Should I buy this 2003 Lexus GS 300
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Should I buy this 2003 Lexus GS 300
Hi folks, new poster here and don't actually own a Lexus yet, never owned one. Please be gentle.
I never even considered a Lexus until about a month ago. I need to replace my Subaru which has 207k miles on it and the AC doesn't work and it has a small oil drip. I was originally looking at Jag but their reliability is a bummer. I recently drove the bosses 2005 LS and fell in love.
So now I'm in the market for a Lexus. I test drove the below Lexus on Saturday and pulled the Carfax on it today. It drove wonderfully, but I don't like what I'm seeing here:
1. So here we see an odometer rollback. Besides the fact that I should take this into account in valuing the car, does this raise any other red flags?
2. We see an accident, but no salvage title. Sure, that's based on the value of the car. I'm going to try to chase down the accident report, but just based on that info, do you see an issue?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
I never even considered a Lexus until about a month ago. I need to replace my Subaru which has 207k miles on it and the AC doesn't work and it has a small oil drip. I was originally looking at Jag but their reliability is a bummer. I recently drove the bosses 2005 LS and fell in love.
So now I'm in the market for a Lexus. I test drove the below Lexus on Saturday and pulled the Carfax on it today. It drove wonderfully, but I don't like what I'm seeing here:
1. So here we see an odometer rollback. Besides the fact that I should take this into account in valuing the car, does this raise any other red flags?
2. We see an accident, but no salvage title. Sure, that's based on the value of the car. I'm going to try to chase down the accident report, but just based on that info, do you see an issue?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
#3
Yea I would probably pass on it. The GS's are getting to the age a ton of them are going up for sale by their first or second owners (generally older people) who treated them well, and they are usually priced pretty well.
I would wait for a cleaner one without the questionable title issues. Also a heads up, if you get the VIN you can register for the Lexus Owners website and put the VIN in and it will tell you all the maintenance history of the vehicle if it was performed by a Lexus dealer (I did this on mine and found out it was cared for meticulously by the previous owner so it made me a lot more at ease with my purchase.
I would wait for a cleaner one without the questionable title issues. Also a heads up, if you get the VIN you can register for the Lexus Owners website and put the VIN in and it will tell you all the maintenance history of the vehicle if it was performed by a Lexus dealer (I did this on mine and found out it was cared for meticulously by the previous owner so it made me a lot more at ease with my purchase.
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#9
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Thanks everyone. I passed on it.
The Craigslist listing said NADA was 9400, but kbb shows $6900 private party. He was asking $7550.
Car fax said that it should be $1800 under market.calculatedadded in what he paid for tires and alignment last month, and estimated the car to be worth $5200. Plus, I didn't want to always be calculating true mileage, and I don't want that many miles.
My problem was that after the test drive I just wanted it and needed y'all and my wife to bring me back to reality.
Why do there have to be so many bad apples out there? I need a car soon and want a Lexus, but so far the search has not been terribly fruitful.
The Craigslist listing said NADA was 9400, but kbb shows $6900 private party. He was asking $7550.
Car fax said that it should be $1800 under market.calculatedadded in what he paid for tires and alignment last month, and estimated the car to be worth $5200. Plus, I didn't want to always be calculating true mileage, and I don't want that many miles.
My problem was that after the test drive I just wanted it and needed y'all and my wife to bring me back to reality.
Why do there have to be so many bad apples out there? I need a car soon and want a Lexus, but so far the search has not been terribly fruitful.
#11
Thanks everyone. I passed on it.
The Craigslist listing said NADA was 9400, but kbb shows $6900 private party. He was asking $7550.
Car fax said that it should be $1800 under market.calculatedadded in what he paid for tires and alignment last month, and estimated the car to be worth $5200. Plus, I didn't want to always be calculating true mileage, and I don't want that many miles.
My problem was that after the test drive I just wanted it and needed y'all and my wife to bring me back to reality.
Why do there have to be so many bad apples out there? I need a car soon and want a Lexus, but so far the search has not been terribly fruitful.
The Craigslist listing said NADA was 9400, but kbb shows $6900 private party. He was asking $7550.
Car fax said that it should be $1800 under market.calculatedadded in what he paid for tires and alignment last month, and estimated the car to be worth $5200. Plus, I didn't want to always be calculating true mileage, and I don't want that many miles.
My problem was that after the test drive I just wanted it and needed y'all and my wife to bring me back to reality.
Why do there have to be so many bad apples out there? I need a car soon and want a Lexus, but so far the search has not been terribly fruitful.
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Well, I didn't see that until today. That would have been a good one, but I am now the proud owner of a different 03 GS 300 that has a clean carfax and truly has 112k miles (according to carfax).
I packed the wife and kids up this weekend and drove to Dallas to look at a bunch of listings. We ended up getting this one out of Denton and it drives like a dream. I'm afraid the AC is going to cyrogenically freeze me.
Thanks for the advice. I look forward to hanging around this forum and learning. My only current plans for the car is to put a K&N Air filter on it and put a GROM audio bluetooth system in it.
Thanks all!
I packed the wife and kids up this weekend and drove to Dallas to look at a bunch of listings. We ended up getting this one out of Denton and it drives like a dream. I'm afraid the AC is going to cyrogenically freeze me.
Thanks for the advice. I look forward to hanging around this forum and learning. My only current plans for the car is to put a K&N Air filter on it and put a GROM audio bluetooth system in it.
Thanks all!