Looking to buy a 2010+ ISF

samplify · April 23

Hi all!

I posted in the 'Wanted' section but thought I'd try my luck in here/increase visibility!

I currently drive a Subaru Legacy 3.0R Spec.B with the 6 speed. Fantastic car, makes all the right noises, gets a shift on and very practical, but I have always lusted after an ISF and a recent change in circumstance means I might be able to afford one now!

Are there are any 2010+ cars for sale by members right now? Or any members that have been considering selling?

Please let me know!

Thank you 🙂

GMB · April 23

Funny isn't it how the people with the real knowledge choose the right cars. My son has a Subaru Legacy estate - Jap import rust free, the one with the WRX 2.0 turbo blueprinted engine ( quite rare ) - runs beautifully and quick too. He swapped me his ISF 2 or 3 yrs ago. Sept 2012 facelift 61K miles Full Lexus SH. Dark Grey metallic. In great condition. H&S catback, currently SORNed after winter. Due out June 1st. Goes like stink but never abused. I considered selling as it does very few miles and is expensive but I just can't bear to lose it. I hope you find a nice one. The Autotrader facelift ones look OK but are a bit pricey. Best of luck, if you find one you will not be disappointed.🫡

Ivacerk · April 23

Tbh if you don’t mind a Cat car i would grab the one priced at £15.900 , looks clean , has all the facelift goodies , decent mileage

Cactus · April 24

Wt is the budget

samplify · April 24

I think anywhere around the £20k mark is my maximum. Right car will be worth the right money though. In all honesty, I'd prefer one that has a bit more wear and tear so I don't feel as precious about it given it'll be my daily, so that should help keep me within the budget!

DamianLEX · April 24

The red one on AT you can easily buy for £10k and beat it to death. The guy seems desperate.

The 2011 cat-S, he will sell for £13k as well, I spoke with him months ago and he agreed after I bought my import so no reason he would not take same money now.

Good luck

DomT · April 24

Funny I was about to post more or less the the exact same thing 😄. Need a V8 back in my life and think an ISF is the way to go and looking for one £20k or less.

The grey prefacelift for £15k seems well priced. Would be interested to know any info on any of the ones currently for sale on AT.

Ivacerk · April 24

The 2011 Cat S which was 15.9k yesterday is now at 13.9k , which makes me regret buying my 08 😭😭😭

Cactus · April 25

I have a well looked after one, usb on 54k miles.

i wont part from it for less than 24k though

GMB · April 25

On 4/24/2024 at 1:57 PM, Ivacerk said:

The 2011 Cat S which was 15.9k yesterday is now at 13.9k , which makes me regret buying my 08 😭😭😭

That one is parked at newton auctioneers in hyde according to a supplied photo. Get your sherlock holmes hat on and do the necessary due diligence.

d3ron · April 26

If you spot one you're considering, ask on here as some have been around for a while and have been looked at by members here.

Also 2010+ have various differences around multimedia, body colour, mechanical diff and interior that's worth knowing.

A few people on here have also gone down the import route, so that's an option too.

JimmyTightlips · April 28

Regarding that red one on Autotrader for £10,995

I know I really shouldn't...

but I'm very tempted by it - especially if I could (maybe) get them down to 10k.

Anyone have any thoughts about it? Not a huge fan of the mods but it apparently comes with all the original parts so that could be sorted.

It seems too good to be true, and yet I can't stop thinking about it - can anyone talk me out of (or into) this purchase?

Ivacerk · April 28

I think is priced lower cause of the mileage , my first isf had around 140k miles and it was driving without any issues, never been bothered by the mileage and scratches and stuff as it was cheap , at 10k as long as the engine and gearbox works, i’d seriously consider it as these can go over 200k miles easily , there is one in US with 430k miles , the one on Misha Charoudins chanell had around 170k miles

i’d rather get the 10k one and have some spare money to fix stuff that might need doing or might go wrong (most likely nothing will go wrong ) than pay 15k for one with similar mileage

JimmyTightlips · April 29

13 hours ago, Ivacerk said:

I think is priced lower cause of the mileage , my first isf had around 140k miles and it was driving without any issues, never been bothered by the mileage and scratches and stuff as it was cheap , at 10k as long as the engine and gearbox works, i’d seriously consider it as these can go over 200k miles easily , there is one in US with 430k miles , the one on Misha Charoudins chanell had around 170k miles

i’d rather get the 10k one and have some spare money to fix stuff that might need doing or might go wrong (most likely nothing will go wrong ) than pay 15k for one with similar mileage

Thanks for the input, I guess if anything can do these kinds of miles it's a Lexus.

The one thing, more than any other, which make me a little apprehensive is that the car is straight piped - which is something I really don't like and would have to address immediately.

Does the ISF use the same exhaust / cat system as the 250 or is it bespoke? (I'm assuming so)

Having the entire exhaust system redone would quickly erase most of the savings I'd make going for this one, at which point I'd be better off just spending a few grand extra for a fully stock one on lower miles.

