Lexus ISF reliability and average MPG?
Discussion
I've been looking for a new car, £12-£15k with a bit of poke and idly browsing AT when an ISF popped up. 105k miles (more than I'd like generally) for a 2008 ISF priced up at £14,995 which has really caught my interest. Some minor trouble for it's MOT's but little stuff like a headlight alignment and Brake discs wearing thin. Looking online issues with Water pumps were common on early cars but should have been resolved under warranty and some issues with the Heat Transfer Plate although I'm unsure what this actually is or does?
Can any owners, especially ones with higher mileages chime in? What sort of MPG do you get? Mostly short runs and will likely be WFH 2 days out of 5 and even the office is only a ten minute drive away. Any issues? Brakes take a beating apparently due to weight but other than that, what has your ownership experience been like?
Can any owners, especially ones with higher mileages chime in? What sort of MPG do you get? Mostly short runs and will likely be WFH 2 days out of 5 and even the office is only a ten minute drive away. Any issues? Brakes take a beating apparently due to weight but other than that, what has your ownership experience been like?
Look here: https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/forum/134-...
I'm looking for a new(to me) car too and want something with a bit "poke" so the ISF was top of my list, I believe aside from the water bottle issue, the only stand out issues are cracked manifolds (not really a problem, causes a noise on start up and when cold) and more recently an issue with pipes from the radiator\cooler for the gearbox perishing which has lead to at least one gearbox failure I beileve.
Very knowledgeable guys on the forum and they will be able to tell you if the car in question belonged to anyone on their previously so a great way to get a feel for a car,
I'm looking for a new(to me) car too and want something with a bit "poke" so the ISF was top of my list, I believe aside from the water bottle issue, the only stand out issues are cracked manifolds (not really a problem, causes a noise on start up and when cold) and more recently an issue with pipes from the radiator\cooler for the gearbox perishing which has lead to at least one gearbox failure I beileve.
Very knowledgeable guys on the forum and they will be able to tell you if the car in question belonged to anyone on their previously so a great way to get a feel for a car,
Martyn76 said:
Look here: https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/forum/134-...
I'm looking for a new(to me) car too and want something with a bit "poke" so the ISF was top of my list, I believe aside from the water bottle issue, the only stand out issues are cracked manifolds (not really a problem, causes a noise on start up and when cold) and more recently an issue with pipes from the radiator\cooler for the gearbox perishing which has lead to at least one gearbox failure I beileve.
Very knowledgeable guys on the forum and they will be able to tell you if the car in question belonged to anyone on their previously so a great way to get a feel for a car,
Thanks will have a look. Reliability generally seems good. As you said radiators and water pumps are issues but mostly sorted previously.I'm looking for a new(to me) car too and want something with a bit "poke" so the ISF was top of my list, I believe aside from the water bottle issue, the only stand out issues are cracked manifolds (not really a problem, causes a noise on start up and when cold) and more recently an issue with pipes from the radiator\cooler for the gearbox perishing which has lead to at least one gearbox failure I beileve.
Very knowledgeable guys on the forum and they will be able to tell you if the car in question belonged to anyone on their previously so a great way to get a feel for a car,
MissChief said:
Martyn76 said:
Look here: https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/forum/134-...
I'm looking for a new(to me) car too and want something with a bit "poke" so the ISF was top of my list, I believe aside from the water bottle issue, the only stand out issues are cracked manifolds (not really a problem, causes a noise on start up and when cold) and more recently an issue with pipes from the radiator\cooler for the gearbox perishing which has lead to at least one gearbox failure I beileve.
Very knowledgeable guys on the forum and they will be able to tell you if the car in question belonged to anyone on their previously so a great way to get a feel for a car,
Thanks will have a look. Reliability generally seems good. As you said radiators and water pumps are issues but mostly sorted previously.I'm looking for a new(to me) car too and want something with a bit "poke" so the ISF was top of my list, I believe aside from the water bottle issue, the only stand out issues are cracked manifolds (not really a problem, causes a noise on start up and when cold) and more recently an issue with pipes from the radiator\cooler for the gearbox perishing which has lead to at least one gearbox failure I beileve.
Very knowledgeable guys on the forum and they will be able to tell you if the car in question belonged to anyone on their previously so a great way to get a feel for a car,
It was one of the reasons I went with the ISF, generally more reliable but they still have their issues.
Less serious imo than the competition. Great cars, sold mine but miss it. My wife misses the noise but doesnt miss my story telling of lost traction fun, sigh
There are rare gearbox issues which can be costly although literally a handful. Water pumps can go, valley plates are common issues on the early car. All fixable though. Also make sure you get two keys, its a small thing, but replacement/reprogramming can cost a bit.
