Roach

Hey Club Lexus, Roach here. I'm a new member, I'll get to my intro thread later today, and I was hoping to get some advice from someone who has experience owning and servicing an IS300. Before I get into specifics let me explain just a little about my past. I was born in raised in Peoria, Arizona. Right now I live in Boise, Idaho but I'll be moving back to the Sunset state at the beginning of March. I've been browsing the Cars+Trucks section of Craigslist, as I do on a regular basis, and I've found two 5 speed manual Lexus IS300s. One is in Seattle, which is close enough to Boise I could pick it up whenever I wanted. The other one is in Gilbert, Arizona so I would have to wait until I move in March to purchase it (Assuming it's still for sale) Here's the links the the two:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/4687518789.html

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/4768264470.html

This won't be my first or only vehicle so I know to take into account the amount of service records, number of owners, condition, etc. The owner of the IS300 in Seattle is asking closer to Kelly Blue Book value and I can make the purchase sooner than later so I'm inclined to go with the one in Seattle. What I really want to know is what kind of maintenance I may be getting into if I purchase the IS300 in Seattle that has 160K miles on the clock. I have a general idea but I'm hoping someone that's owned an IS300 with mileage this high or even higher mileage can give me a plethora of information. Please let me know what the worst case and best case scenarios are due to poor or great maintenance. The IS300 in Gilbert, Arizona has 129K miles on the clock. Are the 30K miles worth an additional $2,500 to $3,000 dollars? I don't want to purchase a vehicle that I'm going to have to repair more than I drive. Let me know what you guys think. I hope to become a staple Club Lexus member. Thanks in advance for all the help.

- Roach. New member.

LSBen

The 1st thing I would do is get the VIN # of both vehicles and goto the Lexus website and download the service records for both vehicles. At least you will know what was done the to car if they serviced it at the dealers, such as timing belt, water pump ($700-$1000 depending where you take it) etc. Look for any major repair services. Radiator may need to be replaced as its partially made out of plastic. My LS430 leaked coolant after 10 years. Before you purchase, you should ask the owner to let you take the car and get a used car inspection report. Take it to the dealers, or mechanic, and have them do the inspection. They will charge you an hour at their labor rate. They can tell you what needs servicing/replacing, like breaks, rotors, struts, belts, etc. They can tell you if the cars been in an accident. Then you will know what you're in for when you make the purchase and you'll be in a better position to negotiate the sales price.

Judging by the pictures, the one in AZ has a replacement bumper, as the paint has faded and doesn't match the body, most likely rear ended. It also has a Air Intake so it may have been driven harder than one without, hence more engine wear. Car was probably parked outside as the headlight lens is badly oxidized. Interior looks badly faded due to the AZ heat. The picture of the Seatle IS300 looks better body wise. If they kept up on the service of the Seattle car, I'd go with that one. Seattle weather is not as harsh on the body also.

Good luck with your purchase

Roach

Cool. Thanks a bunch! I didn't even notice the rear bumper from the pictures. Thanks for pointing that out. Yeah Arizona can be really tough on cars if they aren't kept inside. I'll get in contact with the owner of the Lexus in Seattle to get some more information. I'll reply again if I have any more questions.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

I just moved to the Phoenix area - if you get serious about a car, I would be more than happy to try and arrange a meet with a potential seller here.