Purchasing A Ls400

[generoso123]

Hello,

I was trying to see if anyone has ever bought from ebay? I am on the market for a 98-2000 LS400 and wanted to know if ebay was a way to go, especially if the car is far away where you wont see it until it is shipped to you. Any advise please?

Frank

[VMF]

i know my friend got his GS on ebay. but then he flew from ny to texas and drove it back here.

the best advice is look at the reputation of the seller, how many feedbacks, how long has he been on ebay etc. check negative feedbacks etc.

i would not agree for shipping, its always better to pay a 500$ deposit and then fly there and check the car out and then drive it yourself.

this way if you dont like the car you only loose 500$ and not the price of the whole car because if there is smth wrong its going to be very hard to prove it or to even contact the seller once the money change hands.

[patcom]

Hello,

I was trying to see if anyone has ever bought from ebay? I am on the market for a 98-2000 LS400 and wanted to know if ebay was a way to go, especially if the car is far away where you wont see it until it is shipped to you. Any advise please?

Frank

I bought my 2000 LS 400 platinum edition on e-bay for $22,500 with 67K miles.Drove it for 3 1/2 years with no problems.I did put in a new battery and replaced the tires.

Also bought my 2006 LS430 with 9.9K miles for $47,500 on e-bay,so far no problems,except it seems to have tighter steering and the 18" wheels ride rougher than my 1993 and 2000 LS's.

However,I bought 2 2007 Toyota Highlanders on e-bay.One is fine,my girlfriend didn't like the looks of the rocker panels on the other.I took it to a body shop and was freaked by the 6 month wait and $7,650 bill.I was origionally quoted $1,500 and the further they went the worse it got,including air bags and headliner.

That being said,if you stick with an e-bay seller with high volume and almost 100% favorable{read the details}feedback you should be in good shape.The seller of the bad highlander had 100% favorable feedback,but only 43 items sold.I even gave him a favorable rating before discovering the problem.And of course after submitting,I couldn't change or add to it.

To me the difference in price between the dealer and e-bay is worth the risk.My local Toyota dealer wanted $10,000 more than I paid for each of the Highlanders.

[blamawkg]

New Member Here.

I bought a 1999 LS400 two weeks ago from Ebay. One owner with 42,000 miles on it. Paid $500 deposit to hold car. So far I love the car. Car is very clean with no dents. Would purchase again.

[ford212.809]

<<<<<< I bought this one (to the left) on ebay a couple of months ago. It is my 2nd Lexus from ebay - both cars come from Florida.

[OmarG]

we bought 4 lexus's off ebay. my white 93 ls, my sisters jade 94 ls, my purple manual 92 es300, and my moms opal white 94.

all except mine were second chance offers due to a dead beat bidders. All amazing deals. The LS400's came from chicago, Philly, and Newark. The ES came from tampa.

I took risks and on carfaxed the cars but generally have been successful. I only buy private party.

[VBdenny]

Another good place to find Lexus cars for sale is craigslist. I know they have a local one in Essex county since I live there part of the time.

[90LS400Lexus]

My current 1991 LS400 was on ebay as well as Craigslist in Atlanta. I originally saw it on ebay and the auction ended before I was sure I wanted it, because I had looked and was considering others. The auction ended @ $2700, but the reserve was not met. He wanted at least $3400 and BIN was $3800. I was not going to pay $3800. I was able to negotiate some and we agreed on $3200. It was also on the Craigslist as mentioned for $3400. I did not buy through ebay, because the auction ended and he did not relist, but since he had 100% feedback, I was comfortable with the deal. I paypaled him $3200, then had the car transported from Atlanta GA to Bristol TN, which cost me $395 more... then another $345 in getting the car registered here, so I have nearly $3900, which is more than I really wanted to pay and probably more than its worth, but I was having NO luck finding one locally. The GOOD thing is that 13K ago, the car had a complete service @ a local Lexus dealer down there---- they replaced the timing belt, new brakes and ALL fluids were changed. That was around a $1300 service, so I look at it like I got the car for $1900, but had to pay for the service. :) It was also a 2-owner car and owner # 2 had owned it since 8000 miles. Also, there are tons of service records.

I still need to so some small things to it, like a coolant level sensor, valve cover gaskets and I may want to eventually replace the motor and tranny mounts to make it even smoother... and I might have to replace the front struts/springs, because it seems to be sagging in the front and the suspension does not seem to be handling the bumps very well. :(

All in all, I am satisfied and really love the car, but would love it more if I could get the ride quality to my satisfaction.

[texasbigdog]

My current 1991 LS400 was on ebay as well as Craigslist in Atlanta. I originally saw it on ebay and the auction ended before I was sure I wanted it, because I had looked and was considering others. The auction ended @ $2700, but the reserve was not met. He wanted at least $3400 and BIN was $3800. I was not going to pay $3800. I was able to negotiate some and we agreed on $3200. It was also on the Craigslist as mentioned for $3400. I did not buy through ebay, because the auction ended and he did not relist, but since he had 100% feedback, I was comfortable with the deal. I paypaled him $3200, then had the car transported from Atlanta GA to Bristol TN, which cost me $395 more... then another $345 in getting the car registered here, so I have nearly $3900, which is more than I really wanted to pay and probably more than its worth, but I was having NO luck finding one locally. The GOOD thing is that 13K ago, the car had a complete service @ a local Lexus dealer down there---- they replaced the timing belt, new brakes and ALL fluids were changed. That was around a $1300 service, so I look at it like I got the car for $1900, but had to pay for the service. :) It was also a 2-owner car and owner # 2 had owned it since 8000 miles. Also, there are tons of service records.

I still need to so some small things to it, like a coolant level sensor, valve cover gaskets and I may want to eventually replace the motor and tranny mounts to make it even smoother... and I might have to replace the front struts/springs, because it seems to be sagging in the front and the suspension does not seem to be handling the bumps very well. :(

All in all, I am satisfied and really love the car, but would love it more if I could get the ride quality to my satisfaction.

I have purchased many cars on ebay and never ever had a problem. There are inpection services available in almost any city in the country that will go see the car, video it, drive etc. They will give you a comprehensive report for $150-$250 depending on location. One I have used frequently is thru www.carsonline.com. May be www. cars-on-line.com. Anyway, they give you a very thorough inspection of the car and will check out anything you ask them too....good luck!

[generoso123]

i know my friend got his GS on ebay. but then he flew from ny to texas and drove it back here.

the best advice is look at the reputation of the seller, how many feedbacks, how long has he been on ebay etc. check negative feedbacks etc.

i would not agree for shipping, its always better to pay a 500$ deposit and then fly there and check the car out and then drive it yourself.

this way if you dont like the car you only loose 500$ and not the price of the whole car because if there is smth wrong its going to be very hard to prove it or to even contact the seller once the money change hands.

Thank you!! I will let you all know how my journey progresses.

Frank, NJ

[generoso123]

Hello,

I was trying to see if anyone has ever bought from ebay? I am on the market for a 98-2000 LS400 and wanted to know if ebay was a way to go, especially if the car is far away where you wont see it until it is shipped to you. Any advise please?

Frank

Thanks for all your replies