bclexus

I was just guessing about the origin of the User Name you chose. So, I thought I'd relate it to something desirable to people from that part of the world - thus the sardine and mustard sandwich. Now, my second guess would be peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

alawode

Lol....any thoughts on the one at Sewell?

bclexus

Which one at Sewell?

Sevn86

Removing CPO status for a $1000 discount is not that uncommon. Many Lexus dealers here that I spoke to when searching for my car offered that but wouldn't budge past that. The most I was able to get off was $2500 off the asking price and that includes removing the CPO warranty. That's why I stopped wasting my time with Lexus dealerships and went elsewhere.

alawode

Stock number P17808

alawode

I totally agree on the high price issue, but as you can see, buying from an independent dealer can be very risky

Sevn86

Yeah that particular used car dealer was on a super small scale compared to say Carmax, Texas Direct Auto, etc... Is there a reason why you haven't checked out Carmax or TDA? When I was trying to buy my 2010 RX350 I kept telling myself that I would never look at Carmax or TDA for my next car. I wasted weeks looking at RX350's at all the local Lexus dealers. None wanted to negotiate and Sterling McCall Lexus was the worst when it came to negotiating. They were acting like they were selling lambos. When I brought up TDA to the sales guy at Sterling he kept telling us they sell crappy cars and kept telling me that too many ppl had bad experiences with TDA. I ended up leaving Sterling and finally stopped by TDA and believe me when I say this, I made a deal on the RX350 I have in 5 mins at TDA. I was then kicking myself for wasting so much time elsewhere when I should have just stopped by TDA in the first place. My cousins also bought two luxury cars from there all problem free till this day. My RX350 is just about to pass the 100K mark and knock on wood it's been problem free as well. I checked the service history on both my RX and new GS on the Lexus driver website. Both cars checked out with maintenance completed at respected Lexus dealerships in the states they were previously owned. Both were lease returns. My RX350 and GS350 still had the plastic on the Lexus scuff plates when I bought them. Leather was flawless and both still smelled like new. When comparing them to the others I looked at, they were in far better condition then some of the CPO's I saw. Plus Carfax was also checked and a visual inspection was completed by me. I learned the tips and tricks on how to check out a used car. There's so much good info on the Internet on how to evaluate a used car that you could use when your car shopping. If you have any questions let me know, as I'd be more then happy to help. By the way Im in no shape or form affiliated with TDA.I just keep mentioning them as Ive had a great experience each time I've done business with them.

alawode

Thanks....but none of those two that you mentioned have a 2014 F Sport at the moment. I would have got it from TDA if they had one

bclexus

It's a NICE CAR! I'm assuming it is in excellent condition. I would say a good (fair) price would be $43K - $43.5K out-the-door. That would include CPO (of course) and also your 6.25% Texas sales tax, documentation and title fees.

The way I look at it is; if I really like the car (condition, options, color combination, etc.) I would pay more for it. A thousand here - a thousand there is really not that big a deal in the big picture of things...in my view.

It has four new tires (Dunlop) and new front brakes (I assume pads). It has the common options of Blind Spot Monitoring and Intuitive Park Assist and the Preferred Accessory Package #2 (Cargo Net, Trunk Mat, Rear Bumper Applique & Wheel Locks), but it also has Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) & Power-Folding Exterior Mirrors (BD). Also, one picture (#14) shows the OEM factory GS 350 floor mats, but another picture (#17) shows All-Weather floor mats, so I assume it comes with both sets...

alawode

Thanks! I'll drive down over the weekend to check it out

bclexus

Looking at the CarFax History on this car I question why Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) sold this car to Sewell Lexus (Dallas, TX) instead of selling this car themselves. Lexus of Kendall certainly does not have excess inventory, and being in Miami the dealership is certainly located in an area of the country where luxury vehicles are easily sold. I find that odd...

Also, the car was driven 5,150 miles in the first 3.5 months (12-4 to 3-18) and 5,000 miles in the next 4.5 months (3-18 to 8-4), but only 2,500 miles during the next 4 months (8-4 to 12-8). The reason I find this odd is twofold - (1) 10K service was performed twice, only 2,500 miles apart, by two different Miami located Lexus dealerships. And, (2) the mileage driven was greatly reduced during the 4 month period when two 10K services were performed (as if it had a serious engine problem and was tied up in the shop for an extended period of time before it was repaired).

