The Sale of my 2007 GS350 AWD: The Full (LONG) Story (with a happy ending)
06-12-10, 08:58 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
The Sale of my 2007 GS350 AWD: The Full (LONG) Story (with a happy ending)
After realizing that we really had no use for two cars, late last year, my wife and I decided that we would downsize to one and sell the GS. While we were at it, we decided to use that as an excuse to replace our '04 GX with the '10 LX, but that's another story...
Though the main story is about the actual sale of the GS, there are a couple of additional stories within the main one, so I apologize in advance for the long read... I really needed to share this, and well, who better than my CL friends to share the events and some pictures with!
Cliff's Notes and Kudos are at the end...
The First Four Months (December 2009 - March 2010): Are we ever going to sell this thing?
I posted the car on Autotrader in December with a full set of pictures. It had less than 10,000 miles at the time plus every available option (including rare ones like Lexus Link and the rear sunshade) except for adaptive cruise control. In addition, it was meticulously kept with Zaino products, had a clear bra, and I even had an extra set of 5-spoke GS430/350 RWD wheels. In short, I thought all I needed was for another car nutcase like yours truly to take it off my hands, since I was not about to give it away to my dealership.
Boy, was I in for a ride... I had two serious buyers, one who offered a reasonable amount of money but lower than I would take (really early on in the process) and one who test drove the car and never called again, also early in the year. Other than that, the solicitation calls from so-called brokers and dealers, at one point, seemed like they would never end. I would let them go to voicemail, and before calling anyone back, I would do very thorough searching, and 9 out of 10 times, the people calling were more crooked than crooks!
Then, there were also a couple of super-low-baller types. One guy in particular stood out by saying his budget was $28k but because my car was clean (not that he had seen it), he would consider going up to $31k (gee, thanks!). Mind you, the car was listed for $36,900 (negotiable, of course), and this was more than in-line with the market around here. It was already late March, and I was beginning to remember why I have traded-in in recent years instead of selling privately... But, I digress.
The Next Prospective Buyer (Saturday April 10)
In early April, somebody else contacted me the week of April 5th. We could not connect until the end of that week (Friday the 9th), when he told me (via email) that I was too late, and they were all set. Well, that felt great...
On Saturday the 10th, I got another phone call from an interested buyer. Lo and behold, after a while, I realized I was talking to the same guy (whose voice I had actually never heard, so I had no way of knowing). They were thisclose to getting a CPO IS but decided to take a second look at the GS. We talked for a good hour (nice guy) about the car, my OCD tendencies with the car, etc. Later that evening I got an email from him expressing a lot of interest and asking if I would hold the car while he and his family were gone on vacation for two weeks. Tough decision, but they really sounded like interested buyers, so I agreed.
At that point, we were planning to meet on Saturday April 24th...
The Unexpected (Monday April 19th): So close to selling this thing, yet this had to happen?
Five days before I am scheduled to show my no-accidents "pristine" GS to the first truly-interested buyer, someone decided to run a stop sign right in front of me, and well, the unexpected indeed happened as the title of this section suggests. Thankfully, I was alone (I have an infant son - pictures in the GX-2gen forum), and nobody was injured.
I kept my composure, but it was difficult given that the other driver behaved like a complete moron. The second after I hit him, I backed up and parked on the side street (the one he was coming out of). He was standing at the corner next to his car talking on his phone. I asked if he and his passenger were ok, and he said yes. Did he ask me? No. Was he on the phone with the police? No. Great.
So, I called the police.
At this time, I'm thinking:
Of course, then there was that not-so-minor part of telling the prospective buyer when he got back from vacation. I was thinking the deal surely was going nowhere...
The Verdict and Repairs
I got an estimate on Friday April 23, and as expected, got a call from the buyer on the 24th. The bad news for him: I was in an accident. The good news: the car will be going into a very reputable body shop on Monday the 26th, and the damage appears to be only cosmetic.
Initially, it was unclear what would happen and what he and his wife wanted to do (walk/run away, see the damaged car or wait until the car was fixed). In the end, he just asked me for pictures of the damage and to keep him posted throughout the repair work, which I did.
