Need Help On Assessing This Used 2006 Lexus Is250

[JS80]

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Premium Pkg - Heated/Cooled Seats, Wood Trim, Perforated Leather, Keyless Ignition, Moonroof, etc

BUT 52,222 miles

VIN JTHBK262762006395

Private party listed for $26,900

What questions should I ask?

What should I look for?

What price should I bid?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT:

New info from an insider friend at a Lexus dealership.

Car purchased January of 2006

As of 6/2/07 he had 38,000 miles

As of 11/28/07 he had 52,222 miles

At 11/28/07 he had the battery replaced

There is no service history at Lexus (but he says it's serviced at non-lexus ASE certified mechanic)

[joeb427]

That's not a bad price if it's an AWD..Though the mileage is high.

I'd offer $25K and go up to $25.5.The seller is probably looking to get $26K but won't walk away from $25.5.

Do a Carfax.

[bartkat]

Edmunds takes off $1723 for hight mileage.

Prices Private Party Sale at $24,934

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2006/lexus/is2...01/options.html

[JS80]

That's not a bad price if it's an AWD..Though the mileage is high.

I'd offer $25K and go up to $25.5.The seller is probably looking to get $26K but won't walk away from $25.5.

Do a Carfax.

I don't think it's AWD.

Different forum member told me Carfax says it's clean.

I was planning on offering $25k.

Should I have concerns on the high mileage in 2 years? He says he drives 20 miles to work. That's still like 20k miles in 2 years.

[JS80]

Edmunds takes off $1723 for hight mileage.

Prices Private Party Sale at $24,934

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2006/lexus/is2...01/options.html

So what kind of talking points should I go with to get price down?

Tires?

Brake pads?

What other wear and tear items can I point out to try to get the price down?

[bartkat]

Edmunds takes off $1723 for hight mileage.

Prices Private Party Sale at $24,934

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2006/lexus/is2...01/options.html

So what kind of talking points should I go with to get price down?

Tires?

Brake pads?

What other wear and tear items can I point out to try to get the price down?

I priced it as excellent condition which would mean good tires, brakes, etc. So if any of that isn't like new, you should try to get the price down. Interior condition, seats, any appearance items. Make sure everything works like it should. The car is close to being out of warranty. That's another point to haggle on.

[joeb427]

That's not a bad price if it's an AWD..Though the mileage is high.

I'd offer $25K and go up to $25.5.The seller is probably looking to get $26K but won't walk away from $25.5.

Do a Carfax.

I don't think it's AWD.

Different forum member told me Carfax says it's clean.

I was planning on offering $25k.

Should I have concerns on the high mileage in 2 years? He says he drives 20 miles to work. That's still like 20k miles in 2 years.

Tell the seller the mileage is high and offer $24K.I'm sure people aren't lining up to buy the car with that mileage.You're out of warranty in less than 500 miles..

Bartkat did a KBB work up and it's worth $25K.

If you really like it go $24.5 or go the $25K and you'll get an average deal.

I don't like the fact the car has 50K miles,tho.

[bartkat]

On the plus side, that many miles in 2 years means there must be a lot of highway miles which most experts say is less wear than lots of town stop and go driving. If the guy drove 20 miles one way to work then about 1/2 to 2/3 of those miles was commuting. Find out if that was mostly open road driving.

[joeb427]

On the plus side, that many miles in 2 years means there must be a lot of highway miles which most experts say is less wear than lots of town stop and go driving. If the guy drove 20 miles one way to work then about 1/2 to 2/3 of those miles was commuting. Find out if that was mostly open road driving.

For piece of mind I'd buy a Lexus platimum warranty from Troy Detrich of Toyota of Geeenfield in MA.

He sell discounted genuine Toyota and Lexus warranties.I bought one from him.

7yr/100K miles no deductible for $1415 no sales tax and that's for an AWD.Maybe a RWD is cheaper.

He has to buy it before he hits 50K miles.

[JS80]

On the plus side, that many miles in 2 years means there must be a lot of highway miles which most experts say is less wear than lots of town stop and go driving. If the guy drove 20 miles one way to work then about 1/2 to 2/3 of those miles was commuting. Find out if that was mostly open road driving.

