ItzFilyO

Yes my silver GS had the pulling to the left problem but not the stuck problem. 7x alignments by 3 different shops and 2 dealers and it only got a bit better but it's still there.

drgrant

How hard did it pull to the left? Would it even go left on the right side of the highway?

-Mike

ItzFilyO

Yes mine did. On the right side of the highway it creeps left little by little unless there's an extreme crown on the road.

RichardB23

mine pulls slight left on the highway but i assumed it was an alignment issue. i guess i need to get an alignment done and see if it still does it or not.

ItzFilyO

And also see if the steering wheel is off center. I think that's the root of my problems for both my old GS and Camry. As soon as they centered the steering wheel, the pulling got worse.

rj4510

With all purchasing moving online' we’re starting to lose track of the important things, like how something really feels or fits our lives. Reading the Carvana reviews will give you a pretty good idea of why to avoid buying cars sight unseen. People are reporting wanting to avoid the hassle of negotiating and step into a mine field of other issues. The 7 day test drive, per reviews is riddled with limitations.

Amazing how chicken we've become to talk to humans since the introduction of the smart phone!

It’s super easy to negotiate. Know what you want. Know what a fair price is and go below (gives you room to work up to fair). Know what your trade is worth and don’t take any less. Know what your financing rate is and work the dealer over for a better rate, if going that route. Get your keys back after the dealer evaluates your car. That way you can leave on your terms. Be ready to say no if your conditions (should be fair to both) aren’t met. Dealers survive on making a profit. That’s fine, but they don’t need to make their mortgage on your deal.

Stand firm and be proud of your negotiation skills. No need for anything like Carvana and a ton less hassle in the long run.

ItzFilyO

I enjoy the experience of negotiating with the dealer and doing it the old fashion way.

azipod

There is nothing wrong per se about cars from sites like Carvana, Shift, CarMax, etc. You just have to do your homework. The biggest misconception involves people who think that good used cars can only be found at the new car dealerships -- with some highly regarding cars labeled as CPO. Well, we all know from what we've seen that BAD CARS can be found ANYWHERE.

I've purchased cars sight unseen before. My GS450h was purchased from a Lexus Dealership (the dealership being Lexus is irrelevant here!) over 2500-miles away. Before the purchase, I made sure I did my homework and knew the history for the car. You can also ask the dealership for all service records. You can also hire an independent inspector (at your own expense), to inspect the vehicle to your satisfaction. That's what I did... and had the car shipped to my home.

I'm happy. I did my homework. I'm happy because I know exactly what I paid for. So it's not so much about where you're buying the car from. You want to buy from a reputable place.... but nothing substitutes doing research and your homework!!!

RichardB23

Its not its slightly to the left

rj4510

It’s a critical skill that needs to constantly be exercised. You have to negotiate on way more things than just buying a car. Real estate, Craig’s list, garage sales, medical bills, etc., etc.

Car sales people are on commission. You need to keep them interested long enough to salivate at a big commission check. You then get them to the point where they just want to get paid for something, anything. That’s where things turn out glorious.

Do it it too early and they will drop you like a hot potato. Also, the car has to be meh as far as you’re concerned. There are 100s more just like them, even if not. We all may realize a GS with lux package to be rare, but the sales person rarely knows or cares. They want the dollars.

Its an easy game. Don’t show excitement. Don’t tell them what you want to pay. Don’t tell them what you do for work. All as irrelevant and possibly as dangerous to the outcome as poker. Never show your hand. This keeps negotiating power on the buyers side. It’s why sales people keep asking all the questions.

I let let them talk. They will start rambling and giving stuff away if you’re not talking. When I bought my wife’s GS, salesman told us how awesome it was, how well he knew the previous owner and how well it was cared for. Previous owner put new tires, breaks....then traded it in.

At the negotiating table, he tried to tell me they had reconditioning costs! What reconditioning costs...duh!!!

what fun is there in buying from a vending machine and paying too much to boot?

JDR76

I had very good dealership experiences with my 2013 RX, 2014 IS, and 2015 GS. My 2016 Highlander was a real pain to negotiate. It took a few days to come to an agreement. They sell too many of them to want to budge very much.

But the absolute worst was my 2019 GS. Same dealership and sales guy as my previous Lexus deals, but just not as smooth. So much back and forth, nitpicking, etc. All this on a car that barely sells. Gawd it was frustrating. By the time I got home I was so wiped out I told my wife I don't want to that again for years. Luckily we don't plan on needing to as our GS and Highlander should serve us well for a long time. But after that experience, I totally get wanting to make the purchase in a quicker, easier way. If I could get a good deal and do it all online first, I absolutely would. I am convinced those hours in the dealership working out the GS deal took years off of my life.

rj4510

^^That’s when you pit one against the other, making sure they aren’t from the same dealer network. It works well with new cars. It can all be done online till you get your price.

There are also also brokers who will get you what you want, but that may take longer. You never have to pay till they find YOUR car.

No no one needs to go through that and one of the main reasons I don’t drive Toyotas anymore. Far too many are willing to pay asking price for those, so it takes way more work. I usually just give the salesman my number and let him keep calling with better and better deals. You’ll usually catch them at that point where they just need that last sale to get the bigger reward.

It’s not always simple, but you do that enough and someone will be willing to play.

ItzFilyO

Yes and fortunately SoCal is flooded with so many dealers here, so finding the best deal isn't that hard, I just pit them all against the others. Some of my friends are lazy and only want to deal with one dealer and always ended up paying more.

JDR76

I actually did pit the two local Lexus dealers against each other. The other one was a fixed price dealer, so not very flexible, but it meant I knew to not pay any more than their offer at my preferred dealer. I stuck to my guns because I knew what I should be paying. It takes resolve, I tell ya!

We got there eventually, but it was exhausting. My favorite was when I bought the IS. I did negotiate that one with them online first. They had all the paperwork ready to go, so I stopped in after work, signed, and drove out of there not 30 minutes later. I should have done that with this GS purchase and saved myself some time and heartache. Lesson learned.

charley95

I totally agree!!