I am shopping for a car. Atm I can afford only pre-owned. My mind is set on RX350.
Yesterday talked to one guy who bought his RX 350 at an auction (salvage title) he fixed it (not very professionally), I bought an online report. The online report showed some funny stuff.... like in April of 2012 the car had 61,500 miles and in June of 2012 the car's odometer had 60,000 so the miles went "backwards" thus an indication to me that someone messed with odometer. The car had extensive front end damage since the title was salvaged but the current mechanic (a private owner who buys and flips cars out of his home) said the miles are actual. The car appears to be ok. It has nav system (what I like the most), 84,000 miles for 2008 (but like I said it's probably not actual milage) the guy gives no warranty and he wants $9,000 all cash. Would you buy it?

Another scenario : Another RX 350 2010 at dealer, 112,000 miles, one owner. When I asked for maintenance records, the sales person pretended like he went somewhere to print out the records then he said their system is down and he could not print it.....they priced the car at $16,400 and told me (our prices are already low as is, we can't reduce a price). That car has no navigation but it's a hell a lot nicer than the 2008 model inside and out.

Would you buy either car?
I've never purchased a Lexus, the prices for 2010 with (112,000 miles) are about the same around city.. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

If I were you I'd never think about car #1 again.

Is car #2 at a Lexus dealer or a generic used car lot? If it is the former, I'd absolutely insist on the service records and I'd disregard the BS on pricing for now. Until you know the car is solid, price is irrelevant. If the car otherwise checks out then we can all help you with pricing.

Candidly, neither car sounds great, but of the two only #2 is worth any more of your time.

 

Welcome to CL as a first-time poster.

I'd avoid both of these vehicles. First of all, stay away from anything that looks like it has had the odometer tampered with. That is a Federal offense https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/32703 and even if you yourself wouldn't face any charges (the previous owner or mechanic would probably be responsible), in this day and age, authorities often impound vehicles connected with crimes. This vehicle also came from an auction....IMO one of the worst places to get a car from, as all kinds of vehicles are sole there that were repo'ed or are these under suspicious circumstances.

The second one, with no maintenance records, also looks suspicious.....it's hard to tell if the salesperson is telling the truth when he said that the reason he didn't have them is that the system is down. It's quite convenient that the system is "down" just when the records are most needed.

 

Thank you for your reply. I did find a report on carfax. Although I've heard that Carfax is not accurate when it comes to reports on cars. The 2nd car had one owner who took the Lexus RX for scheduled maintenance to Lexus dealership for the past 8/9 years. The car is on market since September 2nd of this year. They priced at $16,442 RX350, 112,000 miles (no nav system) but heated seats (I could live without those heated seats). Does it sound like a good deal or not? They refuse to drop down the price. I even offered $5,000 cash if they'll sell it for $12k but they said their prices are very competitive and they have no room for negotiation.

 

Thank you and Thank you for reply. I did find a Carfax info on that car. One owner. He did scheduled maintenance since the year he purchased it brand new. The history of the car goes to September of this year. No accidents ever involved/reported. The price is $16,450 for 112,000 miles, no nav system, tiny back up camera in mirror, the interior and exterior look very nice. The fact that the car had only one owner and full record history done at Lexus's certified dealer/shop I think that's a big plus. What do you think?

 

That's not an excessively high price, but NADA (which is often a little more accurate then KBB) shows just under 16K Retail for a clean 2010 with minimal options (assuming it is AWD) and a good history. I'd get them to try and come down a little, but 16K sounds about right if no significant problems are found.

 

Never, ever buy a salvage car. You will regret it, as some sort of mess(es) always comes into play later on. You cannot trust a salvage car.
Basically in your situation, you get what you pay for. If you are trying to save a buck and end up with a high-mileage car, you will run into more mechanical problems later down the road. Fortunately, at least with Toyota/Lexus, the second car you listed should still have a lot of reliable life left in it. However, I'd personally avoid it, because it's had some wear and tear, which means things are going to need replacing sooner than later. In my opinion, you are much better off buying a lesser car with much lower mileage- for the same price (Accord, Camry, Avalon, ES). That is the practical, long-term way to do things if you want to avoid future headache.

 

Thanks for you reply. I've had brand new Honda Accord a few times and ran it till 80,000 miles both, at 60,000 both began having problems. Things were falling off sort of speak. The windows stopped operating, door's handle began peeling off, The last draw was when a shaft repair was going to cost nearly $2000 and the value of the car was below that. I will never buy Honda Accord. Toyota is nice but my heart is with Lexus I wonder how much miles could one put on Lexus? What's the maximum milage before the car would start breaking apart?

 

That's rare to hear about Honda Accords having that many issues. With all things, a car is only as good as how the owner takes care of it. So for people that are dedicated to routine and preventive maintenance, many cars from many brands today can easily reach 200,000 miles, if not more. As is the case with most things, your mileage may vary.

 

need to expand your search a bit more and look for a better deal.....if any of these look good to you just email for more info...

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/cars+under+15000/Lexus/RX+350/Alexandria+IN-46001?zip=46001&startYear=1981&maxMileage=100000&numRecords=100&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&maxPrice=15000&firstRecord=0&endYear=2018&modelCodeList=RX350&makeCodeList=LEXUS&searchRadius=500

 

Oh, I've taken two cars to honda's oil change and everything I've done at Honda, I had all my records. Paid arm and a leg for everything thinking : "if I'll invest, it will service me" and it's piece of junk! How do you explain the silver door handle inside the car peeling off over 10 years? That's not quality! The car was parked outside and kept outside. The paint color faded, the exhaust had to be replaced due to rust (I live in 4 seasons state) and I bought that car brand new with 6 miles on odometer during the year it was released. Not 6000, not 600 miles, but 6 miles. Someone just drove it around dealership. It's piece of crap I will never ever buy a Honda! Had 2 of them brand new ones both started having major problems after 65k miles.