6eLe

Hey everyone - I'm still searching for a GS and need to make a decision tomorrow morning. I have a feeling the general consensus will be that neither of these cars are the perfect car but I do not have luxury of waiting around for the perfect specimen, unfortunately. Here it goes:

Car A: 2013 Lexus GS 350 with backup sensors, headlight washers, heated steering wheel. 93k miles. One owner. Very well taken care of at Lexus dealership every 5k miles. $21.3k

Car B: 2013 Lexus GS 350 with backup sensors, headlight washers, blind spot monitoring, heated steering wheel. 44k miles. Two owners, one of which was a lease. Maintenance records are pretty good - car saw dealership every 5k miles until it hit 31k miles then records drop off. $27k

I can get a bumper-to-bumper warranty from my credit union for "Car A" for ~$2k. "Car B" is from CarMax so I can get one of their warranties for $1.6-3k depending on deductible and term (I would probably get something between 1.6 and 2k at carmax).

Car A is below blue book, Car B is slightly above.

Car A has some scratches on passenger side on rear and front bumpers. Front bumper is the worst of it - looks like the previous owner hit a curb or dip and broke one of the clips that secures it to the wheel well cover. There's also a tiny parking lot ding on the driver's door. I could live with this damage - it's not ideal but it's also not extreme.. I've thought about getting a new bumper cover - maybe even the F-Sport version but my body shop tells me it will likely cost ~$1000 to paint/install. This car drives really well. There are some very minor interior rattles from the sun visor on the driver's side that I think can be easily fixed but otherwise it seems to be a great car. I've been 'test driving' this car for the past 5 days and really love it. When gunning the throttle aggressively it seems to shift just fine compared to Car B - maybe just a tad less smoothly but such a slight amount that it could just be my imagination. My only complaint is some obnoxious brake noise when lightly applying the brake pedal but I've read on these forums that this is super common and not a cause for alarm. Hopefully that is correct?

Car B was mostly seen in the dark but looks to be in good condition. CarMax shows they touched up a total of 45 spots on the car but they were not very obvious without sunlight. When driving it around on a short test drive I thought it might be handling bumps a bit smoother than Car A but again, the difference was slight and possibly just in my head.

I've found other 350's in my area from 23k-27k but they all have some sort of problem.. scummy dealership, too many owners, frame damage, used as uber, broken sunshade, etc. These other cars are all between these two extremes in mileage and none are below 70k miles.

If you care about color: Car A is 'Gray' (sorry I don't know the right color nomenclature) with Flaxen interior. Car B is 'Silver' with black interior. I somewhat prefer the 'Gray' color and the black interior but also don't mind Flaxen.

Other than the colors, missing blind spot monitor on Car A, bumper damage on Car A, and mileage - they are pretty much the same cars. No Mark Levinson in either car (though I must say.. Lexus' premium audio sounds way better than the fancy 'Krell' system in the Acura I was considering as an alternative - RLX Advance FWIW.. not to mention how much more responsive the system is).

If I add warranties to both cars, the price difference remains ~$5.9k. If we deduct $1000 for the bumper damage, the difference is still $4.9k.

Neither dealership will negotiate on price. I got Car A down to 21.3 from 23 already and Car B is from CarMax where they refuse to haggle.

What would you all do? I can potentially afford either but I'm having a hard time justifying the extra expense for the lower mileage model.

Here are a couple additional questions: how much value do you think blind spot monitoring adds to the 350? For those who have or considered the 'Flaxen' interior color.. do you still like it? It's a somewhat jarring color in my opinion and people who see it seem to either love it or hate it. I am in the 'love it' camp but worry I might end up wishing I'd gotten a plain black interior down the road. Are people actually paying to add headlight washers? Who needs these? lol

tejanp

Car C:

For your price range, i'd rather get a L-Certified car with lower miles. I am very skeptical of cars coming from CarMax..

http://www.hendricklexusnorthlake.co...-NC/2992694013

MustangSal

What he said. L/CPO keeps your warranty and maintenance rolling. It definitely stretches your dollar - if you're going to spring for a aftermarket warranty, why not Lcert? CarMax, DriveTime, and the like mainly get their vehicle3s from rental companies, auction, and bottom dollar trade-ins. Who knows what history some of those car r-e-a-l-l-y have?

IMHO, in the end, a little more $ for a better car (even with some freight fees) is a better deal and will serve you in the long run.

Hope it works out.

Sal

6eLe

It wasn't really a trick question, I can't find any certified near me for under 32k. I don't really have time to buy from across the country, to fly out there to test drive, or to wait for a car to be shipped.

I wish I did, however.. that car you've linked to is perfect

MustangSal

Unfortunate, sucks to be stuck in that situation. If I had no other choice between the two, I'd take Car A. Even though its about to cross the 100K Milestone, the 4GS has a good track record thus far. I'd put 20K on the table and see what they do. With a heated steering wheel, does it have the Cold Weather package?

Sure you can't wait 7-10 days for an Lcert? Take a few days off work? go on vacation? Shipping isn't usually too much...

tejanp

Like MustangSal said, it's worth the patience. You do not want to be stuck with a car that is going to be a long term car and rushing it. Come to town, we can go get the car and grab a few drinks. take a vacay.

6eLe

I'm in the middle of some large projects at work. I have been completely unsuccessful at negotiating below 21.3, they won't even go to 21. I think the market in Colorado for these cars must be different than some other states .. maybe a higher demand here.

I'm not sure what else comes with the cold weather package, how would I tell?

Are you in NC? Sure do appreciate the offer, just wish I had more time to fly out there and ship it back.

tejanp

here's a brochure on the 2013 GSs. Hopefully it will answer some of the questions you have.

http://www.lexus.com/documents/broch...S-Brochure.pdf

CMED

It's a shame that you cannot wait. From experience, was looking for an F Sport and I could ot find anything below 28-29k with decent miles. Luckily, I was not in a rush and found a 2013 F Dport AWD at $26,5 k. With a bit over 44k miles on it. I have to agree with the other guys and advise you to try to do your beat and wait a bit longer if at all possible.

LEP XEP

I just shipped mine from Houston to Tennessee for $450. I ordered open trailer and luckily I got close trailer. I've done a lot of research on these shipping companies and you have to be careful. If you need to ship your car, PM me and I will send you the driver contact. You can deal with him directly instead of going through broker. You may save some money there.

tejanp

Good fellowship right here..

viperr

iTrader: (1)

Guess no one asked, but how long do you plan on keeping the car (from either choice A or B)?

tejanp

no need to ask rhetorical questions here.. how could anyone possibly part with such machines... once you have one, you are a lifer.

viperr

iTrader: (1)

Might be just me, but I find it hard to be a lifer (for 10+ years) starting at 93k miles...

dougm213

If forced to choose, Car A.

Also, I have flaxen interior with the Liquid Platinum, and yes I still like the combo.