When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Thing about private party sales, unless they meet ya in a parking lot, you know where they live. If they misrepresent the car or lie to you, again you know where they live to go back to complain, and they know this also. Not the case off a lot with a salesman who wants to hit his numbers.
I suggest not buying a car like an LS430 in a private party sale out of a parking lot. If the seller is unwilling to meet with you at his home I'd pass. There are lots of scams surrounding buying used cars even in the private sale market - depending where and how you buy private sales can be more risky. I would want to buy a used LS430 from a clearly affluent seller so you learn a lot by coming to their house - these kinds of things tend to indicate that the LS being sold actually is the seller's personal car and that it has been taken care of and well maintained.
I wouldn't necessarily let the fact that it had been involved in a minor parking lot incident be a deal breaker, but I would have it checked out by someone and I think there should be a bit more of a discount.
The fact though that the owner was forthcoming with this despite it not being on CarFax is a good sign in my opinion. If that's the only issue and it's everything you want, I don't think $15k for a 2004 with those miles is a bad deal.
Personally, if I could do it all over again, I would "over pay" for a nice example with the color and options I wanted vs finding one at a rock bottom wholesale price. When a car gets this age, how it's taken care of makes a really big difference. I see a lot of ratty LS's now.
i agree,a parking lot hit would not be a deal breaker nor would a one panel replacement.a well taken care of car is going to save you problems and money down the road.
Differences between ML and CL -
Dynamic Cruise Control
possible PCS (optional)
Headlamp Washers
Sport Package NOT available
Leather Surfaces
Perforated Seat Leather
It's a rule of thumb I go by, whenever the car was involved in an accident, minor or major. I would walk away or get it dirt cheap from them. And since this is a luxury car, I wouldn't even think of getting it even if it was offered to me for $10k.
A lot of the cars geometry changes when it is involved in an accident. Lots of other things too, like Airbags for example. The car will never be the same. And you can't tell exactly how bad the accident was by not being able to look at it.
As other members have discussed, lots of other cars are available out there within the price range, but clean with no accidents.
When I heard it was in an accident that was my immediate reaction as well. The only reason I didn't is because around here they don't show up on the market very often. I've seen lots in the San Fran Bay Area but that is a long drive just to look at a car I might not buy.
You make an excellent point about the air bags. Though according to him all they did was repaint the bumper. However the shop that did it has lost or deleted the record of repair and he doesn't have the record of it himself anymore. It doesn't show up on CarFax and the title is clean. So I don't know what to make of it.
If you start looking at 10+ year old used cars with some miles on them, I'd say over half of them have had some sort of accident damage. Most of them its usually a parking lot scrape or something very minor that required a repainted bumper or the owner didn't bother to fix it since it was minor.
It doesn't take anything at all to bugger up a plastic bumper cover. To the op, keep in mind the damage when you negotiate on price, and I'd walk if it is less than a perfect repair. Maybe ask the owner if he has pictures of the damage and then you can make a more honest assessment.
Well from the pictures I've seen the car looks excellent except a few paint chips on the bumpers and a couple marks on the plastic inside which might clean off.
The repair shop has no record of the job and he cant find any records himself. It was his father's car and he recently passed away, so he says he doesn't know where they were stored. He says he doesn't know how the damage happened but he remembers it was just a paint job and they didn't have to replace any parts.
12,500 is what I thought when I read the post, belts tires recent upgrades play into this $. Yur buying from a private party original owner which is the best. At 15 k or whatever he is not gonna lie to you and look him in the eye look at his home and it will tell ya something.
So you know the history which is good so go talk to the body shop and service dept, do a little foot work it will pay off later. As usual get all the service history, get the copy of the body shop repairs call the body shop and make yur decision. Small accidents do not ruin a car, unless yur a purist then good luck looking for a non accident car in a world of unknowns about car history's, car fax or not. I once saw a totalled LS with a clean carfax, go figure.
You looking a 10 year old car most are gonna have some type of blight, whether ya know it or not initially. Get a service and auto body inspection and I think ya got a keeper at 12,5000-13k private owners are yur best bet if they check out.
Well the body shop has no record of the repair. Their system must have lost it since it was 3 years ago. The current owner (a relative, the car never changed titles) can't find the records since the primary owner passed away and that's why the car is being sold.
The car had the timing belt and water pump replaced in 2010 and the front brakes and struts done last year. Other than that it's been routine maintenance.
I thought it was a good sign the timing belt and water pump weren't put off until the 100k mile mark and they followed the 100k or 6 year rule and were conservative. So I should be good with the timing belt for a while. The other belts are what I would need to worry about. How long do they usually last?