For piece of mind I'd buy a Lexus platimum warranty from Troy Detrich of Toyota of Geeenfield in MA.

He sell discounted genuine Toyota and Lexus warranties.I bought one from him.

7yr/100K miles no deductible for $1415 no sales tax and that's for an AWD.Maybe a RWD is cheaper.

He has to buy it before he hits 50K miles.

Can I still buy this even though I am in California?

[joeb427]

On the plus side, that many miles in 2 years means there must be a lot of highway miles which most experts say is less wear than lots of town stop and go driving. If the guy drove 20 miles one way to work then about 1/2 to 2/3 of those miles was commuting. Find out if that was mostly open road driving.

For piece of mind I'd buy a Lexus platimum warranty from Troy Detrich of Toyota of Geeenfield in MA.

He sell discounted genuine Toyota and Lexus warranties.I bought one from him.

7yr/100K miles no deductible for $1415 no sales tax and that's for an AWD.Maybe a RWD is cheaper.

He has to buy it before he hits 50K miles.

Can I still buy this even though I am in California?

Yes.I'm in NJ and bought a '07 V6 Camry XLE 7/100 from him for $880 and no sales tax because I'm not in MA.The Camry is gone.I hit a deer and $8K later...I had it repaired and dumped it.

Cancelled the warranty and got $720 back on it.

I'm going to get one for the my IS 250 and the wife's RAV4 but I have plenty of time.

You don't.You must get it before hitting 50K miles.

Email him.

TDietrich@ToyotaofGreenfield

[JS80]

Sorry for the newbie questions - this is actually my first car purchase ever.

So after I test drive it, do I take it to the dealer for an inspection? Anything else I can do for peace of mind that this isn't a problem car?

Thanks for all this invaluable help guys.

[joeb427]

Sorry for the newbie questions - this is actually my first car purchase ever.

So after I test drive it, do I take it to the dealer for an inspection? Anything else I can do for peace of mind that this isn't a problem car?

Thanks for all this invaluable help guys.

I don't know about going to a dealer but maybe a mechanic friend.

A dealer may tie up the car for a long time.

Take the car for a ride,radio off,then check radio,A/C,windows etc.

Get on the highway and do 60-70 MPH and see if the front end and/or tire balance is ok.Let go of the wheel and see if the car goes to the left or right.

Check the tires for tread waer.Ask for service paperwork.

If possible,take someone with you that's more knowledgeable about cars then you.

[JS80]

Sorry for the newbie questions - this is actually my first car purchase ever.

So after I test drive it, do I take it to the dealer for an inspection? Anything else I can do for peace of mind that this isn't a problem car?

Thanks for all this invaluable help guys.

I don't know about going to a dealer but maybe a mechanic friend.

A dealer may tie up the car for a long time.

Take the car for a ride,radio off,then check radio,A/C,windows etc.

Get on the highway and do 60-70 MPH and see if the front end and/or tire balance is ok.Let go of the wheel and see if the car goes to the left or right.

Check the tires for tread waer.Ask for service paperwork.

If possible,take someone with you that's more knowledgeable about cars then you.

Any suggestions on how to find a mechanic that does inspections for used cars? The owner of the car lives in Orange County and I'm in LA.

Thanks for all these tips btw.

[JS80]

New info from an insider friend at a Lexus dealership.

Car purchased January of 2006

As of 6/2/07 he had 38,000 miles

As of 11/28/07 he had 52,222 miles

At 11/28/07 he had the battery replaced

There is no service history at Lexus (but he says it's serviced at non-lexus ASE certified mechanic)

[bartkat]

Lexus dealer will inspect the car for a little over $120 or so. If you make an appointment it shouldn't take long. I believe they do the same inspection that they do when they take in a used car in trade. It's probably worth it if you can work that out.

Another inspection might be by a body shop to check for any repairs, repainted areas, etc. We used to take a magnet and go over some parts of the car to see if there was Bondo anywhere. That won't work on the hood because it's aluminum, but it would on the other body parts.

Carfax is ok, but they aren't totally accurate. They depend on body shops and police reports for accident and repair records, and not all of those report to Carfax.

[bartkat]

New info from an insider friend at a Lexus dealership.

