How much did you paid?

 

I wouldn't normally reveal what I paid, but in this case I will, because I think I was able to get a really exceptional car for less than I actually expected to pay.

The owner wanted $60k which he thought was reasonable considering the MSRP sticker was about $70k and the car barely had 5k miles on the odometer, plus it had 35% window tinting that he said the dealer charged almost $1k to have installed. I originally offered $40k cash and the owner turned that down right away without any further exchange.

The owner reconnected with me and said he really wanted to sell the car soon to help take care of some financial matters. He convinced me the car was in perfect showroom condition and being stored in a climate-controlled airplane hanger/garage attached to the house. I knew the car was special, and this car in particular was a very rare find. I offered $44k and arranged through the owner to ship the car to me in an enclosed trailer from Las Vegas to Dallas (~1,200 miles) for $1,200 additional. So, I paid $45,200 for the car which was delivered to me here in Dallas.

 

Your are really a lucky man.I’m in the market and finding a 2018 450H.Your information is very very helpful for me to do a final decision.Thanks a lot!

 

Thanks! I feel fortunate to have found it and able to buy it at such a good price.

Good luck in your search. Hope you find one you can't live without. Hoping to see you post here on the 4GS Hybrid Technology forum in the near future.

 

Someone asked me how high I would have gone to buy the car considering its really low mileage and its like new condition. Of course I gave that subject some thought and I juggled some numbers around before my offer was accepted. I'm glad it didn't turn into a lengthy negotiation because I'm pretty sure I would have paid a good bit more than I did. I was prepared to go as high as reasonably necessary because I knew I'd never find another one like it. I had considered offering close to $50k if it got into a back-n-forth negotiation, and if that is what it took to buy it.

Knowing how I am when I make up my mind to really go after something, I'm often willing to pay a premium, sometimes against my better judgment, especially if the item is really special, rare or one-of-a-kind. Looking back on the circumstances - and considering all the various factors - I probably would have offered as high as $52k-$53k and maybe even a tad higher if needed, up to probably $55k, which I think is getting close to the highest price that is still reasonable and not overpaying. But, I can't honestly say with certainty what I would have done. Each deal has a course of direction it takes and its development can go very smoothly or it can be thrown off course quickly by small things, unpredictable attitudes or adverse perceptions. My deal could not have gone smoother. In that regard I was lucky.

 

I was also asked how I came about finding my car in Las Vegas, Nevada. The answer is pretty simple and has no connection with a car dealer or retailer in any way. Instead I was able to deal directly with the owner and bought the car directly from him, which in my opinion is the best method of buying a vehicle if you can come across it.

This is how I came across it. A local friend of mine who is a pilot and owns and flies a twin-engine Cessna 310R communicated on an aviation message board (much like Club Lexus I think) with a friend of his that just recently attained his multi-engine rating and is in the market to buy a new or different plane that is faster and has more range than the plane he currently has. The man had told my friend about him searching for the new plane and he mentioned that he wanted to sell an almost new 2018 Lexus GS 450h that he had setting for 18 months in his climate-controlled hanger/garage that is attached to his house. I never heard why the car was not being driven, but I have since heard that there was some extenuating financial circumstances pertaining to the new plane the owner wanted to buy that made the deal with me to buy his car possible. My friend knew that I liked Lexus vehicles and was able to put me in touch with his friend in Las Vegas that owned the car, and the rest is history.

My local friend offered to fly me to Las Vegas to see the Lexus GS 450h and meet the owner who lives in an air park community with a 5,000 foot runway, saying that he could taxi right up to the owner's hanger door, but it never became necessary because the owner and I consummated the deal over the phone in just a little more than one day's time.

 

I finally got to 10,000 miles!

 

I finally got to 15,000 miles!

It took me 386 days (1 year, 21 days) averaging 13 miles/day to drive 5,000 miles.

 

Sounds like the car is just ripe enough for you to SELL IT TO ME 🤣🤣🤣

P.S. how does it handle and take off the line compared to a regular ol' GS?

 

It handles great as expected with all the different drive modes. I mostly drive in Normal mode, but enjoy Sport+ at times for prodigious personal enjoyment!

It's definitely got that instant 'push you into your seat' torque from the electric traction motor. I really like that straight upward bound torque curve that doesn't peak like an ICE. The instant torque can shred the rear tires a bit and result in my need to replace the OE Michelins with a set of Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 tires from Discount Tire.



The Lexus GS 450h makes me wonder what driving a Tesla Model S Plaid with 1,020 horsepower and 0-60 time under two seconds would be like. That kind of instant power just might be enough for a sub 10 second ¼ mile. What color should I get?

 

Hello!

I can only say for European market, but the bamboo trim was still available even in the last year of European sales (which was 2018). I have recently purchased my very first Lexus - a 2018 GS450H with the bamboo trim (as a part of luxury pack).

 

Hello!

I can only say for European market, but the bamboo trim was still available even in the last year of European sales (which was 2018). I have recently purchased my very first Lexus - a 2018 GS450H with the bamboo trim (as a part of luxury pack).

 

24,000 miles on my a like new 2018 GS 450h!


If anyone wonders why my tire pressure is ~40 psi - it is because I tweaked my the pressure for 35 psi at 32° at the beginning of winter, but today (as you can see) is 50° higher at 82° so my tires are displaying ~5 psi higher. It's still February and winter!

 

That’s hardly broken in. Nice to see you surpassed me in likes during my few-year absence from the forum. I haven’t used my car much in the last couple of years, but I have around 166k on my 2013 GSh.