As the icing on the cake, I had to travel out of the country while the car was in the shop, further delaying the process of meeting the buyers. When all was said and done, the earliest we could meet for the buyers to see the car was May 15th, over a month after we first spoke! They were fine with it, however.
The damage turned out to be all cosmetic.
D-Days (May 15 and May 23) - Farewell GS
After picking up the car at the body shop on Friday May 14 and doing my thing with Griot's Machine Polish 3 and 4 and some Zaino Z-5, Z-2, Z-6 and Grand Finale Spray Seal (can't remember the number), the buyers and I met on Saturday the 15th. They drove the GS, looked at it for a while, and that night we had a deal!
We delivered the car to their house the following Sunday. They live a good 70 or 80 miles from us.
Nice, nice people, and the GS will be well-cared for. A happy ending for us, though it was sad to let go of that car. It was great and still smelled new.
-------------------------------
CLIFF'S NOTES
Kudos
Though the main story is about the actual sale of the GS, there are a couple of additional stories within the main one, so I apologize in advance for the long read... I really needed to share this, and well, who better than my CL friends to share the events and some pictures with!
Cliff's Notes and Kudos are at the end...
The First Four Months (December 2009 - March 2010): Are we ever going to sell this thing?
I posted the car on Autotrader in December with a full set of pictures. It had less than 10,000 miles at the time plus every available option (including rare ones like Lexus Link and the rear sunshade) except for adaptive cruise control. In addition, it was meticulously kept with Zaino products, had a clear bra, and I even had an extra set of 5-spoke GS430/350 RWD wheels. In short, I thought all I needed was for another car nutcase like yours truly to take it off my hands, since I was not about to give it away to my dealership.
Boy, was I in for a ride... I had two serious buyers, one who offered a reasonable amount of money but lower than I would take (really early on in the process) and one who test drove the car and never called again, also early in the year. Other than that, the solicitation calls from so-called brokers and dealers, at one point, seemed like they would never end. I would let them go to voicemail, and before calling anyone back, I would do very thorough searching, and 9 out of 10 times, the people calling were more crooked than crooks!
Then, there were also a couple of super-low-baller types. One guy in particular stood out by saying his budget was $28k but because my car was clean (not that he had seen it), he would consider going up to $31k (gee, thanks!). Mind you, the car was listed for $36,900 (negotiable, of course), and this was more than in-line with the market around here. It was already late March, and I was beginning to remember why I have traded-in in recent years instead of selling privately... But, I digress.
The Next Prospective Buyer (Saturday April 10)
In early April, somebody else contacted me the week of April 5th. We could not connect until the end of that week (Friday the 9th), when he told me (via email) that I was too late, and they were all set. Well, that felt great...
On Saturday the 10th, I got another phone call from an interested buyer. Lo and behold, after a while, I realized I was talking to the same guy (whose voice I had actually never heard, so I had no way of knowing). They were thisclose to getting a CPO IS but decided to take a second look at the GS. We talked for a good hour (nice guy) about the car, my OCD tendencies with the car, etc. Later that evening I got an email from him expressing a lot of interest and asking if I would hold the car while he and his family were gone on vacation for two weeks. Tough decision, but they really sounded like interested buyers, so I agreed.
At that point, we were planning to meet on Saturday April 24th...
The Unexpected (Monday April 19th): So close to selling this thing, yet this had to happen?
Five days before I am scheduled to show my no-accidents "pristine" GS to the first truly-interested buyer, someone decided to run a stop sign right in front of me, and well, the unexpected indeed happened as the title of this section suggests. Thankfully, I was alone (I have an infant son - pictures in the GX-2gen forum), and nobody was injured.
I kept my composure, but it was difficult given that the other driver behaved like a complete moron. The second after I hit him, I backed up and parked on the side street (the one he was coming out of). He was standing at the corner next to his car talking on his phone. I asked if he and his passenger were ok, and he said yes. Did he ask me? No. Was he on the phone with the police? No. Great.
