Another New IS-F Owner

[JimmyTightlips]

Really excited to share that there'll soon be another IS-F on our roads, which I'll be the lucky owner of.

It's a 2012 on just over 50k miles, in absolutely stunning condition.

I'll be sure to keep you all up to date and share some more photos once it arrives.

 

[saqib_v8]

Congratulations, that's a stunner! Amazing spec. How long before it arrives?

[4969_LXS]

Jealous of those wheels !

[JimmyTightlips]

Thanks, its only just arrived at the docks so it'll likely be a fair wait.

Hopefully I should be on the road before the end of the year, all going well, though.

[JimmyTightlips]

Just now, 4969_LXS said:

Jealous of those wheels !

Thank you, they're really nice. I wasn't even aware that this wheel design existed until very recently, so it's nice to have a bit of a rarer spec.

[saqib_v8]

2012 and 2013 were considered the best iterations so you've got yourself a cracker. Who's the importer? 

[JimmyTightlips]

1 hour ago, saqib_v8 said:

2012 and 2013 were considered the best iterations so you've got yourself a cracker. Who's the importer? 

Torque GT, same as @BenH22

[MNMJ]

Very rare colour for an ISF too. Is it Diamond Grey or something similar?

[JimmyTightlips]

19 minutes ago, MNMJ said:

Very rare colour for an ISF too. Is it Diamond Grey or something similar?

Mercury Grey I believe - colour code is 1H9. Only on 2012+ cars as far as I know.

[BenH22]

On 7/5/2024 at 10:16 AM, JimmyTightlips said:

Really excited to share that there'll soon be another IS-F on our roads, which I'll be the lucky owner of.

It's a 2012 on just over 50k miles, in absolutely stunning condition.

I'll be sure to keep you all up to date and share some more photos once it arrives.

 

Congratulations!! The colour is lovely and I am very jealous of those wheels think the are BBS. I hope torque have looked after you but I don't doubt they have.

[jeffrosie6]

Amazing example of an F 

Love to see you put your mark on it...

More pics pls  🙂

[JimmyTightlips]

2 hours ago, BenH22 said:

Congratulations!! The colour is lovely and I am very jealous of those wheels think the are BBS. I hope torque have looked after you but I don't doubt they have.

Thanks, I've always loved the 2010 - 2011 wheels on your car too.

Torque have been excellent, really happy with the experience so far.

[JimmyTightlips]

2 hours ago, jeffrosie6 said:

Amazing example of an F 

Love to see you put your mark on it...

More pics pls  🙂

Here's some other photos I have 👍

[DAW]

Very nice & as others have said, love the wheels👍🏻

[jeffrosie6]

So clean. That's what I love about Jap imports. They are so clean and still like it rolled out of the showroom 🤩

[steve2006]

Very nice! Don’t forget you can legally fit the squarer type Japanese style number plates instead of the UK ones, just make sure they have the BS number and manufacturer’s postcode on them.

Hopefully they will do a nice retrofit on the rear fog lights and integrate them into the cluster.

Also make sure the V5c shows the ULEZ compliance data if you are planning any city visits.

I wonder if the emergency flare is still in the holder in the front passenger footwell 😀

[JimmyTightlips]

On 7/9/2024 at 5:46 PM, steve2006 said:

Very nice! Don’t forget you can legally fit the squarer type Japanese style number plates instead of the UK ones, just make sure they have the BS number and manufacturer’s postcode on them.

Hopefully they will do a nice retrofit on the rear fog lights and integrate them into the cluster.

Also make sure the V5c shows the ULEZ compliance data if you are planning any city visits.

I wonder if the emergency flare is still in the holder in the front passenger footwell 😀

I'm actually in half a mind to buy a UK Spec number plate holder for the car, as I prefer the way they look.

As it's a 2012 it should be Euro 5 compliant, which doesn't really matter...yet.

You can faintly see the flare in one of the interior shots (below the photo of the gauge cluster)

[GMB]

On 7/9/2024 at 5:46 PM, steve2006 said:

Also make sure the V5c shows the ULEZ compliance data if you are planning any city visits

I checked recently and the ISF is fully ULEZ  compliant as stated, I don't really know if you would need some kind of certificate? I don't have anything for my UK 2012 car. I suppose it depends on the ANPE cameras that may not know what the car is based on the numberplate, although if the car is consequently registered in the UK it should have the correct details for ULEZ compliance on the database. The only issue may be getting charged in error and then having to prove innocence?  Just have to see what happens.....🤔

[MartinH]

Is the IS350 available from the importer you mention?

