Buying IS350, high miles. reliability?
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Joined: Aug 2011
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From: IL
Buying IS350, high miles. reliability?
Hey guys, so i got an offer for 2006 IS350 for $14k. It has clean title, car is in good condition but there are 113k miles on the clock so I'm concerned about that.
How is the reliability with these cars? something i should pay attention to?
also im planing on driving the car probably for 5 years so by the time i sell the car it will have close to 200k miles on it. Who's gonna buy a car with 200k on it?
So what you guys think, should i take the deal or no, any advices?
Thanks
How is the reliability with these cars? something i should pay attention to?
also im planing on driving the car probably for 5 years so by the time i sell the car it will have close to 200k miles on it. Who's gonna buy a car with 200k on it?
So what you guys think, should i take the deal or no, any advices?
Thanks
Last edited by p0lo8; Sep 6, 2011 at 09:44 PM.
Hey guys, so i got an offer for 2006 IS350 for $15k (probably will make him to go down more). It has clean title, car is in good condition but there are 113k miles on the clock so I'm concerned about that.
How is the reliability with these cars? something i should pay attention to?
also im planing on driving the car probably for 5 years so by the time i sell the car it will have close to 200k miles on it. Who's gonna buy a car with 200k on it?
So what you guys think, should i take the deal or no, any advices?
Thanks
How is the reliability with these cars? something i should pay attention to?
also im planing on driving the car probably for 5 years so by the time i sell the car it will have close to 200k miles on it. Who's gonna buy a car with 200k on it?
So what you guys think, should i take the deal or no, any advices?
Thanks
Go to Lexus.com (as per above instructions) to obtain the Lexus Service History. You'll want to probably post it here so people can review and see what's been done. What you'll be looking for is 1) any open recalls, 2) evidence of anything abnormal, and 3) whether or not the car's had the above "Common 2IS Issues" fixed or addressed. If it hasn't had a common issue repaired (the cam gear TSIB for example), then that's a risk to you, because if it occurs and you have to fix it it's out of pocket.
I would also recommend checking BOTH Carfax and Autocheck, as several recent buyers on CL have found one to be clean and the other to correctly show an accident.
Lastly, a general remark. Overall the 2IS is a very reliable car. You'll likely find this very intriguing: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...es-review.html. They've got 250k miles on it with no major issues. The only thing I've heard outside the common issues listed on the thread above is the water pump - some people have had to replace theirs at over 100k. If you have an independent shop you trust, this shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 383
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From: IL
Start here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...e-threads.html
Go to Lexus.com (as per above instructions) to obtain the Lexus Service History. You'll want to probably post it here so people can review and see what's been done. What you'll be looking for is 1) any open recalls, 2) evidence of anything abnormal, and 3) whether or not the car's had the above "Common 2IS Issues" fixed or addressed. If it hasn't had a common issue repaired (the cam gear TSIB for example), then that's a risk to you, because if it occurs and you have to fix it it's out of pocket.
I would also recommend checking BOTH Carfax and Autocheck, as several recent buyers on CL have found one to be clean and the other to correctly show an accident.
Lastly, a general remark. Overall the 2IS is a very reliable car. You'll likely find this very intriguing: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...es-review.html. They've got 250k miles on it with no major issues. The only thing I've heard outside the common issues listed on the thread above is the water pump - some people have had to replace theirs at over 100k. If you have an independent shop you trust, this shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.
Go to Lexus.com (as per above instructions) to obtain the Lexus Service History. You'll want to probably post it here so people can review and see what's been done. What you'll be looking for is 1) any open recalls, 2) evidence of anything abnormal, and 3) whether or not the car's had the above "Common 2IS Issues" fixed or addressed. If it hasn't had a common issue repaired (the cam gear TSIB for example), then that's a risk to you, because if it occurs and you have to fix it it's out of pocket.
I would also recommend checking BOTH Carfax and Autocheck, as several recent buyers on CL have found one to be clean and the other to correctly show an accident.
Lastly, a general remark. Overall the 2IS is a very reliable car. You'll likely find this very intriguing: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...es-review.html. They've got 250k miles on it with no major issues. The only thing I've heard outside the common issues listed on the thread above is the water pump - some people have had to replace theirs at over 100k. If you have an independent shop you trust, this shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.
Looks pretty good to me. Obviously kept up with his maintenance, did most or all of it at the dealer. I see spark plugs at 60k miles, something some people avoid because it's expensive. I also see all the recalls I know of. It looks like he did the cam gear TSIB at 61k miles, which is to be expected.
Really doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. I think it sounds pretty good.
One thing I don't see are any TSIBs for rattles/squeaks or other annoyance issues. If his car has 100k miles and has no rattles, it's a miracle. The dash rattle is especially irritating, and is upwards of $1000 to fix. Definitely take it for a solid test drive to listen for anything like this - may not be of major concern to you however, as it's just an annoyance.
Really doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. I think it sounds pretty good.
One thing I don't see are any TSIBs for rattles/squeaks or other annoyance issues. If his car has 100k miles and has no rattles, it's a miracle. The dash rattle is especially irritating, and is upwards of $1000 to fix. Definitely take it for a solid test drive to listen for anything like this - may not be of major concern to you however, as it's just an annoyance.
Service records look good, looks like he was sticking to around 10k oil changes with synthetic which is good too. I wouldn't be worried about its reliability as long as everything else checks out (Carfax, Autocheck, etc) and of course use your eye too, look for parts that look repainted too. You can always ask to have the car inspected somewhere and take it to a mechanic you trust for an inspection and second opinion.
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Taking your car to a dealer for a pre-purchase inspection is a good idea - well worth the hour's labor at about $120. Wouldn't want to buy it and find out some part is failing or about to fail. How are the tires?
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Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 383
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From: IL
In the picture it looks like the passengers door is a slightly different color. Is it just reflections, shade etc.? Seller told that there was nothing done to the door. But it really looks different in this picture.
Did not see the car yet, going to test drive it on Saturday, but seller told me that in the rear tires are changed recently, but the front will need a replacement soon. Definitely taking it to the dealer for inspection.
In the picture it looks like the passengers door is a slightly different color. Is it just reflections, shade etc.? Seller told that there was nothing done to the door. But it really looks different in this picture.
In the picture it looks like the passengers door is a slightly different color. Is it just reflections, shade etc.? Seller told that there was nothing done to the door. But it really looks different in this picture.
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 383
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From: IL
You can try what the dealership tried on my car. Feel the edges of the door (From the outside to the inside part of the door). No joke. Apparently, from the factory the edges of the door will be as smooth as the door itself. If the edges feel rough, its usually because its been repainted. I didn't know this, and it was hilarious seeing them "caress" all the edges of my car. LOL
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 383
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From: IL
Actually, isn't that F-sport calipers? I know now you can add some F-sport mods when you are ordering the car and they are blue, not sure about 2006. No other mods that i was told of.
