Derek563

iTrader: (1)

Edit: Thanks for the help everyone! I ended up buying the car. Pictures are on page 2!


Hey Everyone! My name is Derek and I'm looking to buy my first car soon. I really like the look of the second generation IS's, so I've been looking around the area for one.

With that being said, I found a really clean 2006 IS250 RWD (automatic) with 156,500 miles on it. The number of miles on it concerned me at first but when I looked at the carfax, it was a one owner personal vehicle driven locally. It had zero reported accidents and 40 service records. The car was serviced every 5000 miles and had the water pump and spark plugs replaced at 111,000 miles.

The blue book value of an IS250 with this many miles on it was $9,672 but the carfax price adjustment put it at "$2,550 above book value". The dealer was asking for $11,493 but said that they would give it to me for $10,500. The car does have brand new brakes and tires (yokohama yk580). The rims were also resurfaced so they look new. All done by the dealer.

The exterior has two or three minor dents, there is a large scratch on the front bumper, and one of the tail lights had a small crack in it (didn't appear to be leaking). The interior was in very good condition. All the seats other than the drivers seat looked new. The only visible wear was on the steering wheel, shifter, and drivers seat. The AC was cold.
When I test drove the car it ran pretty smoothly. The transmission shifts were smooth, there weren't any weird noises, the steering was light, the brakes were strong, and there weren't any vibrations at highway speeds (75mph).

What do you guys think about this car at this price? Is it a good deal? Can these cars last this long? I saw the thread about someone hitting 250,000 miles on their 2IS but I haven't seen many other threads on these cars with this many miles on it. How long can I expect this car to last? Will I be hit with lots of expensive repair bills down the road?

I really appreciate the help guys. Thanks a lot!

Here is the ad:
http://www.universityaudilynnwood.co...odelActual_/75

Here is the carfax:
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...BK262865014326

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

Welcome to CL Derek. Sounds like you have done some research on the car and you like this one. Conpare other ones to see if it's priced fair, it looks clean enough. Good luck.

NikonGuy

iTrader: (1)

Well it's been listed for sale for over 1.5 months so you have some leverage there. It is the basic model meaning no NAV. Check to see if it has HID. If it has AFS (adaptive front light steering) than it has HID. And has a very extensive carfax history.

But remember it is 150K miles. I wouldn't pay any more than 8K honestly

ajfinoak

My only caution would be that many of us with the IS 250 have had issues with carbon buildup which often requires a very expensive engine repair (could be 4K or more at dealer). The car will then at times run like crap if it happens. Lexus extended the warranty on this issue for 9 years but after that you are on your own.

tex2670

It's pretty likely that the carbon buildup would become an issue long before 150K miles, though.

Derek563

iTrader: (1)

Hey everyone. Thanks for the info!

The car does not have HID headlights or AFS. All it has are heated/cooled, ventilated front seats. No memory seats.

About the carbon build up issue. I've read a few threads on here about that as well. But when I test drove the car, it wasn't rough at idle (running in the parking lot and sitting at stop lights) and the RPM's were not jumping all over the place either. Are there other ways to tell if the engine has carbon build up?

Gerb

I couldnt do it 251k km car.

getafewliv

I wouldn't do it. WAY too high mileage for that price.

I would also recommend test driving an IS350 and an IS250 before you decide the IS250 is good enough. There's really no downside to getting the IS350 over the IS250. THe fuel mileage is close enough, the reliability is improved, the brakes are better... and of course, the power!

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

Check what the insurance price difference would be.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

You could get an IS350 for the same price/mileage. Either negotiate it down MORE, or walk.

Derek563

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys! Yea, I've tested out a few 06-08 IS350's and they are crazy fast compared to the 250's. But this car will just be my daily driver to and from college/work.

What do you guys think is a fair price for this car?

Thanks!

ajfinoak

Agreed. However there have been numerous posts from folks reporting that the problem came back again after the repair. I have an '08 250 and plan to get rid of it when it hits 9 years old- too pricey a gamble. If the repair is need on the car after 9 years old and you have to pay many 1000's for it the car won't be worth anymore after you do it. It is not like the issue is very rare. I realize this is my view of the risk and others may not agree. I would probably pay a little more for a used 350 to avoid the risk and get more power. I like my 250 but it is slow- embarrassing to have Accords and Camrys out accelerate me and they get better MPG.

getafewliv

Do you plan on keeping it for a long time or maybe a year or two then selling?

It's hard enough for the seller to get rid of the car at that mileage, once you start increasing it, it will be MUCH harder to sell. There's a lot of people that will not buy a high mileage car, regardless of price.

In my opinion, it also increases the chance of running into issues that aren't the standard problems with known fixes.

I would say maybe $8,000 would be more suitable. But then again, I also never buy from dealers so I don't have to deal with their need for higher markups.

Derek563

iTrader: (1)

I'm planning on keeping it for another 4-6 years (another 40k-60k miles) if the car will be able to last that long without racking up expensive repair/maintenance bills. At that point I wouldn't expect the car to be able to resell for very much. You think the dealer will do $8 grand?

Thanks!

mrfresh

If you have the 8k. In cash I would try to get one from a private seller ... I highly doubt that the dealer would go less the 10k.... Maybe 9k.... specially if it's financing. .... I wouldn't be too worried about the mileage because you would definitely get another 50,000 out of her easy..... we already have a lot of owners on this forum who are getting 250,000 miles and above..... I just bought my is 250 cash out from a private seller and took it straight to the dealer and have the carbon buildup took care of.... but if I were you I would do it now because I think the 2006 model warranty for the carbon buildup is going to expire at the end of the year