CarloC

Looking for everyone's collective experience.

I've decided to start a serious hunt for a '15 GS 350 AWD with < 30k miles, Nav. (NV), Luxury + Cold Weather Pkg (LT), BSM. F Sport would be a nice addition, but doesn't seem worth it with AWD. I'm ready to buy ASAP but just need it to happen before mid-Dec.

So here are my questions
1. I'm in Boston, prices seem better in the mid-Atlantic and elsewhere. Seems like prices are closer to $30k - $32 while in the Boston market prices are closer to $35k - $37k. Anyone understand why?

2. If you purchased out of state and what was your experience? Can anyone recommend a pre-purchase car inspection service?

2. Is CPO worth it?

3. How does the RWD handle in snow?

4. For that what should I expect for out the door price?

Thanks

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

im not sure why but it has always seemed to be that way even with parts. CPO is worth it if they really help you out meaning its extended but i would take it.
i would not do rwd unless you have another car for winter as our winters suck.
pm me i may know someone you can talk to and see if he can get you a good deal.

AJLex19

The toughest part of your search is going to be finding a GS with the Lux package with under 30k miles. The Lux pkg is out there, but not as common as the premium or F-Sport trims. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $35k for the car you want.

If you're going for a 2015, remember that the original 4yr/50k bumper to bumper factory warranty is good to 2019. The certification (which is very good, but not bumper to bumper) will simply add 2 more years on top pushing it out to 2021. The car is very reliable so its really up to you decide if the extended certification warranty is for you. Generally I think the prices seem higher near bigger cities like Boston, NY, Philly. The best prices I've seen nearby when i was shopping was in NJ and upstate NY.

Agreed with bigblack as the RWD is not something i'd recommend with the winters/snow. Others have opinions that a RWD with snow tires will do just fine but I owned a RWD GS in the past in NYC and got stuck too many times in the snow with All Season tires to ever recommend a RWD drive as your primary car/only car for Northeast winters.

OneFunGS

^ I agree with most everything he said. I, however, have driven RWD vehicles for the past 5 years as a daily in the snow (I am 7 hours north of you). I do need to say that you have to be a REALLY good driver to get it done though. Not freak out as the car goes sideways, know your turning and breaking distance. Its a bi*ch. AWD FTW lol

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

if you can afford winter tires, RWD will be okay.. I drove a RWD G35 for 10 years in snow.. 5 years in boston...

AWD will give you confidence though. I have a 2015 GS AWD in Boston.. I really wanted the RWD version, but no dealer had one new.
I recommend the AWD, if you have a job that requires you to drive in the snow, or if you are used to AWD cars. I still recommend winter tires.

Reason I wanted RWD:
1. Lighter - better handling and gas mileage. This car gets pretty bad gas mileage.
2. Looks - AWD is higher than RWD (0.6 inches?). Look at the front wheel gap on the AWD. It's higher than a FWD Accord.
3. Slower than RWD.

OneFunGS

Depends on what you're used to. I'm used to 16 MPG. Therefore, my GS is my "economy car" lol

Mike552

I had a g35 rwd coupe with the optional VLSD and it was magical in the snow. A rare option though. Does anyone know if the GS 350 rwd comes with a bonified LSD, or is it that electronic nonsense on an open diff?

microsup

2015 F-sport awd and 30Kmiles ? I would be surprised if you can find it below $35K. If you find one make sure it was no body work on that car. Also check which month it was build so it will tell you how much b2b warranty left.

samsausage

I purchased a CPO 2014 GS350 AWD Lux & Cold Weather one year ago, it had 28k miles and I paid $32,500 + their $299 paperwork (or whatever) charge... Their asking price was $35k. I think they had it on their lot for a while because I feel like I got them down to a really good price, making it worth my trip from out of state.
I flew to Massachusetts from Kansas City. Funny, I was only about an hour from Boston and almost went there! It ended up being a 1400 mile drive home, so I turned west instead. It was a fun road trip and I got to see Niagara Falls, miles melt away when you are in a nice new ride, I enjoy it.
If I can't find a car locally then I usually get CPO and make a fun road-trip out of it. I pick CPO because they are "supposed" to do a multi-point inspection, I can at least try to hold them to that if something comes up.

I spoke with the salesperson and told her my situation. I said that if we can agree on a price then I would put a $500 deposit down and fly out there to pick it up. I was very clear that since I'm flying out there I am relying on her to accurately describe the vehicle, I also told her I'm detail oriented, don't expect a perfect car, but need to know any defects. I said that if it is not as described when I arrive, I will not purchase it.
I feel that I was dealing with a good dealer/salesperson because she did take her time to go over the car again and she also had the tech look at it again, she made a list of any blemishes she found. I don't know if all salespeople would be this careful or honest. I have considered hiring a company to inspect it, but I have never actually done this and didn't in this case.

We went back and forth three times, I originally offered $32,000, they came back at $34,000. A day went by and she called asking if I'm still interested. I said I am but not at that price, I offered $32,500 and told her to keep in mind that I need to buy a plane ticket and fly out there, I'm taking a lot of risk for a car that I haven't seen in person. We ended up settling on $32,500 and I asked her to throw in all weather floor mats. She checked with her boss and told me we have a deal.
I got the plane ticket for four days later. The dealership sent someone to the airport to pick me up. It was all done within about 2 hours and I was on my way home. There was only one paint defect that she didn't tell me about, but it wasn't a big deal in the end. Happy with my purchase and I will do it again!
In summary, if you find a good dealership, then the risk to you should be pretty low.

