Would you buy a 400h without a warranty?
01-19-13, 11:36 AM
#1
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Would you buy a 400h without a warranty?
Hi all,
I am looking to join the ranks of 400h owners, and may have found my next vehicle, but I'd like your opinion.
There is a 2006 RX400h AWD for sale locally that has what appears to be every option, including Levinson, Nav, and rear entertainment. It has 101k miles on it, and is thus not eligible for any aftermarket warranty from any dealership that I have talked to. It has good service history on the mylexus site, has had the recalls done, and is priced very attractively.
So my question to you is: Would you be willing to buy a 400h with 101k without a warranty? Is this a car that rarely has problems, or are there items of concern at this mileage and age? I have had several Lexus products in the past, and have never had any serious problems, so I'm tempted to trust the car without a warranty, but would like your input as you know more about this model than I do.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
I am looking to join the ranks of 400h owners, and may have found my next vehicle, but I'd like your opinion.
There is a 2006 RX400h AWD for sale locally that has what appears to be every option, including Levinson, Nav, and rear entertainment. It has 101k miles on it, and is thus not eligible for any aftermarket warranty from any dealership that I have talked to. It has good service history on the mylexus site, has had the recalls done, and is priced very attractively.
So my question to you is: Would you be willing to buy a 400h with 101k without a warranty? Is this a car that rarely has problems, or are there items of concern at this mileage and age? I have had several Lexus products in the past, and have never had any serious problems, so I'm tempted to trust the car without a warranty, but would like your input as you know more about this model than I do.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
01-20-13, 12:30 PM
#2
101k miles.. hope you are getting a good deal..
the car will need major services in the next a year or two like: t-belt, plugs, coolant, etc.. so kinda figure those into the price.. also, make sure you look around the radiator for signs of leakage..
good luck..
the car will need major services in the next a year or two like: t-belt, plugs, coolant, etc.. so kinda figure those into the price.. also, make sure you look around the radiator for signs of leakage..
good luck..
01-24-13, 06:55 PM
#3
Mileage doesn't tell everything. Depends on how the vehicle does with an inspection. Extended warranties are a matter of preference so polling others really isn't the way to determine your own preference.
01-25-13, 05:00 AM
#4
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Bought mine with 88k and now have 123k. One wheel bearing and inverter cooling pump, but the car is perfect otherwise. I also went thru and did CVT tranny fluid change and have done tires and front brake pads, which were original at 122k miles...Risk, yes, but love the car.
01-25-13, 07:21 AM
#5
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I just wanted to add, the prius hybrid has proven to be a very reliable vehicle under heavy useage...hopefully the RX400h series will continue that statistic. I am hoping to get at least 250k miles on mine before I move to another....
02-23-13, 05:17 PM
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I have owned 12 BMW's, all purchased outside the warranty period. Note to Lexus owner's BMW is engineered (or used to be anyway) on a "performance" design philosophy and reliability is compromised to achieve this goal. Therefore, BMW's require quite a bit of TLC to continue to operate and function properly.
You can mitigate the risk by learning how to work on the car yourself and at a minimum, perform the routine maintenance.
Lexus (Toyota), is known as the automotive leader in quality and reliability. That being said, I do understand that there are a number of "wear items" on any vehicle that will need attention over time. But I think the data around quality and reliability can be used as a predictive indicator of lower risk as it pertains to more catastrophic failures, usually in the powertrain. This is the area that usually hits hardest in terms of financial impact.
Driving the 400h new off of the lot with a warranty offers a good risk mitigation strategy in terms of not being financially exposed for unforseen mechanical issues during the warranty period.
I just purchased a 400h a few days ago with approx. 53k miles and no warranty.
I did some math: The previous owner purchased the vehicle for around $54k and drove it 53,000 miles. I don't know what they received when they sold or traded in the vehicle, but it was obviously less than my less than $20k purchase price.
So using a conservative estimate, the PO lost around $35k in depreciation over the course of only 6 years and 53k miles. That equates to $0.66/mile!
At that ratio, I will only have to drive the 400h approx. 13,400 miles to get the same $/mile or "value" out of the vehicle. Every mile above the 13,400 mile threshold will reduce my per mile cost below that of the prior owner. Any unanticipated maintenance costs will raise the number of miles, but you can see, even with some major maintenance and repairs, it won't take long to exceed the value vs. the PO's baseline. If I can get 150,000 mostly trouble free miles (not out of the realm of possibility) out of this vehicle (this includes the 53K already on the odo), that puts my cost per mile @ approx. $021/mile, or less than 1/3 vs. the PO baseline.
So in summary, I am not saying my strategy is best for everyone. I can offset some maintenance and ownership costs by doing the work myself. But the warranty benefit covering repairs is only one component of financial risk of vehicle ownership.
You can mitigate the risk by learning how to work on the car yourself and at a minimum, perform the routine maintenance.
Lexus (Toyota), is known as the automotive leader in quality and reliability. That being said, I do understand that there are a number of "wear items" on any vehicle that will need attention over time. But I think the data around quality and reliability can be used as a predictive indicator of lower risk as it pertains to more catastrophic failures, usually in the powertrain. This is the area that usually hits hardest in terms of financial impact.
Driving the 400h new off of the lot with a warranty offers a good risk mitigation strategy in terms of not being financially exposed for unforseen mechanical issues during the warranty period.
I just purchased a 400h a few days ago with approx. 53k miles and no warranty.
