RE: Lexus IS F | Spotted
Discussion
Mine were on the wrong way when i got it. Each wheel is stamped on the back for which corner it should go on:
IMG_20200811_124636 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
IMG_20200904_170640 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
IMG_20201217_084303 by Scott Osborne, on Flickr
IMG_20200811_124636 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrIMG_20200904_170640 by Scott Osborne, on FlickrIMG_20201217_084303 by Scott Osborne, on Flickrmhurley said:
Same tax and mpg as a V8 Vantage :-)
Slightly for carrying passengers though :wink:leef44 said:
How did they manage to keep those white seats clean???
It’s not that hard, the lemon yellow seats in my 330 were immaculate despite lugging a baby / toddler around daily.SweptVolume said:
Eh? That white upholstery is delicious.
Not with a silver car though. With a darker paint it would be fab.I really like these. They look pretty good, sound great and are rare which adds to the cool factor.
The car in the ad looks perfect on paper, but it’s been for sale for ages (6 months, at least?). Why?
In the flesh, are the seats very grubby? Orange-peel paint repair? (Lexus OEM paint is v smooth.) Several IS-Fs have sold for c.£24k in the meantime, including a MY2012 at a main dealer for £29k.
In the flesh, are the seats very grubby? Orange-peel paint repair? (Lexus OEM paint is v smooth.) Several IS-Fs have sold for c.£24k in the meantime, including a MY2012 at a main dealer for £29k.
Limpet said:
I've often wondered why the Japanese can turn out cars like this that are as dependable as the tides, and can be run on a sensible budget, and the Germans can't.
Wonderful as they are, running an 9 year old M, RS or AMG product without consideration for expensive bork is generally considered to be unwise. Elevated consumable and fuel costs aside, this would be no more demanding to run than an IS220, and no less reliable. You can't say the same for any of the German equivalents.
Because the Germans worked out what (new-car-buying) customers wanted most - the solid-sounding 'thunk', the soft-touch plastics, the toys and the styling. After which, to make a profit, they cut corners on engineering. Similar to the US manufacturers, only not so baldly, and with more money to play with as the German brands were all perceived as 'premium'...Wonderful as they are, running an 9 year old M, RS or AMG product without consideration for expensive bork is generally considered to be unwise. Elevated consumable and fuel costs aside, this would be no more demanding to run than an IS220, and no less reliable. You can't say the same for any of the German equivalents.
While the Japanese, culturally, seem incapable* of engineering (or making!) something badly (...they did invent most of the best-manufacturing practices that are still out there). And haven't realised that after the warranty expires it's not their problem...
* OK, I know someone's going to prove me wrong with 20 different examples, but as a generalisation it works.
havoc said:
Limpet said:
I've often wondered why the Japanese can turn out cars like this that are as dependable as the tides, and can be run on a sensible budget, and the Germans can't.
Wonderful as they are, running an 9 year old M, RS or AMG product without consideration for expensive bork is generally considered to be unwise. Elevated consumable and fuel costs aside, this would be no more demanding to run than an IS220, and no less reliable. You can't say the same for any of the German equivalents.
Because the Germans worked out what (new-car-buying) customers wanted most - the solid-sounding 'thunk', the soft-touch plastics, the toys and the styling. After which, to make a profit, they cut corners on engineering. Similar to the US manufacturers, only not so baldly, and with more money to play with as the German brands were all perceived as 'premium'...Wonderful as they are, running an 9 year old M, RS or AMG product without consideration for expensive bork is generally considered to be unwise. Elevated consumable and fuel costs aside, this would be no more demanding to run than an IS220, and no less reliable. You can't say the same for any of the German equivalents.
While the Japanese, culturally, seem incapable* of engineering (or making!) something badly (...they did invent most of the best-manufacturing practices that are still out there). And haven't realised that after the warranty expires it's not their problem...
* OK, I know someone's going to prove me wrong with 20 different examples, but as a generalisation it works.
I’m guessing ‘the Germans’ and Toyota / Lexus actually start with same amount of gelt in their development budgets, but the Germans prefer to divert a larger chunk of funds into producing a wide range of engine options and new infotainment tech, whereas Lexus offers fewer engines and old skool satnavs and CD players, etc, but much higher grade components. (Similar to Bristol cars?)
And BMW et al have sussed most of their customers lease for 2-3 years – ie, the duration of the warranty – and then replace.
In short, German cars are engineered to provide 3 years of trouble-free motoring. Let’s hope Toyota / Lexus never adopts the same business model.
And BMW et al have sussed most of their customers lease for 2-3 years – ie, the duration of the warranty – and then replace.
In short, German cars are engineered to provide 3 years of trouble-free motoring. Let’s hope Toyota / Lexus never adopts the same business model.
Limpet said:
I've often wondered why the Japanese can turn out cars like this that are as dependable as the tides, and can be run on a sensible budget, and the Germans can't.
Wonderful as they are, running an 9 year old M, RS or AMG product without consideration for expensive bork is generally considered to be unwise. Elevated consumable and fuel costs aside, this would be no more demanding to run than an IS220, and no less reliable. You can't say the same for any of the German equivalents.
Engineering + Build Quality.Wonderful as they are, running an 9 year old M, RS or AMG product without consideration for expensive bork is generally considered to be unwise. Elevated consumable and fuel costs aside, this would be no more demanding to run than an IS220, and no less reliable. You can't say the same for any of the German equivalents.
Edited by Limpet on Wednesday 24th February 12:22
Firstly, Lexus/Toyota do not depend on crappy turbo charges. They are mostly bulletproof V6 or V8. Not a lot stress on the engine. Build quality also another subject, put any Lexus over 100k on the ramp, and check underneath, it will be super-neat. Their workmanship and labour-ethics, beyond our understanding. Producing a quality job/object for them is a religion. In here, perhaps it's not quite common but Lexus took over American market. Everytime I travel to the states, I see/drive Lexus mostly. I've seen a similar growth in London too, I think in 10-15 years, they would take over a big share of the market here.
