Hi all,

Context:
I've bought my first brand new car in 2015 (2015 Subaru Forester Premium w/ Eyesight). I was extremely happy with the car - I love the safety features, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision automatic breaking, awd and good visibility. What I did not like was the sound system (I upgraded speakers, replaced head unit with android auto and added a small sub woofer under the seat, which made the music infinitely better than the original sound, but it's not quite there) the noise level or lack of sound insulation (huge pet peeve, annoys me in the city and gives me headache on the long road trips on the highway), never settling ride and a bit harsher than I would like. I drive on average 25,000 - 30,000 miles a year, including road trips around the US, trips to Florida, trips to Vermont to ski etc. Overall, I'm still happy with the purchase I made and will be keeping this car, that has been mostly trouble free for me (except a few minor things - control arms and passenger seat replacement), till it falls apart. Two years ago, however, I helped my girlfriend at the time to pick a used car and I steered her towards 2008 Lexus ES 350 base with around 100k miles on it. After driving that car I realized how much smoother the engine is, how much softer and stable the ride is, how much better the sound insulation was and how much more comfortable the seats were. Not even to mention the cooled seats - it should be illegal to manufacture car seats without cooling!! Long story short, the car turned out to be very reliable, my now ex-gf is still driving it and is happy with the purchase she made (vs used ford focus or toyota camry she was considering for similar prices ). But this set me off on a path to LS.

This year I decided to finally go ahead and buy a car, I was looking at 2007-2012 models and my budget was around $10-20k. However, it turned out very difficult finding a model with radar cruise control (absolute must for me), mark levinson sound system (also an absolute must for me), air suspension, long wheel based version. Eventually I also saw a 2016 Lexus LS AWD with radar cruise control and ML, but it is a short version with no air suspension. I went to test drive it and I fell in love. I loved the extreme quietness inside the car while stopped or driving at highway speeds, I loved the smoothness of the engine and I loved ML sound system. However, I thought the ride was not the softest in the world (maybe I expected too much), but my brother's 2003 Buick Park Avenue with air suspension in the back seemed to drive a bit softer on highway (there are many other cons to how Buick rides). This is not a big deal, because it's way more soft than my Subaru Forester and I'm sure I'll be happy for a long time. So now my budget went up to ~$35,000 before taxes fees etc. Ideally I'd stay below $38-39k when everything is said and done.

The meat:
I am looking at
1) 2015 Lexus LS 460L AWD with radar cruise control, Mark Levinson sound system, Ultra Luxury package, air suspension, no warranty with 82k miles for $34,000. (looks like it's in an excellent condition with small wear signs in the interior, 1 minor accident, 1 owner)
2) 2017 Lexus LS 460 AWD with radar cruise control, Mark Levinson sound system, with 36k miles, CPO for $41,000 (looks brand new, 1 minor accident, 1 owner)
And I'm looking at anything in between.

My concerns for the first one is that I may need to replace air suspension at some point within a year or two - $5-6k of additional expenses and therefore I should be looking for a lower price of $30-31k?.
For the second one, I like the COP of 2 years and unlimited miles (considering I will drive approximately 50k-60k in the next two years). However, there is no air suspension on that car, I am not worried about control arms issues, my mechanic is very capable and always extremely reasonable with prices, I also did change control arms on my forester before. So basically this is almost a brand new car and I don't need all the warranty that I think will not be used by me at all.

What do you think the prices I could get for those two vehicles and if I should be worried about higher mileage no warranty car?

Thanks a ton for reading through this and any advice is appreciated!

 

Also, I was ready to pull the trigger on that 2016 Lexus LS AWD that I test drove. They advertised the price as $34,000, it had 36k miles on it, it looked brand new on the inside and outside (except a small quarter-sized dent in the corner of the bumper). However, when I tried to buy it, they wouldn't tell me what the final price of the vehicle was, they tried to add their warranty for $4,000 then for $2,500, I did not want the warranty. Then they tried to give me financing quotes by telling me what my monthly payments would be. When I asked for APR they refused to answer. I already got qualified for a loan from Chase, BofA, CapitalOne, PenFed with 3-3.2% interest rate for 48-60 months with $7-10k down payment. But they refused to accept that financing, they offered their own financing, but refused to tell me what the interest rate would be. I said if it's a lot more than 3% I got from my bank I will walk at which point they said good-bye to me. I feel like if they just advertised $35k price, I'd be happy to pay, but I hate dealer's sales tactics and covert fees and when they try to outsmart me (I work in financial industry and well aware of how loans work). So I ended up walking away due to their tactics. It turns out the reviews of this dealership on cargurus is pretty poor and a lot of people had to deal with the same level of shadiness and sales tactics.

 

If buying in the 30s, I would avoid anything with an accident/damage history - period.

If you really want a LWB, don't bother considering SWB cars as you will inevitably be kicking yourself later.

