MR2QIK

US market got the BT streaming earlier than Australia. My fathers got a very late 2012 IS350 which lacks BT streaming. Safe bet is a 2013 which is a prive premium, but honestly you can't really go wrong with any 2011+ ISF. If you're the modding type like me, a 2011 with coilovers & rims is about as good as it gets, not to mention exhaust etc upgrades. As others mentioned, the 2008 ML is way better! My only criticism of my ISF is the comparitive flat audio quality. Thankfully the V8 sound more than makes up for it. Happy hunting!

Agree. I wouldn't bother with it when in warranty. A few are out of warranty now so green light go.

You can revert it/flash it back if needed. You'd probably mainly be at risk if a critical engine component fails.

Unless abused & uncared for, no ISF should give you trouble.

Curious, what were your issues with the M3? More a question of new or used. A late model ISF (2011+) is more a direct reliable replacement to the BMW. A few mods can give them additional character. The GSF is a new car, new interior etc, but $100k more. Damn fine car though....

I'm a sales executive (bought quite a few cars but recognise I'm not perfect) but will give you my advice. Be firm, offer your $30k & that's it. Be polite yet firm that it's your final offer & all you can pay. Don't entertain conversation on finance assistance etc. Finally, be a bit patient & not too eager. If he doesn't budge after a few days or a week, say you scraped another thousand or two & that's it. Be civil in stating you'll buy an IS350 & use other market examples if you can, the question is more surrounding if you'll buy theirs. It's pretty simple, they'll either sell it or they won't. At $30k, I'm quite confident they still made a profit. If they still don't budge & you discover you can find no other quite like it, re-evaluate your offer/position. At least you'll know you left little to no food on the table. If the car sells elsewhere, tough luck. Keep searching.

I have PPE with Borla. Great experience & sound. Car is noticeably faster @ each step.

Interesting topic. I'll wait a bit longer to see more results come through. It's a tough one. RRRacing is abroad, but appear to have spent the most time developing/testing it. The locals that can do it, haven't spent time on it, but are confident (perhaps overly so) that they can get it done & take your money quick fast.

When you have an exhaust, the ISF explains itself... Although I know what you all mean. Many people have thought mine is a hotted up regular 2IS.

Sits perfect Aiden! What lips you thinking?

Congrats

Noice! Good to know that diffuser lives on....

I'd vouch for changing intake. When I bought my ISF, had Danny fit the Injen intake before I even drove off. Makes the V8 come alive, even without exhaust.

Yes I have. No biggie, had similar with my IS250. I don't fuss over recalls, I fuss over premature failures which the ISF lacks so it's a damn fine car.

I'm down.

Go the rotors! The 13B is the polar opposite to the 2UR V8 in the ISF. Will try take vids via GoPro or something. I am a bit wary of C63's though. A workshop near me (Ramspeed) have supercharged quite a few in recent times. I'd have a go, but safe to say it wouldn't be the ISF's finest moment.

Not sure if I could say there's zero drone, as I could hear a hint of it at the start, but I think it's almost gone now. From outside, the car still isn't loud, especially compared to many of the HSV's & SS's going around. I certainly do prefer the sound/volume now. I have an Injen intake. Anyone's welcome to join me when I go, likely early April if the weather's ok & the night's are getting colder. I don't honestly think any MY ISF is faster than another (straight line wise with exception of possible LSD advantages), but I do think that those who open theirs up often enough, have had their ECU's self learn more favourably. When I go, I'll go completely @ street spec, will merely remove the junk from the car :) At most, perhaps the spare tyre & jack. I have Bridgestone Potenza S001's, which hook up nicely. I'm not a stranger to drag racing (have a 10sec MR2 turbo & low 11sec single turbo FD RX7), & don't expect the ISF to be as challenging, but yes those factors do help a lot. Will soften up my rear dampers as much as possible, to try induce a "squat" for traction. Honestly have no idea what to expect, the only chance I have of getting near the US guys times (caymandrive mainly) is if WSID is well prepared (it's been a bit slow/slippery lately) & if the weather is good. WSID altitude isn't bad, but not as good as the track Caymandrive went to which was 0 elevation. Don't think his car would be faster than mine or the many others like it on equal terms. I'm more interested in having a good run against a C63 & M3.

I should clarify on that. I meant the later models ultimately handle better. But, the average driver is unlikely to be able to exploit the difference between the 2. Pretty much backing your comment that any ISF is good. Not implying that the early models are a handful whereas the newer ones aren't. A seasoned driver in an 08/09 can outlap a beginner/novice in a 2014.

In my view, 2012 if you can score a good buy, but if you find a 2011 for substantially cheaper, it'd be worth consideration.

Very interesting, I've never heard of that modification. Auto? Tried combining that with a throttle controller?

Agree. It's a shame I rarely have the ISF @ nice locations.

Good luck. Looks like you have some good options on the market at the moment now. Agree with Peter, be very wary of the MY advertised, as there's a lot of confusion. Especially considering US cars received updates ahead of Australia. 2008-2009 - The cheapest irregardless. 2008 has the best ML sound system of all the ISF's (including the last year models). 2009 saw the dreaded change to the ML system. No DRL's, no LSD, old dash/cluster & not as good handling at the limit (I stress that point). Nicknamed the "kidney breaker" by fussy Americans, for its stiff suspension. 2010 - Same as 09 essentially, but with the addition of LSD, potentially a good value buy 2011 - this is where things get interesting. Somewhat revised suspension (nicer ride than earlier models), but not ZF dampers. DRL's (big fan of those) & generally the bare minimum of what prospective ISF owners want. Prices on these have come down a bit recently, especially compared to when I purchased. 2012 onwards - potentially the newer & highly sought after BBS wheels, ZF dampers & revised suspension geometry. This is the revision that matches the E92 M3's lap times. You also get slightly better BT capabilities, but even then, it's not quite as good as brand new cars BT etc capabilities. Since this is the one you're interested in, be careful to ensure it's got the newer ZF dampers etc & isn't a 2011 production car that was sold in 2012. There are caveats, in that some late 2010 cars have DRL's etc. I suspect some late 2011 car have ZF dampers too. General condition aside, pick based on your preferences & judge each car on its own merits (there's still some mint 2008 models out there). There's no real problems with these cars (thankyou Lexus), so just look out for wear & items like brake pads/rotors etc plus accident history. The usual stuff. Having said that, most people would likely find the first iteration's handling to be beyond their capabilities, but there is that mental element to having the "newer & more capable" setup.

Cheers. No new power figures since header install. It's noticeably faster though. Problem is the ecu has to "adapt" to it before its full potential is realised. Truly a worthwhile mod. TNK Automotive installed them (Girraween). They've done it many times hence I went with them. Yes on all fronts. I'm eager to take it to WSID once the weather cools so I can go hunting C63's & M3's. Idle is a bit louder, although with AC on, it has a nice louder angry lump about it. Cruising etc is louder too, but not bad in my opinion. I found the Borla a bit quiet over time, so the increase was just what I wanted. I've heard the car from outside & it's by no means antisocial when cruising, but comes alive under WOT. When Danny heard it, he demanded he take it for a drive straight away....lol

Whipped out the SLR today when I was heading towards Blue Mountains.

Can't comment on X-Force, as I haven't seen it in person. But I'm a very happy camper now with my Borla exhaust, high flow cats & PPE headers. Injen intake too.