HELP: Buying a Used IS-F Out of State?
11-21-13, 09:57 AM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
HELP: Buying a Used IS-F Out of State?
I'm jumping ship from the Bavarian's and have decided to add another car from Toyota/Lexus to my line-up!
The only problem is that the IS-F is so rare that I'm having problems locating a good used one near me (2011+ with low mileage for under $50k).
So I've opened up my search beyond my state (WA) and have found some good used F's, but find the process of coordinating a PPI, negotiating, and ultimately delivery of the vehicle to be a bit daunting. The fact that my 2nd child is a newborn makes it even more challenging since it would be tough for me to leave my state to checkout a vehicle.
Does anyone have any advice on how to tackle this? Or, are there any companies or people who specialize in this that could help?
The only problem is that the IS-F is so rare that I'm having problems locating a good used one near me (2011+ with low mileage for under $50k).
So I've opened up my search beyond my state (WA) and have found some good used F's, but find the process of coordinating a PPI, negotiating, and ultimately delivery of the vehicle to be a bit daunting. The fact that my 2nd child is a newborn makes it even more challenging since it would be tough for me to leave my state to checkout a vehicle.
Does anyone have any advice on how to tackle this? Or, are there any companies or people who specialize in this that could help?
11-21-13, 10:20 AM
#2
I bought my first F out of state from an Indiana Lexus dealer and I am in Florida. Car was CPO and dealer sales manager sent me every pic of every part of car so I was pretty comfortable not seeing the car in person. There are inspection people u can hire but my advice would be when u find one u like ask if any members here would check out the car for u cause we are the best inspectors for these cars IMO. If u buy the car have dealer pay to have it shipped to u, it's the first thing I did during the negotiating process.
11-21-13, 10:58 AM
#3
Driver
Thread Starter
That's great advice, Mrd!
It seems like the best deals are from non-Lexus dealers, especially on the non-CPO cars. For example, here is one that I'm interested in but is not offered at a Lexus dealer:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=16&Log=0
It seems like the best deals are from non-Lexus dealers, especially on the non-CPO cars. For example, here is one that I'm interested in but is not offered at a Lexus dealer:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=16&Log=0
Last edited by antidentit; 11-21-13 at 10:58 AM. Reason: Grammar
11-21-13, 11:40 AM
#4
I bought my first F out of state from an Indiana Lexus dealer and I am in Florida. Car was CPO and dealer sales manager sent me every pic of every part of car so I was pretty comfortable not seeing the car in person. There are inspection people u can hire but my advice would be when u find one u like ask if any members here would check out the car for u cause we are the best inspectors for these cars IMO. If u buy the car have dealer pay to have it shipped to u, it's the first thing I did during the negotiating process.
11-21-13, 12:43 PM
#5
I was in the same boat when I was looking for my F. Below are some suggestions / points to consider:
Carmax- Decent pricing and they'll have it shipped anywhere in the US to your nearest Carmax dealership. Once delivered, you can inspect all you want and if it doesn't turn out to be what you'd expected. No obligation to buy but....you will lose the shipping cost (2-8 hundred, depending on where it's shipping from to you) if you choose not to purchase.
Out of state dealerships- The pro to an out of state dealership is the transfer of funds / payment as they'll work with your bank on the details. As long as they'll work with you, provide high res photos of everything and disclose everything. It should be a pretty easy transaction.
Out of state private party- This in my opinion is the hardest way to purchase. Some experiences are better than others but the biggest headaches are getting your bank to work with their bank, payoff amounts, how to close the sale (their bank, your bank, paydown loan, making sure everything's in order to assure an easy transaction).
In my case, I purchased through a private party. The pros to a private party is you get the sense of how well the prior owner took care of their car and kinda know where it's been. The con to a private party is the loan they have, payoff amount, getting their bank and your bank to talk and close the deal together.
I bank with Chase, the owner banked with a local credit union. The seller did quite a bit of leg work to assure everything would go smooth which went a long way for me. At the end of the day, it worked out for me. Flew out to SLC from Denver, went to his bank to pay his loan down to my borrowed amount, went to a chase bank in SLC and finalized the sale, drove it back.
You'll likely get a better deal with a private party purchase but the banking / finalization of sale can be a headache. Some say it's an easy transaction, others not so much.
So there you have it. My recommendation from top to bottom. GL with your search and don't rush it. You may find one that pops up locally that meets the requirements.
Carmax- Decent pricing and they'll have it shipped anywhere in the US to your nearest Carmax dealership. Once delivered, you can inspect all you want and if it doesn't turn out to be what you'd expected. No obligation to buy but....you will lose the shipping cost (2-8 hundred, depending on where it's shipping from to you) if you choose not to purchase.
Out of state dealerships- The pro to an out of state dealership is the transfer of funds / payment as they'll work with your bank on the details. As long as they'll work with you, provide high res photos of everything and disclose everything. It should be a pretty easy transaction.
Out of state private party- This in my opinion is the hardest way to purchase. Some experiences are better than others but the biggest headaches are getting your bank to work with their bank, payoff amounts, how to close the sale (their bank, your bank, paydown loan, making sure everything's in order to assure an easy transaction).
In my case, I purchased through a private party. The pros to a private party is you get the sense of how well the prior owner took care of their car and kinda know where it's been. The con to a private party is the loan they have, payoff amount, getting their bank and your bank to talk and close the deal together.
I bank with Chase, the owner banked with a local credit union. The seller did quite a bit of leg work to assure everything would go smooth which went a long way for me. At the end of the day, it worked out for me. Flew out to SLC from Denver, went to his bank to pay his loan down to my borrowed amount, went to a chase bank in SLC and finalized the sale, drove it back.
You'll likely get a better deal with a private party purchase but the banking / finalization of sale can be a headache. Some say it's an easy transaction, others not so much.
So there you have it. My recommendation from top to bottom. GL with your search and don't rush it. You may find one that pops up locally that meets the requirements.
11-21-13, 12:48 PM
#6
I had the used car sales manager at my local dealership work out the deal for me. Basically, I found the car I wanted at another dealership online, and my local dealership "bought" the car from them and then resold it to me. I had the right to refuse it if the car didn't pass their inspection and mine once it got here. I negotiated the sales price with them and then paid $500 for them to get the car up here and inspect it. It was well worth it to me. I found a pristine car that was 3 years old with only 13,500mi on it in the exact color I wanted, and paid ~$48,500 out the door with the extended warranty and the transportation fee.
11-21-13, 04:23 PM
#7
one thing that helped my decision was Lexus drivers page: https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home
create an account. under the my profile area add the VIN number of the car you're looking at.
go to the main page then service history and you can see ALL records on that car. Make sure you get one with good maintenance records. I checked a LOT of vehicles when looking for my and my wife's lexus. I don't mind a 70k mile car if it's got all records.
create an account. under the my profile area add the VIN number of the car you're looking at.
go to the main page then service history and you can see ALL records on that car. Make sure you get one with good maintenance records. I checked a LOT of vehicles when looking for my and my wife's lexus. I don't mind a 70k mile car if it's got all records.
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