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After 33,000 mles driving the IS-F and 13,500 in the RC-F, I have found the RC-F to feel faster in almost all road conditions, except the wet. It also has a greater sense of occasion and is no problem in car parks. The back seats are a little tight though. The RC-F does not feel heavier to me, possibly due to the improved power to weight ratio. I also prefer the steering, which is heavier. The IS-F did feel a little less attached to the road in a corner, which I imagine translates in the eyes of journalists into a looser back end and more drift potential. The biggest improvement is the ride; it is a step change better. I would love to get back in an IS-F to see if my memory is playing tricks on me. Now I've really fallen for the RC-F, there is a risk all sorts of biases have taken over. I've even decided not to swap it for an Alfa Quadrofoglio for at least another 2 years; it si that good.

Unnecessarily harsh, I think it's more than reasonable to ask a question of the forum, people are generally very kind and keen to provide some pointers, at least that is my experience of the group.

Hi Mark, RAF Machrihanish used to be owned by MOD / US Navy SEAL team operated from this base before it closed as operational base and has been taken over by MACC, a private firm renting out land / buildings. The runway has been used for MACC rally stage and is sometime available for private cars to open up and test without fear of getting ticket! or running into someone - apart from maybe local deer!! It is used only twice daily for Flybe service in from Glasgow and was the reserve runway for space shuttle, I think it was longest in UK and second longest in Europe so should be able to get to maybe full speed? and safely stop again!! Thanks for welcome

I had an RC-F for a day as a courtesy car whilst my F was in for a service. Judging where the corners were didn't seem any harder than the IS-F and it was definitely more of an occasion to drive, seats were more comfortable than I expected. Not so sure about those doors in the car parks though as if I got one it would be replacing my F as my daily driver. It felt pretty positive on the road when I drove it, though I wasn't pushing it, definitely more of a GT than a track day special IMHO.

And mine is of a bloke admiring the worlds greatest alcoholic drink brewed in Eire - I think 😂 Big Rat

There are 4 isfs for over £30k on AT right now, madness!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TPMS-Sensors-4-TyreSure-T-Pro-Tyre-Pressure-Valve-for-Lexus-GS-05-12-/182293744248?hash=item2a718dca78:g:cs0AAOSw8w1X6Tcs Get you local tyre place to fit them and then program them with Techstream. Don't forget to note the numbers on them before fitting because you'll need them for programming. If you've not got Techstream, get it because it can save you a small fortune.

@Oscar (The Grouch) Craig you are right about the Americans it was Seal team 1 who were there for some time , they are now based in Honolulu....... Now I'm just wondering were they would much rather be here or here Big Rat 😂

Morning, have just been on phone to Border Cars and their mechanics have confirmed that the Lexus IS F was taken in and photographed initially with custom back boxes in place. The garage would not sell the car on with this exhaust arrangement so the original back boxes have been replaced. I was sure that the standard Lexus system was on the car when I test drove it?? - it was very quite at low revs. Thank to Lockeyboy (Mark) for the eagle eyes on the photos and all the other members for their positive comments - A great forum so far - excellent help / comments from all. The SILVER IS F's are spreading out to all corners of the UK - looking forward to giving it a blast on the local runway at RAF Machrihanish where I can legally boot it to see how well it goes (runway well over 3 miles long and empty - most of the time anyway!) Cheers.

Hello All, I've just joined the forum so a big hello to you all. I've had my IS-F for nearly a year now and its fab, great fun and amazing to drive. Look forward to getting to know more of you going forward. Many thanks. Cheers, Jon.

It's brexit? All avatars are European property. We only get to call ourselves numbers or letters now. And Ggogle, being in Luxembourg, won't work, etc...... How are you with wood fires and a flint? MY Avatar? It's of the view from Nicholas Luard's house in Andalucia, towards Morocco. So immune!

Bearing in mind my youthful 19 and 20 year old v8's are still running, you can see how they'll still make money too!

