Succumbing To The Craigslist Craving And Buying A Lexus IS-F

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair) 12/31/2015 at 12:10 • Filed to: LEXUS IS-F, CAR BUYING

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What an arduous process it has been. I’m not sure why I treated the act of buying a car like it was a life or death decision: it was as if someone was holding a gun to my head yelling: “What will it be, huh? M5 or 911? Decide or die!”

This was going to be a temporary purchase so what was the big deal anyway? If you’ve read my recent experiences with the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , then you would come to the conclusion that something is indeed wrong with my head. Otherwise, there’s no good reason why I would put myself through this.

It is so much work to swap out cars frequently – but I can’t help myself – I must do it . There are so many cars out there that I want to own and experience that it doesn’t make sense to do the practical thing here and hold onto any one car for a long period of time. Instead, I owe it myself to continue to blow cash on cars and waste money on depreciation and expensive high performance car repair bills until I have to declare bankruptcy. I suppose I was born with this curse.

These days, there are so many places to buy a car from. Aside from individual owners and traditional dealers, there are sites like Vroom, Carvana and Beepi where you can buy a car unseen and have it delivered to you. Recently, I decided to use Vroom and bought an AMG which I returned during my test drive period because I realized it wasn’t the car for me. Fortunately we live in a day and age where returning a car for a refund is no big deal; it’s just like returning a shirt on Amazon that doesn’t quite fit, except with the car it’s actually easier because you don’t have to worry about shipping. They send you a truck to pick up the car for free!

I started getting tired of continuously searching and soon my Autotrader searches blew up to 17 different kinds of cars. Maybe I should’ve held onto that AMG.

What made the search process worse is that I fell sick. I came down with a disease known as “ Analysis Paralysis. ” You see, when there are way too many choices, I start overthinking and find myself unable to move forward.

Some of the questions going through my head were: how much it would cost to maintain, how has it been driven, where should I go on my next vacation and most importantly what did I eat for dinner last night because my stomach still hurts. I shouldn’t have gone to Chipotle.

I found some cars I liked on Autotrader and so ended up talking to a few private sellers located all around the country. But who was I really talking to on the phone? Could it be a serial killer, a con-man, a murderer…or an escaped convict? Were they selling their own car or was it a stolen vehicle?

Thinking about the uncertainty surrounding all these cars I was interested in was about to make my brain explode.

No matter how many dealers and sites I looked at, I found myself coming back to Craigslist over and over. Craigslist is like heroin. It doesn’t matter how many options there are or how hard I try to stay away, I always succumb to the Craigslist Craving. I love the site because you just never know what you’ll find.

But looking for a cool car on Craigslist is like finding a diamond in the sand. Generally you encounter crap: most of the cars on sale are barely running with 200K+ miles on them, completely banged up with a description that states: “Buy now for $500 cash. Mucho gusto. Comes with free rat!” These ads should instead say: “Stole the car yesterday. Buy now to receive $500 in cash. Will remove rat as well” , because I would need to be paid to own that car. But every so often, a legitimate ad for a fun car pops up.

Like this 2008 IS-F for example. Oooh, an IS-F.

I have always been curious about the IS-F mainly because it has a 5.0L V8 under the hood and I really like the look of the quad, stacked exhaust. As you can see, my interest in cars is astonishingly sophisticated which includes things like how far the wheel fenders stick out and the angle at which the center console swoops down.

Since the IS-F was located in town, I thought I’d meet up with the seller to find out more about it. Now if you’ve never met up with someone from Craigslist, let me give you some insight into how that works.

First, you decide where to meet, which 99% of the time ends up being an empty corner of a random parking lot somewhere. You show up and while waiting for the owner of the car to pull up, you start ruminating on the possibility that you could get stabbed or shot or both. So you wait, somewhat nervously, and when the person shows up, you get out of your vehicle to greet the person. To someone who might happen to be observing from a distance, the initial meeting and handshake looks like the beginning of a transaction that involves the exchange of cash for cocaine. If you’re test driving the car, both of you would then hop into one of the two cars and drive away, only to come back 30 minutes later. You can only imagine what it might look like to that same observer - it’s not good.

And so I sat there in an empty parking lot, patiently waiting for the owner of the IS-F to pull up, while listening to the “Serial” podcast where they were discussing the mystery surrounding a murder. Then, all of a sudden, I heard the IS-F pull up..that’s right.. heard . The exhaust on the IS-F was so loud that at first I wasn’t sure if it was really an IS-F or something else.

It turned out that the Lexus came with a full exhaust modification along with aftermarket racing headers and an intake. Apparently, the original owner put in $8-9K of modifications to make the car louder and faster, with an output of something like 470 hp.

