Discussion
What is the general consensus on the Lexus ISF? I'm in the market for a V8 saloon to replace my Mitsubishi Galant VR4 and this seems to meet my requirements on paper (under 10 years old, 4 doors, auto/paddleshift, a few toys, sub 5 second 0-60 and a boot big enougn for my old mans wheelchair).
I know the initial reviews for the car back when it was launched criticised it for not being as good as it's main rivals (the E9X M3 and the C63) and seemingly rather boring in comparison but a few years later it seems like a better buy in terms of depreciation. The equivalent spec M3 and C63 are a few grand more going by the classifieds. There are apparently only around 220 of them in the country so they tick the box for a left field car much like my VR4 does.
Only real downside for me is the inability to convert them to LPG due to the complex dual injection setup and the lack of a middle seat on the rear bench although I don't carry 4 passengers that often. ECU is locked down so the only real mods seem to be headers from the States which aren't cheap and the usual exhaust/intake options.
Any current or former owners on here that can give me their view on the car?
I know the initial reviews for the car back when it was launched criticised it for not being as good as it's main rivals (the E9X M3 and the C63) and seemingly rather boring in comparison but a few years later it seems like a better buy in terms of depreciation. The equivalent spec M3 and C63 are a few grand more going by the classifieds. There are apparently only around 220 of them in the country so they tick the box for a left field car much like my VR4 does.
Only real downside for me is the inability to convert them to LPG due to the complex dual injection setup and the lack of a middle seat on the rear bench although I don't carry 4 passengers that often. ECU is locked down so the only real mods seem to be headers from the States which aren't cheap and the usual exhaust/intake options.
Any current or former owners on here that can give me their view on the car?
Thanks for the input folks. My VR4 is running some slightly aged Tein coilovers on the hardest setting so I'm already used to a harsh ride. I know some owners have swapped out their suspension for the facelift setup which seems to be comfier.
Planning on viewing one this weekend, I hope the trader lets me have a test drive and doesn't tell me to bugger off once he sees my current car.
As for LPG - I halved my cost per mile on the VR4 after getting it converted! The alternative car on my list is a pre facelift C63 which would be converted but they seem to still be depreciating and sadly all the ones I see locally are driven by cocks.
Planning on viewing one this weekend, I hope the trader lets me have a test drive and doesn't tell me to bugger off once he sees my current car.
As for LPG - I halved my cost per mile on the VR4 after getting it converted! The alternative car on my list is a pre facelift C63 which would be converted but they seem to still be depreciating and sadly all the ones I see locally are driven by cocks.
rb5er said:
A friend has an ISF which I have driven alot. Ride is firm but not harsh, its a sporty ride from a sporty saloon.
Makes a lovely noise, great gearbox when you learn to work the paddles properly, very comfy, lots of room, fast and extremely driftable if you want to play.
He chose it over a C63, xfr and M3 and honestly has no regrets. I suspect it so far having 100% reliability would have been more than the competitors could manage. Far rarer than either of those and a great car allround.
Its a hard car to criticise, it does everything very well. His is a '10 plate with diff and I believe revised suspension that later cars benefited from.
The M3 saloon and the C63 are on my shortlist but the left field nature of the ISF appeals to me. XFR would also be on the list but it's a class bigger and my brother already owns one, can't have the same car as him!Makes a lovely noise, great gearbox when you learn to work the paddles properly, very comfy, lots of room, fast and extremely driftable if you want to play.
He chose it over a C63, xfr and M3 and honestly has no regrets. I suspect it so far having 100% reliability would have been more than the competitors could manage. Far rarer than either of those and a great car allround.
Its a hard car to criticise, it does everything very well. His is a '10 plate with diff and I believe revised suspension that later cars benefited from.
Heaveho said:
I think the later suspension made a lot of difference to how live-able with the car was as a day to day prospect. I can't honestly say that I felt a better diff was especially necessary on the road, but that's maybe more a reflection on my driving style.
Doing the research now on prices for the later suspension set up and the cost of coilovers to compare them.MDMA . said:
Get one. Only ever seen 1 on the road since they came out. Looked so much nicer than an m3 and sounded great. White one. Took a picture but deleted now somehow. Was that surprised to see one, caught it last minute.
I've only ever seen 2 on the road since they were launched, one of which was owned by a chap who lives up the road from me. He has replaced with a RC-F now, would feel a bit odd to knock on his door and ask him about his ownership experience though, tad stalkerish.Viewing one tomorrow afternoon, let's see how it goes.
Thanks for the informative replies. I'm recognising some usernames from the Lexus Forum that I've been spending some time on recently.
The sound with the H&S exhaust is awesome. If I do end up with one I might go with the muffler delete first to see how that is.
The stereo and sat nav menu doesn't look great bit looks like a iVICi5 would allow for me to use the maps on my iphone and more importantly allows for Spotify use. The Apexi throttle controller looks good as well, that's something for later on though.
