I'm interested in a car for my wife - a daily driver - 2013 450h with 252k km new tires all around and new transmission.
Black interior and dark silver/grey exterior.
I haven't seen in person but have lots of pics - online sale. Independent seller. Looks like a lease return but no real info to go off of.

No word on battery condition - if replaced yet or still original.
Aside from the obvious question about the transmission and the batteries, are there any other specifics to look out for?
I appreciate all of your comments and shared experience.
Cheers.

 

Nobody leases a vehicle for 12 years. If it was a lease return, that was a long time ago. Do you have CarFax up there to check the vehicle history?

Always get an independent shop to perform a pre-purchase inspection. It would be best to find a place that also repairs hybrid vehicles so they can inspect the hybrid system and battery health. With that many years and miles/KM the remaining battery life or hybrid system life is a roll of the dice. at this point.

 

Agree with getting a PPI as they’ll also inspect the undercarriage for any rust from the salt(?) used in the Great White North winters.

 

There are 2 sweet spots to own/purchase 450H
Brand new (tax advantage ... not sure how generous they are now)
Time when first owners move on [roughly around base warranty runs out] ... this one is not limited to hybrid.

Not so sweet spots to purchase 450H
8+ yrs in service. Although you can expect 10+ years from well conditioned traction battery, but every year that goes by, the risk gets higher. Just be prepared.

Choose wisely between 350 and 450H. 450H shines in stop and go traffic. If you drive 60+ mph for extended times, non-hybrid is a wiser choice based on years in service and milage.

Red flag for me: New transmission. Not that the transmission is bullet proof, but 450H needing a replacement is a tough one to swallow.

Personally I own 450H and love it .. but I bought it with less than 40K on the odometer and many years back.

I would also add that drive the 450 and and maybe 350 [or others]. The way the transmission works/operates may not be to your liking.

Salim

PS: If you are getting a great price then it might be OK to proceed. But a repair bill may exceed the street value. [I was watching a person replace the inverter (used for $1200). that is just the part]

 

Everything about used vehicles is relative to price.
I think the battery is the least of your worries, and since you’re not in the deep hot south, battery life benefits from our overall cooler temps.
My 2010 is at 336,000 kms, bought it 6 years ago at 240,000, only major repair was water pump recently.
Monitoring the battery cell stats with the Prius app shows essentially no change from 6 years ago.
They love to be driven everyday, and as pointed out, the hybrid is great at stop and go traffic.
My discussions with many dealership mechanics make me believe that battery replacement is a rare event compared to other mechanical issues over the long term.

My next vehicle will be a high mileage 4th gen RX450h, I’ll let someone else eat the depreciation, then I’ll swoop in to get a great deal.

 

Don’t. Too old too many Kms.

 

I've just put a deposit on a 2013 450h. One owner, serviced at a Lexus dealership for all schedule services. They traded it in for a BYD and I got it from the BYD yard that also sells second hands.

160k kms, $22.5k AUD. It's immaculate in terms of interior and looks to have been well looked after.

I'll get PPI from someone who knows hybrids. Main concerns would be the hybrid/battery system health, oil cooling line failure I've read about, water pump, maybe expensive scheduled maintenance (not sure what comes up next, I'll call a dealership and get the details on the next due). There's also a weird rattle from somewhere up near top of drivers door when you pull the door closed. Worried that might be due to a crash or body work, will get the ppi to have a look but car is in such good shape and was looked after so not sure what's going on there.

part of me thinks 350 would have been safer and simpler option at this point but they rarely come up in the spec I want, and this one ticks all boxes and looks very clean.

any tips or extra things to get ppi to look at?

thanks CL

 

Have the vehicle inspected from garage that has instruments to actually read hybrid battery cells. Hopefully they can also report on not so apparent issues and also the source of the noise ... sun-roof??

Insist on all keys.

Once you decide to pick it up, spend some time reading the manual. The service and warranty manual has information regarding manufacturer suggested service based on time and or mileage.

Good luck with the purchase.

Salim

 

Thanks Salim! Appreciate all your posts in this forum really invaluable. Hoping to pick up an old SC430 as well so will be drawing on all the knowledge here for sure.

 

hi Salim, if you're able, could you provide some advice on this purchase?

inspector notes p0300 error code 'random misfire' from 6 months ago, possible exhaust leak, control arms and wheel bearings possibly need attention. Battery was on 48% charge. They gave the car 10/10 on every aspect other than observations above.

control arms and bearings warranty job, exhaust leak dealer may also have to fix.

any thoughts?

 

Not worth the trouble to purchase then have to fix, move on to something that’s 100% without issues.

Unless you’re buying from a Lexus dealer, they would use inferior after market parts.

 

it would be repaired at a Toyota dealership. This is literally the best condition one I've found, every scheduled service completed on time at original Lexus dealership. 150k kms, 2013. Immaculate interior and appearance

 

You had an expert already check it out. If a competent mechanic uses quality parts [OEM] and not do a a patch-up, then it is a viable purchase also make sure alignment is done after control arm replacement. [you need to make sure at the purchase price is right].
It seems you have your heart set on the vehicle.

Salim

 

not heart set. The control arms, bearings and exhaust can be looked after like I mention. Is the error code possibly quite problematic? Battery is a bit of an unknown quantity also. Leaning to side of putting faith in the vehicle mostly because of the reputation of Lexus/toyota being so reliable

 

Realistically, the brand and make only impact chances, and does not guarantee a particular vehicle will outlast other vehicles. Statistics is a very interesting and misunderstood science.

If you are open to alternatives, please examine your desire to own a 'hybrid'. 450 Hybrid excels in stop and go traffic and should be driven frequently. [not garaged for weeks at a time.] If that is not the case, then non-hybrid maybe a better choice.
Also with hybrid, please get a detailed health analysis performed by auto electrician skilled with hybrid/ev.

Staying with in RX [350vs 450] the expensive repair items will be the transmission vs traction-battery repair trade-offs. Not that they are plagued by these issues, the potential of having issues with these goes up with time. When we are talking about 10yr+ in age, holding the manufacturer accountable may be the easy thing, but we know it will not be fair.

So re-examine the choice you have made, have a plan in case of worst outcome and move ahead.

Salim