I have my eye on a 350 with about 50k. Im a little concered because this car was purchased at an auction and has been on the market for a year without selling. Im going to check it out and test drive it. Also will probably take it to Lexus for an inspection if i like the car. Any known issues with 2014 350s I should be aware of or can look out for when im inspecting the car myself?

 

Sold at an auction? Was it a fleet car? I would check the carfax for it to make sure all looks good. I would also register on Lexus drivers page and add the vin number to check its service history if they were performed by Lexus or Toyota. That way you get an idea what has been done maintenance wise over the course of 50k miles.

 

Carfax is clean with just about all of the history. Same for the lexus drivers website. Only thing that stuck out was a CEL for engine misfire. Dealer could not duplicate the issue and nothing was replaced on the car. Also a couple wheel alignments were done. No accidents showing on either service history

 

Is it an F-sport? My advice to you is to get the VIN checked out and find out how far into production the car was made. My 2014 F-sport was one of the first ones off the boat, and being the first batch of a new generation, I've had some expensive problems that were thankfully covered under warranty. But if I were to pick up a used IS350 without a warranty today, I would want it to be a 2015 or later model year as they have worked out some of the "bugs" in the new generation. The three most expensive issues I've had to deal with is a replaced navigation screen, replaced power steering assembly, and failed radio receiver (all covered by warranty). There's something currently wrong with the moonroof that needs to be fixed also that will no doubt be expensive to fix but under warranty. I've also had prematurely leaking struts and various rattles. Also note the suspension tune has too much negative camber so you will have to deal with premature inner tire wear. Don't expect to get more than 15K miles on a pair of performance tires. Not trying to dump on this car, it's great overall, just pointing out some first model year problems to look out for that may or may not be a problem for you.

 

The car is NOT an fsport. I do also prefer not to get a first generation car when they redo the body style etc. Id much prefer at least the year after for what exactly you said about them working out the bugs, some tweeks here and there, etc. But the deal is to good to pass up almost. I figure if its the same platform engine wise id be good on this. The car is at a Nissan dealership which they picked up at an auction. I would have Lexus doing a 120 point inspection, road test, and have them scan the engine for any past codes. I would not be taking it to a 3rd party as my personal mechanic is an hour away.

 

If this is an AWD model, I say go on a long test drive and just note how the pedals feel going from brake to gas, gas to brake, etc. to see if it feels natural to you or not. On AWD models, the driver seat actually is pointed slightly to the left and not pointed straight, and I find that I get hip discomfort from the brake pedal being farther from the gas pedal unlike most cars I've owned in my driving life, so to apply the brakes, you have to turn your foot inward and then step down. My right hip isn't liking that, but this is just me.

 

I have a base model 2014 and have had problems with the monroof rattling. There's a TSB that outlines the installation of an additional screw in the moonroof that supposedly fixes the issue. It didn't fix mine so Lexus replaced the moonroof under warranty. I also had a wonky proximity sensor that needed to be replaced.