What sort of economy did you chaps get on average and how many miles from a tank? V Power is down to 110.9p round these parts which is handy. Did a quick search for tyres and looks like £600 for a full set of premium tyres including fitting which isn't too bad. I seem to average around 10k miles a year so I'm hoping a set will last for 15k.
The sound with the H&S exhaust is awesome. If I do end up with one I might go with the muffler delete first to see how that is.
The stereo and sat nav menu doesn't look great bit looks like a iVICi5 would allow for me to use the maps on my iphone and more importantly allows for Spotify use. The Apexi throttle controller looks good as well, that's something for later on though.
What sort of economy did you chaps get on average and how many miles from a tank? V Power is down to 110.9p round these parts which is handy. Did a quick search for tyres and looks like £600 for a full set of premium tyres including fitting which isn't too bad. I seem to average around 10k miles a year so I'm hoping a set will last for 15k.
Viewed one today and took it for a short test drive. Build quality was good, everything was nice and solid as you would expect from a Lexus. It was raining so didn't really get to test the performance but the gearbox seemed seamless. The blip on the downshifts were nice. Cabin seems a little cramped though, I'm only 5' 10" but with the drivers seat in the right position for me there wasn't a huge amount of space in the passenger seat behind me. Had a look around a E90 M3 saloon afterwards at a different trader and that seemed to have more legroom.
I might go view another one that's local (ish) next weekend to have another look around the interior. The lack of a middle seat is slightly annoying but I only carry 4 passengers in my current every so often so it's not a deal breaker as such.
The tip are actually "diffusers". You can swap them out for aftermarket exhausts with a tip on each end or a pair.
The tip are actually "diffusers". You can swap them out for aftermarket exhausts with a tip on each end or a pair.
stuno1 said:
Boom! Quick work. Congratulations.
Cheers. Decided not to faff about, no matter how I cut it I don't feel that the C63 or the M3 are worth the difference in price Especially not when you consider the amount of depreciation left on them. Just got a 7 hour round trip to view the car before everything is finalised.
Harvey Mushman00 said:
You will not be disappointed!
Hopefully not, the only two things I will need to sort out post purchase is an exhaust and iphone/spotify integration. Just hope I can sell the current car without too much hassle.
Plan is to have the chrome on the windows and the grill plastidipped black. I've been researching exhausts, the X Force Varex back boxes from Australia seem ideal as they have a build in butterfly valve to vary the volume.
Any mods done to the car will be reversible. The ecu has finally been cracked so I'll have to see what the gains from a tune are once the results are released from the reliable tuners but that's for later down the line. I'll just get out and drive it first once I've picked it up and get used to the power and that noise above 4k rpm!
Any mods done to the car will be reversible. The ecu has finally been cracked so I'll have to see what the gains from a tune are once the results are released from the reliable tuners but that's for later down the line. I'll just get out and drive it first once I've picked it up and get used to the power and that noise above 4k rpm!
The current owner of mine (also a PHer) was averaging 24mpg on his last tank which was mainly round town. Seems 30 is possible on a sensible run! He uses V Power and I'll be doing the same.
Lexus fixed price servicing is pretty reasonable. £295 for an intermediate service, £545 for a full. A chap on the Lexus forums got a service pack which consists of 3 Services (2 Intermediate and 1 full) plus 2 MOTs for £833.50 from Lexus Chester. Not sure if it is nationwide but I'll be enquiring with Lexus Leeds soon.
Extended warranty is pretty reasonable too at £795 for two years which includes European breakdown cover etc.
Lexus fixed price servicing is pretty reasonable. £295 for an intermediate service, £545 for a full. A chap on the Lexus forums got a service pack which consists of 3 Services (2 Intermediate and 1 full) plus 2 MOTs for £833.50 from Lexus Chester. Not sure if it is nationwide but I'll be enquiring with Lexus Leeds soon.
Extended warranty is pretty reasonable too at £795 for two years which includes European breakdown cover etc.
Edited by giblet on Sunday 17th January 15:46
Looks pretty good. More info here - http://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/warranty-and-insuran...
stuno1 said:
Who cracked the ecu?? As far as I was aware there is one company in Japan offering this service but they need some test ecu's and want a lot of money. All covered on the USA forum.
Italian company cracked it, a few firms in the states are offering a tune but the most reputable one (RR Racing) are still finalising their maps. More info is available on this thread - http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-f-2008-2014/808...I'm wating to see what changes they can offer on both a stock car and one with an aftermarket exhaust. I don't want to go down the whole header and intake route just a exhaust with the secondary cats swapped for some high flow ones and then the X Force Varex backboxes which are available with an X Force exhaust. The exhaust seems to be a copy of the Joe Z one but prices are cheaper. Sadly it would still need to be imported from either a US stockist or from a supplier in Australia.
stuno1 said:
Cool! Be interesting to see what gains they can achieve from the engine as its not forced induction. Great that companies have finally cracked the ecu.
I guess it will be more about little tweaks and improvements rather than headline power figures. Also opens the door for forced induction. Exciting times ahead for ISF owners!Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff