2008 Lexus IS-F

This post is long overdue! Congratulations to myself for my "new" car purchase on May 7, 2011. I purchased a 2008 Lexus ISF with 16k miles on the odometer. Why a Lexus? Why automatic transmission? Why not another coupe? These questions along with others will be answered. It will not only be a review, but I will provide justifiable reasons for my purchase. Before I started car shopping I started falling in love (yes, like an infatuation) with numerous cars that were in my price range: Audi S5, Lotus Exige, 2006-07 BMW M6. However, these infatuations were short-lived. I had to decide on a car that was best for my wants and needs instead of blindly pursuing cars that were simply the 'apple of my eye' and nothing else.

The Lexus ISF came the closest to meeting my wants and needs. Below I'll explain my wants and needs and how the ISF met them, and in some cases exceeded them:

1) Reliability. Japanese cars are known for this. I have been driving my 1998 Acura Integra LS for 2 1/2 years so far with minimal problems (knock on wood for me, please). Lexus is the luxury division of Toyota, so I am still getting Toyota reliability, not to mention the 4-year factory bumper-to-bumper warranty.

2) Rarity. How many of you see an ISF on the road daily, let alone in your life? I saw 2 in my life before purchasing mine. Mind you this is not the IS250 or 350, and there are clear differences in the design of the F: flared fenders, F badging, bulging hood, 19" BBS rims, quad-stacked tailpipes. After all, who wants to drive a common car after spending good money?

3) Luxury. To me, some things should come standard, such as GPS, auxiliary audio jack, backup camera, parking sensors, heated leather seats. The Lexus meets my needs, along with a few other goodies such as headlight washers, adaptive front headlights that turn with the road, 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, Bluetooth phone connectivity, 10-way adjustable front seats and sport seats (they pretty much hug you).

4) Speed. The 1992 Civic hatchback VX I first drove was 92hp, and the 1998 Integra I currently drive is 140hp, so anything more than that is fast to me. The ISF is 416hp, which is more than enough to keep me satisfied on the streets. It comes equipped with paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel as well as Manual Mode and Sport Mode. M mode allows the driver to shift through the gears - in my opinion this is as close as it gets to a manual car, without the clutch - shifts are quick and responsive. Sport Mode increases the throttle response and makes the gas pedal more responsive.

5) Space. Coming from a coupe I needed something with 4 doors at the very least. The F is not exactly the most spacious car, but gets the job done with comfortable rear bucket seats. It's now easier to carry more than one person.

Let's be serious, I didn't purchase the car with the intention of saving gas money or maintenance costs.

ISF = Is Sexy and Fast.

Pics below for your viewing pleasure: