M3 OR ISF..

[liambart]

18 mths into ISF ownership, reading this I am pleased I went ISF over M3.

The ISF seems so well built. (touch wood) 

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1804502

 

[Stuno1]

Sensible informed folk go for the isf. Folk who just want an m3 get an m3. When I looked into them they were just a. Money pit. Before issues you needed an engine inspection for some sort of standard failure that escapes me now. Brake lines need replacing and better discs and pads as stock ones fade very quickly when driven hard. Throttle actuators both will eventually break and so it goes on...

[PhoeNicks]

M3s and M5s aren't the only ones, Porsche Boxsters and the 911s, even the AMG C63 6.2 has issues (head bolts). All great cars but you need to sink ££££s into them under the guise of corrective or preemptive maintenance. The ISFs/GSFs and RCFs appear immune here, almost boringly so by comparison.

Recently after seeing a couple of lovely and cheap (relatively) 997.1 Porsches and after reminding myself of all the associated engine concerns and checks, I remembered how if feels not to have a monthly engine fund, or a list of the next several preemptive jobs that would be needed to prevent my engine from eating itself during a morning commute. 

Sometimes I miss having an M car, but I don't miss the bills. 

 

[Linas.P]

I feel that the only advantage of M3 for me is that you can get coupe, wheres IS-F is sadly only saloon. But if you going for 4 doors M3... honestly IS-F is better in any way.

The engine bearing issue on S65 and S85 engines is well known, however it wasn't much to do with revving cold engine (which is bad for any engine, never-mind one with 10W oil and 8500rpm). The actual fault was with too tight bearing fitment - it is very tight by design, but some cars had it even tighter. Basically, it was manufacturing defect on some bearings which would manifest itself before ~30k miles, if car has more than that and still going then it is fine. As preventative measure it is always good to replace bearings on these cars to avoid any issues in future... ideally using some specialist bearings, but even BMW replacement would work. BMW has discovered this problem and new replacement bearings have higher tolerances as well. Secondary using different grade oil can help i.e. 0w50, or if car is not specifically tracked and used as a daily even 0w40, thirdly change oil frequently ~3-5k miles max - all these multi-grade oils with large difference for cold/hot viscosity degrade extremely quickly.

The first biggest issue for me when it comes to E92 M3 is the options list - I was looking to buy one, but was amazed how poor was the equipment. 2009 car which originally was £69,000+ didn't even have electric folding mirrors or heated seats (being convertible that is an issue). Everything that we take for granted in standard equipment for Lexus are options on BMW. 

[C.B]

On 4/12/2019 at 4:01 PM, liambart said:

18 mths into ISF ownership, reading this I am pleased I went ISF over M3.

The ISF seems so well built. (touch wood) 

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1804502

 

Read that on friday and thought the same, I was torn between the two, the ISF won mainly for its reliability and warranty costs.

A combination of enjoying the car immensely now the weather is warming and that story, I have no regrets! Maybe why didnt they make a 3rd gen ISF!!

[PRT68]

As mentioned above, I'm also glad I went down the F route. I looked at the usual contenders, C63, M3 etc, and looking at the owners forums, just couldn't face the worry of frequent expensive bills. Had mine 11 months and 4000 miles and have spent nothing on it. And sleep at night, knowing that with the warranty, I should be covered.

Since the Aston Martin Vantage came out, I always lusted after them, and one was also on my list. Again though, they seem to have regular Battery, clutch and body work problems. I looked at some at a place called Mcgurks, and was very tempted to call in again after the recent F meet at the airfield café. Then I thought, do I really want the prospect of potentially having to budget £2-3000 per year to keep one going. 

A good unworried blast home opening that second intake cured me. 

 

 

For a while.....Or will an RCF be next??

 

[Stuno1]

1 hour ago, PRT68 said:

As mentioned above, I'm also glad I went down the F route. I looked at the usual contenders, C63, M3 etc, and looking at the owners forums, just couldn't face the worry of frequent expensive bills. Had mine 11 months and 4000 miles and have spent nothing on it. And sleep at night, knowing that with the warranty, I should be covered.

Since the Aston Martin Vantage came out, I always lusted after them, and one was also on my list. Again though, they seem to have regular battery, clutch and body work problems. I looked at some at a place called Mcgurks, and was very tempted to call in again after the recent F meet at the airfield café. Then I thought, do I really want the prospect of potentially having to budget £2-3000 per year to keep one going. 

A good unworried blast home opening that second intake cured me. 

 

 

For a while.....Or will an RCF be next??

 

It’s the worry free ownership people overlook and it is massively under rated element of toy car ownership. A friend is selling his Maserati due to fear of it breaking. My lotus had some issues but none massively expensive but I was always wondering what the next niggle might be. My isf was perfect and that’s why I’ll be getting an rcf. Drive it across continents and not worry, hammer it on B roads and track and not worry etc

[B1RMA]

I have run and enjoyed many cars with eye-watering maintenance bills and have just accepted the fact that if you buy a car that was £100-150K new then you still have to accept the sort of bills a car of that type will throw up. In fact the next big service on the twin turbo V12 CL 65 AMG I had before the RCF was going to be near the £3K mark.

Apart from the fact I wanted a N/A V8 the RCF turned out be be as cheap as chips to service properly, I was quite amazed at the servicing costs and the cost of a proper Lexus warranty too.

Before buying the RCF I did try a special order M3 (in wanting a N/A V8), it had every factory option you could put on it plus it had a factory tested and checked engine and had a certificate to prove it. I really liked it but got the feeling 20 minutes into the test drive that you had to drive it fast all the time. I later discovered some of the potential engine issues so glad in some ways I tried the RCF after the M3, still think they are great cars but I guess you pay your money and take your choice/chance.