daybed

I'm in the market for a 4th gen gs 350. I found a 2014 gs 350 with a little over 20k miles for sale at an independent dealership, not a lexus dealership. It has a clean carfax and a clean autocheck report, no accidents, it was a lease return, and it was sold at auction.

I assume that all good lease returns are picked up by Lexus or Toyota dealerships? If this 4GS was passed over, could there be something wrong with it?

I'm taking it on a 2 day test drive today. Anything I should look out for?

DP03

You'd be surprised how many cars are bought/sold at auction. Many used Lexus cars at Lexus dealerships were bought through auction. I wouldn't be afraid of auctioned cars as long as you do your due diligence. In addition to Carfax, I would check to see the maintenance records on Lexus's website, if available.

Lease returns go back to Lexus, not the dealership that leased the vehicle.

CouveGS

First I bought mine the same way. I gave up the certification but saved 5k and got the exact car I wanted with low mileage.

Couple things I did before buying:
1. Create an account on: http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/ this will allow you to check the service history performed by Lexus by adding the VIN. I found this extremely helpful since I moved on from cars where Lexus service reported damage not on Carfax. It also tracks when the former owner declined service.
2. Get an independent inspection. I wouldn't trust their inspection.

​​​​Good Luck!

daybed

@DP03 and @CouveGS, thanks for the tip. I just made an account on the Lexus website and it looks like the car got serviced at 5k, 10k, and 20k. Nothing else is noted in the service history.

I'm thinking I'll get it inspected at a Lexus dealership during my extended test drive, or find an independent mechanic.

e60bmw

iTrader: (1)

I bought mine blindingly at auction as a flood car, so if you ask me from a indy dealer I'd say yes

You can go on my lexus drivers site and sign up for account, plug the VIN number in and you can get a report of what may have been done.

Dallasguy1

I have bought two lease returns from auctions through a small dealer and both were fine except first one was reported frame damage after 6 months from the auction house. The dealer said he didn't know about it and couldn't do anything also. So be careful when buying from these small dealerships.

AJLex19

I would consider a non-certified 4GS from a non Lexus/non Toyota dealership only if the price was substantially lower. In my locale, I've seen that you can usually find a certified GS with similar specs for close to the same price.

shurik74

iTrader: (5)

Exactly what he said ^^^... used car is used, even brand new get paint jobs

Kevo1914

Just almost had a fast one pulled on me by a Toyota dealership yesterday. Always do a thorough inspection of any car you purchase because some dealership will do anything for a sale.

Htony

Buying anything in auction is taking chances. First think how come things show up at auction? Things from auction is that. No recourse if there is more than usual problems.

Kevo1914

Inventory manager at this particular dealership told me that if any frame damage was found, he could send the car back to the auction for full refund. Not sure how true that is.

UDel

What did the dealership do?

UDel

I would not worry about it as long as everything checks out and you get it for a good price. Lexus Dealerships buy used cars from auction. Just because you buy a used Lexus at a Lexus dealership does not mean it is not going to have issues or will be better then others at non Lexus dealerships, there is someone on CL who got a used LS460 from a Lexus dealership and it has thousands of dollars worth of issues discovered after just 2 months including engine and suspension issues and it does not sound like the dealership has any intention on fixing the problematic car they sold him.

DP03

Very true. If folks have bought a used car at a Lexus dealership, unless if was specifically noted as a local trade, there's a good chance it was purchased through auction. I think folks don't realize that the large majority of used cars are bought through auction. There's nothing wrong with it. It's simply how things are done in the car business.

jp1guy

Independent licensed dealer here and can confirm that the majority of lease returns end up at the auction. Different car manufacturers have contracts with different Auction houses. One might see hundred of one specific brand go thru on the same day at any given Auction.