The owner allowed me to drive the car for a while and even get on it which I absolutely did. I was completely shocked by not only how quick the car was but also at how swiftly the gears shifted. With a screaming V8, under full throttle, the brisk paddle shifts were so much fun – and this wasn’t even a dual-clutch transmission. I thought that not having a standard transmission would be a deal breaker but with the way this car was set up – I could live with this!

This was a Lexus unlike any others I had driven in the past. The test drive made me a believer in the modified IS-F; the car had such a wild side to it that I knew I would enjoy owning it. The nice thing was that it also came with the standard Lexus luxuries like heated seats, rear view camera, 13-speaker stereo, bluetooth etc. which would make it a good daily driver.

So, after a $190 pre-purchase inspection where the shop gave it a clean bill of health, I pulled the trigger and bought the car for $28K.

This might be tough to believe, but the IS-F will end up being louder than the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that I owned not too long ago. The loud Mustang exhaust irritated some of my neighbors. I know this because I could read it in their faces. And now, they have to put up with the IS-F although I suspect the reaction will be completely different. Instead of them thinking: “Hey, get your redneck piece of crap out of here” , they might think: “Sir, can you get your Lexus dealer to take a look at your car? Something’s wrong – it’s really loud.”

Since the IS-F is a performance vehicle, I wasn’t sure if buying this car was a good idea without a warranty, but then I thought: wait a minute, didn’t !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! across the country recently? Mine should be just fine at only 75K miles! Stay tuned to find out if that’s really the case or if I’m out thousands of dollars after 59 days of ownership.

For now, I’m really enjoying the paddle-shifting, the loud and powerful V8. Oh man, it’s fun. I never thought that I’d end up with a thunderous 470 hp IS-F. I love Craigslist.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I’m always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world.

Follow !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Cherry_man1 > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:17

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How would you compare it to a 2011 Mustang GT in handling?

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:19

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So,

Mustang GT

BMW 335i

Mercedes CLS55 AMG

Lexus IS-F

Not a bad list of cars to have owned in a span of about 6 months.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:19

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I always loved the way that the IS F looks.

MLGCarGuy > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:21

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Wow! Cannot star this post enough. You really picked a bargain; $28k with $8k in mods is fantastic, since most IS Fs of the same year go for around $30k without mods. Enjoy your ride!

472CID > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:23

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50hp with an intake and exhast system eh? I’d be pretty supprised if it’s making 400hp at the wheels.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:25

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The noise that Lexus’ 5.0 liter V8 makes is delicious. I first heard it back in about 2007 and was enthralled.

Jay Lauer > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:26

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So to sum up in one sentence, you bought a car on Craigslist.

I understand why ou wrote the article and by all means, congrats on the new car purchase. However, I don’t think this article is telling readers anything they don’t already know. I’d assume a fair amount of Oppo and Jalopnik readers are habitual Craigslist searchers already and a fair percentage of them have probably already looked at cars on Craigslist.

That being said, as a car flipper, my opinion is biased. There’s not much that hasn’t been said already about buying a car online, unless there’s some unique story.

All in all, I realize you want to create content doing cool thing buying neat cars. You bought a car; Very neat. Interesting content will come from doing interesting things with it.

(I’m really not trying to be rude here)

finn's arm > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:42

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Why is 59 days the interval? Is that the limit on registration and taxes?

valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option > Jay Lauer 12/31/2015 at 12:43

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Sometimes, when you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.

An article like this might be rehashed but is better reading content than about 95% of Oppo posts which are largely off-topic nowadays.

Scary__goongala! > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 12:51

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Always liked the IS-F. Definitely something cool and different. Sweet buy man

Party-vi > Jay Lauer 12/31/2015 at 13:07

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Your last post was almost the same thing, except you flipped the Subaru you purchased on Craigslist. I don’t think your Subaru article is telling readers anything they don’t already know. I’d assume a fair amount of Oppo and Jalopnik readers are habitual Craigslist searchers and a fair percentage of them have probably already looked at Tavarish’s articles on flipping cars.

That being said, as an Opponaut, my opinion is biased. There’s not much that hasn’t been said already about buying a car online and flipping it, unless there’s some unique story.

All in all, I realize you want to create content doing cool thing buying and flipping neat cars. You bought and flipped a car; Very neat. Interesting content will come from doing interesting things with it.

(I’m really not trying to be rude here)

Michael Woyahn > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 13:31

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That IS-F in dark grey is beautiful! It made me go and check the prices of them around me haha. Also, I really enjoyed the reference to Serial in this article too. I've been hooked since last summer and I'm pumped season 2 is out now.

