Fikse

you can get a used C63 for low 50's, just like the IS-F..... If you don't care for the performance aspect of the cars, the IS-F is great, it's slow though.... and a dead end for performance upgrades....

FrankW

yes, but brand new IS-F are also selling for invoice which is about the same as a used 63. i'd just take a new car over used if the price factor is fair. if considering used cars, the M5 is a much better deal than either of them.

AMGTTV8

out of curiosity, what are you trying to recover from that exhaust?

and where is it linked in, after the resonator, after the cats...?

thx, chris


good luck with the lex, you'll be back soon!

AMGTTV8

too bad they only have two of the four exhaust tips functional..

makes you wonder what else they tacked on

AMGTTV8

out of curiosity, have you spent a day with the lexus nav?

or is your use limited to in-dealership fiddling?

micropower99

Anyways, at one point the other day I was considering upgrading to the IS-F as well. For the power/fuel consumption ratio it is just fascinating. Plus it looks gorgeous and the quality is superb. Not hating the MB, in fact if the fuel consumption on the C63 was higher I would considerably think about it.

FrankW

actually none of the tips are connected to the muffler. lol

they did it for aerodynamic reason i believe, but still would be the first thing I change on that car.

AMGTTV8

I'm sorry, I can't hold myself back...

Irrespective of the fact that Toyota has a quote on quote reliable product, structurally speaking, Toyota and Lexus are junk in comparison to MB.

Throw that thing up on a rack when you buy it, or any Lexus for that matter, and you'll see what I'm talking about...bolts sticking out 2 inches from the sheet-metal, Toyota part stamps everywhere...

I'm sorry but you are buying the Lexus brand name and nothing more...

If I had 50K and I wanted something spirited to drive, not only would it never be a Lexus because it's a Lexus, but I wouldn't choose Lexus because I wouldn't trust it in a serious collision.

That is not to say that a Mercedes is impenetrable, but you sure as hell have a much greater chance of surviving if driving quicker is what you are looking to do. Government mandated tests are for a MAXIMUM closing speed of 40 mph...how often do people get in crashes in a school zone where both vehicles are traveling 20mph?

At the end of the day, physics doesn't care how pretty your vehicle is in a collision - it does despise however, a structure that properly diffuses and diverts energy away from the occupants.

Seems as if the consumer's historical tendency to place emphasis on safety has changed in recent years...

FrankW

hate to say it, but that's pretty uneducated opinion on the Lexus brand. sure it's still Toyota, but they have improved drastically over the past 10 years. safety wise they're on par with new MBs. The foot well protection the W204 actually received a lesser rating than the current IS. (see links below)

IIHS test

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=614
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=915

Euro NCAP

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/merced..._2007/308.aspx
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/lexus_is_2006/271.aspx

as much as I love the German engineered cars always feels more solid and more fun to drive, I cannot agree with you on what you said in the above post. After having a chance to drive the IS350 with the F-sport (basically TRD products) performance parts and also the GS460. It changed my mind on how Toyota/Lexus always perform although at the end of the day I'd still prefer BMW or MB and I'm one of those that used to joke about "it's still a Toyota" guy.BUT with the IS-F, M3, and C63. my ranking's actually M3>IS-F>C63 for oeverall performance and IS-F>M3>C63 in value. Keep in mind that Toyota are now pretty dedicated to the Lexus brand which even in Japan that used to be without the Lexus brand are separated as Toyota or Lexus as well. The previous shared name plates models are all gone from the Toyota line-up as well.

joshg1001

wow id never imagined seeing so many pro lexus guys on here. My family has owned three lexus vehicles, and currently still drive two of them: IS300 and RX330. active member on clublexus.com

and yes wwmindy, you have a dated opinion on lexus vehicles. they are on par on styling (just about, maybe a dash lower), and on par with technology and safety.

toyota stamps everywhere? who cares? whats wrong with toyota parts? instead of looking at it as cheap toyota products on lexus cars, look at it as durable/reliable/just as good for toyota vehicles.

also, regarding the ISF, the exhausts arent connected for a reason. i mean how hard would it be to connect them? there must be a reason or else farrari wouldnt have done the same thing with the california.

