e90 M3 vs IS-F: reliability and maintenance difference?

[robbiejones]

Since the mark levinson system in the ISF was mentioned .

How does it compare to the M3's Dirac enhanced audio? I read the Dirac system is quite good. Whichever car I decide on it will have the optional audio system. This is a very important part of decision as well. I just wish you could get enhanced audio in the m3 without I drive and the double humped dash.

[spool twice]

Originally Posted by robbiejones

Since the mark levinson system in the ISF was mentioned .

How does it compare to the M3's Dirac enhanced audio? I read the Dirac system is quite good. Whichever car I decide on it will have the optional audio system. This is a very important part of decision as well. I just wish you could get enhanced audio in the m3 without I drive and the double humped dash.

DIRAC sounds very good (I would actually say outstanding in terms of OEM sound systems, it sounds like its rated wattage at higher volumes) at medium to high volumes and is dependent on the quality of the source. It's just lacking in the lower volumes and sounds tinny at these volumes.

The ML system in the IS-F uses the front doors as an "enclosure" for bass noise and definitely has more range in bass notes (higher and lower ones) and has a warmer overall sound quality to it (highs are clear, but not brassy, mids are detailed and natural).

The ML system is better in some area's, especially at more normal volumes but the DIRAC will play loud and clear over the ML system (I guess that's the beauty of having 825 watts and 16 speakers)

[Staszek]

Originally Posted by spool twice

DIRAC sounds very good (I would actually say outstanding in terms of OEM sound systems, it sounds like its rated wattage at higher volumes) at medium to high volumes and is dependent on the quality of the source. It's just lacking in the lower volumes and sounds tinny at these volumes.

The ML system in the IS-F uses the front doors as an "enclosure" for bass noise and definitely has more range in bass notes (higher and lower ones) and has a warmer overall sound quality to it (highs are clear, but not brassy, mids are detailed and natural).

The ML system is better in some area's, especially at more normal volumes but the DIRAC will play loud and clear over the ML system (I guess that's the beauty of having 825 watts and 16 speakers)

Exactly agree with this. My Enhanced Audio is ok to eh and low volumes, the louder and louder it goes the better it sounds. Although I turn it down to listen to the S65 a lot

As for the IS-F its a really good car, I have never owned one but I have driven two and raced one on a smaller road course. For me it would be a serious contender if you did not want a manual (which I did).

The interior is top notch (not my taste as much but none the less very nice). The later ones handle well, I will agree the ride is almost to stiff though for me, my M3 in comfort rides better then my old E90 330i. Engine sounds great but the Lexus is a bit more insulated so its a little quieter inside. Im not a fan of the traction control its a little to intrusive but as a daily it wont be bad.

Lexus are reliable everyone knows that but crossing my fingers the M3 has been SUPER reliable.

I will say driving them both I just like the connection and feel of the M3 more, that is a personal preference, but to be honest I dont think you could go wrong with either one.

[Adziu16]

Sorry to bring this thread back up but i’m on the same boat of deciding between both of these 2. E92 M3 6MT or ISF. I rode in both and only drove the ISF 2x (2008+2012). They felt alright but for some reason I felt more excitement in the M3 especially when we were going fast in both my friends M3’s. Only thing I ask myself, is the M3 worth it with the throttle actuator and rod bearing issues ? What would be best thing to do ? Replace the rod bearings asap to BE and not worry about them?

[e90///M3]

Originally Posted by Adziu16

Sorry to bring this thread back up but i’m on the same boat of deciding between both of these 2. E92 M3 6MT or ISF. I rode in both and only drove the ISF 2x (2008+2012). They felt alright but for some reason I felt more excitement in the M3 especially when we were going fast in both my friends M3’s. Only thing I ask myself, is the M3 worth it with the throttle actuator and rod bearing issues ? What would be best thing to do ? Replace the rod bearings asap to BE and not worry about them?

Originally Posted by Adziu16

Sorry to bring this thread back up but i’m on the same boat of deciding between both of these 2. E92 M3 6MT or ISF. I rode in both and only drove the ISF 2x (2008+2012). They felt alright but for some reason I felt more excitement in the M3 especially when we were going fast in both my friends M3’s. Only thing I ask myself, is the M3 worth it with the throttle actuator and rod bearing issues ? What would be best thing to do ? Replace the rod bearings asap to BE and not worry about them?

