thjakits

Hi all,

note: I posted this also over on Lextreme to get to a bigger audiance ....

I am in the process to check out a 98 LS400. It was presented as "pristine".
An SGS inspection revealed "less than pristine" - specifically quite a few dents, stained floor carpet, a cigarette burn, etc.
The car seems mechanically okay.

I agreed on a (what I would call) "Pristine/premium" price for the car, which off course I have to re-negotiate now.
No idea yet if the seller will accept an adjusted price or not, but I am not "in love/last chance/this one or none" with this specific car.

The seller does not really want to sell, but has to for economical reasons.
He seems to be a nice guy and I do not want to take advantage of him, but neither am I willing to pay more than the car is worth - he did mention some dents, but these look like "serious dents".

Question: Does the Kelley Blue Book reflect the values accurately or are they way off - specifically for the 98-00 LS400, low mileage (this one has only 63000). The initially agreed price is obviously not in the weekend project area!

"Go there and check it out, man!" - .....wish I could, but that would put the car out of rational reach - I have to buy un-seen.
I already have to absorb quite a high percentage in shipping, tax, customs, etc.... (I live in Panama ....)


With the SGS report I have a better idea of the actual condition of the car. IF blue book values reflect real world street prices, I have a good reference of the actual value of the car....

Thanks for your time and help!

Cheers,

thjakits

PS: By chance any one of you guys lives around 100 miles north of Miami on the Atlantic Coast and has real good experience with used Lexus'?? Maybe you would be willing to go and a have look?

romeo291

iTrader: (1)

I paid $9K for mine and it was in pristine condition w/ perfect interior and it had 100K miles. It also had the 100K service completed, so that was a bonus. Not sure how much the one you're buying is for, but from what you've described......I won't pay more than $9K for it either.

ck90211

If you're going to buy an used car sight unseen, I would rather buy from CA or AZ, because there are lots more clean, rust free, original owner LS here than probably the rest of the country. You can get a nice 97 or older for less than $5K, $9-10K for 2000, and $12K for a LS430. This of course is not everyday prices, you just have to come upon them, but they are out there in LA. These might have more miles than you are used to, probably 120-150K, because we drive a lot on highways in SoCal, but this helps you get good deals.

I also live in DC, and there simply aren't as many LS's for sale out in mid Atlantic states. One thing CA cars tend to need is a good detailing, because of the sun on paint. So outside needs to be buffed and inside leather needs reconditioning.

Shipping from SoCal to NC is probably about $600-1000 ($600 was for a Prius and $1000 for a van). I shipped 2 from LA to DC last year so know the prices well. If you ship, do not go through a broker ($150 commission for doing nothing). Definitely go through a trucking company directly. The one I used goes exclusively from LA/SF to NYC/DC/Atlanta/FL, because nearly 65% of all car transport biz nationwide go to these spots, and that was why they can do so cheap.

Good luck finding your LS. I did ('95), and wow, what an amazing car.

vietunit

iTrader: (5)

I'm going to have to go with ck90211, there are MANY clean LS's for sale in CA. Makes me want to pick up a newer one and VIP it :/

As for your current situation, I'd make sure to do a COMPLETE check on everything. Serious dents shall not be ignored and can lead to even bigger problems you don't know about. Be patient because when you find a clean one, it'll run forever

romeo291

iTrader: (1)

^agreed w/ those guys, nice cars in Cali can be had for much cheaper then the market price elsewhere in the country. If you need it shipped anyways, mind as well start looking for them in Cali. Most of the cars I wanted to buy when I was looking was all in Cali w/ awesome prices.

thjakits

Hi guys,

thanx for the insights!

CK: My shipment is going to go on a boat! - Panama

California car is only worth it (for me) if I drive it to Panama - probably would take a week or so.....
.....unless, one of you guys wants to come along!

Well, anyone has a line on a low mileage (less than 75K) LS400 in pristine condition?

You see, shipping from LA to Panama is prohibitive expensive.
The only ports I can sail from is Miami, Tampa or Houston (Galvestone), anything else doesn't have any economic merit.

Another question:

On the SGS report I received a few pics of the prospective car.

One shows the left front underbody/sill area:

There is what looks like a huge dent, I rather believe it is actually built like that, but why don't you guys do me a favor, get out to your mistress and hav a closer look! If your pride&joy looks the same there, I should be okay....




Looking forward to your replies!

....and I am serious, if you know about a pristine one form Cali, please let me know!

thjakits

ck90211

Any excuses to get out of sanding floor and outside looking at my LS is A-OK. Alright my is a 95, saw no dents or indent of any kind. So I say your prospective car has a nice size dent probably from a rock.

Would TX make a good shipping point for Panama? I would think TX would also have some clean LS's, but they probably have even more miles than CA. For such low mile (LS is 10+ years old now and less than 75K miles), you probably do best in FL from a retiree.

thjakits

Thanx a lot CK - so a dent it is - ...and a big one!
Makes me wonder what that car went through!

TX probably would be okay for shipping - Houston/Galveston...

Any line on a really good LS400 (98-00)?


thjakits,