About to test drive and buy 2013 IS300h F sport

newtolexus2017 · March 7, 2017

Hi everyone

After all the helpful comments, I've decided to test drive an F-sport (and hope that we can accept the rougher ride) and found 3 similar F sport models.

Option 1

£20,000

May 2014

21k mileage

Option 2

£20,250

Nov 2014

13k mileage

Option 3 (same but red seats)

£20,000

Nov 2013

46k mileage

To me option 2 seems the best but what do you think? And are these priced high and therefore with room for negotiation? I appreciate we will need to see the condition of the car, seats, floor, exterior condition etc but thought I'd see your views.

Many thanks

rayaans · March 7, 2017

2 hours ago, newtolexus2017 said:

Hi everyone

After all the helpful comments, I've decided to test drive an F-sport (and hope that we can accept the rougher ride) and found 3 similar F sport models.

Option 1

£20,000

May 2014

21k mileage

Option 2

£20,250

Nov 2014

13k mileage

Option 3 (same but red seats)

£20,000

Nov 2013

46k mileage

To me option 2 seems the best but what do you think? And are these priced high and therefore with room for negotiation? I appreciate we will need to see the condition of the car, seats, floor, exterior condition etc but thought I'd see your views.

Many thanks

Depends on the spec and colour combo

Some combinations are more sought after and that will reflect on the price.

Do they all have full service history and at Lexus dealers?

newtolexus2017 · March 7, 2017

9 minutes ago, rayaans said:

Depends on the spec and colour combo

Some combinations are more sought after and that will reflect on the price.

Do they all have full service history and at Lexus dealers?

They are all white F-sport with black leather, except for option 3 where the leather inside is red. All are at Lexus dealers so assuming full service history but will need to check once I can make my mind up over which to go for...

RichardM1142 · March 7, 2017

Premium sat nav or standard

Mark Levinson stereo or standard

AVC adaptive suspension or standard

These are the big ticket options that affect value in conjunction with the colour combo.

Don't forget tyres for an F-Sport if they are close to replacement you are looking at £500-£750

newtolexus2017 · March 7, 2017

1 hour ago, RichardM1142 said:

Premium sat nav or standard

Mark Levinson stereo or standard

AVC adaptive suspension or standard

These are the big ticket options that affect value in conjunction with the colour combo.

Don't forget tyres for an F-Sport if they are close to replacement you are looking at £500-£750

All the ones I am looking have normal stereo and none have AVC adaptive suspension. Thanks for the tip re tyres though - had no idea they cost that much! I suppose I could just replace with normal tyres...?

RichardM1142 · March 7, 2017

Its always a personal choice, but I never compromise on tyres.

A total extra couple of hundred quid between mid range and premium for better stopping, handling in the wet and noise levels......in my view, an easy decision

rayaans · March 7, 2017

2 hours ago, newtolexus2017 said:

All the ones I am looking have normal stereo and none have AVC adaptive suspension. Thanks for the tip re tyres though - had no idea they cost that much! I suppose I could just replace with normal tyres...?

Tyres won't be that much! Front's are about £100 and rears are £150 max so they'll be about £500 fitted. I wouldn't pay anymore than that for all 4 tyres!

Besides, I believe all Lexus pre-owned vehicles sold at their dealership has to have a minimum of 6mm on the tyres.

If you need to change, Uniroyal Rainsport 3 are the best options IMO and they're relatively cheap. Buy them off the net, get Lexus to fit them and you'll still be better off than going for the Bridgestone's that Lexus sell!

5 hours ago, newtolexus2017 said:

They are all white F-sport with black leather, except for option 3 where the leather inside is red. All are at Lexus dealers so assuming full service history but will need to check once I can make my mind up over which to go for...

Right I think Ive found the cars you are looking at - 2 at Lexus Croydon and the other at Lexus Edgeware road?

The White/Red one at Lexus Croydon is on the higher side. Its got 46k miles on it for the sake of red leather seats. Should be between £18.5-19k.

The White/Black one at Lexus Croydon doesn't have full leather seats - it has half cloth seats hence the price.