MTPLTD said:
I have a 2006 is220.
It is treated with utter contempt by myself and my partner. It's never been serviced since I bought it, it came with no service history and is battered all around.
The interior is wearing too thanks to dog and kids. I barely even wash it. It's an absolute hack. Currently just below 160,000 short journey miles.
Everything works, all the switches, all the gizmos, everything. I always consider just getting rid of it, but every time I drive it I can't help but love it. I don't desire it, but I love its sheer robustness and build quality so I just can't part with it.
When (if it dies) I will replace it with another Lexus. I doubt it will be a second-hand is250 as I think regardless of age, they all look the same to me and all the design tweaks just make it look a bit more pointy, but I don't think I've ever owned anything so determined to resist failure.
The only thing I just can't warm to is the myriad of buttons for the HVAC, stereo etc. It just looks like a cheap ghetto blaster.
However, I'd certainly buy a fast Lexus over an equivalent German offering just so I could sleep at night and not expect some sort of cosmic bill. This is coming from owning many German marques.
Only your 7th post but a classic in the making. It is treated with utter contempt by myself and my partner. It's never been serviced since I bought it, it came with no service history and is battered all around.
The interior is wearing too thanks to dog and kids. I barely even wash it. It's an absolute hack. Currently just below 160,000 short journey miles.
Everything works, all the switches, all the gizmos, everything. I always consider just getting rid of it, but every time I drive it I can't help but love it. I don't desire it, but I love its sheer robustness and build quality so I just can't part with it.
When (if it dies) I will replace it with another Lexus. I doubt it will be a second-hand is250 as I think regardless of age, they all look the same to me and all the design tweaks just make it look a bit more pointy, but I don't think I've ever owned anything so determined to resist failure.
The only thing I just can't warm to is the myriad of buttons for the HVAC, stereo etc. It just looks like a cheap ghetto blaster.
However, I'd certainly buy a fast Lexus over an equivalent German offering just so I could sleep at night and not expect some sort of cosmic bill. This is coming from owning many German marques.
Years and years ago I worked for an automotive parts supplier who engineered and manufactured seat pans, window regulators and other various mechanisms.
I distinctly remember Toyota being ridiculously strict on the number of parts per million which could be classed as a failure, and the penalties involved in breaching that quality control. Jaguar, Ford and Land Rover's ppm thresholds were something like 10 times more lenient.
That was just for a small component, so extrapolate that across an entire car and it's clear how and why they're so well put together.
I distinctly remember Toyota being ridiculously strict on the number of parts per million which could be classed as a failure, and the penalties involved in breaching that quality control. Jaguar, Ford and Land Rover's ppm thresholds were something like 10 times more lenient.
That was just for a small component, so extrapolate that across an entire car and it's clear how and why they're so well put together.
I'm sure it's no surprise for anyone to hear this, and equally I'm sure there are many on here who have a deeper insight to Lexus and Toyota's manufacturing processes, but when I did some work with them some time ago in the UK I was utterly blown away by their almost insane attention to detail and commitment to engineering-in reliability. At the time I had a workaday IS250 which I grudgingly admired for it's complete and utter reliability, smoothness, value for money and ahead-of-the-game tech (at the time), despite being a bit dull. Learning a little more about how they go about their business added a bit of charm to my respect for the car. I'm very much a Lexus fan ever since. I'd absolutely give my eye-teeth for a RC-F.
These guys do a very good in depth video of the ISF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cStFGWLv1sg&t=...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cStFGWLv1sg&t=...
Lexus/Toyota are in another league when it comes to build quality. We have a Landcruiser 100 which has just ticked over the half million mile marker and mechanically it is faultless. Sure, the gear stick is a bit floppy but its 6 cylinder engine still has perfect compression on every bore and it does not burn any oil between services. All original suspension parts, cooling system, clutch has only been replaced once and that was because the first owner knackered it in less than 60,000 miles. Window regulators all work despite being opened only a handful of times a year, wiper motors, etc. Almost everything is original. The heater failed a couple of years ago and the front wings and rear door both rusted through. But aside from that it has been faultless in 20 years of towing heavy trailers, up and down farm roads and generally being a relentless work horse. And we have 4 neighbours who have 100 series and all have them for years and swear by them. I remember at the time we were considering a Nissan Patrol as they were impressive also but you almost never see a Patrol on the road anymore as they just arent as well built. I see 100 series Land Cruisers regularly.
I've bought an ISF in the last year and I am a total Toyota convert in the last few years. They are just a superior manufacturer and can build pretty much anything to a higher standard than any other manufacturer if they want to. Eg. Supra mk 4, LS400, MR2, LFA, ISF, LandCruiser 70, 80, 100 or 200 series. Mercedes were once similarly impressive but they gave up on quality to that level in the mid 90s. Only their Unimogs and Actros trucks are built to that level anymore.
I've bought an ISF in the last year and I am a total Toyota convert in the last few years. They are just a superior manufacturer and can build pretty much anything to a higher standard than any other manufacturer if they want to. Eg. Supra mk 4, LS400, MR2, LFA, ISF, LandCruiser 70, 80, 100 or 200 series. Mercedes were once similarly impressive but they gave up on quality to that level in the mid 90s. Only their Unimogs and Actros trucks are built to that level anymore.
Here’s a 220,000-mile IS-F that's seen many track days and Gumball-type events – and it’s still going strong:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HT-DZ2ukqAs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HT-DZ2ukqAs
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