@Flytvr you've burnt all your warranty bridges there mate, I hear they hide the coffee and cakes when you pull up on the forecourt now 😂 🐀

TBF the warranty is quite comprehensive - apart from the obvious wear and tear stuff. They don't quibble with much (my dealer doesn't anyway)

I find the whole satnav/infotainment system the absolute weak spot of the car. It costs a fortune and in my idea is a big waste of money, i would not recommend anyone to order this. The satnav with its cumbersome mouse like operating system is a disaster in its own right and the navigation itself is so bad it is almost like Lexus did this on purpose. I use Google, sooo much better and easier to operate. I sometimes use both systems to see who wins and guess what? Google Always Wins. I have no idea why a below par system of 2 generations ago found its way in a Lexus. It drags the whole car down.

Welcome to the club Jon

Many stories of American SEAL's over the years getting up to things they shouldn't have and crashing - mainly boats + breaking bones with late parachute openings - I digress. Not sure when runway would be open again for next public use - but will update you Mark if I get contact for random use - it is not that often that vehicles get on - will let you know. Will borrow dash cam - Mark - if I get an opportunity to open it up on runway and post results

When I bought a SAAB, it had all the service documents. That old trick of charging an outrageous price per litre of oil was there (who buys it per litres, the garage has a 100 litre drum out back), but they had also charged him for 8 litres even though the car took only 4 litres!

All you need to do Gee, is test drive one for a weekend ! Regards John

Welcome to you, I see from your profile Somerset is mentioned 2 others on here hail from there. As @Mark G mentioned come along to next Kemble meet if you can you'd be most welcome, if you do just keep your hands close to your cake ! Big Rat

Another blue one steps into the arena, I can feel a Kemble meet coming on.................

Interesting stuff. If I bought an rcf I would have to slap on an exhaust and probably hangs the wheels as I don't like the stock ones at all. Depending on how it handled a set of coilovers and that would be job done. I will most likely test drive one. depreciation is a key for me. I don't finance my cars so use the funds in my current car to help with the next purchase. I sold the isf for what I bought it for 2 years later and my list is won't move much if at all in 3 years where as the rcf still has money to lose. Good topic is this one.

Hi, just wanted to introduce myself to IS F forum, due to collect my 58 plate, wait for it - maybe not a popular choice of colour - SILVER!! next week. Car being collected from non franchised dealer in Dumfries and then immediately back to Lexus dealership in Glasgow for 60K + service and 2 year warranty / service plan being bought if everything OK. Car was on Autotrader with just about 55K on it - Full Lexus service history but needing the 60K service - got a healthy discount to take it without service as was intending to take it to Lexus to keep FLSH up. Car has had 4x new tyres and full set of discs and pads from Lexus (Manchester) last June so plenty of life left there. Looking forward to running the IS F, have only heard good things about reliability, currently moving up from my Lexus RX400H which I have had for past 7 years. Hope to meet up with other owners soon - This one will be moving to West coast of Scotland so a fair bit away from the majority of other owners - but great empty roads over this end of country to get most out of this car.

If we have gone back that far I'm off to invent the wheel.

It appears to look quite interesting with the new headlights. I suspect the rear lights will also be changed. Nearly rear-ended one when it slowed down quickly as it only has 3 tiny LED's lighting up on each side when braking! Ive realised that the grill hasn't changed at all but its actually the photo which appears to show bits shooting off like the LC commercial!

Hi Jon and welcome to the LOC. We are a friendly bunch so please don’t hold back asking questions big or small should you have any problems with your car. We always welcome ideas on how to overcome problems with our cars but as they are the finest cars in the universe they don’t go wrong that often. We always love to see pictures of your cars inside and out so don't be shy. Happy Lexus Motoring. Mike.

@Flytvr I would never consider running this type of car without the Lexus warranty. 🐀

I wouldn't run an IS-F without a warranty. If you can get one outside of the Lexus dealerships and then get a Lexus warranty on it, sorted, happy days :)

Looks like its the first letter of each posters name, was guessing its just a forum board update?