Given the high mileage you expect to drive in the future, you are correct in thinking that air suspension may well need pricey repairs. A quality exclusionary warranty would be well worth considering. I would not have bought my 600 if such a warranty had not be transferable by the seller. I presently have a quote from a Lexus dealer to replace one leaking rear strut at a cost of $1836.

The sales tactics outlined in your second post are beyond horrible - it's good that you walked. Good luck!

 

If you stay with a CPO car you can get a Lexus CPO warranty extension for X years, unlimited mileage at a pretty good rate. Think 8 years, unlimited mileage, which usually means another 4-5 years on a 2017, depending on the in-service date.

Mitigates issues with air suspension and control arms.

example, may vary a bit by miles, VIN and service date. 1 extra year - $815
2 extra years - $1,210
3 extra years - $1,625
4 extra years - $2,105
5 extra years - $2,640

 

Those prices were available up until last year from Toby Rivers of Shreveport Toyota/Lexus. I believe that was stopped by Lexus and I also understand that Toby has since left. If you know of anywhere else you can get them for that price please post as I'm sure lots of people would like to know.

 

Yeah, I'm really weary of any accidents - obviously everyone will be saying the accident was very minor, but I have no way to know if that's true or not, so I can only assume it's worse than what people say.
I think I really want 2013+ style and even though I like 2007-2012 I feel that if I compromised now on the model year, I would be kicking myself later for that. In terms of LWB vs SWB, I don't feel as strongly and lately talking to my friends and family I realized I don't really utilize rear seats anyway, so it's more of a bonus that I'm fine not having.
Regarding repairs - it is expensive to replace air struts, but I think it's well worth it. The only concern is that I don't want to spend too much on repairs in the next year or so on top of my stretched budget that I plan to spend on buying a car.

What should my price expectation be for a 2015-2017 LS 460 AWD SWB with 30-70k miles with radar cruise control and Mark Levinson, no accidents and in excellent condition? Is the price that dealers list usually the price you end up paying or do people negotiate lower prices generally?

Thanks for the advice!

 

That looks very promising - is that Lexus warranty? i.e. can I use it at any Lexus dealership? And is it available for cars that are not CPO originally.

I was looking at Lexus CPO website, unfortunately it restricts search within 250 miles of any single zip code, making it extremely inconvenient to shop around, but the prices seem to start at $38-40k+ and not many choice at $38k mark.

 

Hi Keith,
You must have missed reading about the other guy at the same dealership who is selling nationwide. Check posts 44-47 in the following thread.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...arranty-2.html

 

My 2 cents: Stick with a 16-17 if you can. For best ride, I'd consider no AWD, no Air Suspension, 18" wheels. I would stay away from anything damaged. CPO is it's available or after market extended warranty. Mark Levinson for sure. Good luck.

 

[QUOTE=Kernel;10884568]That looks very promising - is that Lexus warranty? i.e. can I use it at any Lexus dealership? And is it available for cars that are not CPO originally.

I was looking at Lexus CPO website, unfortunately it restricts search within 250 miles of any single zip code, making it extremely inconvenient to shop around, but the prices seem to start at $38-40k+ and not many choice at $38k mark.[/QUOTE

Lexus Platinum warranty. CPO cars only. Any Lexus dealer can sell them, but best pricing is currently through Lexus Shreveport. Casey McGrew casey.mcgrew@harveyautos.com

Most of the big auto search engines will let you filter by CPO. You can buy a Lexus non-CPO extended warranty if the car is still within its 4/50,000 period, I believe. Price is considerably higher and with mileage limits. Realistically limits you to 2017s.

 

Pricing will vary widely, depending on year and mileage. You need to REALLY study ad listings (examples: cars.com; cargurus.com; and autotrader.com) carefully. SWB cars go for less than the LWB variety. Air suspension is more common (percentage-wise) on LWB models. There is plenty of selection, especially if you are willing to travel or ship. Decide on acceptable colors as well as options. Sign up on the Lexus site as an owner, so you can check service histories and vehicle options. Negotiability is dealer dependent. Be patient, but be prepared to jump when you find the right car.

 

Thanks for suggestions!

I found a 2014 SWB LS with 58k miles, it has cold weather package, Ultra Luxury package, air struts, Mark Levinson and pre-collision with all-speed radar cruise control. 2 owners, no accidents/damage, interior and exterior appears to be in excellent condition, CPO for $37k.

Do you think this is a good price?

 

I think 37K is overpriced for this car. It seems to be a good pick, but even with CPO (for how many years/miles), it's a bit much.

 

Do you have the VIN?

 

Yeah, I was also thinking if I should try to renegotiate a slightly lower price, maybe aim at $34k?

The VIN: JTHBL1EFXE5125714
All maintenance was done at the Lexus dealership and interior looks spotless.
Exterior Color: Starfire Pearl
Interior Color: Flaxen