Planning to Purchase a Used IS-250 with High Milage - Advice?
 

Hey everyone,

I have absolutely no knowledge when it comes to dealing with used cars, was hoping someone could help me out.

What sort of things should I be looking out for when purchasing a used IS-250 with 107 000 Miles on it?

I understand that different car brands are infamous for different problems - ex. Infiniti has problems with their breaking system, Acura transmission dies, and german cars basically suck when bought used. What are the standard issues for a IS-250?

Here is the listing I am looking at if anyone really wanted to help:
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/ctd/2740956739.html

Thanks all.

Personally, I would move on and look for a different one. That's a car that's almost 5 years old with more than 20k miles/annually. Way more than average. :eek2:

I think you can find a better deal if you hold out a little and search... in general though i would check for maintenance records, general appearance, leaks, shakes, ext. Does the transmission shift smooth, no vibrations at speed, shakes at idle... ext.

I wouldn't buy a car over 80k miles unless it was gonna be a beater. If you're gonna have to take out a loan for a car and make payments for 4-5 years why not get somethin with less miles? Also when buying used there's nothing better than buying a CPO Lexus. 3 years/100k warranty a meticulous inspection was done on the car replacing anything that needed to be replaced you get road side assistance free car wash as long as you own the car which I don't use bc they run it through a machine. I had wash ny car. And they provide you with a loaner whenever your car is being serviced. The 3rd gen IS is expected to hit the market within the next year or two so prices on 2IS's will drop as well. Don't be in a rush to buy a car that you are gonna be making payments on. A car with that kind of mileage you dont know who owned it or how well they took care of it.

Other than the Nav, ventilated seats and the AWD, I don't see much above standard equipment on this car. Being that it is a 250 and has the mileage that it does, I would say that I would pass. I paid less than $20k for my 350 a year and a half ago and it only had 72K on it at the time. Keep looking........

Eh...I don't care about it having high miles. Get a ppi done and all it a day. Miles are miles, i put a lot of miles on my cars for work and i havent had an issue. It all depends on the person who owned and took care of it. I'm prepping my 350 to be for sale around that price range if you're interested...cough wink cough

My 2 cents, don't buy. If you're looking at a high mileage is250, chances are that you are spreading your finances too thin. Save up for awhile, or choose a different car. There's plenty of great cars out there.

Thanks for the advice everyone - Guess I won't be getting anything with more than 60000 miles on it.

However, I would still like to know what problems most IS-250 owners run into after owning it for 3+ years!

Thanks again.

Most problems I have seen members have had on this forum is carbon build up and the navi going out. But like I said get a CPO IS and you'll be covered. And at least try to find 50k or less

I've owed my 07 sense day one (bought it in Sept 06), and it runs like it did brand new. I have NOT had any problems with it so far. And i drive it everyday, I have about 80K miles on it and the only thing it has lost is that New Car Smell. Everything in it works just like it did the day it rolled out of Japan, maybe better now that i've modded a few things. I would Highly Recommend Lexus for sure.

I'm sure there are many IS's out there with less miles. Mine is 4 years old with 19,000 miles. Sorry I'm not selling it because it looks and drives like its brand new.

Appreciate the insight sir. And everyone else.

Np good luck with your search. It took me 2 and a half months to find mine. I wanted Star fire pear, certified, fully loaded with navi, low mileage and I wasn't gonna settle for less. Got mine in September, caught the mod bug and have been in love with it since

I purchased mine in august for 15k 103k miles. I have since put 7k on it just because i volunteer to drive everywhere since the car is so nice. The only thing i regret about getting a high mileage car is that i only want to keep it for 4 years before i get into another car and you loose a lot in resale for high miles. But if i wanted to keep it for 7+ years then its perfect because toyota makes reliable cars. I have a few friends with old ES's that have nearly 250k on it. For most cars 150k is the limit so just see its kind of like having a car with 0 miles if you get a lexus with 100k.

This thread should answer all your questions: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...is-models.html

Short answer is while these cars are extremely reliable, problems do occur, and they occur more often the higher the mileage. And problems on a Lexus are expensive - you might only have one issue with it, but fixing that issue might cost $2,000.

Make sure you've budgeted for such contingencies.

And that particular car's price seems too high to me, I'd negotiate them down hard or pass.