bassil2022

hi guys,

I found this 2003 LS430 CL with 82,117 miles. one owner, very clean.
the guy asking $15800 bottom price after long negotiation.

I told him I will see and get back to you soon.

What do you think guys of this price? fair, good, or excellent?

I need to know by today or tomorrow, please.

caddyowner

The price sounds good, and Edmunds prices it out at about $20K for a private party in excellent shape with the CL options. (KBB is down right now.)

Are you buying it from the owner? Did you get it inspected or do you feel you performed a thorough inspection including putting it up on a lift?

bassil2022

the car is from car dealer not Lexus dealer. do I need to do inspection? what kind of inspection?

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Only if you are not comfortable inspecting it yourself. Check the warranty repair history and mtce. history. Also check for body repair, suspension repair, and all the usuals. You could run a carfax but BEWARE that just because carfax says the car is clean, it doesn't mean anything -- plenty of cars have big problems that don't get reported on carfax -- but if it says there are problems, there most likely are in fact. If you're not comfortable checking everything, I'd take it to a Lexus or Toyota dealer for a good going over.

bassil2022

how much does it cost usually for a fully inspection? what other places do this beside toyota or lexus dealer?

caddyowner

I've seen independent inspections for $50 - $100. My mechanic does them for me for free, but he only works on domestic cars. I swear that when I brought my soon-to-be-mine Allante in for an inspection last year, he put it on the lift and thought "If he buys this car my kids can get braces!"

Since that time, my daughter married a talented mechanic. Problem solved.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Any decent/honest mechanic could do a good job of it, but it's a crapshoot as to whether or not you've picked a "decent" one unless you know them. I'd think an hour would be PLENTY of time for a good check-over. You may want to do the service history check-up yourself -- no need to pay someone to make those phone calls for you.

bassil2022

how is that?

caddyowner

If you have an established relationship with a Lexus service advisor, they can look up the warranty / service history on a car given the VIN. However, someone recently said that their Lexus dealer wouldn't do this for a private party used car, citing privacy issues.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

^^^ Yes, and if you take the VIN to your dealer in person, tell him that you're checking this vehicle out and that they will be your dealer for whatever LS you end up buying, there's about 90% chance that he'll look it up for you. They are more reluctant on the phone, but from what I've seen they rarely turn you down in person.