evolvedgs

Hello folks! I hope everyone is doing well and I'm very excited to make my first post on here as I have been following this forum for some years but never actively posted.

So I need some help and input from all the knowledgeable and helpful people on here; I'm thinking of buying a 2006 Lexus GS430 with 101,000 miles; the guy wants $12,500 for it. He is the 3rd owner and has sent me the carfax (which shows to be 100% clean).

The seller sent pictures of the exterior & interior of the GS (its in great condition inside & out from the pictures).

So how does the price initially sound? Yay? Nay? Maybe? Thanks in advance and look forward to any and all input!

NoUltimatu

This is the wrong sub. You need 3rd gen, not 2nd. Good luck.

evolvedgs

Oops sorry. Thanks for that.

evolvedgs

Hello folks! I hope everyone is doing well and I'm very excited to make my first post on here as I have been following this forum for some years but never actively posted.

So I need some help and input from all the knowledgeable and helpful people on here; I'm thinking of buying a 2006 Lexus GS430 with 101,000 miles; the guy wants $12,500 for it. He is the 3rd owner and has sent me the carfax (which shows to be 100% clean).

The seller sent pictures of the exterior & interior of the GS (its in great condition inside & out from the pictures).

So how does the price initially sound? Yay? Nay? Maybe? Thanks in advance and look forward to any and all input!

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I think 12k is reasonable. Have you checked the service history on the Lexus drivers site?
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evolvedgs

No how can I check service history on Lexus driver's site? Can you please send me a link or let me know where to go for it?

The seller is the 3rd owner and he said he doesn't have service records.

I appreciate the input.

acer0611

go to http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/my-lexus/home.do and create an account. All your gonna need from the car itself is the vin number.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the assist acer. At 100k you want to check if the transmission has been flushed since the unit is sealed and you need to go to the dealer or a shop that has the machine with the correct fittings. Unless you want to attempt it on your own. There's a DIY in the forum. The coolant is due to be changed also and these are good bargaining chips as far as price.

evolvedgs

Acer I really appreciate it; I will do that and see what information shows.

Thanks for that sha; I will ask that. Now let's say the transmission hasn't been flushed; when you say bargaining chips...what should I say if it hasn't been flushed? For example how much would it cost at the dealership or a legitimate mechanic shop to do that on this car?

Should I insist he do that before I buy instead of him dropping the price to what it'll cost and me do it?

Some background; the seller is in Oklahoma...I am in South Carolina. I plan on flying one way to Oklahoma to pick up the car and drive it back to SC (about a 15hr drive one way). He has sent me many pictures of interior/exterior. The car seems to be in a great condition. I figured if he knows I'm flying out and spending time/money specifically to get the car that he'll be serious with relaying what all has/hasn't been done and other information about the car that I NEED to know! But I'm not making assumptions.

If there are any other points/questions I should ask him on this GS considering this is '06 430 with 100,000+ miles...please let me know; I don't want to be stuck with a money pit of a car.

Thanks!

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I priced the tranny flush at the Toyota dealership by me and it was roughly $200. Now that is a COMPLETE flush bot a DRAIN & FILL. I see lots of posts on here saying that the Lexus dealer refuses to flush the tranny for whatever reason and they will just do a drain & fill. I just bought a 2010 GS350 for me wife and it has 97k on it so I'm not as familiar with this car like I am with my LS400( I can Take that car apart with a 10mm socket lol). I did do a lot of reading in this forum and already had an acct at the Lexus drivers site so I looked at the service records for ALL the cars we were looking at buying. We finally purchased the car from a Toyota dealership and I got the car down another $500 by telling the SA that I would immediately have to flush the tranny and change the coolant seeing that these were due at 100k. I still have to get these maintenance items done but he took that money off the price of the car since he knew that I knew what I was talking about. YMMV since your dealing with a private owner but it does not hurt to ask. Now if he has several offers on the car that might not work. I can flush my own coolant so that's a savings there for me.

evolvedgs

Great info; thanks! I'm going to keep all of this in mind.

The seller has never changed the timing belt either (should that be of concern?). I kept thinking these have timing chains. I had a 2007 Avalon and that had a timing chain in it so surely thought the GS would have one...unless of course they introduced timing chains starting from the 07 model.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Looks like it has a timing belt.

evolvedgs

Thanks for all the help, info and input you guys...I finally purchased a gs430.

LoveThatV8

iTrader: (1)

The thing about purchasing and creating an account here at clublexus, is that you have to post pictures!!! From stock to modded, its always nice to see the starting point of anyones love for the GS. Post it up and welcome to CL.

evolvedgs

You're right! From what I can tell in the picture of your car in your signature; mine is the EXACT same color as yours! I'll post pic(s) soon. To be honest though I don't think I'm going to add anything extra to the ride at all. Only aftermarket thing on the car is the tinting. (I know, I know...I'm a square ).