Recluse

I sent you a PM.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Carmax typically buys vehicles near Private Party sale price according to KBB.

They then sell it a little under Retail Price according to KBB.

Recluse

You know, oddly enough, Carmax offered me what was equal to a "Good" trade value at the time (which has dropped a LOT since then, surprisingly), and the appraisal guy at Carmax pretty much said straight out that he was lowballing (on the grounds that a Lexus with a manual was a tough sell, and plus, they already had another IS250 6MT on the lot), so I guess that makes sense.

I got a good deal when I bought the car, so my loss was minimal, and I was still pretty happy with the deal.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

People want 6MT on an IS350.... not a IS250. Well no wonder demand is saturated. People want MT for performance. Also the MT IS250 doesnt even make sense. It gets worse milage than the AT, and doesnt have enough power to be fun. People bought the IS250 MT, because they REALLY REALLY wanted MT.

For the OP,
1) play down the fact that your car is running out of Warranty. Let people know they can extend the warranty through lexus.
2) Dont mention you bought the car in 05. It lets people know that the car is the oldest possible IS.

fasteddy91

iTrader: (5)

paying low 20k for a car with 50k miles which can be bought new for 30k may not make sense to a potential buyer. before I purchased my 08 is350, I was in the market for a used is350 with around 20-25k miles, but after some research and shopping around, I was able to buy a brand new car for 3-4k more. Maybe if the car was worth 40k to begin with I think you would have a better chance selling it.

mikeho

Yeah.. IS350M would be nice, but you missed the point a bit with the IS250M. Mileage all depends on the driver more so than the reported EPA numbers. 1MPG on the sticker isn't going to make much of a difference if you drive like a nut. The IS250M makes tons of sense if you compare to the AT. I can sit high on the revs and get all the power out of my car. Max HP comes out at about 6.5K. The AT isn't going to let you sit there. In fact, I can feel a surge of power around 3.5K up to 4.5K and then another kick around 4.5K. All the while, I can do this at half throttle rather than mashing my pedal to the floor to convince the transmission to do what I want. So, I get more power, use less gas and have more fun.

With the short shifter, my acceleration is faster because I can hit the shift points much quicker. Not to mention the fact that the IS250 has a smaller engine, which makes weight distribution less front heavy.

ihkskim

yea thats what i was thinking when i first started selling the car. I was just assuming the market value was higher than the kbb (which it was). but i mean i guess i'm pretty satisfied about my 21k sell. I also sold it at 50,050 miles.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

Well I hate to give you the bad news, but you can sit at 6500RPMs with the AT if you want.

mikeho

Eh.. to each their own. I'm not gonna argue. I got an AT IS250 as a loaner car and I hated it.

I don't plan on selling my IS250M. Most likely I'll drive it for the next 8 years, get about 200K on it, and then get the next-gen M3 or RS4. Until then, I'm going to add mods here and there to make it just right. I love the power of my IS250M mostly because I don't try to compare or race with other people. And the ones that I have raced, I've beat. Mostly because they didn't know how to drive and couldn't time lane changes through traffic. I've always felt that anyone can mash a pedal to the floor and hold a car in a straight line. It's the turning and timing that makes it exciting and more difficult.

Here in the Bay Area, there are more older, Asian women driving ISx50s than men (from what I've seen on the road) and they'll never accelerate faster than me, even if they have an IS350.

juicius

People generally bargain hunt on craigslist so listing a newer car there doesn't always make sense. Heck, I even had problem selling my '07 Camry hybrid on craigslist. I got a lot of interest but every single one of them were low-balling. It was only when gas problem got big enough that people were utilizing all the sales sites that I got a few people who didn't blink at my list price. ($24,500 for a loaded '07 Camry with leather and NAV, 22K miles) I ended up selling at the asking price. Now I'm "stuck" with my '07 IS350 with almost $4 per gallon gas. x_X

Shoafb

yep, no problem doing that at all.

It is indeed a personal preference. I hated the MT so much I traded it back in for the AT after only a little over a year. I could never shift that thing faster then the AT tranny all ready does.

Keep it in sport mode and it is very quick to downshift when you hit the brake as well.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

Dont get me wrong... I dont like the AT much either. But what I am saying is that people want MT on an IS, because they want to feel connected to the car. They want MT in a powerful car. IE they want it in the 350...

Its no wonder the MT IS250 doesnt sell well. People are not buy an MT lexus to save that last 1K.... they want MT for performance. And in that respect, the IS250MT doesnt make much sense. It also doesnt make sense from a Fuel Econ Standpoint. The only reason to buy the MT IS250... is if you REALLY want MT.