Nick W858

Thanks Ian - Aygo sounds like one to avoid. I did have a Yaris hybrid as a courtesy car a while back and it was fine, quite nippy around town and felt quite grown up - as you say though different kettle of fish to the IQ.

Thanks Ian - sounds like I will have to put the 11 year old on 'lookout' duty - would only be occasional use anyway like yourself re the use of the three seats so probably not too much of an issue. Sensible side of me says an Aygo or Yaris might be a better alternative for a city runabout but there is something about the IQ which seems more fun and I guess quirky compared to those other two cars.

Thanks Ian, yes I need a drive in one, not fussed re 1.0 or the 1.3 and whilst I normally drive autos the manual may be more fun. Was hoping to use one of the seats in the back on occasions for the school run which is only 10 minutes, just wondering if my 8 yr old could fit behind my 11 year old in the front, I realise that nobody would be able to sit behind me. I was guessing they would be super reliable which you confirm. Thanks for the info. Nick

Welcome back and I love the colour. Ours is black which is a pain to keep clean and shows every mark too. Tyres are all Michelin the latitude sports - they have been fine. BTW - what do you make of the IQ? I have a hankering for one as a second car which my wife and kids find amusing, I hope at 6ft 4 I'd fit in one ok and they seem to have good reviews - what's yours been like?

Yep it's been quite a few years since I had a convertible, had an MGF back in 2000 and a convertible Saab after that. The wife had a Boxster as a company car in 2001, just the 2.7 and it was the tiptronic but still great fun with the added bonus of a company fuel card. I do love the feel of a convertible, perhaps I need to be looking at an SC430!

Yes the Cayman seems to get great reviews driving better than the 911 by all accounts, ditto the boxter. Personally I need four seats so would be 911, that said now I'm back in the ISF I am beginning to fall in love all over again.

Looks great well done and welcome

Well she was very happy with the ISF, perfect for her run to the airport and she is at the stage when she is getting fed up with the noise/rawness of the 911, I guess it's the same with us all, whatever you drive you start to take things for granted or have things you would change in the 'perfect car' which of course does not exist. It was the sharpness of the steering in the 911 which I found really illuminating. It just made the ISF seem like a soft barge when I got back in it. I guess if I now had a go in a Lotus or something similarly 'hardcore' then that would probably make the 911 seem a bit soft. As I said just interesting what it all it does to your senses.

Swapped back from my colleague's 911 into my ISF today after two weeks and the difference was amazing. To be fair, really got used to whizzing around in the 911, it felt like a little go kart and the ISF felt huge and soft and refined in comparison - very much like my LS400 in fact. Funny how driving something different plays with your senses, I won't be buying a 911 anytime soon and I am sure the usual feeling with the ISF will return quite quickly, perhaps I need to put my LS400 back on the road to really appreciate the ISF!

Ha ha don't think that will be happening any time soon - totally agree with the reasons above and the way I see it running it for a couple of weeks will get it out of my system and tick a box for considerably less pain and financial hassle of owning one!

But only for two weeks with a colleague who needed a bigger car to take to the airport and has done me a favour knowing I like my cars and as I have been thinking for a while now of buying a 911 this was a good opportunity to have a taster of one. The porker is a 2011 Carrera S convertible with the PDK 'box with a few options sports chrono, PASM, sports exhaust. Was a bit of a shock during the drive home today, the noise, ride and rawness (roughness)) was not pleasant. Made more sense this evening honing around with the roof off and although in a couple of weeks I may be of a different opinion for now I am really looking forward to getting the ISF back!

