Used Is-F Values

[Keith_W]

I know this has been posted in the past but it is probably a topic that will run on. My thoughts are that good ones (I know most of them are) will retain their value quite well given that:

- There are so few on sale (at the moment)

- Most people in this market will go for the M3 - and there are plenty of those to choose from. (Which could be an argument for values falling)

- The Americans have shown that they have unrivaled reliability for this type of car that extends well into the six-figure mileages.

- They are very different to the 'rest'.

- They are not slow.

- If required they return excellent MPG

- Many potential buyers are, like me, jap-turbo owners and the IS-F is, in my experience, cheaper to run than an Impreza or Evo.

Finally, do you think the introduction of the all new IS-F will cause values to fall or maybe even flat-line (if it ends up being too expensive or not much better then the current one)?

I'm hoping that low mileage examples don't go much below £20k anytime soon (for private sales with sub 40k miles). I Don't think they should because they're awesome!!

[Selmer mk6]

I don't think the used values will be hit hard when and if a new ISF comes out. It really depends on how good the car is compared to its rivals. In any case no matter how good it is, it always be behind the German brands according to UK journalists. If it happens to trump the M3, who knows people who can't afford the new model may show interest in the used ones.

I know mine will drop quite a bit in value when I come to sell it. However, I have accepted this and have mentally written of the money paid/paying for the car. I plan to have some long Continental trips in the years to come. My LS400 took me to Barcelona and back, miles of trouble free motoring.

[stevet]

The problem I see is that the Lexus dealers are offering very little in px values. It's almost as though they want to get rid of the mk2 IS's from the main dealer network. I've had mine for 12 months now and paid 24k. Just out of interest while looking at the new IS300h I asked how much they would give for mine in px and they only offered 15k. At that value I'm keeping it as its the bargain of the century!

[MNMJ]

I think I might ask the same question when I'm next at the dealer. I also wonder if there would much of a difference to px against an IS300h or an IS250. That should give an indication of how well those two are selling. There seem to be plenty of the new shape hanging around that were registered in July, though as always their pricing seems highly ambitious.

[lotusdave]

I think theyll keep falling if only due to perceived running cost and lack of isf awareness for Jo public. There isn't any car out there, proper royalty aside, that doesn't fall in value. Not at five years old. Ignore the depreciation and enjoy driving it. Cars are a rubbish investment. but you cant drive a stocks n shares portfolio!

[lotusdave]

I think theyll keep falling if only due to perceived running cost and lack of isf awareness for Jo public. There isn't any car out there, proper royalty aside, that doesn't fall in value. Not at five years old. Ignore the depreciation and enjoy driving it. Cars are a rubbish investment. but you cant drive a stocks n shares portfolio!

[Keith_W]

Dave, I agree to certain extent but I think that the Is-F may not depreciate quite the same as other cars because there are buyers out there that want them and the people that own them know how good they are and that they're relatively cheap to run.

We will see but you're right it won't make any money and it's all about enjoying it!

[MNMJ]

Yes, Joe Public doesn't seem to look at the whole picture. £490 tax a year puts them off, but they'll happily spend £1,000 plus on insurance and as much, if not more, on options that will lose 90% of their value immediately. Or if buying used, the'll pick up an unreliable BMW or Audi and spend hundreds more on repairs each year.

But thank heaven for Joe Public. If they had all wanted the IS-F, then I wouldn't have been able to afford such a new one. When I bought mine at 8 months old, a C63 AMG for the same price was 2 years older with an extra 20k miles on the clock. The list prices new were within a few hundred of each other.

So we benefit when buying, but lose out when it comes to sell.

Or, as the concensus seems to be; keep it, run it, enjoy it.

[Selmer mk6]

I agree with you. However, there are some who are clearly willing to pay the extra for the kudos of driving a M3 or a C63. Plus I think that the price gap is getting closer between these cars. All these types of car will be difficult to sell and as they get older, reliability becomes a big factor. I tend to read that M3/C63 should not be bought without a warranty, which can cost up to a £1k a year.

Hmm in saying that I have been quoted about a grand for a Lexus warranty!

The C63 appeals to me with that glorious exhaust note, but factoring in the other costs, as a compromise the ISF is the one for me.

[stevet]

I agree with you. However, there are some who are clearly willing to pay the extra for the kudos of driving a M3 or a C63. Plus I think that the price gap is getting closer between these cars. All these types of car will be difficult to sell and as they get older, reliability becomes a big factor. I tend to read that M3/C63 should not be bought without a warranty, which can cost up to a £1k a year.