I did some math: The previous owner purchased the vehicle for around $54k and drove it 53,000 miles. I don't know what they received when they sold or traded in the vehicle, but it was obviously less than my less than $20k purchase price.
So using a conservative estimate, the PO lost around $35k in depreciation over the course of only 6 years and 53k miles. That equates to $0.66/mile!
At that ratio, I will only have to drive the 400h approx. 13,400 miles to get the same $/mile or "value" out of the vehicle. Every mile above the 13,400 mile threshold will reduce my per mile cost below that of the prior owner. Any unanticipated maintenance costs will raise the number of miles, but you can see, even with some major maintenance and repairs, it won't take long to exceed the value vs. the PO's baseline. If I can get 150,000 mostly trouble free miles (not out of the realm of possibility) out of this vehicle (this includes the 53K already on the odo), that puts my cost per mile @ approx. $021/mile, or less than 1/3 vs. the PO baseline.So in summary, I am not saying my strategy is best for everyone. I can offset some maintenance and ownership costs by doing the work myself. But the warranty benefit covering repairs is only one component of financial risk of vehicle ownership.
Last edited by Psychocndy; 03-01-13 at 02:59 PM.
02-28-13, 11:29 PM
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I probably would, depending on what "toys" are there. I've had the 400h since about 35K mi (75K now) and had absolutely no issues with it except for the DVD system in the back of the headrests. That thing breaks on average every 8000 miles, but I got the extended warranty so it just costs me time. But, I'm not quite up to that mileage yet, and every vehicle I've had with those miles on it has been a Jeep so the two aren't even comparable. Tough call.
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09-09-13, 09:44 AM
#12
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I have owned 12 BMW's, all purchased outside the warranty period. Note to Lexus owner's BMW is engineered (or used to be anyway) on a "performance" design philosophy and reliability is compromised to achieve this goal. Therefore, BMW's require quite a bit of TLC to continue to operate and function properly.
You can mitigate the risk by learning how to work on the car yourself and at a minimum, perform the routine maintenance.
Lexus (Toyota), is known as the automotive leader in quality and reliability. That being said, I do understand that there are a number of "wear items" on any vehicle that will need attention over time. But I think the data around quality and reliability can be used as a predictive indicator of lower risk as it pertains to more catastrophic failures, usually in the powertrain. This is the area that usually hits hardest in terms of financial impact.
Driving the 400h new off of the lot with a warranty offers a good risk mitigation strategy in terms of not being financially exposed for unforseen mechanical issues during the warranty period.
I just purchased a 400h a few days ago with approx. 53k miles and no warranty.
I did some math: The previous owner purchased the vehicle for around $54k and drove it 53,000 miles. I don't know what they received when they sold or traded in the vehicle, but it was obviously less than my less than $20k purchase price.
So using a conservative estimate, the PO lost around $35k in depreciation over the course of only 6 years and 53k miles. That equates to $0.66/mile! At that ratio, I will only have to drive the 400h approx. 13,400 miles to get the same $/mile or "value" out of the vehicle. Every mile above the 13,400 mile threshold will reduce my per mile cost below that of the prior owner. Any unanticipated maintenance costs will raise the number of miles, but you can see, even with some major maintenance and repairs, it won't take long to exceed the value vs. the PO's baseline. If I can get 150,000 mostly trouble free miles (not out of the realm of possibility) out of this vehicle (this includes the 53K already on the odo), that puts my cost per mile @ approx. $021/mile, or less than 1/3 vs. the PO baseline.
So in summary, I am not saying my strategy is best for everyone. I can offset some maintenance and ownership costs by doing the work myself. But the warranty benefit covering repairs is only one component of financial risk of vehicle ownership.
You can mitigate the risk by learning how to work on the car yourself and at a minimum, perform the routine maintenance.
Lexus (Toyota), is known as the automotive leader in quality and reliability. That being said, I do understand that there are a number of "wear items" on any vehicle that will need attention over time. But I think the data around quality and reliability can be used as a predictive indicator of lower risk as it pertains to more catastrophic failures, usually in the powertrain. This is the area that usually hits hardest in terms of financial impact.
Driving the 400h new off of the lot with a warranty offers a good risk mitigation strategy in terms of not being financially exposed for unforseen mechanical issues during the warranty period.
I just purchased a 400h a few days ago with approx. 53k miles and no warranty.
I did some math: The previous owner purchased the vehicle for around $54k and drove it 53,000 miles. I don't know what they received when they sold or traded in the vehicle, but it was obviously less than my less than $20k purchase price.
So using a conservative estimate, the PO lost around $35k in depreciation over the course of only 6 years and 53k miles. That equates to $0.66/mile!
At that ratio, I will only have to drive the 400h approx. 13,400 miles to get the same $/mile or "value" out of the vehicle. Every mile above the 13,400 mile threshold will reduce my per mile cost below that of the prior owner. Any unanticipated maintenance costs will raise the number of miles, but you can see, even with some major maintenance and repairs, it won't take long to exceed the value vs. the PO's baseline. If I can get 150,000 mostly trouble free miles (not out of the realm of possibility) out of this vehicle (this includes the 53K already on the odo), that puts my cost per mile @ approx. $021/mile, or less than 1/3 vs. the PO baseline.So in summary, I am not saying my strategy is best for everyone. I can offset some maintenance and ownership costs by doing the work myself. But the warranty benefit covering repairs is only one component of financial risk of vehicle ownership.
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