I am looking at a ES350 that has 3 years left on the powertrain and 1 year left on the factory warranty. The price is good and it has decent miles for its year. It is being sold by a Lexus dealer.

However the rear bumper is covered in scratches from parallel parking, and the front bumper has a minor crack. It also has 2 dings on the right and has a key mark swipe on the left. When I started the car it was saying it needed oil. The dealer will replace everything and they car will be detailed. The car scored a 92% on autocheck and had no accidents or anything it was a lease.

How are these cars in terms of reliability? We currently own a 2008 BMW 528i, and a 2006 Mercedes ML350. We also have a 04 Camry as a DD. The ES350 will be a DD and since its Lexus I am hoping it has no problems.

The Lexus detailed report that you can get if you own the car...Can I do this even though I don't own the car? I will put my address on the file and register the car. Can this even be done?

 

I would be very careful with this one. If the fiberglass is cracked on the front bumper, it may very well may need to be replaced. That is in excess of $1000, plus paint and installation. The rear bumper needs to be repainted, which is $200-400 depending on color/location. If it was keyed, you need to have the effected panels repainted, AND all the conjoining panels blended to match. That could be $500-2500+ easily, depending on the extent of the damage and color. If the car is saying it is low on oil, then there could be an oil leak or a blown head gasket or some other problem. These cars do not eat oil between changes. Add that all up and you have a lot of extra costs and a car that has a lot of aftermarket paint. I would keep looking for something that does not need body or paint work, unless they are giving this car away for really, really cheap.

 

I am sorry it did not need oil topped it needed "Oil Maint". The key mark was just on one side (right on the gas cap) and it was similar to my BMW when it got keyed on one side. Using a buffer I got rid of it all.

The back bumper would be buffed, painted and matched. The dings were really minor and only one requires a PDR. The front bumper would be filled and the minor scratch would be buffed and painted.

The car had a 1 year bumper to bumper left, and 3 year power train. Plus its a Lexus and was a lease and owned by a local person. I will post pictures of the car.

 

Pics... Not that bad...

 

congrats on the purchase if you have already made transaction and Welcome to the Lexus Club . What yr and color is vehicle...hope you enjoy the experience .

 

Not yet :P. Hopefully Monday.

 

I can't see the key marks in those pictures. Keep in mind that Lexus paint is VERY different than BMW paint. It is super soft water borne and will not allow you to simply buff out much. You will end burning though the clear really fast.

I'm actually shocked that they put that up for sale. This a Lexus dealer? They should have painted/fixed both bumpers before this went up for sale. Check for kerb damage on the wheels. I'd bet they all have it if the last owner was that bad at driving. Tell the dealer to do all the painting and wheel repair before you purchase it.

Just because it was owned by a local person, doesn't mean anything. I'd say its actually a negative in this case. Who wants to buy a car that was exposed to road salt, HORRIBLE NYC-NJ roads filled with potholes and bumps, and was clearly owned by someone who thought driving was a full contact sport?

 

Ok I see pics now ! A good professional detail job with upscale polish/wax will make big difference I'm sure but all in all it doesn't look that bad . I like the color....there were two shades of dk blue in 07 & 08....mine is Black Sapphire Pearl - 2010( one month old ) and I already gave it detail sealant/polish-- Zaino products and it looks very good, if I may say . Wish I knew how to get pics on here...cant get them from desktop to forum for some reason, oh well ! Hope it all works out for you .

 

The ES350 has proven to be reliable. It's been on the market only 4 years so no reliability info beyond that length of time.

To check the service history online at lexus.com you need the VIN #. Not sure if any proof of ownership is required.

It sounds like the car may not be a CPO? Just IMO, but if I were buying a late model car like this that's been driven for a while, with a few minor issues and with all of the electronics etc. I'd shoot for more warranty on it.

Good luck....

 

I'm surprised the dealer would offer the car for sale in this condition, as stated above Lexus has always rated high in reliability. That said, make sure you know the run down or get the service history of this car from the dealer. Some folks just don't service their cars well. Low on oil?, whoever owned this car didn't take good care of it IMO. If, dealer corrects the body 'imperfections' and oil issue, you should be fine. Be sure to pay close attention to the service intervals.

 

I just registered the car at the Lexus site. It looks like when the car was returned from lease it went to the Lexus Body Shop to get a few things buffed out but I guess they did not do anything.

However service looks like its been done on time. Dealer has said they will replace everything and detail it and also do the oil maint.

 

I am looking to buy a 2009 ES 350. My wife currently drives a 2007 Lincoln MKZ. I found a couple of Lexus dealerships, like this one, in the New York metro area that seem to sell their 2009 cars at 3-4k less than the competition. Anybody have experience with off lease Lexus vehicles? Non CPO, are they still good vehicles? Are these cars still under factory warranty?
Down here in Virginia, the dealers are few and far in between. Prices are extraordinarily high. Any opinions on the cut rate dealers?

 

C6vert....it may be better to start new thread to get better attn to your needs....several members on here from NY areaand VA/MD area for that matter..... in case you dont get much response throught this thread