Advice with 2013 RX 350
I am looking to buy a 2013 used or cpo RX 350 FWD with navigation, comfort, and premium w/ BSM. This will be for my wife so her preferred colorway is Starfire Pearl w/ light grey or Nubela Grey Pearl with light grey.
Disclaimer: while I would prefer a new car, we are looking at used cars due to cost savings.
I had been in touch with a dealer regarding a 2013 CPO with ~15,000 miles for a Starfire Pearl w/ light grey RX with the options I wanted. The listed price is $45,000, but they came down to $41,900. According to Edmunds, the "fair" value is closer to $39,000. Is the difference in price due to the premium in buying a "certified" car? He won't go any lower after I proposed $37k for the purchase or ~$40k OTD. My rationale is that with minimal haggling, I received quotes for a new 2015 RX with same options for $45k. I have never purchased a preowned car before so I would appreciate any help.
In the meantime, I also found a used (non-CPO) 2013 Nubela Grey RX350 with grey interior (includes navigation, but I am waiting to confirm if it has comfort and premium w/ BSM packages as well). The car has over 7,000 miles and is listed for $40k. However, the car is in Dallas (I am in Houston).
Has anyone had any luck with buying used/CPO 2013 RXs?
Thanks in advance.

BTW, if you really want to save money, skip Navigation. It is pretty horrible - I can't stand it, while my wife has enough patience to deal with it. I just want to punch the damn thing.
I went to visit the 2013 Starfire Pearl w/ grey, and they wouldn't budge on the ~$42k at all so I left. Turns out, that model has navigation but no comfort package or blind spot monitoring. It did have the heated/ventilated seats, however.
Regarding the 2013 Nubela Grey w/ grey interior (non-CPO), I asked if they're willing to negotiate on the listed price: $40k. He dropped the price by $600 via email but said he can include the Lexus certified warranty. Has anyone seen that before? Can you just add the certified warranty to a used car? Doesn't it have to go through the 160ish point check up, extra costs, etc?
Also, should I be concerned that the listed price is already at the "fair" value price? And should I be concerned that the miles are only 7k for a 2013 model?
I checked the carfax report that comes free with Autotrader. It checks out clean with no accidents reported. It was a personal lease (purchased in 9/13 and sold again on 10/17.
Thanks again.
.The trick? First of all, I had already purchased a car from this dealer, so I had a relationship with a salesman. Secondly, I sent an email during the afternoon of 9/30 telling him the price I was willing to pay ($37,000), and what I wanted for my trade-in ($20,500). That evening at 6, he called back telling me they could bring the price down to $38,400, and they would give me $21,500 for my trade, so we were only $400 off. They really wanted to get deals in for the month, so I had to get it done that day, which I had no problem with.
It seemed like a fair deal, so I bit. The color is gorgeous, exactly what we were looking for, so I have no regrets. They have my trade listed for $25,900, so I don't feel too taken advantage of. After all they have to give themselves room to drop the price, and I probably would have only been able to squeeze out another $2000 selling on my own, which wasn't worth it for the hassle, especially after considering the sales tax offset.
You may have heard the saying, "End of the day, end of the month, end of the year", when it comes to buying cars. In some cases, it can make a difference, if you are patient and hold firm to your price, and can afford to miss out on some vehicles if they won't give you the deal you want.
As far as the mileage, I wouldn't be concerned. The car I purchased from them before (in early 2013, not my trade-in) was a 2009 IS350 that had 16,700 miles on it when I got it. It's been great ever since, and it was virtually spotless when I got it.
Last edited by JaredJ723; Oct 22, 2014 at 11:44 PM.