[JimmyTightlips]

2 minutes ago, MartinH said:

Is the IS350 available from the importer you mention?

They have a variety of cars for sale at the moment in their showroom, but they tend to focus on JDM Exclusives and things like RX-7's, Skylines, Evo's etc. and not so much on cars like this and the 350.

I've used their import service where they'll help source any car of your choice and handle everything for you - the auction, shipping, fees, registration and MOT.

If you wanted a 350, they'd be able to find one for you.

When you consider all the import fees, and the actual prices of these cars in Japan, I'd imagine the cost of a 350 wouldn't be too far removed from that of an F - so it'd definitely be worth taking some time to figure out how much it would cost and whether it's worth it or not.

[Prospero88]

Fantastic example of a later IS-F, congrats!

How much roughly did it cost you if you don't mind sharing? Also, how long did the whole process take, before coming to UK? I've been observing the market and the choice in the UK is very limited and considering the import way, but it's going to be around spring-mid 2025.

[JimmyTightlips]

16 hours ago, Prospero88 said:

Fantastic example of a later IS-F, congrats!

How much roughly did it cost you if you don't mind sharing? Also, how long did the whole process take, before coming to UK? I've been observing the market and the choice in the UK is very limited and considering the import way, but it's going to be around spring-mid 2025.

I've no final figure just yet, as the payment is split up into a larger initial payment and an additional, smaller, one when I pick the car up. There's liable to be a bit of movement in the final price, but the estimate is about £19,500. You can get pre-facelifts from Japan for significantly cheaper than this too; most imports are going to be better than a UK car for the same price, though won't necessarily be worth more on the resale market (i.e. my car will be worth significantly less than a UK equivalent 2012).

The process itself was very fast. I was aiming to get a Mesa Red or Ultrasonic Blue but they're very, very rare in Japan so that could have been quite the wait. Most over there seem to be Black or White. This car popped up a little over a week after we started the search and was otherwise perfect (Grey is my third favourite colour regardless), so I couldn't really sit by and let it pass as I doubt we'd have found another one this nice for a while. And again, given the rarity of Red and Blue cars - I may very well have been forced to go for a different colour anyway even if I had waited longer.

It's estimated that the car should take about 14 - 18 weeks to arrive, get registered and have all the appropriate work done, so it's a fair wait. Best to start as soon as possible - especially if you have any specific requirements.

[Prospero88]

Wow, cheers for the prompt and very insightful response. And it looks like it could be a viable option for me, since budget I was thinking about was around 18-20k. So happy days!
I don't mind the paint colour, would actually be happy with something less flashy, than USB, Red or Pearl White, as one of the big reasons I'm into an IS-F is that nobody really knows what it is, it's a proper sleeper. No need to prove anything to anyone and hopefully won't attract scumbag thieves so much as germans. Pardon my french, I despise them (thieves, not germans 😄). The only requirement would be dark interior.
The resale value is not much of a concern of mine, since I would like to keep it as long, as it's humanly possible. 😄
I appreciate how you elaborate in your reply, thanks for that. 🙂

[JimmyTightlips]

Something I've been wondering,

What options are available to get (OEM) UK Sat Nav / English language on JDM head units?

Would it just be a case of sourcing a UK head unit (from an IS250 or 200d), ripping out the HDD and sticking it in the IS-F? Or are the drives locked to the specific head unit they shipped with? If so, it's something I'd be interested in looking into as I have a few ideas.

Alternatively, would it be a case of installing an entire UK head unit into the car? Would that work, or are the connectors different? I'd also want to keep the black buttons / trim from the IS-F, are these detachable so I could remove them and put them on the UK unit?

I'm not personally too interested in an aftermarket system, as I like to try and keep my cars as stock as possible - warts and all.

[DamianLEX]

Because you have got 2012 model any unit with “DAB” button will fit to yours.

Easy job, plenty of them available.