lgolson

I was hoping you folks could help me with appropriately pricing my 2007 RX 400h. Ive had it listed for about a week and a half on Craigslist and I have it parked on a busy street with a good old fashioned "FOR SALE" sign on the windshield. KBB private party value shows a range of $8200 - $10600. I have it priced at $9900 with the goal of getting $9500 for it. So far Ive only shown it once and was offered $8800 for it.

Here is the particulars:

108,500 Miles
Full service history with all scheduled maintenance completed
Almost every option available - The only one I'm sure of that it doesnt have is the Cruise control distance feature
Garage kept
Exterior 8.5/10 - Interior 9/10

Photos - https://imgur.com/a/Itm1eUl

The car really is in excellent condition. Everything works like it should, no body damage aside from the small scratches and door dings you would expect on an 11 year old car. The only real "problem" is that the Carfax shows that there was a minor accident in 2007 when the car had 5000 miles on it. Not much detail other than it says "Paint/sealant reapplied".

I just wanted some unbiased viewpoints on how its priced. Any advice or opinions are welcome and I will do my best to respond to any questions ASAP.

Thanks

thomas1

Pricing is usually by area of the country, In California with high gas prices it may fetch more. Good luck, just be patient, it will sell.

OG Member

iTrader: (1)

Please take my opinions with a grain of salt, as I am not a professional or certified vehicle appraiser.

1. NADA is the standard for most bank financing/appraisals
   1. This could impact the overall purchasing power of a potential buyer, if they are financing. As banks will possibly lend what "average" trade-in value is
2. 108,500 Miles
   1. The majority of the consumer market fears hybrid vehicles with over 100k miles. My presumption is this is caused by media/gossip around hybrid battery technology when first introduced and it's limitation. For many of us 'in the know'; we understand that 100k is just a myth in many cases and many hybrid batteries are living long, healthy lives
3. Full Service History is a Plus (maybe)
   1. I think this is in your favor and warrants a premium price, if, and only if you can provide documentation that service has been completed on expensive components that are prone to fail on a hybrid system.
4. Almost every option
   1. Through NADA site, it has options listed for Levinson, towing, rear entertainment, and navigation - I did not see any of those visible in the images you provided
5. Garage Kept
   1. Do you have a cracking dash that plagued this model year RX? If so, is it on your local dealer list to be replaced?
6. Exterior/Interior Condition
   1. How did you decide on the numerical value of condition? I find most people inflate this value due to a variety of reasons and because I do not have a full understanding of overall pictures (hard to do with 12 images) I would say your vehicle is a grade 4 "Better than average". Your 2007 accident, in my opinion, removes "excellent" from any reference to exterior condition.

Based on your written description and images, I would estimate $8k - $9k for your vehicle and find the $8800.00 offer an above average offer for your vehicle.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

lgolson

4. I wasnt aware of the rear DVD option and mine does not have that or the towing package (although im not sure id want to tow anything with it LoL). It does however have a navigation system.

5. The dash did have a small area that started to crack. I had it repaired by a interior repair company, It was my understanding that the replacements were only offered if the car was less than 10 years old.

6. The ratings I assigned are subjective. For the age of the car you would expect some wear and tear, minor door dings, small scratches etc, but it is in great condition overall with no major visual blemishes or problems. I assigned the car as in "very good" condition on KBB.com.

I can link my CL ad for more picures but I wasnt sure if that violates some rules so i left it out.

Thanks for your feedback!

OG Member

iTrader: (1)

If you're looking for a Lexus-specific audience, then the forums "Lexus Vehicle Classifieds" section will be the place you want to post-up.

And before you post, be sure to familiarize yourself with the classified forum rules to ensure your post doesn't get removed...

lgolson

I tried that first but since im a new member here it wouldnt allow me to. I think you have to have a certain number of comments/posts before you are eligible to post in the classifieds.

ohdewer

I bought my 2008 RX400h in Sacramento about 2 months ago for 12k. It had 114k miles, navigation, but not the Mark Levinson stereo. It had 3 scratches on the paint and that was about it. As someone mentioned earlier, hybrids are very popular in California so the price is a little higher. If people really do their research, they will see that they minor accident is no big deal. I think if you have patience it will sell. If I hadn't just bought my daughter a car, I would buy it from you!

lgolson

Thanks for the info. I think you are right and I just need to wait for the right buyer. Hybrids scare some people off and there is just a smaller than usual market for this vehicle because of that. I got spoiled the last time I sold a vehicle which is part of my problem also. I sold a 2005 MDX in 8 hours and I was expecting this one to move quickly also.

smassey321

Was the timing belt done? And spark plugs? Is it all wheel drive? That is a high $$ option. I doubt you will get much more than $8800. There just is not a big market for 10 year old hybrids. Lots of people ignorantly think the batteries are going to die. I am asked all the time if I am on the original battery when the reality is 90% of hybrids on the road are still on their original batteries. Also, your dash is going to start cracking in additional places. We had a tiny crack for about a year and then a few months later cracks appeared all over the place.

lgolson

ukrkoz

You look up craigslist listings for same or very similar vehicle, for your area, private party only. Apples to apples. Then you start with about 10% above median of those prices. Should yours be somehow unique - has custom interior or else - you add some to price but make sure you clearly point at it in your ad.
Take VERY good pictures and make sure car is clean ALL THROUGH. It's a hybrid, people freak out battery may die.
Then you take deep breath and prep yourself to deal with craigslist folk. That's how I sold all of our cars on craigslist.
New start rising is OfferUp, but I had no success with it.
Reality is, no one cares about KBB or NADA. Or Edmonds TMV. Private party sales is all people look at.

ukrkoz

Though needs to be mentioned. I placed my HiHy up for sale 4 months ago. I sold it in 4 days - to local dealer. Guy contacted me, came over, checked car, gave me exactly what I wanted. That was by far the fastest sale I ever had.

lgolson

Thats awesome, Ive had a couple dealers call but only to offer me trade in value. If i was ok with trade in value I would have just traded it in already!

ukrkoz

Yeah, I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.
Thing is, i HAD UNFORTUNATE NOT A GOOD REASON TO RID OF A CAR i OTHERWISE LIKED A LOT. Sorry, damn Caps button... It was twice in accident, in 2 months, last went on Carfax and, shaking at rolling speed problem that no one could figure out - it was a hybrid - and started looking like a hybrid drive problem for out of warranty vehicle. What means mucho mucho dinero. I was glad guy came over and paid for it. Don't care, how he sold it, didn't even check on their pricing.

danthedj

iTrader: (1)

Just to add some more color, in 2016 I purchased an '06 RXh with 130k miles on it - actually fully loaded with nav, ML, tow, rear entertainment, etc. - for $9500. It was a 2 owner (2nd owner bought it CPO) with all maintenance by the book at the dealer.

I'd say that $8800 offer you received was at or above market and you should've taken it.