2006 LS430 ML with 45K miles, one owner, looks clean from pictures.

My father is looking for a weekend car and although I have had the LS430 for a while, I have no idea of how much we should offer. The dealer wants $28K.

Thanks in advance for any input.

BTW, with the help of this forum, I was able to replace the valve cover gaskets and plugs and fixed the transmission pan leak. It was a tough jobs for a first timer. Thanks again.

 

I would check local listings and KBB as I think prices are (or will soon be) in flux. I think prices have been held up due to higher interest in used cars. However, with higher gas prices, all V8s will likely have prices pushed down. OTOH, a prolonged slowdown of Japanese imports will lift the prices of used Japanese cars.

Gee, that was clear as mud...

 

Low mileage clean japanese used cars will always demand strong money especially Toyota/Lexus. The fact that the LS430 is so hardly regarded as one of the best and most reliable Toyota products ever built doesn't hurt the resale value either!

 

Is it from Lexus dealer? 3rd party dealer or private sale? Is it being sold with any warranty? All that affects pricing.

 

Seems reasonable if the car is in good condition, was meticulously maintained, and had no accidents. If you're buying from Lexus, make sure it has CPO as well. I suppose you could throw an offer of $25k and see if they take it.

 

If it is a CPO car I think it is fair. I just bought an 05 with 40k. got it on the road, tax title license included for 28

 

It was from a dealer (not Lexus) and will be sold as is. We plan to offer $25K but wanted to check with the experts here. Thanks.

 

$25k might be good but it really depends on condition and maint history.

1. Get the VIN on the car and log on to Lexus.com owner's site and register the car as if you had already bought it, look at service history for that specific car - if service history is missing or spotty beware and ask for additional proof that the car has been serviced regularly.

2. Most important - close the deal only after you have had the car formally inspected by a local Lexus dealer. There are lots of bad cars out there that have been abused or in major accidents, and they may look perfect to the layman, it can be tough to tell unless you have it formally pre-inspected by an objective 3rd party expert.

If the dealer balks at a pre-inspection, then run away.

 

Since you already have a LS430, you know all of the electronic features. Make sure to check that they all work on this used car. I bought my car remotely and when it was delivered I noticed that the left steering wheel switches didn't work. The mechanic's inspection did not pick that up. It cost me an unplanned $400 to have the dealer replace the switches. A nav system that displays a message like "disk not present" may be missing its nav disk or may require a major repair.