I have been watching this thread and think this. If you have purchased a car that is 8 to 10 years old it has already depreciated as much as it is going to. Assuming it was a 72,000 MSRP in 2008, as long as it is well taken
care of, 15,000 or 14,000 is not too bad when you think of what your getting. Then enjoy it. You can buy warranties for a 2008 Lexus........

I cannot disagree. Offer 10,000 and be as ridiculous as they are. Doc fees are just the paperwork fees and are stupidly high. Make them fix the rotors as a safety issue.

Yeah good decision and I'll tell you what...keep an eye on that car, I bet it'll drop quite a bit before you know it.

But the lack of suspension repair is a deal breaker...that will run you a couple grand, easy. So that must be factored in with any of these cars you look at, and you should be able to use it to your advantage if you can replace them yourself...it'll give you a little bargaining power (not much but a little).

I disagree, unfortunately the car's $72,000 MSRP means nothing now. And if he pays $15,000 for an 08 he is most certainly goin to lose value...like overnight. Simply because that car still has a long way to go in terms of depreciation. Seventy- two thousand or not, that car will become a $3,000 Craigslist special soon enough. I'd be willing to bet that he'd lose half his value - easily - in two years alone.

I just traded in my 07, it had 178,000 miles on it. The sales guy told me flat out that these cars are selling at the auction for $5,000 with that type of mileage on them. Doesn't matter what type of condition it's in, they look at year, then mileage, then the rest they hash out (or ignore). And I believed him 100% simply because I was informed of that going into the deal - I did a little research before by talking to friends who have used car liscences and they told me basically the same thing. I ended up settling on $7,500 for my trade...or was it $7,000? Can't remember, but all I do remember was that $5,000 figure wasn't enough for me to make the deal, so they bumped it up (knowing they d lose the sale). I asked them why they bumped up the number, he said, well it'll go right to the auction, we won't sell a car that old here, people can't get the financing, and we don't need the headaches. Your car probably needs some work, I can hear a few noises. The owner looked at your car, he told me to just give you the $7,000 because he thinks he can make it up tomorrow. We are a high volume dealer, we sell five of these Chevy Silverados a day. It's Saturday, it's raining. Tomorrow you'll meet with our finance manager, he'll try to sell you eveythting from undercoating, to an extended warranty. Knowing you, you'll tell him no. Doesn't matter, when you pick up your truck they'll be five of them waiting new car prep and heading out the door.

I'm sure the guy made his money, they always do, but he was pretty candid with me towards the end. And of course he made sure to tell me to fill out the online surveys because those things seem to be the most important things these places worry about nowadays. So I did. I was pretty happy overall (and I hate buying cars).

All these cars end up in one of two places some day...the junk yard (where they're picked to pieces) or Mexico, the Dominican or Jamaica (where they're driven to 500,000 miles with check engine lights flashing the whole way). Three coats of window tint, a couple seat covers, a new set of rims, bald tires, and bad brakes. That thing will enjoy the rest of its life in the hot sun and dusty roads.

Thanks for the extended version and I think your right. I also think you put a lot of thought into it and I appreciate it.
I also think if the vehicle is in nice condition and well taken care of it has to be worth more, at least to the individual.
In the case of a warranty, yes you can get them for any car, yes they are expensive but with a complicated car like a
Lexus maybe they are warranted. I really guess it is up to the individual and what he wants to do. I paid 15,400 for mine with
93,000 Miles. The dealer put on new Shocks in the rear, took out two door dings, new front brakes, 90,000 mile service, Total
was 3,400 for work done. No paper fees, they were in the price of the car. I know it will depreciate but so am I......Lol.
Besides I like the Telios Wheels and new tires........

I just ordered a 2018 Tesla model S to replace my 2007 LS460. It just hit 100K miles and is very clean, however.
This model year is infamous for having a “sticky dashboard & side panels”. As discussed elsewhere, the material used has a tendency to get extremely sticky if left in the sun too long. A bigger problem in Florida than other places but even here in Georgia when it gets hot the effect is borderline gross. Lexus acknowledged the problem years ago and agreed to replace the panels when parts became available. Problem. Parts may never be available. My dash was finally replaced after many years but side panels are still sticky when hot.
A few months ago the car caught the well known HVAC bug. The one where the system is doa for the first few minutes after starting the car, then may or may not come alive, (documented elsewhere in this forum). Dealer would be glad to replace the wiring harness for a couple thousand $, no thanks.
Then that expensive Mark Levenson sound system died. Apparently another common failure point. Since the cell phone, navigation audio guidance and entertainment system all rely on audio, they are non-functional. Yes, the amp can be repaired or possibly replaced ($2500.00) if still available but it’s disappointing that these issues seem to be somewhat common to the brand. I will say... it’s one of the nicest riding cars I’ve ever owned.
Tesla takes trade-ins and offered $9K. I think I’ll take it.