jagsfan201

Hey everyone,

First time poster and hopefully future Lexus owner. I am looking to make the switch from a 2012 Camry to the ES300h, and have been recently checking the 2013 and 14 models. I test drove a 2014 ES300h, CPO, listed with 53k miles, coming with the Ultra Lux Pkg for 25k out the door. I would be the 3rd owner of the car, which somewhat concerns me (the most recent only kept it 4 mo).

When I countered with 23.5k OTD the sales mgr seemed to think I was crazy. The car drives like a dream (at least the 15 min test drive did). For an investment like this, I would have my indy mechanic check the car out, but what is everyones take on the deal?

jagsfan201

Some other details -
It has been on the lot 6 weeks,
It is White(Pearl?) ext

lesz

Could you please clarify something for me. Are you saying that the car that you are looking at is being sold by a Lexus dealer and that it is being sold as a Lexus certified vehicle?

The reason why I am asking the question is because, at some point in the past, I recall reading either that only a 1-owner car is eligible to be a CPO vehicle or that a Lexus car can only be certified one time. If that information is not correct, I would like to correct my understanding of what is actually true. Also, if the car is a 2-owner car, do you know if it was sold as a CPO vehicle to its second owner?

Thanks.

jagsfan201

It is being sold from a Lexus dealer. They are listing it as a Lexus certified vehicle.and the Carfax lists 2 prev owners

lesz

Thanks for the answer to my question. I wonder, when it was sold to the second owner, if it was sold as a CPO vehicle. If it was, my understanding that a Lexus could be certified only once would be incorrect. If it was not sold to the second owner as a CPO vehicle, that could still be consistent with my understanding.

jagsfan201

I spoke with the sales mgr, and he advised that a Lexus can be sold as a CPO whether it is 1 owner, 2 owner, etc. He said Lexus will put limitations on a car, some basic like mileage, but others, such as damage, is subjective.

lesz

Thanks for passing along the answer to that question.

As far as the 2014 CPO ES300h that you are looking at, the price is about where I would expect it to be. Typically, a 2014 ES300h CPO might have a higher price, but the mileage on this one is a bit above average, and that has brought down the price a bit. Also, this is a good time to buy a hybrid. With gas prices having remained at relatively low levels for a few years, demand for hybrids has been lower, and, even though the original MSRP for the hybrid was about $3000 higher than the MSRP for the ES350, used prices for the the ES300h have recently been around the same level, sometimes lower, than those for similarly equipped ES350s with comparable mileage.

I would suggest making sure that you get a copy of the CPO checklist and that you look at it carefully to see what reconditioning and repairs might have been done to the car. Also, check the CPO checklist to see the condition of the tires and brakes. The car is likely 10-15,000 miles into its second set of tires, and the brakes on a hybrid should still be in good shape at 53,000 miles, but you should still check both the tires and brakes because the CPO minimum requirement for both brakes and tires only requires about 1/3 of their useful life to be left.

Also, the 60,000 mile maintenance is one of the more expensive ones. If I was trying to negotiate to buy the car, at the point where the dealer appears to be holding firm on the price, I might make my last negotiating attempt as a request to get them to do the 60,000 maintenance, even though the car is still a bit short of 60,000 miles.

mcomer

CPO brake and tire wear limits are 50% of new depth. A vehicle is only sold as a Certified PreOwned by a
Lexus dealer. When a civilian sells the CPO it reverts to various levels of remaining original warranties.
A Lexus dealer can re-certify a car by inspecting and replacing to spec up to 6 years old or 70K miles.

lesz

It is 50% of the original depth, but that is only about 1/3 (or less) of usable depth. For example, the OEM Michelin or Bridgestone tires that come on the ES start with 9/32" of original tread. If the CPO minimum is 5/32", that is a little over 50% of original tread, but, since the tires are no longer legal at 2/32" and since most people replace tires at 3/32" or even 4/32", a tire with 5/32" only has about 2/32" or 3/32" of usable tread left, which is 1/3 or less of the original usable tread.

Wandl

I think this is a good deal, the Ultra Luxury is a rare package to begin with and while the mileage is higher than average for a 2014 model, $25k OTD insinuates a purchase price of about $23k which makes that a pretty good deal.

jagsfan201

Thanks everyone. I am speaking with the salesman later tonight, as he called trying to close at 25.8K OTD. I asked for the CPO checklist, and would counter once I reviewed.

Daniels927

Good morning everybody, Im still in the market myself for a used RC-F. To Slurm818, Im in the NY/NJ area myself and i actually went to look at that specific RC-F myself. As you mentioned, if a good deal RC-F comes out, its usually gone within 2-3 weeks, I know because i've been in the market for almost a year and have done extensive research on this vehicle. Yes, it doesn't have TVD or the carbon fiber roof but I know the history of this car. It was a young man from NJ, took the car to VA/MD area for almost 2 years and then brought it back i believe for a trade in. It was a 1 owner car and no accidents or anything like that. Just like you i was also very curious onto why this car hasnt been sold and been on the market for a very long time. The only thing i can tell you is, IF you decide on this ( i actually declined on this car myself) try to get a cheaper price because the car hasn't been that well taken care off because i see alot of scratches and swirls on the car (barely visible but i'm picky about things like that). Also the main reason why i declined was the color of the interior. It is stated as gray but it is actually a more Beige color. It also looks alittle faded and to my opinion, looks so ugly that i actually declined this car because of that.

Freds430

A high price. What is the selling price because out the door price is hard to compare with all the add-ons. There are 64 Lexus 300h 2014 for sale on Cars.com. The highest price is $23,000 with only 21,000 miles. What is the vin # and I will look up all the service and repairs that have been done at any Lexus dealership.

lesz

The reason why the price seems high is that this thread is now almost 3 years old. When this thread was started in 2017, the price offered to the OP was probably in line with prices for a 2014 ES 300h at that time.

Freds430

Did not even notice the date. One would think either the site or moderators would have closed this a loooong time ago.