WiscoProud > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 13:35

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I'm interested in hearing about the IS-F. I've always liked the looks of them, even if they aren't supposed to be as good as the teutonic rivals.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Party-vi 12/31/2015 at 13:56

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Words cannot describe how I feel after reading this!

Nisman > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 16:24

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Nice article. I'm thinking about one of these as a next vehicle. They're an amazing value.

Torque Affair > Nisman 12/31/2015 at 16:43

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Thanks for the compliment! You’ll love it

Torque Affair > WiscoProud 12/31/2015 at 16:45

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So far I like it quite a bit - handling’s not nearly as good as an M3, but the sound and power makes up for it!

Jay Lauer > Party-vi 12/31/2015 at 16:49

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Except that things actually happened in my Subaru article.

I’d really expect better from a moderator than child-level mocking and taunting.

Jay Lauer > valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option 12/31/2015 at 16:50

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I actually agree with you 100% on this. Probably my bad for commenting.

Torque Affair > Jay Lauer 12/31/2015 at 16:50

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Thanks for the honest input. Yeah you’re right - lots of Jalopnik/Oppo readers do buy cars off of Craigslist. And yea, I’ll definitely get to the “doing cool things” with it soon. This is just step one - what I try to end up doing is working hard at creating something fun to read and hopefully informative in the sense that perhaps something out what I experienced could be helpful to someone.

Some of the stuff may not be too unique, but I just have to do the best with what I have at the time. But don’t lose hope - unique stuff coming soon!

Jay Lauer > Torque Affair 12/31/2015 at 16:53

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Appreciate it, man.

I’ll definitely give you credit for being a do-er. God knows how many posts and comments I read with ads and no money/intention of buying or those who talk about how they ‘almost pulled the trigger’.

Do-ers are a rare breed.

Torque Affair > MLGCarGuy 12/31/2015 at 16:53

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Thanks! Yeah I found a pretty good deal - even better that it was local!

Torque Affair > finn's arm 12/31/2015 at 17:22

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Nah, it was just a joke about how long I might keep this car. One the 335i article there were a lot of comments from folks who weren’t happy that I only had the car for 3 months.

Torque Affair > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 12/31/2015 at 17:23

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Yeah, haha.

Torque Affair > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 12/31/2015 at 18:48

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With an aftermarket exhaust it sounds even better!!

Torque Affair > 472CID 12/31/2015 at 18:58

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The previous owner told me it was...I read some stuff on the forums and it mentioned that with intake/headers/exhaust, hp is over 400 at the wheels. But I’d have to dyno to know for sure.

Torque Affair > Cherry_man1 12/31/2015 at 18:59

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Not nearly as good - the 2011 still has the solid live rear axle which kills handling!

Party-vi > Jay Lauer 01/01/2016 at 20:14

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I’m glad you hold us to such high standards.

My response would have been better, but I could not find the high horse you wrote your comment from.

Cherry_man1 > Torque Affair 01/01/2016 at 20:14

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So it handles worse? Cause I'm kinda hunting for a new car

Torque Affair > Cherry_man1 01/01/2016 at 22:57

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What’s your budget and your preferences in your new car?

Cherry_man1 > Torque Affair 01/02/2016 at 17:29

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Anything under 35-40k

Torque Affair > Cherry_man1 01/03/2016 at 17:19

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That was pretty much my budget as well. Check out an 08-09 E9x M3, 10-11 S5, 09 CTS-V, C63 AMG.

Cherry_man1 > Torque Affair 01/03/2016 at 18:58

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I’ve looked at the M3’s the S5 to me doesn’t seem to have the power I’m looking for. The CTS-V isn’t bad and I’m looking for a coupe other wise the C63 would be amazing.

Jay Lauer > Party-vi 01/04/2016 at 11:00

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Sounds more like you have a personal beef.

Party-vi > Jay Lauer 01/04/2016 at 11:08

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I don’t have a personal beef with you, Jay, but I do think it’s in bad taste to summarize this guys post in one sentence and then offer up criticism. I’m no writer though, so I’m not sure if this is something other writers appreciate.

Jay Lauer > Party-vi 01/04/2016 at 13:01

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The one sentence was rude. I’ll give you that and I apologize to him for it.

I’ll give you that. But I got a reply from him, and seemed to appreciate the criticism. There’s very few people on Oppo that actually write long articles anymore, so it’s nice to criticize and give tips among each other. I get the same thing on my own stuff.

Party-vi > Jay Lauer 01/04/2016 at 13:44

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In that case I apologize for coming off as a dickhead.

Jay Lauer > Party-vi 01/04/2016 at 14:05

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All’s good man. No problem.

m2m, apex detective > Torque Affair 01/17/2016 at 17:15

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For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed reading this article ... and, hoping that it the IS-F would really win you over, I kept nodding in my head.

