I paid the local Lexus dealer 120 bucks for the "safety inspection" most new car dealers do not do a true pre purchase inspection. I asked if the tech would do that inspection
and that I could chat with them after. I think liability concerns may be the reason they don't label it a pre purchase inspection.

My 05 UL was at a Chevy dealer. I told the sales rep at Chevy I wanted Lexus to look at the car, he balked a bit. I just told him their dealership did not have Techstream and were unfamiliar with the flagship of Toyota's line. I also told him I would buy the car as long as the inspection was good. I had already reviewed the carfax and Svc. records. The price was right @ 9500.00 bucks.

The tech said the car was great, no issues. I was concerned about rust given it was an Ohio car, they put it on the lift and it's in great shape, y pipe replaced too. Tech said it was the kind of car he would buy.
Only down side to the whole deal was being on pins and needles for darn near a month waiting for it to arrive. First car I ever bought sight unseen. It was primarily weather and the holidays that caused the long delay.
It was worth the wait! Mine is one where they checked off all the boxes for options. One of my deal breaker items was adaptive cruise. I was way lucky to get radar with PCS, rather than laser. Radar is the superior system, esp. with the weather where I live and drive. I love this car!!

I think new car dealers MAY be the safest bet when buying a used car. A dealer that has been a fixture in their community for years and can pick and choose the cars they want to resell is GENERALLY a safer bet. I would not put a lot of "faith" in the above, it's just another factor to consider.

I think it is rather odd that Toyota makes the best cars in the world, and Toyota dealers are the opposite. No comment on Lexus dealers.

 

very true, I think If timing belt and water pump was done I would not haggle anymore.

thanks for the info! using carfax and lexus driver really helps with the search! anymore?

 

Wow. We are twin brothers from another universe! I agree--I bought my LS430 from a GMC dealer (they seem to sell a lot of them? dunno if trades or they seek them out wholesale?). I left with the car, driver door actuator not working, and brakes pulsating. Came back the next week and they fixed for free (actually the door actuator 2 weeks later said they couldn't get the part--I didn't want to test them, it was a Thursday AM and they claimed could not get until next Tue.). I was concerned and my wife was on me too saying to make sure they fix these things. In New York State, just imagine even a car with 80,900, technically it has a 1 mo. / 1k miles powertrain warranty. That to me means you can't get completely smoked--my car had zero coolant in the reservoir and to be seen in the radiator--I said if I've got blown head gaskets then that warranty will cover.

So to show the integrity of that GMC dealership, they gave me all the used parts returned in Lexus boxes with the Lexus dealer's name down the road from them. I asked for anti-seize to be used with the front rotors--it was there peering out of the lug bolt holes. When they said they couldn't get the door actuator until Tuesday? On tuesday AM I got a VM your parts are in so please let us know when you want them installed. I am nearly 100% a used car dealer would not have done the above.

Toyota dealers are awful. They charge $76 for a state inspection where I live, when a BMW dealer charges $40 and provides a loaner car. Told me they can do my LCA bushings for $800 if I provide the parts hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I said can I explain no we know that's how much it is on a Highlander

edit imho The best people to do a PPI is a Japanese indie. People have mentioned, how come when a Lexus dealer sells a car it's fine, the same car comes in for service and the multipoint says thousands of work is needed...

 

I would pass on that one. I got my 430 from a dealer down the street from the one you're inquiring on, and had it inspected at a Lexus independent a few minutes away, they said that black one is not as nice as it seems, especially for the money they're asking. It's been on their lot for quite some time as well. I want to say when I looked at it late one night, the window sticker said $18,000

 

I would also say - from experience - that cars on Craig's List are the bottom feeders of the car dealer industry.