I have bought two and sold one in the last couple of years. Obviously I was a dream buyer for the seller to deal with 🌞. For me the important thing is to get a feel for the vendor through phone conversations, on both purchases everything was as was described and I had checked it all out with the Lexus dealer too in terms of history etc (both were private purchases. I got a bit knocked off both but not loads and equally when I sold one I only dropped a small amount. I did get a couple of 'interesting' phone calls when selling but nothing too daft and the chap who bought mine was excellent to deal with. Due to the banking transfer system my purchaser ended up sending me about £5k more than the price we agreed on, I returned it the next day and I would expect anyone to do the same for me under those circumstances - perhaps that is naive of me? I like to think I can get a feel for an individual and equally am confident they would get a good vibe from me too - I guess a lot of it is about trust. I think there's a small number of people that 'get' the ISF and if selling, you just have to wait for the right one to come along - and they will, providing of course the asking price is sensible.

Thanks John, totally agree, I'd be lying if I said nothing was needed for the LS400 over the past twelve years but pretty much everything I have had to buy has been general wear and tear stuff which is quite different to what I read about the so called premium German brands. Long may it continue.

Bit of a funny year (April to April) because for the first four months I ran the LS alongside my ISF. Sold the ISF in August and then ran the LS throughout winter which worked well on the winter wheels/tyres. Car had a full service at my local garage April 2016 which was £596 and included some minor bits to get through the MOT, since then and about 10000 miles no issues/expenses save for a broken spring courtesy of a pothole. Car has done about 252k although some days it says it has done 908000 miles and other days it says 8100 miles - I can live with a faulty odometer and I keep a manual note of the mileage when I fill up. i have just purchased another ISF and rather than try to run two cars side by side, I have taken the LS off road as tax/ins/MOT were all coming to an end. I did have a go at seeing what the MOT would show, it failed but nothing too major, issues with the hand./foot brake, corroded front brake pipe and a front suspension bush. My plan is to leave all this until the end of the year when I will un SORN the car, get the car serviced and MOTD to run through the rest of the winter as having gotten used to winter tyres over the last 10 years, I don't fancy my chances much in the ISF should the snow and ice arrive and sourcing winter wheels/tyres seems both difficult and expensive. My wife keeps encouraging me to get rid of the LS400 as she thinks it is a bit of an eyesore but as long as the car is running I intend to keep it and I have owned loads of cars over the years but never kept any of them for more than a couple of years, the fact I am now 12 years in says it all about how great these cars are.

Agree it's the worry nagging away at you that annoys me plus of course the inconvenience when it needs to go into the garage, it's inconvenient even if it's under warranty but seems to grate less when you are not presented with a bill. I'm about to put a warranty on mine, don't explain to claim but I think the peace of mind is useful plus if you decided to sell on, then in my experience with my previous ISF it also helps to have some warranty on it.

Not sure if these will be any good - took them quickly yesterday. You can see my trusty old LS400 in the background one of them too. Before you ask the roof has been wrapped in black which from the pictures in the AT ad I was really unsure about but in the flesh it looks great so think I will be keeping it that way.

Thanks guys, sold the last one because I was thinking about getting a 911, then a scare over my job security happened which put the 911 on hold and after testing some 911s I wasn't that impressed. My previous one was still under warranty and had just had the big 60k service (at 120k) and I thought with that mileage it would be difficult to sell on at some point. With the benefit of hindsight I should have kept it. This one was on AT, by chance I called ether owner about 10 mins before four guys from London were due to view it/test it, I told the owner I was a previous ISF owner and was a genuine buyer and to call me back if he didn't sell the car to the guys that were travelling up from London. I got a call within the hour, the owner really didn't like the guys, they week offering stupid money etc and in between the phone calls I had been onto my Lexus dealer and checked out all the history and so on which is immaculate. Next day I popped over to see the car, I liked the car and the owner and he liked me so it was a very pleasant transaction which makes it three in a row because the people I dealt with when I bought and sold my last one were all genuine too. Obviously says something about ISF owners!

