DAB.

Very easy, I've done it on mine. 2 hours work to install a V-Line Grom 2 unit. Works great and integrates seamlessly with the original system.

[andy43]

havoc said:

andy43 said:

...but I know which one I’d rather pay to maintain. ISF has the wrong badge to have wider appeal. Shame, but thats the way it is.

You and I are clearly on opposite sides of the coin here, and can I politely suggest yours is based off cliche'd prejudice.

Badge - yes the C63 sounds the mutt's but it's essentially become a high-end chav-wagon, and Merc's reputation is very very much playing on past glories - they're no longer hewn-from-granite and you WILL be paying to maintain a 15y.o. one. S-Class aside I can't think of a single Merc which stands out the way they used to. Conversely Lexus is the modern equivalent of 80s Mercedes - engineering and build integrity through and through. And yet they still managed to release this and the LF-A.

This one is (comparatively) just up the road from me - if I wasn't still finishing paying for all the st going into our extension I'd be toddling along to have a nose at it.

100% cliche’d prejudice - the UK is odd like that.
Nowhere else in the world is the badge on the nose taken so seriously.
I’d agree Lexus is the modern Mercedes type quality excellence - I’ve had Mercs and BMWs although only as recent as 2006 cars - anything newer from them doesn’t really interest me bar some of the V8 AMGs. My dad’s IS200 was absolutely bulletproof and although I’m only a year into Lexus ownership myself as far as the engineering integrity goes I most definitely ‘get it’. It’s built like nothing else bar the Landcruisers I’ve had.

[NGK210]

llcoolmac said:

Robertb said:

Dombilano said:

Looks every bit the £15k to £20k it's realistically worth. Only thing that put me off when I was V8 shopping a few years back was the lack of DAB radio on the pre facelift ones.

I wonder how easy it is to replace the satnav with a retrofit unit with CarPlay and DAB.

Very easy, I've done it on mine. 2 hours work to install a V-Line Grom 2 unit. Works great and integrates seamlessly with the original system.

Grom thingy gets terrible user reviews.
Does yours actually work reliably and consistently?
How long have you had it?
Ta

[paul99]

Another owner here, I bought my 2011 model almost 7 years ago now and it's been fantastic, I still love driving it and think it's aged really well visually. I originally bought as a reliable daily driver but since working from home for the last 4 years I only really use it for leisure now. Before I bought it I tried all the usual choices, C63, M3 and XFR, the XFR was a very close run but ultimately I liked the rarity (less than 200 in the UK) and I'm a fan of Japanese cars, if I go to a car event it's usually the only one there, looking at the current prices it's still worth pretty much what I paid for it!

In 7 years it's had 1 new set of tyres, 1 headlight bulb, battery, front discs and front/rear pads which I bought for under £300 from ECP. I have done annual oil changes myself, It's been serviced by Lexus based on the mileage schedule which admittedly isn't cheap. Aside from insurance and the extortionate road tax it's been incredibly cheap car to maintain and run.

Edited by paul99 on Friday 24th May 00:15