lets see a link of it so we can see it and poke it with sticks till we find all of its flaws

Good recommendations, I will try to have someone inspect it when test-driving...

Link: http://www.highlinemotorcar.com/carsforsale.aspx

Search '2003 Lexus GS 430'

Anyone else care to express their opinions on the whole winter issue?

Based on those pics I say do it. GS430 W Nav, no spoiler , great color combo, & wood wheel. The only things I noticed was the scrap on the bottom of the front bumper and that they forgot to install the battery tie down before taking the picture. Both of these are not real issues.

If you like it go check it out and take it home.

man im jealous....i would sell my black gs430 JUST to buy that. NO JOKE. U can buy mine and i'll go buy that one......2001 gs434 nav with 99k

'03 GS430 w/ Nav, ML, Spoiler, 17" rims are standard on 02-05. I bought mines for 20k cash with 75k on it.

i just purchased a 02 gs430 wnav 33k 17500 lexus certified before i bought it i was looking at a white on tan gs430 w nav in nj for 16500 with 65k i believe it was at m and h motors clean carfax good luck

Has the car been in NY its entire life? I honestly don't believe it is that big of deal as Lexus is not known for its rust problems. Heck even if the car has been registered in Texas its whole life doesn't mean that's where its been the entire time.

On another note, I've seen that car for sale on various websites including Ebay which likely means that car has been for sale for a while if they are not everyday listers of their fleet. Normally its not a good thing when a car has been on a lot for months at a time but with this economy its more common now.

I would try to get him down in the upper 13's or low 14's . If your not close enough to the actual car to check it out ask if they will take the car to a local Lexus dealer and have a pre-purchase inspection done (at your expense) before you purchase.

I've been waiting for this post! Someone to directly address my "winter concern." I agree with the idea that just because a car is from, say, TN, that they didn't travel regularly to the north/northeastern states regularly... and vice-versa. Again, I agree that there should be room to negotiate considering it's been on the lot for a while. So far it checks out to be a pretty good deal.

Now my last concern- purchasing a loaner vehicle. This is an 8 cylinder 300hp engine, should I be worried that it's been beaten to hell since it was a loan car? Understandably, Lexus engines are solid, but should this be an issue?

That said, you guys have been awesome so far, I can't believe over 20 posts in a day for my First Post/Thread. Wow. I look forward to becoming a Lexus owner and working with everyone here on CL

Thank youuuuu

How do you know it was a loaner car? Does the carfax have something on it?

I have an "Autocheck Vehicle History Report."

2/27/2003: VEHICLE MANUFACTURED AND SHIPPED TO DEALER
11/18/04: REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL (LEASED VEHICLE)
8/7/06: REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
8/15/06: AUCTION ANNOUNCED AS FLEET/LEASE
9/13/06: PASSED EMISSION & SAFETY INSPECTIONS
9/15/06: REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
12/06: TITLE (LIEN REPORTED) -- IDK WHAT "LIEN" IS
6/08: REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
6/08: AUCTION ANNOUNCED AS FLEET/LEASE


So... any new thoughts? Care to elaborate on it's history, as to me it looks like it was leased from 11/04 to 8/06, from aug/sept '06 to 6/08. Please correct me if I'm wrong

lexGS4me, i just sent you a PM. let me know if you're interested, i might be swinging by NYC by this weekend.

It could have very well been leased or a corporate car. I highly doubt it was a rental car like Avis or Enterprise. I'm not sure how the auctions work in terms of announcing the car as fleet / lease. I imagine they just have to label cars coming off lease that are being auction as such.

my opinion a used car is a used car, there is only so much you can do to minimize the risk. If you have a pre-purchase inspection done of the body, interior, mechanicals, etc. and everything checks out then it shouldn't be a problem. Otherwise I would keep the search up for a car with one-owner / two-owners history and lots of maintenance records.

Lien usually just means that the title was held by bank because a loan was taken out against the car.

Well, here it goes:

It was a typical Lexus lease from 04 to 06. In 06 it was sold as a used car to someone who took out a loan to pay for it, hence the "LIEN" on the vehicle by the bank{Lien: claim by the bank who holds the title and owns the car until you pay it off**. In 08 it was traded in to a dealer who in turn ran it through the auction with his other fleet/lease vehicles.

The color is to your advantage. Pearl white would not show the years of swirl marks and little nicks. Pay the Pre-Inspection/appraisal fee to:
http://www.autoappraisal.com/locneast.htm and have them inspect it bumper to bumper then buy it if everything is OK.

Pics look good:

Hey car looks super clean! G/l w/ the purchase...

I'd give you a bigger thumbs up but I don't know how! Thanks DAlex!! I agree, the pics make the car look real clean. Each time I look at the pics I am reminded of why I'm thinking about it all damn day long! Haha it's almost obsessive, but hey, I'm just a guy who appreciates well-built cars. I've scheduled a test drive for the weekend, so it's just a matter of scheduling the Pre-Inspection/appraisal from the link you gave me. Seriously, BIG help on that one, THANK YOU! You went above and beyond I can't wait to update you guys, hopefully with good news