 

Don't be shy, fellas. Go to a new car dealer and offer them a Craig's List price. The worst thing that could happen is they laugh at you call you a lowballer and you leave! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I did this on the phone and the guy I got (I know who it is from being in the dealership for service after I purchased) put the phone down, came back and said no, the manager says we can't entertain that (and no counter--they were asking 15,800 and I offered 12,300). The time I spent at the dealer waiting for the brakes, that guy and his coworker were laughing at customers who lowballed on the phone. So what...no biggie...(they didn't do it to peoples' faces just phone callers so it wasn't as if they were rude)

 

When was it that you bought yours? I dont see many if any at new dealerships now a days.

 

If you want an LS430 cheap you likely have to go for one that isn't in high demand due to some issue, high miles, accident history, dirty/high wear - so after it sits on the dealer lot for at least 30 days offer them $500 over wholesale value (bottom line drive out price plus of course government stipulated local sales tax, tag, and title fee only)s. They will likely take the offer rather then get less $500 or more less when they send it to the auction.

And ignore any comments they make about their prep, marketing, advertising, doc, etc. fee add ons. Tell they they can make their various internal BS "fees" anything they want on the sales invoice, adjusting vehicle price to offset, as long as the bottom line drive out price exactly matches your offer (plus sales tax, tag, title fee - normally 6-9%, $45, $50 respectively)

 

This was in October 2016, at a Buick GMC dealership. I sat in the dealership while they replaced the brakes on the LS430, so I heard phone calls coming in, apparently lowball offers, and then the two salespeople making fun of the customers saying how low the offers were. I get that in this day and age a person could record it and likely create an issue for the dealership, but those people are only human too!

What I'm saying is that if the dealer doesn't even counter, then yes, it was likely too low. In my case $12,300 when they wanted $16,000. I knew that if I were in the $13,500+ range, at some point they would bite, it turned out to be $14 and change...

 

I think I was fortunate. I only had to go 90 miles for mine in January from a Subaru dealer. I figured if they sold a 2003 102K mile car rather than send it to auction, it was probably good to go. Timing belt replaced at 80K and clean Carfax.

Living in the mid-Atlantic area I had a lot to choose from. My 100 mile radius includes Baltimore and Philadelphia. This particular on-line listing had forgotten interior pictures and most I had looked at had cracked, faded and/or torn leather so I pestered the Subaru dealer to provide interior pictures. They did and it was great; clearly mostly garage kept. I bought it the next day for their price of $5600 and they only bent me over to the tune of a $141 document fee.

The bad, only one master key and a small crease in the trunk lid which I'll fix myself this spring. I got two master keys and an emergency key from 1010keys on ebay for less than $100 and was able to program them. Yesterday the local Toyota dealer set my 15 preferences for $55. I provided them with the list from here so he didn't have to waste time discussing them.

My advice, scour the internet and be prepared to act fast...Tom

 

Hey, that's one of the dealers I contacted via email, in 2016. I said that since the vehicle in question had 87k, can we get the timing belt/water pump included, to which the salesperson replied, "Let us talk about what is, not what will be."

I laughed out loud at my desk and never looked back. They kept calling me for about 3 mos. to make sure I had gotten everything I needed.....

congrats that is a low price, if you drive it for maybe 2-3 yrs. you totally made out and the rest is gravy!

 

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/c...823917767.html

I know you want Black / Black but this is the perfect AZ special, Grandpa owned, garage kept, low miles. Makes me almost wish I waited on getting mine!

 

That's a lot of money for a base LS. Despite what the ad states, it's a basic LS, which today is not a bad thing.
What is a bad thing is the likely need for a lot of expensive service work. T belt for one. That car is at the mileage that it could also need lots of other service done. Too much money.

 

Hard to say on T-Belt, looks like a Gates sticker of some sort on the cowling there. Any car "could" need service, but if it's been maintained up to this point, why not? AZ chassis, zero rust, lived in a garage majority its life, I'd buy it if I was in the market.

 

The rims are incorrect, I immediately do not want the vehicle when I see that (black brake fluid same thing). It just makes me wonder what happened to the original rims, and I would have to spend a small fortune to get them.