Might not be THE ONE BIG ADVENTURE , but you told a story and it had just enough bits to make it entertaining for me. Even the stock exhaust on the IS-F is loud enough to make fast Autobahn travel (i.e. above everyone else’s national speed limits) a nuisance due to the loud drone.

Keep going and please freak people out with the car!

Torque Affair > m2m, apex detective 01/17/2016 at 17:20

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Thanks for the compliment! I’ve had it for a while after writing this and I will tell you this. It is insanely fast - I have to take it to the dyno to see what it outputs. It’s a bit too bumpy because of the shorter springs but I can live with for a while. My passengers don’t like riding in the car though, unless they’re enthusiasts themselves.

m2m, apex detective > Torque Affair 01/17/2016 at 17:40

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Lexus caught a lot of flak for the harsh ride and suspension, so that one doesn’t have me wondering at all. I think it was changed on the 2010+ models and post-facelift cars (arrow DRLs etc.)

One of the nice changes in the facelifted models has to be the central rev-counter, though, which reminds me of the GT-R’s instrument panel.

If I had the monies to throw, I’d be rumbling about in one of those in a heartbeat. The 8AT was impressively fast back then with 120ms shifts, IIRC, but it was belittled for having 8 speeds ... now look at everone’s automatics. :D

Torque Affair > m2m, apex detective 01/17/2016 at 19:19

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it’s interesting that you brought up the GT-R because I think the IS-F under WOT kinda sounds like one!

rearwheelhorse > Jay Lauer 01/17/2016 at 20:23

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Nobody really gives a shit bud. It was a good read, fuck off.

Methylsulfonylmethane > 472CID 01/18/2016 at 00:50

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50 hp worth of gains for intake and exhaust on a modern, naturally aspirated engine does seem very optimistic. However, the engine in the IS-F has been well-documented as being badly hampered by the OEM intake and exhaust.

The super-nerds over at MotoIQ saw a whopping 30 bhp power gain from nothing more than a K&N intake. It isn’t so much that the K&N intake (or any other intake) is totally amazing and more so that the OEM intake just absolutely sucks. All the top-shelf brand intakes that I’ve seen for the IS-F make serious power, and across a large portion of the rev-range to boot:

Keep in mind, these numbers were produced on Techosquare’s extremely conservative Superflow dyno which tends to read %10+ lower than most other dynos.

You can read about MotoIQ’s evaluation of the IS-F’s response to a performance intake right here:

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl…

Methylsulfonylmethane > Torque Affair 01/18/2016 at 01:00

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If you end up keeping the IS-F long enough to get interested in further modification, MotoIQ has done some seriously well-documented work on their own project IS-F. Their findings definitely corroborate with the claims of the previous owner of your car.

MotoIQ was able to net an extra 45 horsepower from the IS-F with only an intake and cat-back exhaust. They did not change the factory headers. A good set of headers should be worth well more than 5 bhp on a big old 5 liter V8. So, if anything, the previous owner of your car was being conservative when he claimed gains of 50 bhp.

The most interesting thing about performance intake/exhaust on the IS-F is the large power gain “under the curve”. Those kinds of mods do not usually result in large below-peak gains on naturally aspirated engines, yet on the IS-F they do. Just look at what a Joe-Z series catback exhaust did to the power output of MotoIQ’s IS-F:

Get a load of those torque gains above 3000 RPM! That kind of fat, wide addition to the powerband from mere intake/exhaust tuning is pretty much unheard of on modern performance cars.

If you want to see more great testing on the IS-F by the super-nerds at MotoIQ then follow this link:

http://www.motoiq.com/Projects/Lexus…

Torque Affair > Methylsulfonylmethane 01/18/2016 at 06:23

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awesome, thanks for the great info! The car I got does have the Joe-z intake and exhaust.

m2m, apex detective > Torque Affair 01/18/2016 at 12:25

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Would it be a drag to record in-car sound (phone will do nicely!) of your modified specimen? I am honestly curious as to how it changes the sound from the driver’s position.

Torque Affair > m2m, apex detective 01/18/2016 at 20:13

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Oh yea, I’ll definitely do that - hopefully pretty soon! Stay tuned.

JDIGGS > Torque Affair 02/10/2016 at 12:06

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yuck.

Somethin' 'bout a truck > Torque Affair 02/10/2016 at 16:29

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This is a really nice car. I’ve always liked these. Thanks for the great pics!

Torque Affair > Somethin' 'bout a truck 02/10/2016 at 19:14

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hahahaha....sorry. I will definitely take some better pics for a later post about the car..