Hmm in saying that I have been quoted about a grand for a Lexus warranty!

The C63 appeals to me with that glorious exhaust note, but factoring in the other costs, as a compromise the ISF is the one for me.

Yes, I was quoted £995. Ask your dealer as you can get a Lexus warranty for £414 if your car is over 5 years old and under 100k miles.

[Tel]

For your info I got 68% for my 2.25 year old mint ISF (mk.2) which betters the German equivalents that loose significant cash due to the Factory Options that hold almost zero value.

If you read the long-term tests over months, not years, Audi & Bmw trade-ins plummet!

A senior Bmw guy told me Not to spec "my" then 335i to Lexus Stds as I would loose a packet as the retained value of Bm's was based on metallic,auto ,leather,18".

Tel

[stevet]

Getting £39k for a 2 year old ISF is a fantastic deal. You did really well there. I would of thought more like £28k

[stevet]

Getting £39k for a 2 year old ISF is a fantastic deal. You did really well there. I would of thought more like £28k

[Tel]

Did not pay list price!!

Tel

[lotusdave]

the maths needs one less variable to make sense! Whichever way you spin it, the limited numbers ensures an unusual situation. Big engine and high tax and low mpg (compared to a modern oil burning saloon) count against. Rarity and build quality (hopefully) count for. My guess is in a few years decent FMSH cars will start to harden. lets hope so!

[Cable]

I agree with you. However, there are some who are clearly willing to pay the extra for the kudos of driving a M3 or a C63. Plus I think that the price gap is getting closer between these cars. All these types of car will be difficult to sell and as they get older, reliability becomes a big factor. I tend to read that M3/C63 should not be bought without a warranty, which can cost up to a £1k a year.

Hmm in saying that I have been quoted about a grand for a Lexus warranty!

The C63 appeals to me with that glorious exhaust note, but factoring in the other costs, as a compromise the ISF is the one for me.

Exactly my thoughts. Initially wanted a C63, almost for the exhaust note alone, but as I've always liked the ISF and it's a much better package overall, it's a no brainer. That the C63 doesn't look much different to a C class sport is another good reason...

[fjcfarrar]

A factor has to be that the ISF has not really been popular in the UK in the first place with a total of 224 sold in 5 1/2 years - just an average of 41 per year and new sales falling steeply each year. While there is no special reason for this; the ISF is rarely on the lists of people looking for a car in this category despite unparalled reliability and excellent performance. It is a tight point whether rarity & exclusivity is so very different from plain unwanted except to the few that know what the ISF is and can do - and rather depends on whether you are buying or selling .....

Me, I don't care; I bought mine to keep. It still brings a smile to my face after 5 1/2 years.

[Keith_W]

A factor has to be that the ISF has not really been popular in the UK in the first place with a total of 224 sold in 5 1/2 years - just an average of 41 per year and new sales falling steeply each year. While there is no special reason for this; the ISF is rarely on the lists of people looking for a car in this category despite unparalled reliability and excellent performance. It is a tight point whether rarity & exclusivity is so very different from plain unwanted except to the few that know what the ISF is and can do - and rather depends on whether you are buying or selling .....

Me, I don't care; I bought mine to keep. It still brings a smile to my face after 5 1/2 years.

True enough, although I hesitate to draw direct comparisons, the NSX was in the same boat. No one wanted them when they were new and when they were used; right up until the point they reached a certain value and became accessible to a much greater audience. More people then realised how good they were and, importantly, how reliable they were. Consequently the demand began to increase until it exceeded supply and values went up.

The IS-F may not be quite the same but I foresee a time when almost all M3s are high milers and become synonymous with expensive repair bills - this is the time when people in this sort of market, and with a certain budget, will have to look elsewhere and what else is there? C63 and VXR8: for me the VXR8 is not in the same league (having had one over a long weekend) and the Merc is just plain expensive to have even before it breaks down.

Food for thought but may just be wishful thinking.

[lotusdave]

i like the nsx comparison, although the senna connection helps. I considered one before my elise but didn't as i wanted to track it. I heard somewhere else a c63 brake disk is 899 from merc. Ouch.

[Keith_W]

I loved my NSX but truthfully, I much prefer the F. Yes it's much more modern but, like the NSX, it will age very well and not cost an arm and a leg to run given the performance it has.

[North west beast]

I just don't like the m3 atall I think they look s--t , I think the isf will hold its value soon .