Buying an '01 LS 430
08-15-13, 06:33 AM
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Buying an '01 LS 430
Quick questions on buying a new car.
I went to look at the 2001 Lexus LS430 UL edition that I'll be picking up and everything seemed to check out, mechanically. Everything works for the most part (besides the infamous speaker rattle) but there were a couple things I noticed.
First off: the roof had ever-so-slight hail damage. Nothing very noticeable, but on a black car it stuck out. Maybe 4 or 5 spots.
The steering wheel made a kind of buzzing noise as it tilts up and down. The telescoping feature was fine.
Other than that, interior was flawless. Leather was very well taken care of and all electronics worked (I made sure to test the seats, mirrors, sunroof, heating and cooling systems, reclining and vibrating rear seats, etc.)
No unusual noises that I could find besides those mentioned.
Anyways, I went to test out the reverse proximity sensors. Since I was by myself, I attempted backing up to another car. How far do they begin to go off? Is this a feature that can be turned on or off? I felt as if I was getting rather close to the vehicle but wasn't hearing anything in the cabin. Also if they were out, how much is this to fix?
Also, the motor seems to emit a decent amount of heat after taking it around the block and on the highway for a 1 mile stretch or so. I know this is a V8, so I assume that's normal? (No smoke or anything like that. Everything looked fine under the hood, just considerably hotter than the 4-cylinders I currently own/drive)
The vehicle has 148k (highway, from what I've been told from a trusted source) miles on it and has had the 90k maintenance done to it. Seems to run perfectly fine down the road. Very smooth and impressive ride and power. Currently in the process to carfax and check the maintenance records, but main question is the owner is asking 10.5 for it, and it kbb's for about that.
Is this a fair price for the vehicle or should I try talking him down?
tl;dr
Buying LS430 UL edition.
Very minor hail damage.
Tilt steering wheel buzzes, telescoping does not.
Motor seems hot, but I'm used to 4 cylinders (No smoking or noticable leaks, I'll put it up on a jack before purchase)
Reverse proximity sensors may be out.
Owner wants 10.5k for a 148k mile car. What's a fair price?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I went to look at the 2001 Lexus LS430 UL edition that I'll be picking up and everything seemed to check out, mechanically. Everything works for the most part (besides the infamous speaker rattle) but there were a couple things I noticed.
First off: the roof had ever-so-slight hail damage. Nothing very noticeable, but on a black car it stuck out. Maybe 4 or 5 spots.
The steering wheel made a kind of buzzing noise as it tilts up and down. The telescoping feature was fine.
Other than that, interior was flawless. Leather was very well taken care of and all electronics worked (I made sure to test the seats, mirrors, sunroof, heating and cooling systems, reclining and vibrating rear seats, etc.)
No unusual noises that I could find besides those mentioned.
Anyways, I went to test out the reverse proximity sensors. Since I was by myself, I attempted backing up to another car. How far do they begin to go off? Is this a feature that can be turned on or off? I felt as if I was getting rather close to the vehicle but wasn't hearing anything in the cabin. Also if they were out, how much is this to fix?
Also, the motor seems to emit a decent amount of heat after taking it around the block and on the highway for a 1 mile stretch or so. I know this is a V8, so I assume that's normal? (No smoke or anything like that. Everything looked fine under the hood, just considerably hotter than the 4-cylinders I currently own/drive)
The vehicle has 148k (highway, from what I've been told from a trusted source) miles on it and has had the 90k maintenance done to it. Seems to run perfectly fine down the road. Very smooth and impressive ride and power. Currently in the process to carfax and check the maintenance records, but main question is the owner is asking 10.5 for it, and it kbb's for about that.
Is this a fair price for the vehicle or should I try talking him down?
tl;dr
Buying LS430 UL edition.
Very minor hail damage.
Tilt steering wheel buzzes, telescoping does not.
Motor seems hot, but I'm used to 4 cylinders (No smoking or noticable leaks, I'll put it up on a jack before purchase)
Reverse proximity sensors may be out.
Owner wants 10.5k for a 148k mile car. What's a fair price?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Last edited by 2S13S14LS; 08-15-13 at 06:36 AM.
08-15-13, 10:47 AM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
If hail damage and tilt motor buzzing is all you can find wrong with it then I'd say its a good car. As long as the temp gauge is normal then don't worry about the heat. There's a button to the left of the steering column to turn off the parking sensors, check and see if it is off. If it's on, there's a menu in the Nav display I believe that allows you to set the sensitivity of the sensors. Don't know about price if its fair or not.
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