I'm also somewhat tempted by the Cat S one, given how low the mileage is (+ facelift), but my brain is telling me to run for the hills.

dman2004 · April 29

5 hours ago, JimmyTightlips said:

Thanks for the input, I guess if anything can do these kinds of miles it's a Lexus.

The one thing, more than any other, which make me a little apprehensive is that the car is straight piped - which is something I really don't like and would have to address immediately.

Does the ISF use the same exhaust / cat system as the 250 or is it bespoke? (I'm assuming so)

Having the entire exhaust system redone would quickly erase most of the savings I'd make going for this one, at which point I'd be better off just spending a few grand extra for a fully stock one on lower miles.

I'm also somewhat tempted by the Cat S one, given how low the mileage is (+ facelift), but my brain is telling me to run for the hills.

Totally different exhaust compared to the is250. I'd sell you an OEM Catback exhaust if you want.

JimmyTightlips · April 30

On 4/29/2024 at 6:46 PM, dman2004 said:

Totally different exhaust compared to the is250. I'd sell you an OEM Catback exhaust if you want.

Thanks for the offer, that'd certainly be a solution. How much are you looking for out of interest?

Still as of yet undecided if I'll go ahead and buy this one specifically, but I'm definitely hoping to try and get an F car by the end of the year. (Ideally I'd have a GSF, but the insurance is absolutely extortionate for me)

samplify · May 2

@JimmyTightlips were you the one that bought it in the end? It's disappeared from AT and eBay!

JimmyTightlips · May 2

3 minutes ago, samplify said:

@JimmyTightlips were you the one that bought it in the end? It's disappeared from AT and Ebay!

I noticed too, no it wasn't me.

Hopefully the buyer joins up here to show it off, I'd be really interested to see how it holds up.

BTCC_ Racer · May 3

Hi guys don’t mean to hijack the thread but I’ll be selling my ISF. I’ll put ad together in the coming days. Basically has all the preventive stuff carried out over the years, radiator, gearbox pipes, exhaust manifolds, suspension refresh, shocks bushes etc.

Ivacerk · May 3

The red one has come back for sale at 13k for some reason , won’t be surprised if its sold by a trader

were you the one who got the Cat S ? Can’t find it anymore for sale

On 5/2/2024 at 5:47 PM, JimmyTightlips said:

noticed too, no it wasn't me.

Hopefully the buyer joins up here to show it off, I'd be really interested to see how it holds up.

JimmyTightlips · May 3

1 hour ago, Ivacerk said:

The red one has come back for sale at 13k for some reason , won’t be surprised if its sold by a trader

were you the one who got the Cat S ? Can’t find it anymore for sale

No that one wasn't me either. After sitting on it I simply couldn't bring myself to drop so much money on a Cat S car with a (seemingly) dodgy history. I'm happy to pay a few grand extra for something I know I can trust.

I think I might look down the import route a bit later in the year, once the insurance on my 250 completes so I can get my years' no claims from it.

Ivacerk · May 3

I own a Cat S one , fixed it myself , and tbh , if the job is done properly , there is nothing wrong with a Cat car , i will spend saved money on mods and proper maintenance from being cheaper 😁

No guarantee that a non Cat car never had an accident in its life , but either way , importing one is always better as the ones over there are way better looked after than UK ones and there is no rust on them

JimmyTightlips · May 3

1 hour ago, Ivacerk said:

I own a Cat S one , fixed it myself , and tbh , if the job is done properly , there is nothing wrong with a Cat car , i will spend saved money on mods and proper maintenance from being cheaper 😁

No guarantee that a non Cat car never had an accident in its life , but either way , importing one is always better as the ones over there are way better looked after than UK ones and there is no rust on them

Oh yeah, I have nothing against Cat S cars in of themselves; as long as the job's been done properly I don't see any issue.

It's just that one in particular rubbed me the wrong way the more I thought about it, quite a few things just seemed "off" so I decided against it.

But who knows, maybe someone got the bargain of the century there.

DamianLEX · May 4

My mechanic's first words when we unloaded my import onto his ramp : "How the F is it so dry, so clean, no sweat, not a single leak...I have never seen any used german sport car like this. If Lexus had a better interior I would buy it immediately".

I don't know why he meant with interiors but same thing he said about RCF I had before.

JimmyTightlips · May 4

8 hours ago, DamianLEX said:

My mechanic's first words when we unloaded my import onto his ramp : "How the F is it so dry, so clean, no sweat, not a single leak...I have never seen any used german sport car like this. If Lexus had a better interior I would buy it immediately".

I don't know why he meant with interiors but same thing he said about RCF I had before.

I mean compared to the E90 M3, W204 C63 and B7 RS4 - I think the ISF has the nicest interior by far.

At the risk of derailing this thread even more than I already have - how much did it cost you to import yours? Just trying to build up an idea of the costs involved (on top of the cost of the car) to figure out what I might be able to buy within my budget.