On 8-4 Lexus of Miami performed the 10K service (which includes changing oil and filter) at 10,430 miles, but only 4 months and 2,500 miles later on 12-8 Lexus of Kendall (a different Miami located Lexus dealer) performed the 10K service yet again (the maintenance history states that the oil and filter was changed) at 12,926 miles. I find this very strange and highly questionable. Moving forward, in the next 8 months (12-8 to 7-2) the car was driven much less (only 5,700 miles) and then the car was returned to Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) by the lessee. Within a few days Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) offered the car for sale (probably offered only to other Lexus dealers and not advertised to the public). Sewell Lexus (Dallas, TX) bought the car and had it trucked 1,300 miles from Miami to Dallas. On 7-10 Sewell Lexus (Dallas, TX) is offering the car for sale to the public.

I suspect Lexus dealerships offer various vehicles for sale to other Lexus dealerships and auction houses for various reasons (e.g. excess inventory, customer relations, lemon law title, etc.). I can only assume, for some reason that Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) had, that Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) did not want this particular car in their inventory. Likewise, I can only assume, for some good reason, that Sewell Lexus (Dallas, TX) was willing to buy this particular used car from another Lexus dealership 1,300 miles away and offer it for sale in their inventory as a CPO car.

As I said, I find this rather odd...and highly questionable. That said, there may be a logical reason for the oddity of it all...

alawode

Thanks bclexus. If the car had engine issues do you think Lexus would still CPO it, and what do you advise that i should do apart from just walking away? All the other F Sports they have were bought in Florida as well, does this clarify anything?

Sevn86

Alawode my GS was a lease return from Florida as well. I also looked at a few others being sold by dealerships here in the Houston area that had originally been owned by someone in Florida. I don't know what the trend is or how they all happen to get to Texas, but various used car lots had them.

bclexus

There may be nothing to worry about, but I found it odd enough to bring it to your attention. I still do not understand why the Lexus dealership in Miami didn't want to sell the car themselves, or why there was two 10K services done.

Anyway, I would do three things:
(1) I would ask a simple but direct question to Sewell Lexus about why they acquired the car from Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL), 1,300 miles away, when that Miami dealership only had a scant inventory. (I realize you are asking this question of the wrong dealer, but you may be able to learn something.)
(2) I would ask Sewell why this car had two (2) 10,000 mile services.
(3) I would try to create a Lexus Drivers - My Lexus account so you can see the full and complete Lexus service history on the car...unlike what CarFax provides, which is minimal information. I think you can create an account with the VIN number, however if you cannot do that - ask Sewell Lexus to send you the entire service history on the car (in some format e.g. pdf or simply copy & paste) via email so you can see it right away. I suspect if anything unusual took place (still don't understand the two 10K services & why Miami dealer didn't want to sell it) that this Lexus service history will likely reveal more about what the problem was.

You asked; "If the car had engine issues do you think Lexus would still CPO it...?" To answer your question - Assuming there was an engine problem (which is a mere assumption at best) - then yes, if Lexus repaired the engine there would be no reason not to fully warranty the car with their CPO warranty of 3 years/100,000 miles. That said, some people may not want a vehicle in which the engine had to be torn-down or the short block replaced, etc., etc....because they view it the same as a vehicle that was in a wreck and having received significant body damage...you just never know if there may be lingering or remaining issues. That is why when owners/lessees have issues that cannot be solved quickly the vehicle is bought back by Lexus as a lemon law vehicle - and Lexus will always sell a lemon law car at auction to get rid of it. By law, some states must tell prospective buyers that the vehicle is a lemon law vehicle, and some states issue lemon law titles. Mind you, this vehicle you are considering is certainly not in that class since it is being sold as a CPO by a Lexus dealership...and there may be absolutely nothing wrong with the car.

bclexus

For whatever it's worth...

The car was manufactured in October, 2013. The car had Bridgestone tires on it when the car was in Florida, but Sewell Lexus put on a new set of Dunlop tires, so the original tires were obviously very worn after less than 19,000 miles. This may have something to do with Sewell Lexus putting new brakes on the front. At least one of the wheels had curb rash, which was probably repaired by Sewell Lexus.

It looks like this car was in a typical auction building lot with other vehicles of all brands that were being auctioned off. The images (below) were taken on 6-18 or 6-22 when the car had 18,628 miles on the odometer, which is after Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) sold the car according to the CarFax report. I can only assume that Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) sold the car at auction (possibly to a third-party group that arranges transfer of ownership between two dealer members of the group) and Sewell Lexus was the buyer of the car.

Edit: My assumption was correct. The car was indeed sold at auction by Lexus of Kendall (Miami, FL) using Manhein Automotive Brokers & Auctions at Orlando, FL. Manheim Orlando location code: FAOO. The Manheim Lot Code Number for the auctioned car was: Lot OVE.FAAO.62237541. Sewell Lexus was the ultimate buyer of the car...