Opinions on which car to buy
03-05-18, 08:29 AM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Opinions on which car to buy
Just wanted to get your opinions on these 3 cars. Very different advantages to each so wondering others perspectives. All of these are 2013 LS 460 SWB AWD.
Car 1: 63,000 miles L-certified has had lots of work done recently to become L-certified condition. (New tires/front brakes/rotors, wheel alignment, air filter, cabin air filter, brake fluid changed, rear differential fluid replaced)
Car 2: 27,000 miles no remaining warranty about same price as Car 1 but has a couple of minor paint scratches from a not perfect older driver. Previously repaired paint scratches as well that were done well so you can barely tell. No major accident, clear carfax, but definitely some parking lot bumps etc. PERFECT interior condition. I'm ok with the exterior condition and may/may not get repaired. But original tires, not much repaired on car except for regular oil changes, and Lexus serviced every 5,000 miles. Will likely cost me more long term with tires/brakes, etc but it has much lower miles. Also has the bonus of semi-aniline leather option.
Car 3: 77,000 miles no remaining warranty. $4,000 less than other 2 cars. Has been serviced with Lexus regularly every 5,000 miles like clockwork. New brakes/rotors, tires, and all control arms have already been done. One main drawback: missing ML the only option I really care about. My favorite color which is hard to find. But I'm ok with the colors of the other 2 cars as well. In my home state, so I don't need to pay transport fee, state certification.
Just looking for opinions of which one you would buy and why? TIA!
Car 1: 63,000 miles L-certified has had lots of work done recently to become L-certified condition. (New tires/front brakes/rotors, wheel alignment, air filter, cabin air filter, brake fluid changed, rear differential fluid replaced)
Car 2: 27,000 miles no remaining warranty about same price as Car 1 but has a couple of minor paint scratches from a not perfect older driver. Previously repaired paint scratches as well that were done well so you can barely tell. No major accident, clear carfax, but definitely some parking lot bumps etc. PERFECT interior condition. I'm ok with the exterior condition and may/may not get repaired. But original tires, not much repaired on car except for regular oil changes, and Lexus serviced every 5,000 miles. Will likely cost me more long term with tires/brakes, etc but it has much lower miles. Also has the bonus of semi-aniline leather option.
Car 3: 77,000 miles no remaining warranty. $4,000 less than other 2 cars. Has been serviced with Lexus regularly every 5,000 miles like clockwork. New brakes/rotors, tires, and all control arms have already been done. One main drawback: missing ML the only option I really care about. My favorite color which is hard to find. But I'm ok with the colors of the other 2 cars as well. In my home state, so I don't need to pay transport fee, state certification.
Just looking for opinions of which one you would buy and why? TIA!
03-05-18, 08:56 AM
#2
I would go with car 1, being L certified gives peace of mind for few more years as well. Was the rear diff fluid replaced as a part of L certification or was it in the service record?. If it was serviced by previous owner, it shows that the car was well taken care of. Not very many goes for that service.
How many miles do you drive a year?. If you drive a lot, car 2 may be an attractive option. If this car was serviced at Lexus every 5000, any issues would've been reported on the service record with remarks either 'performed' or 'declined by customer' . Since I drive a lot, I get lowest miles that my budget allows.
Good luck!.
How many miles do you drive a year?. If you drive a lot, car 2 may be an attractive option. If this car was serviced at Lexus every 5000, any issues would've been reported on the service record with remarks either 'performed' or 'declined by customer' . Since I drive a lot, I get lowest miles that my budget allows.
Good luck!.
03-05-18, 09:04 AM
#3
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Lower end of 12,000 miles a year. Planning to keep the car for about 10 years though so don't know if that's a factor at all.
Currently driving my husband's 2001 LS 430 which just turned 150,000 miles yesterday, and not planning on trading that in.
03-05-18, 09:53 AM
#5
Certified lets you work out all of the bugs at no charge before the warranty expires. I like to get at least a year of driving under warranty to find and correct everything, then I don't mind taking over the fixes once I know everything is totally solid.
03-05-18, 10:55 AM
#6
I would get car 2 due to the lower mileage. The fact it has 36K less mileage than the next lowest option is like the car being 3 years newer. Semi-aniline leather is a must have option IMHO as it improves comfort on long drives.
03-05-18, 11:52 AM
#8
Racer
Definitely car #2, LOW MILES!! fix the little dings etc.& enjoy You could do about 5 year of drive and still be under 100K miles Then private sale it for top dollar,
03-05-18, 12:36 PM
#9
Instructor
I'd definitely go for #2, due to the low miles and semi-aniline leather! Probably not much need of a warranty on a low-mileage 2013, and it's always fun to put nice new tires on a used car when you buy it anyway (for a super smooth ride)...
03-05-18, 12:42 PM
#10
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Would you replace 5 year old tires if they had 50% life left on them?
03-05-18, 02:05 PM
#11
Forget car 3 since it doesn't have the ML which you really care about. Car 2 looks like your best choice.
03-05-18, 02:11 PM
#12
Out of the three, I would only go for Car 2, and only if an initial PPI check out okay. Independent PPI is a must if you buy long distance or even for L-Certified if shaky service/Carfax history.
I don't mind keeping a 5 year old, 50% tires for another 2 years or so if they are the type of tires I like MPS A/S3 or the Cinturato P-7 Plus (for my climate). If the 5 yo tires are not what I like, I would take this opportunity to get something else. A low mile, well maintained/cared for car is more important to me than having to replace tires. The type of new tires on the other two cars might not be of my best choice anyway.
I don't mind keeping a 5 year old, 50% tires for another 2 years or so if they are the type of tires I like MPS A/S3 or the Cinturato P-7 Plus (for my climate). If the 5 yo tires are not what I like, I would take this opportunity to get something else. A low mile, well maintained/cared for car is more important to me than having to replace tires. The type of new tires on the other two cars might not be of my best choice anyway.
03-05-18, 03:05 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Car 1 and Car 2 are about the same price at $34K. Thinking about getting a PPI on Car 2 to see if there's anything specific reason other than tire tread that it couldn't be L-certified if I wanted to go that route.
Would you replace 5 year old tires if they had 50% life left on them?
Would you replace 5 year old tires if they had 50% life left on them?
03-05-18, 03:24 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
I would say car #2, and negotiate in the exterior little bumps and fixes into the price. Little things like that are really important to me, I would want to have the car in excellent overall shape.
When was the inservice date of car #2? You may still be under the factory warranty and if so you can buy a Platinum VSA from Lexus.
Semi-aniline leather is a huge upgrade.
When was the inservice date of car #2? You may still be under the factory warranty and if so you can buy a Platinum VSA from Lexus.
Semi-aniline leather is a huge upgrade.
03-05-18, 05:55 PM
#15
Lexus Test Driver
Car 2 - not that the CPO warranty doesn't have value, but we're all so confident in the LS reliability I wouldn't place a lot of value in the warranty....for the 40k less miles (even with wear & tear replacement costs you may put in car #2), I'd definitely go for Car 2.
UNLESS you can talk down price of Car 1...
UNLESS you can talk down price of Car 1...