I don't think the dealer took this in for 48K. The golden rule for any used car dealer is to at least make 5K on any newer used car. I think the trade in was probably around 43K, which puts this used 430 with 11K miles on new 300 scale. If I was buying I would still try to knock them down a little more. And whatever they tell you that they bought it for - they are probably lying. To a dealer its just another car that they need to make money on and not lose money on. Just my thoughts...

 

I bought a fully loaded (NAV, Levinson, etc) 2001 GS430 from a dealer (more of a middle-man) on eBay in Dec. 2003. It had a clean Carfax and 23,000 miles. Surely it was well taken care of, I thought. I got a great deal on it @ $32K. The seller posted about 8 pics for the auction, everything looked fine. I asked him to send me some more closeups the day before the auction ended. He said, "It's too dark outside now. It is in showroom condition." So I kicked the other bidders A$$es and won. Well... on the condition report, the shipping company noted "very dirty car." The best way I can describe the interior is that it looked like some kids were playing soccer inside the cabin. It had black marks all over the seats, doors, and ceiling! I cleaned it up nicely, but I eventually noticed an occasional steering wheel shimmy that the dealer could not fix. I recently traded it in on a 2006 model. At that time the dealer pointed out that the passenger side and trunk had been repainted!
So, the lesson I learned is to know more about the seller, and get lots of pictures!
That being said, this auction looks legit

 

That car is nice and clean. I love it. Less is more sometimes.

 

buying off ebay without seeing the car first (I would never) is not the same as buying a used car you have driven, examined, meet the seller, check svc records etc...

 

Nice car! A bit OT but how, where can I get my taillights tinted? How much?

 

There is a 2006 GS430 with 7K miles for sale in Chicago for $47991 at a respectable Acura dealership. So, 48K as traide-in seems nigh.

 

Very nice looking car. I like the whole package...wonder if they'll take a straight up trade for my GS.

 

I don't think a Toyota Dealer can extent the Lexus warranty from Lex. That might be a aftermarket, but I don't think LEX.

A less than $20,000 car maybe, but a $48 K car on ebay. Would not do it without seeing it. I would make the deal contingent upon them taking it to a Lexus dealer to inspect. Service history is one thing. Accident damage is another, and every Car has a story. $50K Grand is a big investment. Good luck !

 

I bought my S4 very slightly used. Was driven by a retired lawyer whose brother-in-law worked at the Porsche/Benz/Audi dealer and had offered it to him at the employee price. His wife decided the car was too small and the suspension too stiff, so he sold it with it looking literally like new inside and out. I paid $11K less than a new S4 and only sacrificed a few thousand miles on the warranty.

I originally found the car on eBay, but convinced the guy to de-list it so that I could come take a look at it personally, no obligation. When it was as advertised, I bought it and drove it home.

So it can work, but yeah, I'm not sure I'd actually go through with a bid on eBay for something as expensive and potentially issue prone as a car...