Evitzee

Are we talking loaners or cars coming off leases? I probably wouldn't buy a loaner as they get too much wear and tear, aren't cleaned often enough, etc. A lease can be a good value, they are often company cars and the owners take reasonable care of them. You have to do the math.

UCSB

^^ It's been my experience that even people leasing cars, especially for 27 months, don't go out of their way to take great car of the cars.

RXSF

okay, well in a perfect world which is what we live in if we go by the posts in this thread, then by all means, go buy a loaner

markrivers

How much are you really saving by getting a loaner? vs. a previously owned RX vs. a lease return?
I'd stick with a 1 owner RX then a lease return and NEVER a loaner or a rental ( think high end car rentals).

SW17LS

Absolutely not. The condition the loaners I've gotten have been in, even after a couple thousand miles is pretty incredible. I would never buy a loaner.

davezaristo

only if it is dirt-cheap for me to flip it...loaner or cars from rental companies are made to be abused, no one ever warms it up, break in properly, or maintained diligently...those all make a difference in terms of the conditions and longevity of a car...

dwlink

All depends on the context. When we were test driving our RX, I made it a point to sit in the back and dig between the seats. Reason being - if I can find any little pieces of kids toys I'll likely know the car was driven conservatively (granted the rear seat entertainment was a bit of a give away).

Couple that with a full service history and a fantastic sales price, I could care less if it was owned or leased (it was leased).

On the other side of the spectrum consider an M3 with after-market performance mods. You'll know how that car was driven and then need to see what price makes sense to you for such a vehicle.

All that being said, rental cars are still the worst as they will have the largest variety of drivers with all of their different habits. Not to mention that the rental agencies themselves are unlikely to be diligent about doing any maintenance beyond the minimum recommendations.

andye39s

This is a bit OT, but since you brought up the subject of M3, let me share this. A friend of mine bought an M3 with about 6000 *hard driven* miles on it. This was a BMW performance center car in South Carolina, yes the cars BMW uses to let people abuse. I told him there's no way I would knowingly buy that car, but you know what, the car now has ~50k miles and other than routine stuff it's never had any problems and it runs great.

I went to the performance center in 2003 when I bought the M5 (BMW throws in a 2-day performance driving session with M5 purchases). It was two of the most fun days I've ever had in my life. Going on hot laps with the instructors was pure awesomeness. The M5 I was driving had 2000 miles on it and the clutch was toast in that car lol. At the beginning we were going to gentle on the cars, the instructors kept reminding us that "it's not your car"

Still, I definitely would not buy a loaner (or a BMW performance center) car. It seems Lexus dealers sell off they loaner cars when they reach 15k miles. I'm picking up a CPO 2012 RXh tomorrow. It so happens that they have two other CPO 2012 RXh with ~15k miles. Looking at the Carfax I could tell those were loaners, and my sales guy confirmed they are. I gladly took the one with literally 3x the mileage with a stack of service receipts showing oil changes every 2-3 months.

carlmast

I did purchase a 2012 RX 350 from my Lexus dealer that had about 14,000 miles and have no issues with it. When you buy any pre-owned vehicle you will never know the full history even if you get the service reports or CarFax reports but I do not think that the average person that a Lexus dealer provides a loaner to is not taking it to the drag strip. Yes some rental cars are abused by drivers and often they are not serviced well but what about if it was a company lease vehicle or private owner? Did the previous owner have a 17 year son who borrowed the car on weekends to drag race his friends or is all the mileage from stop and go driving in town. The main thing I look for is how much warranty is left or is it OEM certified

SW17LS

I just know the condition of the loaner cars I have been given. I had a 2013 RX last week that had 3k on it, all the wheels were curbed, carpets were stained, it smelled...they had been hauling something sharp in the back of it...its a question of what is more likely...I think in general a normal CPO car is going to have been better cared for than a loaner.

trilogy

My first RX, a 2009, was a dealer loaner that had been in service for a year. I bought it with 15,000 miles, and it was a great price, in perfect condition, and I got an extended warranty with it. I had no issues with it whatsoever. I did just trade it in for a new 2013, but that had nothing to do with how the 2009 performed or my overall experience having purchased a previous loaner car.

My dealer only keeps a car in service for a year and then they put it up for sale. Like others have said, the clientele of those owning a Lexus would lead me to believe that they would treat a loaner pretty well, not to mention I would hazard a guess that most loaner cars are only used by any one person for a day.

I felt comfortable buying my previously loaned car, however I would not feel comfortable ever buying a previously leased car. Since most people who lease turn their cars in after the term is up, they probably don't care much about treating it well, getting the maintenance done, using the best gas, etc.

SW17LS

But thats going to be the same way with a loaner car...you think people put anything but the absolute cheapest gas in a loaner car? Treat it well? Dealer does the maintenance but to me thats a small part...

tromly

The last three cars I purchased were off lease, all were great

heisnuts

I think it really comes down to how **** you are about the car and how long you plan on keeping the car. I know some people who are really **** about their cars, and I have seen some cars where the owner treats it worse than the loaners described in this thread.

If you are really **** about the car and plan to keep it a long time, then I would not recommend a loaner car. However, if you are not **** about your car and you only plan on keeping the car 3 or 4 years, then I don't see a problem with it (assuming the price was lower than a one owner non-loaner car). If you go with a loaner car, I would ask them to include an extended warranty through Lexus (not an aftermarket company).

corradoMR2

I would avoid a loaner as a general rule as I've seen really beat-up Lexus loaners over the years. However, if the price was right and cosmetically was in good shape and ride felt solid free of rattles, noises, etc, I'd strongly consider it.