Depends, if you got warranty... drive and enjoy it. If you got a higher mileage with no warranty and want to keep the car in the long run, do the RBs for peace of mind and enjoy the car rather always worrying. Besides I think the RBs are a bit exaggerated on the forums IMO

[Adziu16]

Originally Posted by e90///M3

Depends, if you got warranty... drive and enjoy it. If you got a higher mileage with no warranty and want to keep the car in the long run, do the RBs for peace of mind and enjoy the car rather always worrying. Besides I think the RBs are a bit exaggerated on the forums IMO

Im not looking into high crazy miles but somewhere along 60-70kish. Really wouldn’t go crazy on it. Just some lowering springs, wheels, exhaust mod and headlight upgrade on halos basically and enjoy it as it is. It doesn’t need much to be honest to be a fun car

[BayE30]

Originally Posted by Z K

It totally depends what you mean by "city" driving. If you are in California, driving in San Francisco or Los Angeles, you'll be lucky to get 12mpg in city driving where it's bumper to bumper, stop and go at less than 10 mph.

this is my experience as well. I DD my e90m3, and I regularly get 150mi/tank with all city driving. When I drove down to Bimmerfest, I got 23mpg over the 450mi drive, and I wasn't being nice to the car...

[Adziu16]

I made a thread exactly like this but for E92 vs ISF in the Club Lexus forum and got a lot of responses saying drive both and see what you like best. Would want to get behind the wheel of an M3 but no one would let me. Went to a dealer who had an E90 in 6 speed but said I don’t look serious to them since i’m in my mid 20’s smh. Why does everyone say the ISF interior is plain and boring? Is it the similar with a 3 series and an M3? Like for example the F has different seats, speedo, black headliner, different trim looking like carbon fiber. Isn’t it the same situation for 3 vs m3?

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Adziu16

I made a thread exactly like this but for E92 vs ISF in the Club Lexus forum and got a lot of responses saying drive both and see what you like best. Would want to get behind the wheel of an M3 but no one would let me. Went to a dealer who had an E90 in 6 speed but said I don’t look serious to them since i’m in my mid 20’s smh. Why does everyone say the ISF interior is plain and boring? Is it the similar with a 3 series and an M3? Like for example the F has different seats, speedo, black headliner, different trim looking like carbon fiber. Isn’t it the same situation for 3 vs m3?

Sounds like you went to a shitty dealer if they wouldn't let you drive cause you're 25. Were you wearing cut off jean shorts and a wife beater?

I've owned a 2009 ISF, 2008 E90, 2011 E92, 2015 F80, and 2016 F82 in the past 8 years or so.... The ISF was my lease favorite..

Cons of the ISF:
- Interior
- Transmission
- Exterior Styling was a little over the top and got old
- Not as sharp in the corners as the Ms

Pros of the ISF:
- More torque
- Lexus reliability even tho most ISF owners I know have had some big bills due to bad wiring harnesses etc

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by Adziu16

I made a thread exactly like this but for E92 vs ISF in the Club Lexus forum and got a lot of responses saying drive both and see what you like best. Would want to get behind the wheel of an M3 but no one would let me. Went to a dealer who had an E90 in 6 speed but said I don’t look serious to them since i’m in my mid 20’s smh. Why does everyone say the ISF interior is plain and boring? Is it the similar with a 3 series and an M3? Like for example the F has different seats, speedo, black headliner, different trim looking like carbon fiber. Isn’t it the same situation for 3 vs m3?

I quickly found your thread on Club Lexus - you created that thread on 9/4, when are you gonna decide what car to buy?

Until you can drive both cars, you'll never know IMO. Time to find another E9x M3 in your area, even if it's not one you'd buy (wrong color, year, etc.) and take it for a drive. Nobody on the forums can decide for you.

Not sure on interiors, never seen an IS-F interior, but honestly who cares what 'everyone' says, I think interior design/layout is subjective anyway, it's what you think looks better. I'm sure the IS-F interior looks plenty nice, just like the E9x M3, so I wouldn't think that would be a determining factor here? It's gonna come down to which one is more fun to drive, and reliability, by the sounds of it, and then weighing those out.

Some of those IS-F owners have or had M3's, but most probably haven't yet they say how unreliable these cars are. I guess compared to a Lexus maybe they are, but I'm on my 4th BMW and they've been super reliable. Sure stuff will wear out/break, these cars are 4-5 years old at the very newest, and they were 70K+ new, so you'll pay maintenance on a 70K car, even when it's 10 years old.

Good luck

[Adziu16]

Guess i’ll have to find a way to test drive an M3 E92 6MT somewhere. I know how aggravated the dealer will get since they will find out you’re wasting their time just for a test drive. I used to sell cars at a dealer and know how that whole process works. When I test drove my first ISF the salesman got the car filled up to half a tank, came back and handed me the keys and told me to go as fast as possible lol. Im about to turn 24 next month and am focused more about upgrading cars and focus on the future since time is ticking. DMK08 probably was me, my username on ClubLexus is Adziu so if you saw my name pop up then it was me for sure haha. Both cars are tempting. My friend with an E92 M3 told me today that he gets more attention when he takes it out since he doesn’t drive it on an every day basis. When I drove my buddy’s 2012 ISF it got some attention because of the ultrasonic blue color on it. Some kids were driving behind us in a Mazda3 and at the red light they were pointing at it which I found funny lol. I’ll probably have to make a thread in the local Chicagoland area on here and see if anyone would be willing to let me drive theirs for a little bit to get the feel of it. Thanks guys. It’s not easy since I’ve owned 4 Lexuses by now and no german car. Only closest I had that was Euro was a 2003 Volvo S60 2.4 n/a.