The White/Black one at Lexus edgeware road (on autotrader anyway) has fake pictures. The interior and exterior photos are both taken at Lexus Leeds of a different car! However, the price is good but don't expect more than £500 off it.

RichardM1142 · March 7, 2017

Just to give an idea, a few, not all of the boards favourites.

We had better not get into load index, that's a whole other thread.

	2 x 225/40 R18	2 x 255/35 R18	Fitting	Total
Costco Michelin Pilot Sports 4	191.96	266	35.32	493.28
Oponeo ER33 Lexus	216	296	Inclusive	512
Oponeo Michelin Pilot Sport 4	198	276	Inclusive	474
Oponeo Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2	176	250	Inclusive	426
Oponeo Pirelli Pzero	176	232	Inclusive	408
Black Circles Michelin Pilot Sport 4	211.98	285.98	Inclusive	497.96
Black Circles Pirelli Pzero	201.72	261.7	Inclusive	463.42
Black Circles Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2	197.76	254.44	Inclusive	452.2
Black Circles Bridgestone Potenza S001	203.18	255.04	Inclusive	458.22
Black Circles Continental Sport Contact 5	203.72	281.72	Inclusive	485.44
Black Circles Uniroyal Rainsport 3	167.96	226.6	Inclusive	394.56

rayaans · March 7, 2017

5 minutes ago, RichardM1142 said:

Just to give an idea, a few, not all of the boards favourites.

We had better not get into load index, that's a whole other thread.

2 x 225/40 R18 2 x 255/35 R18 Fitting Total

Costco Michelin Pilot Sports 4 191.96 266 35.32 493.28

Oponeo ER33 Lexus 216 296 Inclusive 512

Oponeo   Michelin Pilot Sport 4 198 276 Inclusive 474

Oponeo   Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2 176 250 Inclusive 426

Oponeo   Pirelli Pzero 176 232 Inclusive 408

Black Circles Michelin Pilot Sport 4 211.98 285.98 Inclusive 497.96

Black Circles Pirelli Pzero 201.72 261.7 Inclusive 463.42

Black Circles Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2 197.76 254.44 Inclusive 452.2

Black Circles Bridgestone Potenza S001 203.18 255.04 Inclusive 458.22

Black Circles Continental Sport Contact 5 203.72 281.72 Inclusive 485.44

Black Circles Uniroyal Rainsport 3 167.96 226.6 Inclusive 394.56

The Uniroyals are well priced and all the tyre you really need. Great in the wet too, leaves a 6 ft high wall of water behind the car to keep the tailgaters at bay/

I wouldnt worry about load index - doesn't matter as long as its the same or higher than manufacturer fitted tyres

Steve44 · March 8, 2017

Bear in mind Fsport with leather seats also come with electric memory drivers seat, they are heated and ventilated, has electric steering column adjustment, folding mirrors with dipping mirror in reverse and comfort access ( seats and steering wheel move back on entry/exit). It was a £2k option new and well worth having over std seats as a used car.

Also, you will only get a reversing camera if an Fsport has Nav fitted.

the later 2014/15 cars had improved interior trim, not the hard black scratch prone stuff on the earlier cars.

Make sure the alloys are good as kerbing damage is a bugger to fix due to the paint finish on Fsport wheels.

newtolexus2017 · March 8, 2017

2 hours ago, Steve44 said:

Bear in mind Fsport with leather seats also come with electric memory drivers seat, they are heated and ventilated, has electric steering column adjustment, folding mirrors with dipping mirror in reverse and comfort access ( seats and steering wheel move back on entry/exit). It was a £2k option new and well worth having over std seats as a used car.

Also, you will only get a reversing camera if an Fsport has Nav fitted.

the later 2014/15 cars had improved interior trim, not the hard black scratch prone stuff on the earlier cars.

Make sure the alloys are good as kerbing damage is a bugger to fix due to the paint finish on Fsport wheels.

Thanks - very helpful tips, will definitely check out rim damages. I was initially relying on Lexus's "make over" for used cars hoping these might get rectified...