If you really want a ccustom luxury and are willing to spend $15,000 you can get a nice custom luxury for that amount. I would keep looking or ask for a significant discount
Well I found one for sale at Sewell Lexus, but Texas is a loooooooong drive and it's being listed at $18,500. http://www.sewelllexus-dallas.com/Ve...-TX/2488132573
I thought about calling to see if they would move on price but again, Dallas is quite a ways; so I wouldn't make that trip unless they could really make it worth my while.
Originally Posted by warminwisc
Thing about private party sales, unless they meet ya in a parking lot, you know where they live. If they misrepresent the car or lie to you, again you know where they live to go back to complain, and they know this also. Not the case off a lot with a salesman who wants to hit his numbers.
Originally Posted by Jabberwock
I suggest not buying a car like an LS430 in a private party sale out of a parking lot. If the seller is unwilling to meet with you at his home I'd pass. There are lots of scams surrounding buying used cars even in the private sale market - depending where and how you buy private sales can be more risky. I would want to buy a used LS430 from a clearly affluent seller so you learn a lot by coming to their house - these kinds of things tend to indicate that the LS being sold actually is the seller's personal car and that it has been taken care of and well maintained.
The title has never changed hands and it should have their name and address on it. He's already given me his home address and it matches the name in the phone book so I don't think I have to worry about that aspect. Thanks for looking out though.
Originally Posted by jimbosr1
i agree,a parking lot hit would not be a deal breaker nor would a one panel replacement.a well taken care of car is going to save you problems and money down the road.
This is what I'm leaning to as well. The question I don't have an answer to is, how much is a reasonable offer.
To Summarize.
* 2004 LS 430
* Modern Luxury package w/ chrome standard 17" wheels
* around 70k miles
* One-owner
* Dealer maintained
* Owner doesn't have any records for the car, but the dealer says they do
* Owner is OK with me having a dealer do a pre-purchase inspection
* Timing belt & water pump replaced in 2010, front brakes & trunk struts replaced 2014
* Condition looks excellent except for some paint chips & scuffs on front & rear bumper, and some scuffs of the plastic inside
Edmunds.com
Climate Controlled Front Seats
$140
Heated Passenger Seat
$18
Heated Driver's Seat
$18
Cooled Front Seats
$61
Bluetooth
$35
17 Inch Chrome Alloy Wheels
$269
AM/FM/Cassette Audio System
$26
Front and Rear Parking Sensors
$132
Rear View Camera
$140
Mark Levinson Audio
$158
Rear Heated Seats
$32
Color Adjustment - White
$-15
Regional Adjustment
$25
Mileage Adjustment - 69,200 miles
$2,266
Condition Adjustment - Clean
Edmunds.com Total = $12,770
KBB lists it as $16,400 though.
Is Edmunds more realistic than KBB? I know KBB is what dealers use so I'm inherently skeptical of it.
Yup that's basically what you get. I can understand why most people didn't opt for it since it's just a couple little cosmetic items, but I thought it would be a hoot. The ML is nearly identical except for the things you mentioned.
It's more than a couple cosmetic items... Laminated glass, upgraded wood & perforated leather, extra leather on dash & console, auto door closers, laser cruise, alcantra headliner are ones worth mentioning.
sounds like you have made up your mind. when I bought my car I did not know the difference. now I kind of wish I had a CL but I do enjoy my premium. they are all great cars. dealer maintenance can mean absolutely no transmission service, but that is the dealer recommandition.
Bumper stuff happens frequently. When the airbags pop or panel#'s don't match then those are more obvious signs of potential issues to investigate before buying. Appreciate the discussion here, lately I've been pondering a 430 and seeing what you guys are coming across provides more insight.
Couple of cents worth on the Sewell car as I've purchased from them before.
Their 'value select' price on the internet is their bottom line price. They won't, and don't have to negotiate off of that price as it will sell. Their cars are cream of the crop and they don't take any that have been abused or damaged in any way.
As for the one you're looking at... they're all trade offs. I love the pearl white with the tan, just ended up with silver/gray and it's OK. There will be normal wear and tear, chips, dings and some scratches, but then you don't want to pay a premium price if the car is not in premium condition. Sounds like the big things, T-belt and maintenance have been taken care of. Question now is if you can life with the little things? What will make you happy in the end?
I'd purchase new carpets immediately to give it that new car look. Those are pretty bad.
Based on NADA pricing in your area I'd say the $14k range is pretty good.
03-31-15, 07:03 AM