Before I flew out there I went to my local DMV, applied for a temporary 30 day tag and I took this with me to drive the car home legally. Check with your DMV to find out what paperwork you need to get the temp tags.

In my experience with this car the CPO is worth it only if you can't find one with b2b warranty, or if you buy without seeing the car and you want added peace of mind. The car is solid, but odds are that you will find something to fix in the first year. (Usually minor things such as rattles, they just replaced my center console lid) After you get those bugs worked out it should be reliable for quite some time!

AWD vs RWD. I can't tell any speed difference seat of the pants, but I'm sure there is more weight and friction with the AWD. What I do feel is a huge grip difference when getting on the gas at low speed, especially in turns. It feels good to get on the gas in turns, I can feel the grip of the front help pull the car where I'm pointing it. It's confidence inspiring and really shines with the traction control turned off. Not to mention it's a proper AWD setup and not just electronic trickery!

drgrant

You're not getting an RWD GS in Boston/MA unless you're willing to import a car from a long distance away, or you get lucky and someone moved here with one and traded it in. Dealers don't buy RWD cars up here outside of the ones that are RWD only like the RCF/GSF, so that kind of thing is mostly a moot point unless you're willing to buy out of state. (it is a pain in the ***, but it is doable, just be prepared to pay all the sales tax up front because of MA communism. )

Stay on the prowl for Lux and F sport package cars, they pop up from time to time but getting the colors you're willing to accept might be tough. I had to go to NJ to get mine (Prestige Lexus) and it ran 38K- 2015 AWD F-Sport - but it had all the features I wanted in the color combo I wanted (Nebula Grey / Cabernet) plus only had 11500 miles on it. It was CPO though, only thing wrong with it was minor blems near the door handle. Also included 20K maintenance (but I think this is part of the CPO thing. )

As far as price.... negotiation is going to get tougher with fsport/lux cars, esp with low mileage... because there's not exactly a lot of fodder to face dealers off against one another, etc. Also be aware that in warmer climates most of the GSes are RWD, that takes a few grand right off the root of the price. I also don't think that Lexus, as a brand, does huge volume up here. In regions where there are more Lex dealers, the pricing gets more aggressive and competitive. ( Places like TX, and CA, lots of deals can be had. I just didn't want to travel that far. ) Also be aware that theres a bunch of sub-options that can also affect price, like for example my car has ML audio which they get more for. There are other options that will swing the price, too.

My only "regret" with the entire process was not seeing the blems near the door handle and working out some kind of a deal with Prestige to have that taken care of. So if I was "going to do it all over again" I would just spend more time visually inspecting the car.

-Mike

samsausage

It is my understanding that you pay sales taxes in the state you register the vehicle, not the state you purchase the vehicle.
Just to clarify, when I purchased my Lexus in MA last year, (out of state for me) I did not pay sales taxes up front, I had to pay taxes in my state of MO when I registered the car, but I didn't pay any sales taxes to MA. But like drgrant said, if you live in MA and buy in MA you may have to pay sales tax at time of purchase.

OneFunGS

It depends on how the state your purchasing in wants to handle it. For example, I did not pay VT taxes but paid NY taxes when I registered. Some states make you pay the sales tax up front and then you either get reimbursed the difference or pay the balance upon registration. Nice and confusing, just how the country likes it lol

drgrant

Most "remotes" won't charge you the local sales tax if you have no intention of registering the car in that state. When I bought my car in NJ I paid no NJ sales tax... but upon returning to MA i had to drop $2375 at the RMV for MA sales tax when I officially registered
my car.

It's also worth knowing this stuff up front- if you're using a loan, and you're using a remote, a lot of times the remote doesn't want to deal with the logistics of rolling the sales tax into the loan. If you're an MA resident and you need the tax rolled in, you're better off buying in MA.

Side note: The Lexus market in MO must really suck if you came to MA to buy a car- I always thought the Lexus market up here was terrible but I guess its better than some other regions. I think part of it is that MA has this bull**** "I have to have an SUV even though I really don't need it" subculture that is worse here than it is in other parts of the country. I mean that's been an ongoing thing in general, but literally 50% of the vehicles on the road around here are some kind of an SUV/crossover/whatever, there's this weird fetish about snow- despite the fact that we get a whopping total of no more than like 14 days or so of **** weather during the winter- people act like once you hit January that you get snowed in up here and its crap. In the past 10 years there was only one winter that we kept getting pounded with snow. Although I do have to say.... the RX 330/350 is very well represented around here... and if someone pointed a gun at me and forced me to get an SUV, I wouldn't completely hate an RX... .LOL

-Mike

djrabbi

iTrader: (2)

If you can wait till July 2018, my car will meet your specifications and buy out will be little under $33K. Car is already lowered and front lip, which I don't even plan on taking off. I am just itching to walk away from my lease

OR

You can buy it out from me now and I think my buy out is $37K. Up to you!

CarloC

If it was a std, I'd love a RWD vehicle. But I am a believer in snow tires. They made a big difference on my '06 M35X. Hoping I'll be able to reuse them on the GS350.