14 hours ago, rayaans said:

Tyres won't be that much! Front's are about £100 and rears are £150 max so they'll be about £500 fitted. I wouldn't pay anymore than that for all 4 tyres!

Besides, I believe all Lexus pre-owned vehicles sold at their dealership has to have a minimum of 6mm on the tyres.

If you need to change, Uniroyal Rainsport 3 are the best options IMO and they're relatively cheap. Buy them off the net, get Lexus to fit them and you'll still be better off than going for the Bridgestone's that Lexus sell!

Right I think Ive found the cars you are looking at - 2 at Lexus Croydon and the other at Lexus Edgeware road?

The White/Red one at Lexus Croydon is on the higher side. Its got 46k miles on it for the sake of red leather seats. Should be between £18.5-19k.

The White/Black one at Lexus Croydon doesn't have full leather seats - it has half cloth seats hence the price.

The White/Black one at Lexus edgeware road (on autotrader anyway) has fake pictures. The interior and exterior photos are both taken at Lexus Leeds of a different car! However, the price is good but don't expect more than £500 off it.

You would make a fantastic detective! Yep those are the ones I was looking at. Putting aside the dodgy photo (impressed you spotted that so thanks) I think the edgeware road one is the preferred stock right now so will test drive it.

The only other competitor now is a 2016 sport (not f-sport) for £23k with only 5k on the clock. Battling myself to decide whether it makes more sense to get this much newer car with less mileage... if only I can accept it's not an F sport and that it's not white.

rayaans · March 8, 2017

6 hours ago, newtolexus2017 said:

Thanks - very helpful tips, will definitely check out rim damages. I was initially relying on Lexus's "make over" for used cars hoping these might get rectified...

You would make a fantastic detective! Yep those are the ones I was looking at. Putting aside the dodgy photo (impressed you spotted that so thanks) I think the edgeware road one is the preferred stock right now so will test drive it.

The only other competitor now is a 2016 sport (not f-sport) for £23k with only 5k on the clock. Battling myself to decide whether it makes more sense to get this much newer car with less mileage... if only I can accept it's not an F sport and that it's not white.

Well the Sport has much less kit on it compared to an F-Sport.

It has cloth seats - not electrically adjustable and only heated, not cooled. It won't have memory seats and it comes with standard nav only so you don't get the 2 extra speakers and connectivity.

The edgeware road one appears to have no pictures on the Lexus Used website and therefore I can only assume they put on a generic photo.

newtolexus2017 · March 9, 2017

20 hours ago, rayaans said:

Well the Sport has much less kit on it compared to an F-Sport.

It has cloth seats - not electrically adjustable and only heated, not cooled. It won't have memory seats and it comes with standard nav only so you don't get the 2 extra speakers and connectivity.

The edgeware road one appears to have no pictures on the Lexus Used website and therefore I can only assume they put on a generic photo.

Yeah, the F-sport model does seem to have a hell of a lot going for it and is a clear winner really.

The only concern I had was more around the fact that it's 2 years older than the sport version, much higher mileage (so driven a lot more), older engines etc, and out of warranty... future value I imagine would probably be much less as well.

Thanks for all the comments to date - so helpful and glad to have found this pool of knowledge and experience!

PaulWhitt20 · March 9, 2017

If you decide to buy. Don't forget to ask for a full tank of petrol. I didn't and had to fill up on the way home from picking it up. Still annoyed about that.

Caspa · March 9, 2017

I'd definitely go for an F Sport, the improved spec is worth it for sure... I just have myself and should be picking it up on Saturday!

Had a couple IS200's and an IS250, but replacing a BMW 320D coupe that I bought after a write-off. Can't wait to get back into a Lexus, never had a single issue with any of them, but not been the same with the BMW!

It's a 63 plate in Ultra Blue with red leather and premium navigation, little under 22k on the clock...

newtolexus2017 · March 9, 2017

2 hours ago, PaulWhitt20 said:

If you decide to buy. Don't forget to ask for a full tank of petrol. I didn't and had to fill up on the way home from picking it up. Still annoyed about that.

