Hi all!

My beloved 2015 Jeep Cherokee was rear ended and totaled last week, so I've been shopping around for a new car. I dislike going to dealerships and bought the Jeep online about a year ago from a startup called Beepi (has since closed their doors). I had a great experience with them and thought I'd give it another go-round. I'm purchasing the Lexus from a similar company called Carvana. I bought a silver 2014 ES 350 with the Luxury Package + Additional Options (Nav system and Blind Spot) with only 19k miles on it for 27k. It seems to be a decent price from what I've seen.

The car seems to be in really good condition; I'm just worried about possible rust issues since it is originally from NJ. I've seen many pictures and 360 degree angles of the exterior/interior, but they don't show the undercarriage. I'll be sure to have it checked out thoroughly when it gets here. What's great is I have 7 days to return it if it doesn't meet my expectations. I can't wait!

I have 12 months left on the warranty and was wondering what opinions are on purchasing an extended warranty.

 

first off, congratulations on your new es... as for the extended warranty, I used to get them on every new car I purchased and then one day realized in some 30 years of driving ( at that time ) I had only used the extended warranty one time. and even then it didn't come close to paying for the cost of the extended warranty. So the last several cars I've purchased I have declined the extended warranty.. Of course I bought these cars "new"... so I didn't have to worry about the car's history.. even so, I would still say to most people that I would decline the ext. warranty... How ever given where your car is coming from, I would take it to a body shop ( someone you know and trust ) and have them take a look at the under carriage just to be safe.. congrats on your new car

Poppa

 

I live across the river from N.J. in Pennsylvania. I can't remember when was the last time I saw a relatively late model vehicle - Lexus or otherwise - with rust issues. We get the same snow here as they do over there. I have never experienced a rust issue with any car that I've owned. My wife bought a 73 Ford Pinto years ago and yes, that had rust eventually along with a number of other issues. Galvanized metal and anti-rust prohibitors do the job. I think that you're worrying needlessly. Further, I agree with Poppa regarding buying an extended warranty. Save your money, put it into a special account to be used just in case...

In any case, GOOD LUCK with the new wheels and welcome to CL.

 

I used to live in NJ and drove through tons of snow and salt-covered roads, and I didn't even have a garage at the time. Never had any rust issues either.

I'm not sure sometimes how all these cars on the road are so rusted and some of them are so much that it seems like a body panel would fall off soon! I even see this in the south where we hardly get 1 snowfall per year.

 

Thanks for your posts. My worries about the rust came from a 2008 Honda Civic I had bought from Carmax here in the CA Bay Area. The car was from Massachusetts. I admittedly didn't do much research on the car or get the car checked out (lesson learned). I didn't know until I got the car serviced and the technician commented on how rusty it was. Granted, the car was pretty heavily used before I got it... the rust was unexpected. Not saying it's impossible for a CA car to get rusty, but I don't think it's typically an issue.

I still have about a year left on the base warranty. That gives me plenty of time to think about the extended. Thanks for the advice!

 

Welcome and congratulations on the new ride.
First, the rust warrranty on Lexus is 6 years and not 4.
Second, you should get it checked by an independent mechanic for any issues, including rust. I don't think rust on these cars is an issue unless paint, underlayer and any protective coating are damaged in a localized area.
I also do not think you need extended warranty

 

IMO would pass on the extended warranty. Lexus has been #1 in reliability for six years in a row by J D Power. They also rate the ES as #1 in reliability in the medium size luxury car. Jeep is next to last. Consumer Reports rates Lexus #1 in reliability. Sign in to Lexus.com and register under owners. It is free. Add your car by VIN # and it will show all the work done at any Lexus or Toyota dealer.

 

Forgot to add that I know both beepi from the past and carvana. You made a good choice with carvana. I helped a friend get his Infinity from carvana. We then checked everything inside the hood and brakes ourselves. It was in great condition and was originally driven in Florida

 

I just recently purchased a 2014 CPO ES350 with nav but not blind spot, with 20K miles, for $26K so your price is reasonable.
I haven't bought a used car since 43 years ago and Lexus is probably the only brand I would consider doing so. Previously I had a 2005 ES330 in which I got 40K trouble free miles and then a 2008 ES350 that I got 149K trouble free miles. Based on my experience, I wouldn't worry about rust (I live in NJ) or the extended warranty, provided you follow Lexus service instructions precisely. During winter months I have my car washed where they do an undercarriage wash to clean off the rock salt.

 

Thanks for sharing! I'm happy to hear about how dependable Lexus is. The car had one previous owner and it was leased, so hopefully they took the great care and cleaned off any salt. I registered online and service records look good. I saw something about the owner mentioning they had purchased the Xzilion package to the service department. I see that's some sort of protective coating. Looking forward to the car getting here on Saturday rust free!