So, I called the police.At this time, I'm thinking:
- What the heck is wrong with people? and
- With this impact and judging by the damage to that car, I must have really done a number on the GS...
Of course, then there was that not-so-minor part of telling the prospective buyer when he got back from vacation. I was thinking the deal surely was going nowhere...
The Verdict and Repairs
I got an estimate on Friday April 23, and as expected, got a call from the buyer on the 24th. The bad news for him: I was in an accident. The good news: the car will be going into a very reputable body shop on Monday the 26th, and the damage appears to be only cosmetic.
Initially, it was unclear what would happen and what he and his wife wanted to do (walk/run away, see the damaged car or wait until the car was fixed). In the end, he just asked me for pictures of the damage and to keep him posted throughout the repair work, which I did.
As the icing on the cake, I had to travel out of the country while the car was in the shop, further delaying the process of meeting the buyers. When all was said and done, the earliest we could meet for the buyers to see the car was May 15th, over a month after we first spoke! They were fine with it, however.
The damage turned out to be all cosmetic.
D-Days (May 15 and May 23) - Farewell GS
After picking up the car at the body shop on Friday May 14 and doing my thing with Griot's Machine Polish 3 and 4 and some Zaino Z-5, Z-2, Z-6 and Grand Finale Spray Seal (can't remember the number), the buyers and I met on Saturday the 15th. They drove the GS, looked at it for a while, and that night we had a deal!
We delivered the car to their house the following Sunday. They live a good 70 or 80 miles from us.
Nice, nice people, and the GS will be well-cared for. A happy ending for us, though it was sad to let go of that car. It was great and still smelled new.
-------------------------------
CLIFF'S NOTES
- GS was for sale for what seemed like forever.
- Process was frustrating with shady brokers calling me and few serious buyers. Couple of ridiculously-low-ball offers too.
- First truly serious buyer comes along but can't see the car right away because he's going on vacation.
- I hold the car for him and get into an accident (other party ran a stop) four days before buyers are scheduled to see the car.
- I'm concerned about not being able to sell the car.
- Car is repaired flawlessly, buyers want it and buy it from us for the amount we wanted.
- GS has a new home
, but we miss it though
.
Kudos
- Jeff LaGreca at Di*k's (a 'c' is missing -- need to get around the filter) Auto Body in Somerville, MA -
Good guy and extraordinary work. Very accommodating and communicative throughout the process. Great team. www.dicksautobody.com
- Jeff Orlinsky - Wheel Dynamix in Natick - Jeff redid the clear bra on the bumper right at the body shop. We go way back. He's done a few cars for me (including the GS when new) and also for friends I've sent his way. He also does detailing, tinted windows, tires, wheels, alignments, brakes, etc. Very high-end and detail-oriented work. I see Ferraris and other nice cars at his shop all the time. www.wheeldynamix.com
- Liberty Mutual Insurance (my insurance company) - Easy, easy, easy to deal with. These guys stand by their customers.
- Newton (MA) Police - Police officer on the scene was very professional.
Last edited by caha14; 06-14-10 at 05:52 PM.
06-12-10, 08:59 AM
#2
Racer
Thread Starter
The Accident...
Some shots from the accident and a picture at the shop. Frame rail, shown in the last picture, was intact thankfully.
Last edited by caha14; 06-12-10 at 09:10 AM.
06-12-10, 08:59 AM
#3
Racer
Thread Starter
After the fix and delivery...
$2k (paid by insurance) and a little Griot's/Random Orbital and Zaino action later, and voila!!!
Last shot is at its new home. 5-Spoke wheels (which were part of the deal) are on. Ready for summer!
Last shot is at its new home. 5-Spoke wheels (which were part of the deal) are on. Ready for summer!
Last edited by caha14; 06-12-10 at 09:42 AM.
06-12-10, 10:22 AM
#4
I'm sure you were surprised to see it actually go after all of those escapades. Sounds like you sold it to some good people who will likely take good care of it.
Oh and the GS looks like it is pretty strong. It messed with some probably robust suspension components on that Honda and came out like a champ!