Yes it can be a quandary, it's not like running a little 1.0 litre petrol Fiesta, mine runs till February 2019 so I shall have her till then and consider my options. Big Rat

I agree Edward. I find the group to be very helpful and willing to answer any question. People, especially new members, will stop asking questions if they are just referred to Google, the manual etc. I've found out a hell of a lot on this forum, long may it continue:-)

Bolt was fine ... all good now. Hard to believe that carrier could have been bent (very slight) ....must have been removed by one of the robots from Robot Wars!! The sheared end came out OK too. I'd dosed it with WD40 and wrapped the end up with cling film. Drilled a small pilot hole then started with a slightly too big a next size .....it jammed nicely and came out with selecting reverse on my battery drill. Happy days. I thought it going to be a right pig. Had a quick test drive .... and working fine. Next job is painting the calipers ... may start at the weekend if the weather's good.

Shell V Power all the way for me, both on the RC-F and the IS-F, and all my fast Subarus before. After completely unscientific testing I decided it improved fuel consumption enough to offset the cost. It also makes cars faster. So basically its a free power boost... ....or the placebo effect. In any case, when depreciation is £500-2000 a month, an extra £5-20 a month on fuel is not worth fretting about

I had a Mercedes S class 280 W reg W126 and it was the greatest car I ever had until I found my LS400 and fell in love in the same way I had done with the Mercedes all those years before. Sadly unlike Lexus the reliability these days on Mercedes is dreadful. I will stay with Lexus now. Happy Lexus motoring

Do you have those mesh style Jon, or the 2008 style?

Yes shame they didn't integrate this as oem. Although not perfect this does give Bluetooth music streaming for the older F's and track/volume control from the steering wheel. I have one installed. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GU1NYN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Aj82ybQFMKK8W Vaistech and Grom also do a fully integrated version for about £500 which gives you Google maps, youtube etc.

I'm amazed at how far the back wheel has come into the cabin pushing the back seat forward. Must have been going some to do that. Looks like the blue ones just got rarer though......

I'll keep sending them back until they get them right. The guy was pretty unhelpful really, so next time if I have to contact I'll ask for a supervisor. Pete

So I think I can conclude that the RCF has been reviewed primarily on the track which has led the journalists to give negative reviews, in reality it's a perfectly good F car for normal driving, offering good value thanks to those journalists 👍. The GSF is probably a better all-rounder and good on the track, hence the rave reviews and will therefore hold its value.

@Flytvr It does sound pretty good better than an isF but not quite as good as a Gsf. Big Rat

Once my ISF is out of warranty, I'd certainly look at an RCF. I much prefer the look to a GSF. Talking about exhausts, it is a shame that Lexus don't provide a sports exhaust. Would save faffing around looking for solutions from third parties :(

Check your settings in NAV as one can set the ave speed the car uses to calculate ETA. Maybe set very low for each road type

Wheels......... No, No.... not more wheels.

Haha 😂, I know exactly what you mean. Great actress 😉

I think you are missing a major point here, you say "when it comes to a practical buying decision the price will be a major thing"", this just simply does not apply with some people, they buy with their heart, they spend what they can afford but a practical buying decision it is not.

@DAW David that's a good point, interesting to see what the exhaust is 👍 🐀

That colour is the business makes that car look a million $$$$$. Can we see the inside?

@Oscar (The Grouch) Well done that man, I know you will enjoy it, simply because on the whole they are the best there is, and as regards colour........well no one on here can say I've ever and I mean ever expressed a preference. Big Lieing Rat

Where's the flux capacitor.?

Something worth checking; When I repaired my transmission oil pump last week, I noticed that there are four jubilee clips clamping the heat shields to the exhaust section around the cats. (2 each side). All four had broken and there was some rattle on start-up until the exhaust had warmed up slightly. Its worth checking that this is not your rattle, first of all. They only took me a few minutes to fit and they were about a £1 each. Worth a look.