daebak

I know these types of threads pop up pretty often but I already searched and read every thing I could find on the forums about it and still had a few questions. I've narrowed my choices between a few IS350s, and I was wondering if people could chime in and give me their opinions on a particular one.

The main one I'm looking at is a 2008 IS350, 18" 5-spoke alloy rims, HID, premium package, and navigation. ONLY HAS 17,000 MILES. Is CPO. Asking price $33K. I saw the Used IS350. Good Deal? thread and read the OP driving off with a 2008 IS350 (39K miles, base package, navigation, not CPO) for $26500 out the door. Was that an insane deal or am I going to be able to get it down somewhere around that? I understand that the there is a difference in options and mileage but I was just doing a quick estimate off the top of my head and with TTL I was looking at a much different number than $26.5K.

The reason I ask is because the guy I was talking to didn't seem like he was going to help me out much either on my trade in or the price itself. The things that really got me looking at this car over the others was the extremely low mileage and basically had all the options I wanted (plus the right ext/int color scheme). Can any recent IS350 buyers give me some info on their OTD prices and models/options? I keep reading people getting their 08-09 IS350s for <30K out the door and it's blowing my mind.

My DD ran into a problem so I'm trying to get a new car quickly but I'm also afraid that might lead me to getting the wrong car/price especially with the '12 models around the corner.

Thanks in advance CL.

EDIT: I bought a brand new 2009 ES350 two years ago from the same dealership and I am thinking about trading one of the family's other cars in for a Lexus as well. Does this matter to them?

EDIT2: Carfax says commercial vehicle. Does that mean it was a loaner or a test car? Should that scare me off? Should that lower the price at all? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Start here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...e-threads.html

Check Lexus.com for the Service History. Check the car for all the Common Issues listed.

There are a lot of differences between those two cars that are immediately apparent:

1) Yours has better options (premium package, for example)
2) Yours is CPO, which adds $1k-2k to the price
3) Yours has less than half the mileage - 25k miles might not sound like a lot, but if the car's still under factory warranty (which it could easily be with a 2008) then it can make a bigger difference because you're further away from 50k expiration

There could also be myriad other reasons for the price difference. He could be in a different area of the country where they're not as rare, the market may not have been as hot as it is now, etc. Older cars with that low of mileage also seem to carry a premium. Also you're comparing asking price to his final negotiated price. You should be able to get at least a bit off any asking price, especially with a trade, which increases what's on the negotiating table.

Your best bet on determining if it's a good deal is to look around at comparable cars in your area. Go to Autotrader and Cars.com and look for 2008 IS350s with around 17k miles and your options and see what the prices are. Feel free to print these and bring them in to show him if they show that his price is too high. If they're all around his price, it might be a sign that the market is just pricing those cars at that price, high as it may seem.

Trades always increase what's on the negotiating table. For example, Carmax and some dealers "won't negotiate on price". However, they'll negotiate fully and openly on a trade. If the guy doesn't seem to budge on the price of the IS, start talking about what he'll give you for the trade.

If the guy doesn't want to work with you or stands firm at a price that, based on the market, you feel is unreasonable, walk away.

I got my 2007 IS350 CPO with luxury package, nav, F-Sport parts with 56k miles on it 8 months ago for $24,500. May help, may not.

I would advise against jumping into the first car you find because of the tight predicament you're in, that's when you're liable to make mistakes. Shop around to make sure you're still getting a good deal, even on a tight timeframe. And the 2012 models shouldn't make any difference whatsoever on the used market, aside from possibly reducing the price of recently used 2011s. The 2012 IS is essentially unchanged, and the car's been around since 2006, so another model year won't affect the market for used cars that are pretty much the same as the new one. Used car prices are most affected when a totally redesigned model comes out, which tends to push down prices of used cars. Right now though, in the recession, people are shunning new cars and going used, which is pushing up prices.

So you'd be trading in two cars essentially at once for two new ones? Absolutely this will make a difference. If a dealer can sell two cars at once, he's willing to take lower profits on each because the overall profit from the two is greater than if he'd just sold one. This is a huge bargaining chip for you.

Don't mention it right off the bat. Always negotiate the price of the car down to where you feel it should be (or at least as close to that as you can get) before talking about anything else (method of payment/financing, trade in, other cars, etc). Once you have the price negotiated to where they won't go any further, then you bring up that you're paying cash, or that you're considering 2 cars instead of 1, and ask him what he can do.

Dealers also are voracious for used cars right now, since they're commanding such high prices. Keep that in mind, I'm sure they'd love to get their hands on a good condition used '09 ES that they can CPO and sell at a greater profit than most of their new cars.

Can't hurt to ask. Commercial vehicle can mean a lot of things, loaner or test car but also corporate lease. Ask the dealer - they should be able to answer. The Service History from Lexus.com might also answer it by showing to whom it was first delivered.

By the way, I'd also check Autocheck in addition to Carfax, as accidents often show up on one and not the other.

tjschraf

I bought my 06 is 350 with sport package, nav, 18's, rear spoiler, etc. With 18k miles for 21,000 minus ttl from a private owner! I think I got a good deal. The only drawback is it had more dings and scratches then the average for the year. Good luck. I personally wouldn't pay that much for it, its a 4 year old car.

daebak

I saw the logs, didn't see anything out of the ordinary but maybe you will?

All the cars in my neck of the woods is priced about the same. I'm guessing the IS350 is popular in the DFW area.

