ccp247 Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I am considering purchasing a used '98 ES300 which has 98,000 miles. The price is $11,000 and it's in excellent condition. It's never been in an accident, it's never had any major mechanical problems and the routine maintenance has been consistently kept up. My main concern is that this car is approaching 100,000 miles and after I buy it, will I then be dealing with costly repairs down the road. Any thoughts as to whether buying this car is a good move or should I consider something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 You said: "routine maintenance has been consistently kept up." Do you have every service receipt? If even one oil change has been stretched out beyond 12 months / 7500 miles the engine could have some sludge. If the transmission fluid hasn't been changed about every 30K miles or sooner, the transmission may be moderately to heavily worn. If the coolant is anything but reddish in color then the radiator may be slightly to moderately semi-clogged by mineral deposits. Was the engine timing belt changed? It's due Were the spark plugs and plug wires ever changed? They are due. What kind of driver was the former owner? If a easy going grandpa / grandma type owner, that's great. If an aggressive, hard charging, type A personality business executive, that's mnot so great (worn suspension, engine mounts, transmission mounts, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcv10guy Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 I strongly agree with what monarch has stated. Check all of the things he mentioned. In regards to the "routine maintenance", if it was changed at every 7500 miles, I would definitely stay away from it because it more than likely has sludge. The reason is that if current owner used regular motor oil, the oil would have broken down by 5000 miles if not sooner than that and well when oil breaks down, sludge forms. You can imagine that by 7500 miles, the oil is practically garbage (for lack of a better word). If it used synthetic oil, then it's probably okay. Have it checked by a trusted mechanic or Lexus. Oh ya a future expense you can expect (unless it was replaced recently) is the valve cover gaskets starting to leak or weep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexusfreak Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 You said: "routine maintenance has been consistently kept up."Do you have every service receipt? If even one oil change has been stretched out beyond 12 months / 7500 miles the engine could have some sludge. If the transmission fluid hasn't been changed about every 30K miles or sooner, the transmission may be moderately to heavily worn. If the coolant is anything but reddish in color then the radiator may be slightly to moderately semi-clogged by mineral deposits. Was the engine timing belt changed? It's due Were the spark plugs and plug wires ever changed? They are due. What kind of driver was the former owner? If a easy going grandpa / grandma type owner, that's great. If an aggressive, hard charging, type A personality business executive, that's mnot so great (worn suspension, engine mounts, transmission mounts, etc). ← I also agree with monarch's statements.....make sure ALL service is up to date, & not just the oil changes........and the timing belt is a very important & vital item as well considering the mileage the car has now.......if it has NOT been changed, it is due......it's not cheap either (water pum at the same time is very wise). You can use that to either get the price down significantly OR get it done at a Lexus dealer for the price your paying. Dont' be afraid to ask the owner to take it to YOUR mechanic for inspection......it he/she say's no, RUN, don't walk away from the deal. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccp247 Posted December 22, 2004 Author Share Posted December 22, 2004 Thanks to those of you have replied. Much appreciated. To further clarify the situation, I would be purchasing this Lexus from a family member, and he's pretty conservative and quite meticulous, so I am confident he has not been abusive to the vehicle in terms of driving it hard or neglecting any routine maintenance. He just spent $1,100 on a maintenance job and everything has checked out OK. I don't know about the timing belt, though. I'll have to ask about that. He had new tires put on last year and the interior and exterior are clean. Any additional thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lextildeath Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 If he is a family member, then you can surely verify his personality/driving style. But, you still may not know how much HE knows about cars and maintaining them properly. Get his papers and look at them. And eventhough he's your relative, make him go lower on the price. Say you found other ones with less mileage for less money, etc. Always bargain, but don't let it ruin the relationship you have as family. I bought my 1997 ES 300 from my dad's friend about 2 years ago with a little over 42,000 miles. Has leather, stereo, moonroof etc. Only missing heated seats and the tunable suspension. Guess how much I bought it for? $7,000 and under $9,000 total with tax and registration etc. That is because the dealer offered him not much more to trade in so hed rather give it to a friend for less and say F you to the dealers for trying to make lots of money from his car. Compare apples to oranges. Trade in value is lower than private owner value, but you can tell him that if he tried to sell it at the dealer, they would offer him only $9,000 plus you're related, so he should sell it to you for $8,000-$8,500. I seriously hope this advice is useful to you. I really want to help you, especially in getting a Lexus. But, do not make it seem like such a huge sacrifice for him to be giving you such a good price, because then there might be some sort of resentment for you. Say how broke you are-it helps. God bless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98es Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 I was in the same boat you are about 6 months ago. I bought a 98 es300 with 95,000 miles. It was well kept up, and i'm very happy with my purchase. I paid a little over 10k. My timing belt was changed around 65k, so i'm not due for awhile. But it is very important that you find that out. The only problem I've had is with the IAC valve (VERY common problem with idle valve on this car). It cost me about $600 to fix, of course i REALLY got ripped off, it usually doesn't cost near that much. Transmission fluid and coolant flush. Other than than these pretty minor things, it still drives AWESOME 16,000 miles later. I'd have to agree with some of the other guys here, your paying top dollar. But if your comfortable with it and feel the cars worth high end, go for it. It's not worth hurting the relationship over. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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