Good point - I hadn't even thought about things like this or what to ask from the dealer.

1 hour ago, Caspa said:

I'd definitely go for an F Sport, the improved spec is worth it for sure... I just have myself and should be picking it up on Saturday!

Had a couple IS200's and an IS250, but replacing a BMW 320D coupe that I bought after a write-off. Can't wait to get back into a Lexus, never had a single issue with any of them, but not been the same with the BMW!

It's a 63 plate in Ultra Blue with red leather and premium navigation, little under 22k on the clock...

Congratulations! Sounds like it will be a similar model to what I'll be going for - must be very exciting. Just out of curiosity, were you not tempted to go for a 2015/2016 model that is still under warranty and have better conditions inside/ less used?

Caspa · March 9, 2017

Not really, but that's just because I'm aware of the quality of Lexus Approved Used and the brand in general so 20k miles is it being worn in!

Colour was a factor also, I simply prefer the Ultra Blue to the 2015 update which is Azure Blue.

Also due to me going for a two year deal only, so I'll be able to replace with a 2017 facelift model when it's up or go for an RC perhaps...

rayaans · March 9, 2017

5 hours ago, newtolexus2017 said:

Yeah, the F-sport model does seem to have a hell of a lot going for it and is a clear winner really.

The only concern I had was more around the fact that it's 2 years older than the sport version, much higher mileage (so driven a lot more), older engines etc, and out of warranty... future value I imagine would probably be much less as well.

Thanks for all the comments to date - so helpful and glad to have found this pool of knowledge and experience!

2 year older won't make much of a difference - these cars are bulletproof and it won't even matter if they are out of warranty. Its unlikely for anything to pop up and even so, you will get 1 year Lexus warranty as its sold by Lexus.

The F-Sport seems to hold its value better than others - the Sport pretty much dunked in price for some reason.

Caspa · March 9, 2017

Yep, like I said, never had a single issue with all three Lexus I've owned... So bulletproof is definitely the word...

Also, all confirmed for pickup on Saturday! Can't wait!

bobmc · March 9, 2017

what's the story with the change to rear tyre size from the mk2 IS - ie. 255/35R18 rather than 255/40R18?

rayaans · March 10, 2017

22 hours ago, bobmc said:

what's the story with the change to rear tyre size from the mk2 IS - ie. 255/35R18 rather than 255/40R18?

It's to make the size of the tyre look the same front and back.

On the mk2 IS, the rear tyre sidewall is larger than the front as the aspect ratio hasn't been adjusted for the wider tyre

bobmc · March 11, 2017

It reduces the rolling radius from 310mm to 299mm so it matches the rolling radius of the front tyres.

Are 255/35R18 a practical alternative for the mk2 do we think? There's a lot more choice from tyre manufacturers in this size.

rayaans · March 11, 2017

1 hour ago, bobmc said:

It reduces the rolling radius from 310mm to 299mm so it matches the rolling radius of the front tyres.

Are 255/35R18 a practical alternative for the mk2 do we think? There's a lot more choice from tyre manufacturers in this size.

Can't see why not from a practical perspective.

The only hinderance I can foresee is insurance being a PITA about it

Hotperiperi · March 11, 2017

I recently was shopping like yourself.

In the end I kept my eye on autotrader. I fell luck as a '15 plate was traded in with a local Renault Garage. They were looking as passing it on quickly and I managed to pick it up for £22k with it having FSH at lexus and only 12K miles. Similar cars were coming in at about £25K+ at lexus dealers.

Might be worth holding out to see if you can find something similar.

newtolexus2017 · March 11, 2017

Thanks for all your helpful tips.

Test drove an F sport today and all my concerns were gone:

- ride was very smooth even over bumps

- ECVT was completely fine even with hard acceleration and higher speed

- low seating position completely fine

- remote dial is not as bad as people say

- the rear wheels do stick out a bit but you get used to it very quickly

There were some fixes needed but the team at Edgware Road are so professional - couldn't praise them enough. Looking forward to working with them for many years to come.

Ended up buying it and will be picking up next weekend! Absolutely cannot wait to drive it home...