Thanks again for all the support and responses. Sadly, I have only gotten one (almost legit) email (the guy posted a link and said cash on hand...only it for a Nissan 370Z in West Hollywood. I was like wtflol) and a pm from a member on E90post. I have gotten nothing from autotrader other than some annoying scam phone calls.

I think I will try what you did mewhee and stick a "for sale" sign on the car. I know that when I buy a car, I must see it and drive it before paying any amount of cash.

 

What will CarMax give you for it?

 

Greetings. I don't post often, but when I first signed up here, the input I got was invaluable.

My 2 cents worth is to wait and get what you want. Having driven several Lexus models, my last one was a 94 black LS with only 130,000 miles(before that a 92ES). A friend had been waiting for the day I said I'd sell the LS and he couldn't wait to get it. I came here looking for answers and what I ended up with was a 2005 black LS430. Not sure which one I have, but it has cooled seats, nav, and pretty much all I need(if someone spits at my windshield the wipers turn on). I got it on ebay from a dealer in Dallas. I called him and negotiated a better deal. It wasn't certified. I contacted the local Lexus here with the vin and they gave me a spot on clean check. I did a carfax and it too was clean. We flew in, took possession and drove it home. Had 34,000 miles on it. 2 years later, it's in excellent condition, needing nothing more than basic oil and filters and has only 47,000 miles on the odometer.

I recommend the 05/06 cuz i love keeping the key fobby thing in my pocket and all I have to do is turn the switch to start or stop, press the button on the door to lock/unlock. Better yet, my wife keeps one in her purse and I don't have to open her door (not that I did anyway). The 18" wheels were a bear to replace costwise, but it's well worth it. I do love the star wheel rims (not chromed).

So get what you want, do your research, take your time, and when you see it you'll know. Good luck.

 

@aypues: Does carmax give you a decent price? I have heard bad things about them so I never even considered them.

@RZ: thanks for that nice review. I am looking at an 06 silver on ash, 62k, with nav and those sweet star spoke wheels right now. Car is cpo at 25.5k as the dealer stands (down from 27.7). I am putting my offer at 23k (which is ok for me, especially if I sell at a proper price). If you don't mind me asking how much was yours at time of purchase? Would you recommend holding out on a lower mile one? The one I'm looking at has a good service history and is backed by warranty. I will probably be willing to go up to 24 for it. Would you say this is a good or bad deal, given the things I found about this car?

I take back my rant about autotrader. I took your guys' advice and lowered my asking price to 22k, guy is currently offering 21k (which is about top dollar for my car according to kbb private sale).

 

Oh yes just to add, the current 430 I'm looking at (and negotiating with dealer) is my most ideal car: silver on ash, 5 spokes, modern lux pack, cpo warranty. I hope the cosmetics are minor. Other than that it checks out clean and pretty attractive.

 

I ran across this deal. Almost seems too good to be true. A black 05 with 43k miles and nav and 5 spoke wheels for only 17.8k. Too good to be true? Here is the link:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

I would check it out. Get the carfax from the dealer and run the service history. Go take a look.

 

I checked out the Black 05 LS... The car was originally from NJ. The last time it's been to a Lexus dealer for service was on 3/23/2007 at 25,003 miles. It dropped off the radar after that. Up to 25k miles, it had every service done at the NJ Lexus dealer. You'll need the carfax report to get any info past that point. At 21,895 miles, the dealer tried to remove a scratch somewhere on the vehicle, but were unable to... At 24,759 miles, one of the outside rear view mirror assembly's were replaced.

 

First off, I would like to give a special thanks to Caddyowner and those who suggested I use the Lexus service website. I have been able to get together a vehicle history for all 10 or so car I was looking at. These service records uncovered some very useful things, such as potential lemons and cars with accidents or damage (repaired at the Lexus body shop). I found another very clean LS, 66k miles and no nav, but listed at 23k (no cpo) with a very clean service history. All services done at 5k intervals. Last 2 (55k and 60k) were not officially reported, but there was something written there NON WARRANTABLE OPERATION CODE". Looks like the car has had nothing else repaired other than regular maintenance (a huge plus to me). Here is the link. Let me know what you think.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

I am probably favoring the one I posted at Lexus of Merrillville b/c of a good looking service history (no excessive amounts of repair records) and all services done at 5k intervals.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

And thanks Jims for bringing up that black 05. I got the service records too, but it seems like only a few of the earlier ones have been done. It just seems too good to be true. I would rather spend a bit more and have the car put a smile on my face everytime (I did get an offer of 21k for my car, so anything around 25k is doable)

 

This is starting to sound promising. I'm waiting to see pics of the new ride. (Some of us grandpas are that way - "Yeah, yeah, go have the kid and send me some pics. No, I don't need to hold the baby and get barfed on.")

Just don't be posting up a thread next week about how you sold your 328 and ended up buying something like a Chrysler 300 because it's nicer than a Lexus and has AWD and a hemi.

 

Thanks! I do have to give credit to you along with everyone else who helped me out for making me much more savvy and attentive to details when buying a car. I really have learned a lot!

Don't worry, I have my mind set on the 430. My mom did suggest getting a new car for the money, but the only thing I could think of was maybe a VW Jetta or Golf (for around same $$), but even then I'll go through serious regrets when I see an LS430. Only time I would consider a Chrysler (no offense to those who work there or like them) is a Dodge Viper. Nothing they have really grabs my interest, especially not the 300 since it's still based off an old E-class Merc that's been majorly updated 2 generations since.

 

Run a depreciation model of a what a used LS430 will be worth in 5 more years vs. what a new VW will be worth in 5 years using KBB prices of past models. You will likely see that even if both cost the same to buy now, the LS will hold it's value better.

 

Excellent point! I will defintely use this to my advantage. Idk VW would just be one of my choices. She suggested a Kia b/c of the 10 yr warranty After I showed her pics, explained the reliability, how nicely it drives, etc she started liking it more. Ah well, I am just gently swaying them to my side, as I have been doing for all the cars I've had. I put up quite a fight to get a manual car, so this will be a piece of cake.

 

Plz don't ban me for this, but I have continued my search and included a Hyundai Genesis (I sat in one at the auto show and was very impressed). They are still priced a bit high, but they're 2009s with 10-20k miles. Anyone have experience with one or have owned one? Thoughts and opinions are also welcome. This thought just popped into my head. I am still using the LS430 as my #1 choice so don't be alarmed lol.

 

Be not deceived by the dark side...

There have been lots of glowing press about the Genesis. However, long term reliability is untested and I've read that the ride isn't up to par with vehicles like the LS430. Be sure to take a long test drive.