Speakers are pretty good but the system is older and you might want to get something running through AUX to get connectivity. The later cars had a HD based unit which is better but still old style.
The UK forum is a good bunch, the US forum is far more detailed and has a ton of info. You might get minor issues, noisy brakes and the like, the US forums are great for getting info with higher sales there including the standard IS.
I cant remember exact fuel numbers but I found it fine, 30ish on a long run, 20 around about anywhere else.
Less serious imo than the competition. Great cars, sold mine but miss it. My wife misses the noise but doesnt miss my story telling of lost traction fun, sigh
There are rare gearbox issues which can be costly although literally a handful. Water pumps can go, valley plates are common issues on the early car. All fixable though. Also make sure you get two keys, its a small thing, but replacement/reprogramming can cost a bit.
Speakers are pretty good but the system is older and you might want to get something running through AUX to get connectivity. The later cars had a HD based unit which is better but still old style.
The UK forum is a good bunch, the US forum is far more detailed and has a ton of info. You might get minor issues, noisy brakes and the like, the US forums are great for getting info with higher sales there including the standard IS.
I cant remember exact fuel numbers but I found it fine, 30ish on a long run, 20 around about anywhere else.
Edited by Axeboy on Monday 28th June 13:11
I had an early one. Most of the issues have been covered by previous posters. The potentially most serious is the gearbox oil cooler pipes letting go through corrosion. The water pump thing isn't that big a deal, they sometimes drop a puddle of water when shut down, but i haven't heard of an actual full on failure. Replace them at 60k when the cambelt gets done, from memory. I drove ours hard and got about 22mpg on the road. Half that at Thorney Island and Santa Pod when I quarter miled it. Worth it though. The suspension is too hard on the early ones, I put Tein 16 way adjustables on ours and it was massively better.
Absolutely fantastic cars, and I've thought long and hard about another. One of the most reliable things money can buy.
Absolutely fantastic cars, and I've thought long and hard about another. One of the most reliable things money can buy.
Edited by Heaveho on Wednesday 30th June 00:58
Edited by Heaveho on Wednesday 30th June 00:59
I drive my 09 ISF since march 2020.
Bought it with about 180k km and it's right now just below 200k km. It made me no trouble and is used as a daily driver and also the occasional laps on the ring.
Like on the previous posts mentioned the common issues like waterpump should be no problem anymore. The radiator might fail at a certain point (>170k km) so i changed that just to be safe. There are some reports about faililng starters which is not super common but can happen and it's quite expensive to fix.
I would also highly recommend changing out the lower control arm bushings, as the standard ones are too soft and the car can feel unstable under high speed braking.
Overall I would't be hesitant to buy a higher mileage ISF, the condition of the car is more important than the mileage.
Bought it with about 180k km and it's right now just below 200k km. It made me no trouble and is used as a daily driver and also the occasional laps on the ring.
Like on the previous posts mentioned the common issues like waterpump should be no problem anymore. The radiator might fail at a certain point (>170k km) so i changed that just to be safe. There are some reports about faililng starters which is not super common but can happen and it's quite expensive to fix.
I would also highly recommend changing out the lower control arm bushings, as the standard ones are too soft and the car can feel unstable under high speed braking.
Overall I would't be hesitant to buy a higher mileage ISF, the condition of the car is more important than the mileage.
Tabs said:
And don't forget the rear seats are fixed and don't fold down...
I didn't get as far as finding out for sure, but I can't see why you couldn't fit the rear seats from an IS250 and have a full 5 seater. Can't remember if the rear seats would then fold down, it's been a while.Heaveho said:
I had an early one. Most of the issues have been covered by previous posters. The potentially most serious is the gearbox oil cooler pipes letting go through corrosion. The water pump thing isn't that big a deal, they sometimes drop a puddle of water when shut down, but i haven't heard of an actual full on failure. Replace them at 60k when the cambelt gets done, from memory. I drove ours hard and got about 22mpg on the road. Half that at Thorney Island and Santa Pod when I quarter miled it. Worth it though. The suspension is too hard on the early ones, I put Tein 16 way adjustables on ours and it was massively better.
Absolutely fantastic cars, and I've thought long and hard about another. One of the most reliable things money can buy.
Just to say that the ISF has timing chain(s), not cam belt(a). One of the reasons it has such a bulletproof reputation…Absolutely fantastic cars, and I've thought long and hard about another. One of the most reliable things money can buy.
Edited by Heaveho on Wednesday 30th June 00:58
Edited by Heaveho on Wednesday 30th June 00:59
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