Enjoy the LX! It is marvelous!!!
Oh and the GS looks like it is pretty strong. It messed with some probably robust suspension components on that Honda and came out like a champ!
Enjoy the LX! It is marvelous!!!
06-12-10, 12:29 PM
#6
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Wow, sounds like you had an adventure with a great ending to it all. Sad to hear you had to let it go, but glad you sold it without coming out on the short end of the leash.
06-12-10, 02:04 PM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
I'm sure you were surprised to see it actually go after all of those escapades. Sounds like you sold it to some good people who will likely take good care of it.
Oh and the GS looks like it is pretty strong. It messed with some probably robust suspension components on that Honda and came out like a champ!
Enjoy the LX! It is marvelous!!!
Oh and the GS looks like it is pretty strong. It messed with some probably robust suspension components on that Honda and came out like a champ!
Enjoy the LX! It is marvelous!!!
I was amazed at how the GS held up and so was the passenger in the other car whom I actually spoke with a bit.
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06-12-10, 02:15 PM
#8
Racer
Thread Starter
After the repairs were completed, we were back in love with the GS, and my wife and I actually had that discussion: if we are forced to lose a couple of thousand dollars over this (hard to imagine, but who knew...), we'll just keep it and enjoy it, albeit infrequently...
The buyer and I have stayed in touch, and he tells me that his wife, who drives it to work every day, absolutely loves it. That's all I want to hear
06-12-10, 02:20 PM
#9
Ya know living in the same state as you, wonderful MASSACHESUTTS, I understand your pain when it comes to being low balled or BS'ed about your car...
Next time you want to sell you car ill let you in on a little secret....
Sell it back to the dealer... Especially if the car has good to decent mileage & in good condition.... About a yr ago I sold my IS350 to the Lexus Dealer, but I started selling it online for about a week or so & all the people who were full of BS & stories came out the wood work. I had an enough... So I went to my local dealer with a fully loaded IS350 miles under 35k & never driven in these wonderful New England winters (even the rain...lol) the dealer couldn’t wait to get his hand on my car, played a little back & fourth & got the price I wanted for it Cha-Ching$$$
Next time run to the dealer & you will save yourself a lot of stress & anxiety!!! Trust me I know... Enjoy the LX...
Next time you want to sell you car ill let you in on a little secret....
Sell it back to the dealer... Especially if the car has good to decent mileage & in good condition.... About a yr ago I sold my IS350 to the Lexus Dealer, but I started selling it online for about a week or so & all the people who were full of BS & stories came out the wood work. I had an enough... So I went to my local dealer with a fully loaded IS350 miles under 35k & never driven in these wonderful New England winters (even the rain...lol) the dealer couldn’t wait to get his hand on my car, played a little back & fourth & got the price I wanted for it Cha-Ching$$$
Next time run to the dealer & you will save yourself a lot of stress & anxiety!!! Trust me I know... Enjoy the LX...
Last edited by KOOLFELLA; 06-12-10 at 02:30 PM.
06-13-10, 07:12 AM
#10
Racer
Thread Starter
I hear you, Koolfella. If you can get what you want or close to that from the dealer, that's the way to go for sure to save yourself some headaches. If you time it right when they have demand for a particular vehicle, etc., that can work really well as it did for you.
My dealer was salivating at the prospect of selling the GS (and the GX as well, which we ultimately traded to them). Getting a fair number on the GX was like pulling teeth, and as painful and time consuming as it is to sell privately, I wasn't about to play the same game with the GS and decided that the extra $4 or $5k would look better in my pocket, not theirs. The difference was that extreme!
My dealer was salivating at the prospect of selling the GS (and the GX as well, which we ultimately traded to them). Getting a fair number on the GX was like pulling teeth, and as painful and time consuming as it is to sell privately, I wasn't about to play the same game with the GS and decided that the extra $4 or $5k would look better in my pocket, not theirs. The difference was that extreme!
06-14-10, 03:12 PM
#14
Racer
Thread Starter