Azn_C300

Ok, back on target. Here are pics of Kurt's new ISF he asked me to take and post for him. If I have time, I'll go back and photoshop clean up the images.

Azn_C300

Also, here's some more pics of the Mayas he's trying to sell.

micropower99

Why didn't he just post these?

Azn_C300

Dunno. I had my D90 on hand and he asked me to snap some shots to post, so doing it to help a fellow board member out.

SoCalC55

I frequent there a little too often myself, haha

Pics of the car came out nice, best color Lexus as well(my mother has a normal IS in that color)

AMGTTV8

I will concede on the styling / technology claims, but definitely won't on the safety aspects, sorry.

How can you say that Lexus is AS safe, or safER than a benz?

Pretty positive that all of their safety equipment is not on the same par as ours. And let's not forget that every manufacturers standard safety features came out of the MB R&D Lab - Deformation zones, crash boxes, esp, abs, airbags, seat belt tensioners and pre-tensioners, pre-safe, brake assist etc...



Even BMW doesn't run the digital Bosch sensors that we have in our cars.

That's all I'm going to say, I'm not here to stir up the dust or knock someone on their purchase or manufacturer, to each their own!

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree, and hope that none of us ever has to test the real world crash performance of either!

Best,

Chris

FrankW

on a serious note, i don't think it's a topic you can agree to disagree on since the facts are there to prove different. if it's the matter of opinion on how the car looks and performs as well as design then yes. if you go around parading about safety of the MB and disowning it's rivals they'll pretty much tell you the same thing i'm telling you. It's the 2009, not 1989 when MB still leads the world in safety for it's occupants. manufacturers around the world have learned much from it.

the link above already showed you on crash test ratings from US and from Europe. we're not talking about who invented what. we're talking about protecting it's occupants. basing occupant safety on brand name is not a very smart move.

AMGTTV8

Let's see if your d1ck get's bigger - you're right!

Lexus has the most beautifully designed product on the market, the quality is second to none - almost like it's hand built - the technology puts Apple and IBM to shame, and in terms of crash worthiness, they are built stronger than an Abrams tank!

Hail the Lexus engineers!

End of transmission.

FrankW

you're welcome.

your quote in the signature sure is ironic to your opinion on lexus vs mb safety.

whn

how much for Brabus mirror covers?

joshg1001

i would like to note that while we do give credit to MB for inventing seat belts, air bags, ESP, its not like they are only found on MB cars. it was big of them to share that technology with the people, and so now we live in a world where KIAs and Hyundais can protect their occupants just as well as an MB.

---------------------------
second picture of the ISF definately isnt flattering. the nose looks soo plumped up.

BerBer63

That c-class looks way better then that lexus

AMGTTV8

No - quite the opposite. It's accurate. You're the audience, and clearly you are deaf. I was willing to concede on some points you/others made, but unfortunately the reality of the situation is that you aren't willing to admit that on any day of the week, a Mercedes is safer than a Lexus.

BTW, since you feel it necessary to be childish, nice teddy bear in your window...Must look real cute with all your manly mods - I guess we must find equilibrium somewhere.

And I don't know why you typed you're welcome - I never said thank you.

AMGTTV8

Never said they were ONLY found on MB cars, I simply said that they all came out of our R&D departments...

And I agree, the sharing of technology has narrowed the gap, but the keyword is narrowed. As of right now, they are not on par.

AMGTTV8

To reiterate, just like BMW vs Mercedes - is BMW's rear-view mirror designed to break off during a collision to avoid any extraneous impact to the occupants head? No

Does BMW run digital wheels slip sensors that detect any variance in wheel speed @ 100x's / second? No, they run analog sensors that only detect wheel slip 20-30x's / second depending on the model.

Does that make a big difference? I don't know, I haven't been in the situation yet, but I'd be willing to bet that at 70mph, that extra accuracy and sensitivity will help me be able to marginally better-avoid an obstacle, while maintaining control

It's those little things that make a big difference in a crash above government standards.

I never said that Lexus was a horrible car, I said it wasn't as safe.