Thank you so much for this information. I always wondered how exactly it worked.

Ack I should have worded that better. I have a 06 Civic that I am trading in right now for my IS350. I also have an 05 Murano that I will be trading in for a third car in a few months (maybe next year). I know the appeal is better when trading at the same time but I guess he'd know that I would be coming back in the future if I get a good deal. I wouldn't be trading the ES in just yet.

I just tried it and it came up with 7 records. I guess I'll be purchasing the report.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Not too much out of the ordinary. This is interesting:

Dealer Reported 04/23/2008 First Dealership 15 0076080 PRE-DELIVERY SERVICE FOR USA ALL ALTITUDES

Never seen "USA ALL ALTITUDES". Maybe someone else can enlighten us, but it makes it seem like it was set up for a US tester/loaner or something. Again, I'd just ask the dealer.

Also have you verified there are no open recalls? I see a few performed but it seems to be missing a few others (fuel pressure sensor, for example). Might just be rolled up into another item.

Lastly, only unusual thing is how much they did to prepare it for resale.

Dealer Reported 08/16/2011 Current Dealership 16631 4106188 REFINISH ONE WHEEL
Dealer Reported 08/16/2011 Current Dealership 16631 4106188 PRE CERT GENERAL REPAIR
Dealer Reported 08/16/2011 Current Dealership 16631 4106188 TEST CHARGING SYSTEM
Dealer Reported 06/18/2011 Current Dealership 16631 4103840 SUBLET TOUCH UP
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16630 4103809 REPAIR AND REFINISH FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16630 4103809 PAINT REPAIR PRE-OWNED
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16629 4103252 WNDSHIELD OUTSD MOULDING-ALL
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16629 4103252 CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PDI
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16629 4103252 DETAIL SEDAN
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16629 4103252 PRE CERT STATE INSPECTION AND GREENSHEET
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16629 4103252 PRE CERT GENERAL REPAIR
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16629 4103252 REFINISH TWO WHEELS
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16631 4103793 SUBLET CARPET/PLASTIC PROTECTION
Dealer Reported 06/17/2011 Current Dealership 16630 4103776 LEATHER RECONDITIONING
Dealer Reported 06/16/2011 Current Dealership 16630 4103691 PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR
Dealer Reported 05/10/2011 First Dealership 16609 0530896 CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PDI
Dealer Reported 05/10/2011 First Dealership 16609 0530896 NON WARRANTABLE OPERATION CODE
Dealer Reported 05/10/2011 First Dealership 16609 0530896 OTHERS
Dealer Reported 05/10/2011 First Dealership 16609 0530896 WHEEL/TIRE CONCERN

That's a lot of stuff. My IS was CPO, and on the service history it only had a few items (CPO Inspection, tire rotation, oil change, and dent repair).

It could mean a few things. One is that the car wasn't in great shape and needed a lot of work to prepare it for sale. Concerning is that much of this seems damage related (wheel/tire concerns, dent and paint repair, refinish bumpers, etc). This makes it all the more imperative to check both Autocheck and Carfax. Wouldn't want to find that they're trying to cover up a minor accident (or worse). A few people on here have bought CPO cars that ended up having major frame damage. That's rare, and I'm not saying signs point to that, but it's just something to find out about.

The other thing it could mean (and these two things aren't mutually exclusive) is that this dealership is very thorough. I noticed they replaced the windshield molding, which fails on pretty much every 2IS. Almost NO dealership does this unwarranted. My car was sold CPO with this molding cracked. I had to point it out to them and have them fix it pre-sale. So the fact that they addressed it ahead of time is a good sign.

I'd ask the dealer to explain each of the items on there since it was acquired for resale. Ask them each thing they did. Why'd they refinish the bumpers? Was there damage, or just nicks?

Also, did the dealer provide you the Lexus Service History? Dealers should hand it to you without your asking, if they're being honest and truthful. The dealer I bought my IS from handed it to me without my even knowing it existed, and it was hugely helpful. I'd be concerned if a dealer didn't provide it to you. Maybe this isn't that out of the ordinary, but my dealer gave it to me.

daebak

I will be sure to ask about everything you brought up. I was thinking they were being really thorough but now that you mention it, it does seem like a lot of things to "fix". The dealership is Sewell here in Dallas so I think everything is on the level. The guy I talked to on the first visit wasn't the person I went through when I got the ES since he was off.

It's between this one and an 09 IS350 with low mileage at 21K miles (same asking price), but only has the base package, really really ugly chrome rims, and is not a CPO. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to pay for more options or just get the base model a year earlier.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I didn't realize it was Sewell, I imagine given their website's focus on the IS that they're a good dealer to buy one from.

I can say unequivocally that you should look at the CPO over the 2009. The differences between 2008 and 2009 are minor, there's the minor front end styling change but not much else. Mileage is the same, and you'd be losing options/features by going with the 2009. Most importantly, however, is the huge benefit of CPO. With a 2008, you'll be out of warranty soon (you would be on a 2009 as well), and CPO can save you thousands. It's a huge peace of mind. Nav screen replacement is $2000. I was driving one day and a Check Engine Light came on and instead of stressing out and fretting over what I was going to do, how much it was going to be, I took it straight to a dealer, picked up a loaner and was on my way. Turned out it was a cracked gas cap. CPO saved me $120-150 for diagnostics and $300 for the part.

Keep us updated on what Sewell says about the above.