Sold my lovely white 09 plate ISF back in August - it was a high miler (120k) but excellent condition. Been looking at all kinds of different cars but could not decide what to buy and when I saw a lovely ISF 08 example just down the road I was tempted to go back. Car was delivered yesterday, lovely to hear the distinctive rumble as it came down my cul de sac. In silver which I must admit has never been a colour I have sought but the car looks great and the bodywork is in fantastic condition. The previous owner for the last 5 years is the director at Noble Motorsport in Chesterfield. Lovely chap and gutted to sell the ISF although his new Macan turbo with 480bhp will I am sure more than compensate. Great to be back in an ISF - like a pair of comfortable slippers or perhaps a familiar pair of running spikes!

Thanks Steve Yes I had the extended warranty on my Isf and it paid for itself along with the peace of mind it brings which you can't put a price on. Likely I will go down a similar route with the RX Nick

2011 RX which we picked up three years ago with 70k on the clock at three years old with FLSH - car was company owned. Now got 102k on the clock and passed the MOT first time at my local garage earlier in the week and booked in with Lexus Hull for the annual service yesterday. No major issues over and above regular service items aside from a slight misfire - the dealer fitted a set of new spark plugs. Have been advised the rear shocks both slightly leaking (one was picked up as advisory on MOT) - think I will get these done shortly - dealer quoting £129 each. Over and above regular wear and tear we have not had any major additional items that need replacing. These cars seem pretty robust and reliable and purpose of my post is to reassure anyone looking at high mileage Rx450s. My wife intends to keep the car for as long as possible so just mulling over whether or not the warranty is worth the £995 as they are doing that for two years cover at the moment.

Matt - mine is not for sale but if I did sell it I would not have any fear for what the next owner might be in for. It has done 252k (1998 Mk 4) and drives superbly. Mine has an annual service and other than that there is generally little else to do. As others have said the maintenance record is more important than the outright mileage in my opinion. Good luck with your search.

Thanks all and well done to Alan for joining the forum and I know the ISF will be in safe hands. Not sure what the replacement will be yet, I have been seriously looking at the 911 for quite a while as I feel as a lover of cars I should own one at some point in my life. It would be a 997 model 2009 onwards with the PDK so looking at a potential 50k spend for a decent one which aside from concerns about my job security I am not sure I really want to spend - also I did drive a colleagues car the other week which was nice but not as nice as I thought it would be - was a 61 plate S version and already it has been back in for three pieces of warranty work in the short period she has owned it which is a bit off putting after what you get used to from a Lexus. i am strangely attracted to the Golf R and was lucky enough to borrow none last week for 5 days. The 4 cylinder drone took a bit of getting used to but it was the most fun I have had in a car for ages, really capable and very easy to drive at high speed, took it out one night in the wet and was Incredible at the speed it could deal with wet roundabouts etc - very reassuring and I liked the fact it was also quite annonymous. Am considering ordering one through my company scheme and then driving it like a company car should be driven! Other option is to stick with the LS 400 for a short while and accumulate some more cash to put towards a RCF or GSF - as I said the job security thing is probably the biggest deciding factor at the moment.

Well the ISF has gone - trying not to be too emotional about it - only a car but a cracking one. Been up on AT for sale for a couple of weeks, it was a high miler at 119k and I was not advertising it a cheap rate and I did get a few interesting characters making me some interesting offers - all of which I was happy enough to decline. I was hoping that somebody would see through the mileage and appreciate the outstanding history of the car and was lucky enough to find that in Alan from Surrey who came up north on the train today and drove the car away a very happy man. I know that Alan has been lurking on here for a while so perhaps he might now join the club now that he finally has a Lexus! I am left with the old girl (LS400) for now and will be making a decision soon about what to buy next. Many thanks for the support I have had and good luck with your cars. Nick

Looks great - I prefer the lighter interior.

Good choice Malc - I looked seriously at these before I got the ISF - interested to see what the ride and fuel economy is like although both will be better than the ISF! You can't go wrong with a Honda - I have had several of their sports bikes and have ridden Fireblades for the past 14 years with no issues. My Dad has run the pensioners preferred weapon of choice (Jazz) for the past few years - again faultless. Good luck and keep us posted.