[jiggz]

I don't get the sense you're really serious about deciding and buying. I could be wrong, but that's the impression I get from reading your threads here, and on Club Lexus.

If I were you, I'd find an E9x M3 to drive. It's not like you're asking a dealer to hand you the keys to a Ferrari, or even a new F8x ///M. Again, you created that thread on Club Lexus 1.5 months ago, why taking so long to decide between 2 cars?

You've owned 4 Lexus'? Might as well just stick with that brand since you're clearly comfortable there. It does seem a little odd someone your age has owned 4 of them however, most people typically relate Lexus ownership to a middle aged to older person. Okay, aside from maybe the IS-F you're looking at. But pretty sure those aren't the Lexus' you've owned.

[Adziu16]

Got some financial things to take care of right now so i’m trying to narrow it down to a final choice. Just found a new job that I had to put time into to at the CDL school and I have to pay that money back in order to get on track. Won’t be long but would rather get a final answer so I don’t have to look later and waste time while being busy. For me my time matters and I don’t waste it seeing already how much time I lost dropping out of college and going back to college on and off.

[Shredicus]

Originally Posted by Adziu16

Got some financial things to take care of right now so i’m trying to narrow it down to a final choice. Just found a new job that I had to put time into to at the CDL school and I have to pay that money back in order to get on track. Won’t be long but would rather get a final answer so I don’t have to look later and waste time while being busy. For me my time matters and I don’t waste it seeing already how much time I lost dropping out of college and going back to college on and off.

By the time you're in the market you can probably add the f8x M3/4 to your list thanks to their rapid depreciation

[Adziu16]

I used to work at a BMW dealer as a porter in 2015 and had seen so many of the newer M’s. When I had the chance, I took a few of them out for test drives when detailing for new owners. Drove the F80 M3, F82 M4, F10 M5, F06 and F12 M6. Was pretty impressed on the performance and styling of them compared to the past. The M4 was fun to drive but the only thing that really bothers me is the exhaust note on them from factory. It just has that weird gurgling sound. But the Akrapović exhaust on it would make it sound a whole lot better after watching a couple YouTube videos. Spoke to some techs that were working on the M’s about their problems that they have to fix. Majority of them said stay away from Bmw’s because of how many issues they get. One thing I can say is that I rarely ever saw the older M’s come in like E46, E39 since those were pretty solid motors that were put into them. Other than the bad SMG trans that was thrown into the E46 and E60. Sometimes I would see E9X M3’s in there but didn’t see them for no more than a few days getting simple quick fixes. The more electronics these newer cars get the more little problems you can experience. The real BMW’s were the ones that had less electronics and it was more about quality and durability. I still see people driving E30’s and E36’s that are running fine. So basically the key to finding a good M3 is pretty much check on the carfax and see the service records? I could also believe the part about the owners who don’t properly warm them up and beat on them or rev them up to 8k rpm and cause damage.

[65fastback]

Originally Posted by Adziu16

Guess i’ll have to find a way to test drive an M3 E92 6MT somewhere. I know how aggravated the dealer will get since they will find out you’re wasting their time just for a test drive. I used to sell cars at a dealer and know how that whole process works. When I test drove my first ISF the salesman got the car filled up to half a tank, came back and handed me the keys and told me to go as fast as possible lol. Im about to turn 24 next month and am focused more about upgrading cars and focus on the future since time is ticking. DMK08 probably was me, my username on ClubLexus is Adziu so if you saw my name pop up then it was me for sure haha. Both cars are tempting. My friend with an E92 M3 told me today that he gets more attention when he takes it out since he doesn’t drive it on an every day basis. When I drove my buddy’s 2012 ISF it got some attention because of the ultrasonic blue color on it. Some kids were driving behind us in a Mazda3 and at the red light they were pointing at it which I found funny lol. I’ll probably have to make a thread in the local Chicagoland area on here and see if anyone would be willing to let me drive theirs for a little bit to get the feel of it. Thanks guys. It’s not easy since I’ve owned 4 Lexuses by now and no german car. Only closest I had that was Euro was a 2003 Volvo S60 2.4 n/a.

1. Get off the computer
2. Test drive a few m3's, you live in one of the biggest cities in the US Iam sure you can find a few.

If you have to think to hard about weather or not you like a car you just drove... it its not the car for you.
Only your own opinion matters in this case.

Cheers!

[Adziu16]

Originally Posted by 65fastback

1. Get off the computer
2. Test drive a few m3's, you live in one of the biggest cities in the US Iam sure you can find a few.

If you have to think to hard about weather or not you like a car you just drove... it its not the car for you.
Only your own opinion matters in this case.

Cheers!

Alright will do. Thanks will be making choice pretty soon. However I must say this forum is very helpful in many ways as tons of people chime in on their ownership of the car which doesn’t sound bad as people make it seem as bad.