Car purchased January of 2006

As of 6/2/07 he had 38,000 miles

As of 11/28/07 he had 52,222 miles

At 11/28/07 he had the battery replaced

There is no service history at Lexus (but he says it's serviced at non-lexus ASE certified mechanic)

At least that tells you that he is the original owner and that the car hasn't changed hands any.

[joeb427]

Bartkat is corrrect about Carfax.My Camry with it's $8K in damage didn't show on Carfax 2-3 months after the accident.

I'd really pass on that '06.

52K is too many miles.You can't buy a Lexus warranty.Go for another few thousand more and get an '06 with 20-25K miles or less.They're out there.

Don't get hung up with Lexus NAV.It's nice but a portable Garmin Nuvi is actually better.You probably won't use NAV much like if you're like most people and you may need an up grade '07 or '08 map disc which is $299 + a $60 install at Lexus.

[tex2670]

Sorry for the newbie questions - this is actually my first car purchase ever.

So after I test drive it, do I take it to the dealer for an inspection? Anything else I can do for peace of mind that this isn't a problem car?

Thanks for all this invaluable help guys.

I don't know about going to a dealer but maybe a mechanic friend.

A dealer may tie up the car for a long time.

Take the car for a ride,radio off,then check radio,A/C,windows etc.

Get on the highway and do 60-70 MPH and see if the front end and/or tire balance is ok.Let go of the wheel and see if the car goes to the left or right.

Check the tires for tread waer.Ask for service paperwork.

If possible,take someone with you that's more knowledgeable about cars then you.

Maybe the Lexus dealer will do you a favor looking to get your service business. Otherwise, ask around for a reputable mechanic.

[JS80]

Bartkat is corrrect about Carfax.My Camry with it's $8K in damage didn't show on Carfax 2-3 months after the accident.

I'd really pass on that '06.

52K is too many miles.You can't buy a Lexus warranty.Go for another few thousand more and get an '06 with 20-25K miles or less.They're out there.

Don't get hung up with Lexus NAV.It's nice but a portable Garmin Nuvi is actually better.You probably won't use NAV much like if you're like most people and you may need an up grade '07 or '08 map disc which is $299 + a $60 install at Lexus.

First off, thanks for all the advice to everyone.

I would love to find a 2006 with like 30-40k miles but they just don't exist! Not really hung up on Navi at all. It just happened to be a car that was possibly something that would be in our price range should he agree to $23k or something.

My sister has a lexus es300 (1998) that my dad drove the hell out of and has 170k miles on it with no problems so I do have a feeling of trust for lexus. The car will be driven by my soon to be wife and probably less than 5k miles/year.

At this point I value the car at $22-23k (the point where I would even consider buying), but I have a feeling the guy would rather keep it rather than sell for that price.

I found this one LINK. Good deal?

[joeb427]

Bartkat is corrrect about Carfax.My Camry with it's $8K in damage didn't show on Carfax 2-3 months after the accident.

I'd really pass on that '06.

52K is too many miles.You can't buy a Lexus warranty.Go for another few thousand more and get an '06 with 20-25K miles or less.They're out there.

Don't get hung up with Lexus NAV.It's nice but a portable Garmin Nuvi is actually better.You probably won't use NAV much like if you're like most people and you may need an up grade '07 or '08 map disc which is $299 + a $60 install at Lexus.

First off, thanks for all the advice to everyone.

I would love to find a 2006 with like 30-40k miles but they just don't exist! Not really hung up on Navi at all. It just happened to be a car that was possibly something that would be in our price range should he agree to $23k or something.

My sister has a lexus es300 (1998) that my dad drove the hell out of and has 170k miles on it with no problems so I do have a feeling of trust for lexus. The car will be driven by my soon to be wife and probably less than 5k miles/year.

At this point I value the car at $22-23k (the point where I would even consider buying), but I have a feeling the guy would rather keep it rather than sell for that price.

I found this one LINK. Good deal?

Nice car at that link.Priced very good with NAV,much lower mileage,nice color combo,you still have factory warranty left but but I hate buying from non dealer car lots.I'd check it out anyway.Do a carfax on that one.You can probably get that one for $25K or $25.5.Not a bad deal for that car.

Seems like a much better deal considering the mileage over the 52K mile car with nthe same options.