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The dealer said they have no service records which scares me away but he told me he will send car fax report tomorrow. I have already checked the lexus service history report via the vin and All I got was this
Does anyone know if private (non dealer) mechanics work will show up on carfax?
I don't wanna skip out if this is a good car, but i'm unwilling to get into it for 6500 if they can't definitively prove the timing belt/water pump has been done and the dealer said he has no idea. Any advice Is helpfull. maybe there's a way to tell by looking at it that i'm not aware of?
Well I am no expert but I also bought a 2005 ES with 130k miles from a tiny little dealer in my town. They didn't have records as it was a repo, but I did check the Carfax.
The most important thing I did was take it to my mechanic before I bought it for a pre-purchase inspection. He was able to tell me that the timing belt had been done recently. He also was able to tell me what repairs I would need to do, but that overall it was a nice, clean car.
I bought it and don't regret it. Get the Carfax and a PPI.
As mentioned, verifying timing belt service is important.
I'd also want to know the spark plugs were changed (very time consuming on rear bank), and no valve cover leaks (ditto). Looks clean and otherwise could be an excellent car. Shocks and sometimes rear springs (does not look like it on this one) can also be an issue by this mileage, but that is very individual to each car based on usage style/place more than pure mileage.
I like to use both KBB and Edmonds to get used car values when negotiating.
hmm ya alright i'm going to have my mechanic check it out tomorrow if they let me, and if not then i know something shady is up and i'll just keep on searching. should i probably get my mechanic to compression test it too? thanks
also that is weird the mats aren't in the pics i gotta ask them about that too
hmm ya alright i'm going to have my mechanic check it out tomorrow if they let me, and if not then i know something shady is up and i'll just keep on searching. should i probably get my mechanic to compression test it too? thanks
also that is weird the mats aren't in the pics i gotta ask them about that too
Since he can not really get at the rear cylinders (read the posts above), a compression test is only going to be of limited use. Just have him read the front plugs and extrapolate. Regular oil changes and maintenance, and these are 300-500k mile engines before worn out.
I bought my first Lexus, 05 ES330 this summer and love it. The thing is I'm 64 years old. I would read through the forums and think about what you want in a car at your age. There is not a lot of ES330 modifications you can do. There a lot of Lexus models that offer that wow factor that are are a little more sporty. You might finding yourself feeling like you brought a Buick to a Corvette party after awhile.
Ya i definitely understand these aren't racers, but i'm not looking for that im looking for reliability and comfort cruiser, i'm 25 but i actually used to love cruising in my buddies grannys old 89 buey we called it ha thanks for the input though I understand what i'm getting myself into, i was looking at camrys before but relized i wanted the 3.3 se with leather which is hard to find.
I'm a big fan of the silver with grey interrior, like my 96 t100 had.
definitely gonna have my mechanic check the plugs and valve covers thanks for the heads up, but this one does look a little better maintained as they said it was always serviced at the dealer.
Lex831
How can I not love that car it look like mine. OK if that has all the work done a dealer join Drive Lexus (It free) https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers and enter VIN# and all work will show... Enjoy the car and share some photos
Mike
Well I noticed the author deleted the CL ad, so that means someone bought it. Congrats if it was you! If you're still looking, remember this. These cars are based on the Camry, but were sold as the Toyota Windom in Japan. So it's actually easy to get some aftermarket parts for it as well... The ES has notoriously high reliability, with minor maintenance throughout it's life. Presuming the prior owners didn't beat on it too hard, (people who buy ES's generally tend not to, seeing as this isn't a "sports luxury" car like the GS) it will more than likely last until 250-300k miles.
The only things that have needed to be done on mine throughout the years have been brakes & tires, the alternator and battery (Lexus installed a bad battery that dragged the Alt with it. So I can't really fault the car for that,) Spark plugs, just replaced both Alternator and Power Steering belts this past summer, and either my I.M. gasket or Valve Cover gasket started leaking. All pretty much wear-and-tear items. If you stay current on oil changes, don't use crap gas, and do the maintenance as the book details, you should have a solid cruising car for many more years to come!
The ES330's also benefit from being one of the only Lexus models to run on regular 87 gas. Premium isn't required. I enjoy filling up for under $2 a gallon these days.
Just got back from buying the car and ya it was very VERY well cared for by the single owner lady who brought it to the Lexus dealer only every 5k miles for checkup/oil change and she gave me a stack full of records that's seemingly endless.
Pretty happy that this deal came back around for me because when it was originally posted 2 weeks ago I was the 2nd person in line and they told me that they already had a buyer who put down a deposit but then flaked out and so when I saw her repost it last night I jumped on it and she let me come check it out first thing today 🤘🏻😄
Had my mechanic look at it just for reassurance and he couldn't find 1 leak.
Most def the cleanest car I've ever owned
Great to hear you found a good one. Now join Drive Lexus. You can add and keep up all the maintenance records. Weather you do them your self or small shop. It has all the intervals of secluded repairs. Enjoy.....
Mike
Just got back from buying the car and ya it was very VERY well cared for by the single owner lady who brought it to the Lexus dealer only every 5k miles for checkup/oil change and she gave me a stack full of records that's seemingly endless.
Pretty happy that this deal came back around for me because when it was originally posted 2 weeks ago I was the 2nd person in line and they told me that they already had a buyer who put down a deposit but then flaked out and so when I saw her repost it last night I jumped on it and she let me come check it out first thing today 🤘🏻😄
Had my mechanic look at it just for reassurance and he couldn't find 1 leak.
Most def the cleanest car I've ever owned
01-24-16, 11:18 PM
Should i buy a 05 es330 with 138k
