Thecar

So my first foray into buying an LS lasted about an hour before it overheated (headgasket) and I returned it under the dealer's 5-day return policy.

Yesterday, I headed out in rush-hour traffic to check out an '05 that looked nice. Older man owned it, former mechanic (it claimed). The as also claimed the old man/mechanic had "always" maintained it well.

I get to the guy's house, and the car still has the auction sticker on it from when the guy recently bought it. Then, the guy REFUSES to let me test drive it except in his little neighborhood (with 10MPH streets).

So, 30 minutes of traffic there, 5 minutes to determine that the guy doesn't really want to sell the car, and 30 minutes back home in traffic. Fate does not want me to own one of these cars, methinks!

TriC

No, fate simply does not want you to buy either of those 2 cars.

Except for my very first car purchase in 1971, every used car I've bought - probably 50 or so - has been acquired privately. The first question always posed to a seller concerns their length of ownership. This is more important than ever now that Craigslist is such a force in private sales. Last year my son sold his car on CL on a Saturday. It was cheap and needed some work. The buyer posted it 2 days later for 40% more.

So, use care in screening cars. Ask questions. Run its history through Carfax or Lexus before making a trip to see it. These steps will pay off in both saving time and finding a better car.

2KHarrier

TriC makes great points. Being in Florida, I have to assume you'll have no shortage of vehicles to choose from. Just like finding great dealerships and lousy ones, there will be idiots selling cars and you'll meet people that you would like to befriend for life.. I've had similar experiences over the years in purchasing cars, both great and lousy.

The guy I bought my 2001 from was a blow hard. My only complaint now was that he claimed the car wasn't smoked in, but after getting it home, removing the air freshener he had in the car and looking the car over, I could detect that the car had been smoked in, but thankfully it wasn't very strong and now almost 4 years later, there's no trace..

Keep at it and you'll find a Unicorn. Or, at least one that looks like a Unicorn..

BMW7_LS430

Here is my list to help others inspect LS430.

1. Enter the VIN in the Lexus Drivers website and study ownership/services. If satisfied, move to rest of the steps.
2. Was timing belt and water pump replaced and when?
3. Do both mirrors adjust?
4. Do Mirrors fold in and out as expected?
5. If Air suspension, are struts leaking? Were they changed and if yes, when? measure height of car at all corners.
6. Are front Lower Control Arm bushings leaking, cracked?
7. Check all speakers to see if they are blown, specifically the subwoofer.
8. Do all doors lock and unlock with the key?
9. If equipped with auto door closures, do all doors auto close?
10. Plug in OBDII tool and check emissions readiness.
11. Check telescoping/Tilt steering operation.
12. Check Hood & trunk Struts.
13. If equipped, check rear sunshade and rear window sunshade operation.
14. Check front and rear parking sensors.
15. Check coolant level, any leaked coolant, brake fluid level, and power steering fluid level/condition.
16. Check service history by entering the VIN on Lexus Drivers website. You will need to create a free account.
17. Check Air Conditioning and air flowing through all vents

And of course, the regular test drive to check engine and transmission but they are very bullet proof. I still use the best oil and change drain/refill ATF with Toyota WS from time to time.

Romanova

Part of the fun in finding an LS is sifting through the turds until you find a real gem. I drove from Houston to Austin to look at one that presented well in the CL ad. Exchanged txts with the seller and had a pretty good idea of how it should be. After me and my wife got there, the car was a total dog and it was such a waste of a trip. To the seller, the car presented well, but for what I was looking for it wasn't even close.

Thing is though, cars at dealerships can be even worse. Just be patient and the right car will come along. I bought mine right after Hurricane Harvey and there was a real shortage of cars in the Houston area. Thankfully I was patient and the right one came along and I couldn't be happier.

BMW7_LS430

Almost always, cars look much better in photos than in in-person. Based on the lighting conditions they may even look brand new. Small imperfections are hard to see unless you have high resolution photos and you take effort to zoom in in all areas.

This forum is very friendly. It might be a good idea to ask someone to check it out in person and do Facetime or something before making a long trip. Give an Amazon gift card for their efforts. I know they will do it out of love for LS but that would be a nice touch.

tallcaguy

Hey BMW, excellent shopping list. OBDII is a great idea. Have a couple of suggests. If there's any vibration at idle, in the shift lever or steering wheel, it may need motor mounts. I always check the tires. It's a good sign if they all match and are high quality (like Michelin). Have a friend who's sales manager at a high quality car dealership. It's the first thing he looks at.

On CL, I shop by zip code. Better cars are usually found in more affluent communities. When we bought my wife's ES (good zip) the owner had a gorgeous vintage Corvette in the garage. All service records (on the ES). Zero repair problems in the 100k mi we owned.

There's a perfect 06 LS at a dealer (where my friend works). 78k miles. Blue. Full service records. Matching Michelin Primacy's in perfect condition. They want 17. But do I really need 2 LS's? LOL this is the wrong forum to ask that question.