Hello,

This forum has been so helpful so far. I have only had Honda's that I buy new and drive to over 200K. My parents have the Lexus LS and ES which has found me wanting a lexus. I was looking at the ES, RX and NX and got to thinking that maybe I should consider buying used. I want to buy more with my head than my heart (2 teen girls leaving for college soon). Where I need some guidance is buying used, do I buy certified from a dealer, private party, carmax, etc. What tool do you use to get the right price? I am thinking low miles 1-2 years old, etc. What is the lexus extended warranty on certified used all about? Anyone willing to send some guidance my way? With good deals right now am I better off getting a new 2017 as the 2018's come out? I am somewhat all over the fence... I think this forum has made me questioning the various options. Input and experience appreciated... like everyone else, I want to get the best deal for the dollar.

Elizabeth

 

I am sure a lot experienced folks here will chime in, but for me;

1)know what do you want.- sedan (IS/ES/GS/LS) or crossover(NX/R) or "real" SUV /GX/LX)
2)determine your budget/ financing options

then let the hunt begin.
- get to know different options, packages options that comes with the car (eg; google 2014 LS options)
- check out several websites to get a flavor on what is available and the price points (carguru.com vs carmax.com vs cars.com etc
- check KBB.com, edmunds.com to also see what is "fair" price for the model and year
-depending on what car you want buy, and your personality, some would get certified pre-owned from dealers, or get extended warranties and some might forego it.

I know all these are generic advice, but you provide more info, a more "tailored" advise will be available.

 

this thread is aimed at purchasing or leasing a new vehicle, but a lot of it still applies to used transactions --https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...nd-buying.html

 

As for as warranty goes,

In my dealership, Lexus Certified Used cars will have 2 years certified warranty on top of the remaining 4 year factory. Plus 2 years or 4 maintenance services.

Prices of certified used are a little steep, discounts are not readily available. For example, a '16 RX that retails at 58k at the time it was used, sells for about 45-48k certified used. Also, depends on condition, mileage, and year of the car.

Generally, if you are looking at a 1-2 year old Lexus with ~ under 30k miles, you're probably saving around 10-12k buying used vs new. Again, there is low chances of price negotiations on certified used.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with a used ES350. They're fairly reliable, efficient and cheap to maintain, where as the LS460 would be a bit more expensive.

 

We picked up a one year old RX a few years ago and it's been great thus far. It was certified, but we had the dealer remove the certification. There is absolutely no need for any sort of extra warranty on such a new car, let alone a usually reliable Lexus. So we saved a few thousand more once they took off the certification, but still got the rest of the regular warranty the car originally carried. No need to pay for "two" warranties, which in essence is what Lexus is adding for their certified cars.
I'd skip all other dealers and stick with Lexus shops. They know their cars best, their histories through service, and the treatment is best. By removing the certification, you can have all the above and your cake too.
Good luck!

 

If you are looking at a 1-2 yr old vehicle, then as mentioned above you are going to have a good amount of the original warranty remaining in case there are any issues. As to extended warranty, (someone can chime in about Lexus) I am not familiar with Lexus, but you can buy an AcuraCare extended warranty at any time until the original warranty expires. If this is the case with Lexus, you don't have to make that decision now.

Then you have your standard mechanical and Carfax due diligence. I check Carfax for multiple owners (I generally don't like multiple owners), history of car (don't like cars at local dealers that you can tell have come from far away auctions) including service, and accidents (I don't like cars with significant damage, although that may NOT show up on Carfax).

If you are looking at 1-2 year old cars also look at other car dealers, and even on Craigslist, as you have the original warranty as protection. You can still do the due diligence on Carfax. A dealer will generally give less on a trade for a non-brand vehicle, and has more room to negotiate. I once bought a used 2005 MDX from a GMC dealer cheaper than a 2004 with more miles from the Acura dealer. I called the dealer where the MDX was originally purchased and they went over service records with me. One time I saw an ad for a very fairly priced MDX at a Porsche dealer, but when I called about it, they had sold it to the Acura dealer.

Good luck with your process.

 

you can do that with lexus as well, but many dealers charge more the closer you are to warranty expiration.