gordie

I've found 2 interesting options, almost identical except for year and warranty. Both are:

-Black exterior w/ Gray interior
-Nav/Levinson, 3rd Row, Spoiler, Wood Trim...(NO DVD or KDSS)
-1-owner
-Purchased and Maintained at local dealer (w/ records).
-+/- 55,000 miles

Option A: '07 w/ no warranty from private seller. New tires
Option B: '06 CPO from dealer (trade-in). Fairly new tires, 60K maintenance already completed (can anyone tell me what that typically costs since I'd need to do it promptly on the '07?)

I think I can buy either for about 28K. I'm more confident about that price on the '07. It's possible I could negotiate lower with the dealer but that seems doubtful (haven't even started, so 28K might even be wishful thinking).

What do y'all think about that price for these vehicles and which would you choose? The Nav certainly does look nicer on the '07, but that's really it's only advantage besides slightly newer tires. It's hard to valuate the certification since major problems seem unlikely before 100K (I'll probably only reach 85K before certified warranty expires). How do you appraise peace of mind?? Different value for everyone, I guess.

Lastly, should I hold out for an '05 and save 4K+? That's pretty tempting too especially compared to the '06 since they're identical.

I'll either sell the vehicle in about 3-4 years or keep it indefinitely, depending on work.

BLUEGXLVCR

Regardless of which you choose BLACK is a fickle beast. That said, I would look at both in person and figure out which has seen more TLC. I can't stand seeing a sweet black ride with swirls all over. So, check them out in bright sunlight and at all angles. I would make your choice based on condition not the nav. Either would be fine, but if you can get a warranty at the same price point that may tip the scale for me. Drive both as well. I drove about five of them. Four drove the same and one was a turd.

gordie

Yeah, I'm definitely torn about the black. Looks sharp when clean but doesn't look clean very often. I'd probably prefer gold or silver.

The certified one drove well. Only issue is it pulls right a bit. Dealer says it's designed to do so (mildly) in order to take you to shoulder and wake you up. That sounded both bogus and plausible at the same time...

I've seen the '07 but not driven it yet.

Any thoughts about those prices? They're both below edmund's values which I've generally found to be lower and more accurate than kbb.

Johnny Rad

Bogus - cars are supposed to go straight, not off the road on their own!
What a load of BS.

cssnms

Tell the dunderhead sales person at Lexus he is FOS and that you want the truck alligned. As far as price, the asking sounds fare. However, the fact is, that dealer bought that truck for probably $21k, so you have a lot of negotiating room. Dealers make more profit on used vehicles than new. The reality is the amount of negotiating room will depend on supply and demand in your market. Hey it never hurts to ask.

Although the Nav is nice, all things being equal (condition etc) I like the fact that the dealer GX comes with a warranty. The benefit to that is not only piece of mind, but you can choose to extend it before the CPO warranty expires up to 100k mi. You don't have the option with the private party sale. The dealer will also likely give you loaner vehicles when your GX is in for service. Both trucks are right around the mileage where certain things have been known to go bad, e.g. sun roof track (expensive), rear height control sensors (expensive) etc.

Run a car fax on the dealer car and make sure it hasn't been in an accident. The fact that it is out of allignment would have me a little concerned. Also ask the dealer to print out the service history so you can review it and see what has been done. Make sure it had the 60/65k mi service and EVERYTHING that is involved. Last thing you want is to have to come back 5k mi later and spend $500.

gordie

cssnms, great input, thanks! I didn't realize I could extend the CPO warranty myself. I thought that only applied to the original warranty. That's definitely a big advantage for the '06 or any other CPO I look at because I definitely won't hit 100K in 3 years. I probably drive 10K/yr or less.

I agree with both of y'all that the alignment needs to be addressed because even if it's truly designed to drift very slightly right, this was more than very slightly. Dealer said he'd get it realigned. Carfax and dealer inspection claim no accidents. Every truck based vehicle I've ever driven had alignment issues over time because it's too tempting not to drive them like trucks now and then

FYI, asking from private seller is 30K, dealer over 30K. I assumed the dealer paid about 23K for theirs but am glad to hear you say it's probably even lower. Can't believe people leave that much money on the table for the convenience of trading. 2K if you have the money, I understand, but 5-7K...? Sell it to me and pocket the difference!

mann777

There is a TSB to that" if the vehicle is pulling to the right", so B4 u buy ensure they do this job and give it you. It is not a alignment problem. Search this forum, and you will get it.

redrocks

Yeah, no vehicle "pulls" to one side unless it needs an alignment. FOS saleman!