jgcec

I am considering buying a 2011 ES with 55k miles on it from a local used car lot that purchased it at an action.
The local car lot has a 4/5 Yelp review going back about 5 years.
There were some 1 star reviews, the most recent being 1-2 years ago.

None of the Yelp reviews revealed anything too bad,
just typical inexperienced car buyers that didn't have a mechanic look at the car
or didn't get any dealer promises in writing.

According to consumer reports and comsumercomplaints.com 2011 is a very reliable year.
I test drove it and it is in excellent condition, with no exterior or interior issues.
It has 4 new Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires - I need to check the spare.
The battery was replaced at 46k miles.
The brakes were at FRONTS 9.0MM REARS 7.0MM at 40k miles.
It is $1,200 under Kelly Blue Book.
It has been on CarGurus.com for 32 days and dropped from 20,000 to 17,000.

I am planning to have either a Lexus dealer or independent Lexus mechanic look at it.
Is it better to be inspected by the dealer that maintained it, or by someone else?
I am hoping to have it inspected by the Lexus dealer that maintained it,
in hopes of learning some inside info about why it was auctioned.

I am also wondering why the Lexus dealer didn't sell it themselves and instead it was actioned?

The vin number lookup on lexus.com and carfax did not produce anything unusual.
It was serviced at local Lexus dealer, with just some small repairs.

My main concern is that it is a 2 owner car.
The first owner had it for 50k miles
The 2nd owner got it at 50k miles and it was certified.
The 2nd owner just had it for 5k miles, and had the following problems with it:

1 repairing drivers mirror at 45k miles that got stuck and wouldn't move,
it was replaced for $437 as part of the certified warranty .
2 engine vibration at 600 rpm with AC on - Lexus could not find a problem with this.

I am trying to imagine why the 2nd owner only had it for a few thousand miles?
I know there might be an undisclosed problem or maybe they just didn't like it and sold it

Clutchless

Call the dealer that serviced it and talk to them as they will know the car. Do this before taking it to them for an inspection. Phone calls are free.
What does the CarFax state?
People sell cars for lots of reasons, issues with the car being one, but job change or loss, financial issues, personal needs change, buyers remorse are all things that have nothing to do with the quality of the car.

jgcec

The carfax states info related to the 2nd owner sale, the auction, and that it was sold to the 2nd owner certified. The Lexus.com info is more detailed about repairs.

I called the dealer and they can't tell me anything because it is private information.

This doesn't make sense because on Lexus.com that is public info.

Has anyone found out anything about their Lexus from the dealer
about the past service history that was not on Lexus.com?

Flying3

Last April, I bought a 2011 ES with 48K miles, pearl white, nav, all new Conti tires, new brakes, new battery, Lexus certified pre-owned. Pretty mint inside and out and one owner who brought it to a Lexus dealer every 5k miles.

I paid $19,800. With the 2 year warranty and 4 services (incl. 60K), I was happy with the deal.

So 20K was overpriced for sure. 17k seems fair to me. Can a Lexus be certified twice? Maybe that's why the dealership auctioned it off. But it does raise a flag.

jgcec

The final price will be 16.5.
No, all Lexus certified are 1 owner cars.
So that could be the reason it was actioned.
What did the warranty cover?
Why did you get the warranty?

John U

Back in 2011 I purchased a 2010 ES350 with 9,000 miles out of state. It was traded in at a Ford dealer and shipped across town to be sold at a Luxury Mall they owned (Mercedes-BMW-Caddy).
I stopped at the selling dealer in another state while on a business trip. The service guy was real nice and had it all pulled up and then realized it was private and deleted it. I got it all thru Lexus. Nothing bad was found. It now has 79,000 trouble free miles on it.

Flying3

2 year warranty comes with any certified preowned Lexus, unlimited miles. Also, it extends it by two years beyond the original 4 year warranty, if it is still active. Bumper to bumper.
And also includes the next 4 scheduled service maintenance costs from the dealer.