First post and I'd like some input from the group. Just found a 2006 pristine Blk/Blk LS430. UL package with the Aniline Lthr (IN). 11 months left on original warranty. Certified preowned. Less than 40K miles. Will be making an offer later today. What would you pay?

Thanks for any input.

 

what are they asking..

 

If he's looking in NC, my guess is the dealer is listing the car for just under $40K. I'd be interested in hearing how flexible the dealers are in CPO prices right now, given clunker-mania for new vehicles. I understand that some large, national dealers are putting together a clunker-II program that would include looser restrictions for the trade-ins and could be applied to used cars.

 

i'm thinking they prolly got it listed for like 38.9k maybe 37.9k depending but id say u be a lucky man to pick it up for 34k. i would aim for 33-34k and see what happens.

 

I was going to start at 34K and see what happens. I don't have a trade. Sold my 2002 SC430 last week. They are asking 38K. I'm guessing we might come together in the middle at 36K.

Thanks for the input.

 

if i could walk away with the lex for 35k in that deal i'd be pretty happy myself. sounds like you'll be part of the ls crew here shortly. good luck hope its not to painful of a process, you know how those things can be mentally draining sometimes.

 

Make sure you factor in the sales tax as well. Many times people talk about how much they pay for things and do not consider the true bottom line price. If you are paying it off completely no financing I find it is better not to let them know this until the transaction is complete and then you simply pay it off.
That is what I did with my Lexus, I am fiscally conservative and frugal. I had the salesman thinking I was gonna pay 20% down and I used Lexus financing after telling them I was getting a rate of X from a credit union(which was true)while negotiating. When they matched the credit union rate I decided to use Lexus financing. Then I paid more down giving me a monthly payment of like $140 a month. Then paid it off. If the interest isn't tax deductible I am not paying it. I don't like debt.
Make sure you give the car a careful look. I always start from a ridiculously low price. If you think it is worth 36K then say 29k to start. Of course they will balk. Then let them tell you why it is worth what they think. Those salemen are usually ready to drop a cars price by $1500-$2000, so try to go lower than that. Sun tzu said never negotiate from a position of weakness. The truth is you are doing them a favor by buying their overpriced used car. At 36k you could get yourself a newer model LS for a little bit more money. At your low price point they will tell you it doesn't make sense to sell to you because someone else will buy it. At that point I usually say okay and leave. Salesmen always call me back with a lower price. Then I negotiate from there. I took a few days negotiating my car and I was prepared to buy a car from another state and have it shipped to the lexus dealership near me. When the saleman called me the third time and I told him I was about to pull the trigger with another dealership he lowered his price enough. I did give in a little as well.
Just make sure you step back think of all of your options and don't make an emotional decision. It is always better to wait than by on impulse. Good deals are popping up all over the place lately.
How important is the special leather? When you can get a custom luxury for much less.
How important is UL ?
I wouldn't buy a used 2006 lexus for $40,000 or close to that. In this economy are you kidding me. Too many other good cars out there for way less. So make sure you get the price down to low 30's. or wait for a better deal.
Do you NEED to buy a car right now or WANT a used car?
Obviously you should ignore all that I say if you have money to burn.
Cheers,
Ian

 

^^ We all have this advice for others, but when most of us get behind the wheel of a new car that we want, we're like giggling schoolgirls. Because of this behavior, one guy on another forum advised folks to never test drive a CPO car until you negotiate the price. My opinion is that if a simple test drive is going to melt your resolve, you need to test drive a lot more cars. I don't know (yet) how much variation there is between between different CPO LS430s. But, with CPO Cadillacs, there can be a big difference - some cars are solid and others rattle and shake like crazy.

 

Well, it was sold. I found it last night on the internet. And contacted the dealer today and it was gone. They had a silver UL with black interior that just came in but had swirl marks all through the paint. 37,000 miles and said they were going to list it for 42K, couldn't see it. Wasn't in that great condition if you ask me.
Since this morning I've been talking to Lexus of Orland outside of Chicago. They have one that has higher miles and it has spent several winters in Chicago. That worries me. But it is BLK/BLK. The other is outside of Orlando and has 35K on it but the Ecru interior which I'm not crazy about.
Would any of you risk buying a CPO over the internet without seeing it first. Even if it had 8 months/14K miles left on the original warranty like the one in Lexus of Melbourne?
Debian, It sounds like we are from the same school of thought. I sold my SC and have been sharing a car with the wife fro a week. Not fun. But I can still hold out longer than a week if need be. I'm not locked in to a UL and would be fine with a Custom Luxury package but they are as rare if not more. Found one outside of Atlanta that looked sweet at a non Lexus dealer but I always wonder why the Lexus Dealers pass up on these cars at auction. But in reality I would probably prefer the CL version. Price is better and do my 5 and 8 year old really need to be massaged on the to and from school?

 

i got my 06 ul blk/blk in january 09 with a couple months of cpo, a little under 42k miles for 33500+tax. so, if you can get it for 33k-36k grab it..cause, theres nothing like driving one of the best cars ever plus having 1 of 101.. 2006 ul's.

 

is it just me..prices on these LS430's have gone up compared to past december-january?

 

Three techniques that work when buying cars at a distance:

- Corvetteforum members frequently look at local cars, take pics, take test drives, etc. for distant members. Evaluations range from "don't bother unless you want an expensive parts car" to "if you don't buy it I will." Even though dealers post lots of pics, it's never the same as knowledgeable eyeballs looking at a car. Like you said, the car could be covered in swirl marks, especially black.

- I know a guy in Michigan that buys early 80s MB300Ds down south, uses them for his dd for a while, and then sells them for a profit. He searches the internet and finds 2-4 cars in a city that has cheap airfare and assumes he will throw away the return ticket if he finds the right car.

- A buddy of mine buys muscle car projects, restores them, and sells them to buy his next project car. (He currently has a beautiful 69 GTO vert that "needed nothing" when he bought it. According to his wife, he's put another $25K into the car, including $12K in paint.) He uses the round trip ticket and contracts with Reliable or one of the other reputable car shipping companies to pick up the car.

With the right approach, the search can be a lot of fun. My longest search for a car was about 5 months when I bought my late C3 corvette. I found it about 100 miles away and trailered it home. (The midwest is a good place to buy older vettes because most are only driven a few months a year. My 81 had 30K miles.) Alas, no more vettes for me - too tough to transfer my wife and her wheelchair.

 

Used market has gotten a little tougher due to economy. My advice to you is don't buy an UL. Find a Modern Luxury or a custom. Too much to go wrong on an ultra...and the worst is air suspension.

Dealers think they have something ..really special with an Ultra. Black book adds $600 for a UL.

 

I think this would be a great idea. I'd even be willing to compensate someone financially for their time if I felt they knew what they were doing and could provide some good info. There would still be lots of risks associated with someone else checking out a car for you and I doubt I'd buy on their advice alone but it might help weed out some of the cars you wouldn't bother with to begin with.

 

^^
I wouldn't base a sight-unseen-purchase decision on a 3rd party inspection, but it would convince me whether I'd place a refundable deposit on a car and book a flight to go close the deal.

Of course, Lexus CPO cars are supposedly the best-of-the-best and none of this due diligence malarky is necessary...