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Should IS-F-I-HOPE buy this car, despite the bumper holes?

I found my IS-F, thx for your advice, more pics starting on page 4! :)

32K views 113 replies 41 participants last post by  is25088 
#1 · (Edited)
All,
I've been teetering between Obsidian and SGM. Well I found this SGM and got them down to a fair price, considering the car has 3900 miles on it. However, take a look at the pics. The car has the front license plate bracket, not required in my state. I very much dislike the look of a front plate and it'll be another 600 bucks to remove the plate and fill it and paint. Plus there are no guarantees paint would match. Deal-breaker? Should I keep looking? Or take the good price and enjoy the car?

Thanks! :)


 
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#14 ·
If I were you, I think I will take this $45k IS F and use the extra $5k to mod it.

Bumper plug will fix the license plate mounting issue.
 
#15 ·
Get the plugs;) But, who quoted you $600 to patch the repaint the bumper:confused: It has been my experience that you can get it done for a little less than that. Some one backed into my last car, a G35 Coupe, and I had the bumper cover replaced. The costs for refinishing and painting the bumper cover were around $400.00. My wife had an incident on her car with the bumper cover that required some repair and a repaint, her costs were around $500.00. Both repairs were done at a good body shop, not the dealer.

BTW, IMHO, you are getting an excellent deal. I paid $7K more for mine last month:nopity: It's a hellofacar:cloud9:

Lou
 
#20 ·
Get the plugs;) But, who quoted you $600 to patch the repaint the bumper:confused: It has been my experience that you can get it done for a little less than that. Some one backed into my last car, a G35 Coupe, and I had the bumper cover replaced. The costs for refinishing and painting the bumper cover were around $400.00. My wife had an incident on her car with the bumper cover that required some repair and a repaint, her costs were around $500.00. Both repairs were done at a good body shop, not the dealer.
Thanks here's what the service rep said from the dealership, he's been pretty helpful with my IS350, so I trust him. But am not sure if he would do the work or an outside body shop.


The body shop will first attempt to fill and spot finish the affected
> area-this would equal up to about 1 - 2 foot long area of the center
> bumper. This would cost about $200.00 . If they do not get an exact
> blend on the paint (this is a small % of the time) then they would
> respray the entire bumper and this would cost about $400.00. My
> suggestion to you would be to come in person and look and drive this
> car and make sure, this is the car for you. I have approached the
> pre-own manager this morning and he is at rock bottom price on this
> vehicle and would not entertain the idea of spending another $200.
> -$400. on re-spraying the front bumper


Thanks for all the comments guys, I guess what's in the back of my mind is it's still a huge chunk of money and I've been a black car owner for years, because well, nothing appears as dramatic to me, despite the extra maintenance to keep her clean! We'll see. The buyer of my 350 is what's holding things up for now. Will keep you posted and again, thx for all the comments! :)
 
#16 ·
i dont think the license plate should be a deal breaker. i dont know how many used ones you will find w/o one. Lexus loves to drill their bumpers no matter what state you are in. Unless the owner ordered and said not to drill. 45k for an F, nice deal!
 
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#17 ·
I voted yes, because you're too smart to let a few holes keep you from buying a car. My IS300 came from MD, and had a front plate. A front plate isn't required in DE, so I took it off, and just stuck black screws back in. I practically forgot they were there :).

The bigger question is.... did you buy it or did someone else buy it? It's not at that link you sent me, at least not anymore!
 
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#18 ·
I agree, don't let the front plate holder stop you from getting the car you want. As for the mileage, it's not too bad. I mean, for that price, it's a good deal. Lexus are good for hundreds and thousands of miles. 3,900 is nothing. Go for it! Hope you'll be driving that car tomorrow.
 
#29 ·
They actually want $49K for it

THIS VEHICLE IS BEING OFFERED FOR SALE BASED ON A $2995 DOWN PAYMENT,WHEREAS THE REMAINING BALANCE MUST BE FINANCED THROUGH THE DEALER BY MEANS OF A RETAIL INSTALLMENT CONTRACT. ALL TAXES AND DEALER FEES MAY APPLY. THE ABOVE AMOUNT REPRESENTS THE FINANCE PORTION FOR THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE.
Pretty shitty way to list a car if you ask me.
 
#27 ·
^^^^This car has been around for awhile. I was looking at it (on line) when I was interested in buying mine in early December. I ended buying locally. Anyway, I don't think this has the ML system, if that makes a difference to anyone.

Lou
 
#31 ·
BUY THE CAR!!!!! OMG! LOVE IT! You know I am not a big fan of SGM, but it looks sexy! WOW! The graphite rims make the car look sinister.

Great price too! If you were here, we could take it to my friends body shop to fix the holes in the bumper. :(
 
#32 ·
Thx buddy! Yeah I know you don't love SGM, not my first choice, but definitely my 2nd. Check out the SGM here!
 

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#33 ·
^^^^^^

Looks amazing!

You gotta make sure you keep it clean and shinny.
 
#34 ·
In this economy I wouldn't settle for anything that's not 100% to your personal liking. If you look around you will find exactly what you want. It's not like cars are selling like hotcakes and you have to wait and order. This is a recession you have all the power, you could even request the dealer to order a new bumper and paint it for you, if they won't do it then you just move on. It's a great time to be a buyer for cars right now, don't settle for less.
 
#39 · (Edited by Moderator)
I say go for it, you found the one you want, don't let a little detail have you pass up something you feel is otherwise perfect. The rule of thumb is you will be kicking yourself in the @$$ later on, you know that.
 
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#40 ·
what kinda prices are you getting for a new 08 isf... i might be able to point you in the right direction... i just bought an 08 sonic blue... there was only 2 left in cali for sale.. the dealer got it for me and a great price to... $49,000 plus tax... need help hit me up...

ps... new to the site... hello everyone!!!!
 
#42 ·
I've never had a Black car, but I'd imagine that SGM isn't as bad as black.

I mean, when I look at my friend's black BMW 335i compared to my SGM IS350, mine looks cleaner when we both haven't washed our cars for a while. He says that his black car is really annoying to maintain. But... It looks great when it is fresh and clean...

SGM isn't HORRIBLE to clean. It's just that it's pretty annoying seeing dust on it. :p
Invest in a car cover, and it'll save you a lot of anguish lol.
 
#44 ·
Guys,
Thx for all your help! I picked her up on Saturday and haven't looked back. The bumper looks about 99 percent perfect. Will post some pics and driving impressions soon. I honestly am blown away by this car. The exhaust note is straight out of a sound studio and the acceleration? Borderline CRIMINAL! Triple digits seem almost a necessity! Seriously!

Meteoro, saw that FB link! GREAT stuff! :)
 
#45 ·
Guys,
Thx for all your help! I picked her up on Saturday and haven't looked back. The bumper looks about 99 percent perfect. Will post some pics and driving impressions soon. I honestly am blown away by this car. The exhaust note is straight out of a sounds studio and the acceleration? Borderline CRIMINAL! Triple digits seem almost a necessity! Seriously!

Meteoro, saw that FB link! GREAT stuff! :)
WOW! got aroused just reading it. Now I want one even more!
 
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