NickL

We currently have a 2011 GS350 AWD and looking to add another vehicle. Test drove the 2016 RX350 past weekend but couldn't stand the on-dash navigation screen. It just doesn't belong there to me.
I've always liked the 2013-2015 looked of the GS-Sport. I was looking for certified used but the dealership I went to all have their used GS-Sport with some kind of mis-aligned front or back bumper which made me very uncomfortable of buying one. Carfax is of course clean but I don't trust it.
Anyway, I found a couple of left over 2015 GS-Sport. One in particular is really close to buying. The MSRP on it is ~$57,000. The agreed price is $44,000. The car is new and unregistered but got some mileage on it(less than 3k). What you guys think on this deal?

jonathanz

iTrader: (2)

want my lease? 2015 F sport white/red AWD. fully loaded including ML system. sitting on 4,600 miles. LOLZ!

NickL

Very disappointed that this vehicle does not have blind spot monitor, power folding mirrors, and more importantly, parking sensors!! What the heck? a $57k vehicle does not have this basic features?

spoogenet

Those basic features are additional. In my market, I have not seen an F-sport without park assist and blind spot, it's just par for the course here. Things vary by market.

But $44k for that car is a decent deal. Some folks have gotten 25% off MSRP for a '15 but that'll vary by how much a dealer wants to get rid of it. I tried locally and was practically laughed out of the showroom for suggesting anything below 12% off MSRP -- so I didn't buy that car.

I would also be concerned on a misaligned bumper, but are these L certified? It's fairly common that they'll refinish the front/rear bumpers to get rid of scrapes, etc. so they may have not reinstalled it properly. Of course if the folks there can't install it properly, that alone is cause for concern of what else they can't do right.

yardie876

That's odd. I've never seen an F-Sport without those three features. Are you sure it's not a base model with an F-Sport bumper swap? Obviously I could be wrong but it's surely a unicorn.

NickL

C'mon, a unicorn? Blind spot monitoring and Intuitive Parking Assist are options not standard on the 2015. If the specsheet doesn't have this as add-on option, it will not have it.
The sensors resides on the bumpers. So even if you swap out the bumper, if it doesn't have it, it doesn't have it.

NickL

That was what the dealer told me about the misaligned bumpers. They told me to be an L-Certified, if the bumpers need to be repainted. I'm not sure if I buy that reasoning because why would you repaint something if it's not really in a bad shape or the vehicle has been in a fender bender incident.

I definitely can't live without the parking sensors(as I like to back up into tight spots) so doesn't look like my search for a new 2015 F Sport is going well. However, he did showed me a 2015 crafted line with 5000 miles on it(dealer demo) with all the features I want. MSRP is a 59,640. The discount I'll be getting is about 24%. I pushed for a few more % but no deal. I'm still trying to grow into the crafted line. White is not something I would choose. And those black mirrors and door handles are not my cup of tea. The interior is beautiful though.

tamermido1

NickL, I agree with you.

These are luxury cars for a reason. Don't settle for a SUPER basic GS, you will regret it.
The price is great for a reason.

I would do some extensive research in the south area AKA FL, TX and the Carolinas. They usually have good equipped cars.

I had to order mine to get exactly what I want.

Park Assist and BSM and folding mirrors should be standard but they aren't. I'm just surprised any dealer would order a car without them.

Regardless do your research and find a nice quipped car that you will enjoy.

NickL

This is the pain you go through when you're looking for a NEW previous year model car. They're left over for a reason. Lol.
I think NY is the further I'm willing to travel. You really have to look at the car in person and AKA, FL, TX are just too far for me and the travel expense will be added to the price of the vehicle.
I either bite the bullet and take the Crafted Line, a new 2016 F sport, or a new RX350-Fsport

yardie876

Again, I'm just basing it off of the market here in S Fla where I am. Of course dealers will order cars based on what packages/options are most commonly purchased and stock those cars on their lots. I'm just saying of 100 F-Sport models I've eyed down on the road I've seen maybe one or two without those features.

FWIW I would probably go with the crafted line that you found.

spoogenet

The Crafted line is nice. White is great here in the TX summer, maybe less important up in MA.

They don't repaint all the bumpers, but many of them will redo them. To be L-certified they can't do bondo and are limited in how much touch-up paint they can do. So if it does have some big scrapes and chips, they'll just redo the whole bumper. BUT -- they should be able to reinstall it properly!

rld14

And this is why they still have it in stock. We've been long, long out of 15s.

rld14

Two things...

1) I am sure that a small handful of stripped out F-Sports were built. Ever see the ads that say something like "Lease an F-Sport for $499/mo*"?

2) If bumpers are scuffed we paint them. I'm doing a whole pile of cars today that have scuffed bumpers. Misaligned bumpers? I fix those.. that's the sort of stuff that puts buyers right off, even if minor damage caused it, this is something easily repaired and no way should I have cars for sale like this.

spoogenet

I think your strategy is sound. I haven't seen anything as bad as described at my local dealer, but they do put some cars up before finishing the work. While I'd have no reason to distrust them, it doesn't leave a good impression on the customer when they see it and the response is "yeah, we haven't finished the work yet, there's a backlog but a purchased vehicle moves faster through the process." I'd say finish the process then we'll talk about purchasing. It's a silly psychological thing, but I'd rather have not seen what the damage was, I'm willing to take the explanation if it is in earnest.

rld14

The big difference is that you're in Texas and I am right next to NYC. Parking garages here scuff up bumpers like you wouldn't believe.

Personally though I don't like showing a customer a car before it's finished. We're all guilty of it but it's rare to sell someone a filthy scuffed up car.