MikeZero

It's a dealer so they have to seem to not give a **** about it haha. But yeah the past history worries me. Lexus did a multi point inspection in July of 2014 and it passed everything with GREEN except for a leaky water pump which was replaced. I wonder if it's possible that the damage was corrected properly by the body shop from the accidents it was in.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

I'd stay away. Those guardrail accident sounds pretty bad.

andper10

I was casually looking at dark blue 07-08 IS350s last summer/fall for over a month and probably only found around 10 in the U.S. that had the options I wanted. Just trying to find one in any color to test drive in the Houston area with heated/cooled seats and NAV was a challenge. Pristine condition used IS350s were tending to sell very quickly and the asking prices were more than I wanted to pay.

When a dark blue one with my desired options showed up in my city, I ended up buying it after using the paint issues from a previous accident and some other maintenance issues found in a pre-purchase inspection to knock a good chunk of money off of the dealer's asking price.

I'm glad I jumped on it because I got to start enjoying the car right away and fix minor stuff on my own timeline rather than likely waiting months for a perfect one to show up, probably requiring me to cancel plans and fly out just to go see it in person. I guess it comes down to how many imperfections you are comfortable with, how much time/money/effort you want to spend searching, and how eager you are to own one. I haven't had any problems with the car due to the previous accident, but I think it was lighter damage than hitting a guard rail.

MikeZero

Even if it checks out with a mechanic? Im not trying to justify the purchase, im just curious if a reputable mechanic said it was OK if Id be smart to proceed.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

The problem is that it would probably be fine as of now but you cannot foresee the problems in the long run so even though it checks out now does not mean it is good all the way in the future.

I bought a Honda Accord that had low mileage but with an accident. It ran well in the beginning year and then I spent money down the road fixing the damn transmission which costs me so much more money. I trade it in to get my brand new Lexus IS250 and never looked back.

broan

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Post is well aged.....

That said the bump stops are not going to fix that issue. The mounts at the hood to hinge are.

1) Measure the hood opening at the alignment points in a X cross fashion across the engine bay. You should get equal diagonal measurements. If you don't the nose is out of square or the fender is not aligned properly.
2) If square remove the hoods striker and slowly lower the hood making sure it doesn't strike a fender. Adjust hood mounts fore and aft to center hood creating equal gaps and over hang.
3) Lower hood and adjust bump stops so the hood has equal height from side to side at the fenders edges.
4) Install striker and align it so the hood is not pulled off side to side and it closes flush. You may have to adjust bump stops and latch depth to obtain a nice fit. You want the bumpers compressed some but not enough to hinder latching when dropping the hood from 8". Press on the hood when latched. Confirm it doesn't move down or it may flutter at highway speed. Adjust bump stops up some if needed.
5) Make sure the hood release works.

That's about it.

/thread return to 2015....
I'd go over that one in detail. Remember fluorescent lights are your friend. Inspect car inside under lights and paint defects will be more obvious. Get it up on a lift and look under the car for signs of the pinch rail being gripped by clamps. A true indication the car has been on a frame racked and pulled back into shape. Crappy shops won't touch this up and the rail will look clawed or waffled by pinching.