conboi

Hey fellow CL, I am looking to get a 2012 ISF and wanted to know, if any, possible mechanical issues with this model year.
In the inspection of the car, what should I be looking for? If there's already a thread on this topic, please point me in the right direction. Thanks!

F Monster

No issues, I have 2012 for a little over a year. I've put 15k miles into the car, just regular maintenance, so far oil changes, brake pads, and changing rotors soon.

jspecvtec

iTrader: (4)

Just floor it everywhere and change oil and put gas

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

This thread may help you:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...al-issues.html

Lou

Vervish

iTrader: (4)

Only thing I would immediately look for (beside a clean car fax) would be the conditions of the tires. A lot of F's have issues with inner tire wearing unevenly. The remedy is typically an alignment that sets the front toe to zero or LCA bushings. None of which are big money items. I would carefully inspect the tires and if they are wearing uneven, try to get the dealer to replace them.

You should also consider signing up to http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/ . If you enter the VIN of the car you are interested in and you will get the full Lexus performed service history.

Good luck!

ATXChris

This is the answer to all of life's questions.

mikersoft

iTrader: (1)

So true

conboi

Thanks for the inputs. The reason I'm asking about possible mechanical issues is that the car I am looking at is in Socal and I live in Norcal. I am essentially planning to buy a car unseen, so trying to get an idea of some of the possible issues with the car and seeing if it is worth the risks. I have asked the seller for detailed pictures and waiting on a carfax report, so hopefully everything turns out good.

In your opinion, would you guys buy this car sight unseen? If I do decide to go for this, I plan to get a PPI done when I go down to see the car and hopefully get it. Thoughts/inputs??

newgsman

iTrader: (4)

My 2012 was on a dealer lot 5 hours away from me so I too did not see it before purchasing. I was lucky because when I bought it in Sept 2014 it still had over 2 years bumper to bumper warranty left and it was Lexus CPO. Even still I had good confidence I would not have any major problems.

I think with any used car you should bank an extra few dollars for unforeseen issues. Luckily with Lexus (and Toyota's in general) it is rare that their relatively newer used cars have issues. The average ISF does not have a history of requiring many repairs and few cost much more than a few hundred dollars. If you keep that in mind you will probably be ok.

conboi

Thanks newgsman

ultimase

mine was roughly 1,000 miles away. I ask for a lot of pictures and got a PPI (specifically asked for a lease turn in level of PPI) with a list of concerned areas for the dealership to check. Again though similar to newgsman I still have a warranty to fall back on for a few years if there is any issues. Given how rare these are, especially after 2011 traveling to see them or purchase is going to be likely.

Vitveet

Mine was about 12 hrs away.... luckily it was in even better shape/condition than the pics even showed! Like a brand new car really. Was happy to see and experience that since I traveled so far.
I've put 9-10k miles in the year that I've owned it and 'problem free' is the best I can describe it!
I say go for it....def don't have many options as it is.

V.

ISFMichael

I personally would never buy a car that I have not seen in person. But I know many people that have, it all just comes down to personal comfort level. I would feel more comfortable buying unseen if it was a CPO vehicle at a Lexus dealership. Is this vehicle you're looking at being sold privately or at a dealership?

I have owned my 2012 for almost 1.5 years with no major mechanical issues. I had a 4 items in total covered under the factory warranty.
They were 1) glove box damper 2) my drivers side seat bolster had irregular wear, so they replaced the whole upper cushion section of the seat 3) my drivers side seat rocked a bit forward to back, so they replaced the whole railing unit 4) lastly, some of my rear defrost lines weren't working properly (first one Lexus Canada had ever seen) so they swapped out my entire rear glass and replaced with a brand new oem one.

One other thing that I didn't notice before my factory warranty ran out, and I am kicking myself for, is my headlight paint is starting to bubble. So ask the seller the send you close up pics of the headlight housing on the vehicle you are looking at. This is a common problem though, just wish I knew about it earlier.

Anyway you can't really go wrong with a 2012+ model, I love mine. But just do all your checks on the car, car fax etc. Happy buying!

conboi

The sale is private and the guy said he is the 3rd owner. I have been trying to find a CPO in Norcal and it is super difficult to locate one with relatively low miles, I actually prefer CPO over private but not many dealers have the 2011+ MY I'm looking for.
One thing that is interesting with this car is the owner purchased a 10yr/100k extended warranty, have you heard of that or purchased one before?

ultimase

I actually did fly out to see the vehicle before deciding to purchase. I wouldn't feel comfortable in purchasing without actually seeing an inspecting the vehicle in person either.

3rd owner since 2012... that worries me slightly, but not completely unheard of given the rarity and capabilities of this vehicle. The reason that there isn't many CPO's for 2011+ is simply because after 2010 these vehicle became a lot more rare.

As for the warranty, I've not heard of a 10 year 100k extended directly from lexus, it maybe an aftermarket company, it's worth checking out, additionally you will want to make sure it's transferrable.

As for purchasing in Norcal while being in Socal, the flights are fairly cheap enough, you'll definitely want to take a look in person. Getting a PPI before flying out is advisable, but you still want to see the vehicle in person, and drive it.