Found Lexus Replacement And Need Some Help!

[Blake_batonrouge]

Hey guys,

I think I may have found a replacement for my Lexus. I just need some opinions. Car lot is asking $7995.00 for a 97 LS 400 with 140k. I need to know if it is worth that amount of money, and also can someone run me a carfax on vin# JT8BH28F1V0079562 Thanks Guys!!!!!

[raymsixsix]

Hey Blake,

According to KBB LS in excellent condition asking price could be $10,115. If I were you, I'd do the usual and have it checked out by a mechanic, find out what service history the car has, make sure the timing belt/water pump replacement has been done. You can even take the VIN to Lexus and they will print out all that has been done to the car at a Lexus dealership. Back to price, that is the starting price for a car that is mechanically and cosmetically flawless. So take in to account whatever findings your mechanic comes up with and what ever things you come up with. Even at the $7995, I'm sure there is wiggle room. Good luck, and let us know what takes place.

[Blake_batonrouge]

Hey Blake,

According to KBB LS in excellent condition asking price could be $10,115. If I were you, I'd do the usual and have it checked out by a mechanic, find out what service history the car has, make sure the timing belt/water pump replacement has been done. You can even take the VIN to Lexus and they will print out all that has been done to the car at a Lexus dealership. Back to price, that is the starting price for a car that is mechanically and cosmetically flawless. So take in to account whatever findings your mechanic comes up with and what ever things you come up with. Even at the $7995, I'm sure there is wiggle room. Good luck, and let us know what takes place.

I am trying to pull a carfax on it and without paying it is showing 11 diffrent items. I am trying to make sure it is not a flood car because here in Louisiana they are passing them off left and right. From the looks of it, and I have looked it at alot over the weekend it is flawless inside and outside. If they did do body work they did an unbelievable job. I just need a carfax as my "Ace in the hole" for getting that price down a bit.

[kc92hatch]

Hi Blake,

I'm in Kansas City, and prices vary around the country, so keep that in mind as you read my comments on prices. I've looked at a few 97-98's recently around here:

1. Pretty clean (not perfect, but pretty good) 1997 with maybe 130k, Nakamichi, and timing belt/water pump completed and OK documentation could be had for low $8000 range.

2. From that point, I've seen prices into the low $10,000 range where the mileage is quite a bit lower (50 - 80k).

3. When you look at the car, one thing you want to check is that the VIN stickers all share the same VIN number. You can find stickers on the hood, on the front quarter-panels, on each door and on the trunk. I looked at a car a while ago with a clean car fax, but two of the doors had different VIN #'s. That can only mean that they were replaced....most likely due to an undisclosed accident. Of course, the *&^%$#@ owner knew "nothing" about it. "Maybe the stickers were put on wrong at factory", he said....uh, yeah right.

4. Also, check the condition of the jack in the trunk. If it has corrosion on it, that means a wet trunk...which could be a sign of a flood problem.

Good luck.

[John A.S.]

I car faxed it, and so far it seems a bit "iffy" have a look I saved the sites html content as an attachment here. Also for you folks that need it I have 14 reports remaining and I have no use for them.

carfax_html.zip

[blake918]

Hey guys,

I think I may have found a replacement for my Lexus. I just need some opinions. Car lot is asking $7995.00 for a 97 LS 400 with 140k. I need to know if it is worth that amount of money, and also can someone run me a carfax on vin# JT8BH28F1V0079562 Thanks Guys!!!!!

No way would I pay that for a '97. I just bought a very nice '99 with 160k miles in Covington 2 weeks ago for $8,000....

[ED.]

I car faxed it, and so far it seems a bit "iffy" have a look I saved the sites html content as an attachment here. Also for you folks that need it I have 14 reports remaining and I have no use for them.

Any pics of the new ride?

I took the 96 by a place called 'auto beauty specialists' to have them look at a spot on the trunk and the guy who looked it over had a black 99 jut like mine. I kept going over and looking inisde of it. He replaced the head unit with some Alpine thing that looked like crap but he said it sounded good. Honestly I like the look of OEM more than anything but that's just me...

Theres an 'old people lot' down the street from me and I say that because it is all Caddilacs and other American cars but the lot is done nicely so what do you know. But they have a black 99 I went by and looked at one Sunday and the window sticker said it had 188k. I've meant to call them and see how much they want. I should just for giggles. Knowing them a lot but you never know.

[eatingupblacktop]

Hey Blake,

According to KBB LS in excellent condition asking price could be $10,115. If I were you, I'd do the usual and have it checked out by a mechanic, find out what service history the car has, make sure the timing belt/water pump replacement has been done. You can even take the VIN to Lexus and they will print out all that has been done to the car at a Lexus dealership. Back to price, that is the starting price for a car that is mechanically and cosmetically flawless. So take in to account whatever findings your mechanic comes up with and what ever things you come up with. Even at the $7995, I'm sure there is wiggle room. Good luck, and let us know what takes place.

I am trying to pull a carfax on it and without paying it is showing 11 diffrent items. I am trying to make sure it is not a flood car because here in Louisiana they are passing them off left and right. From the looks of it, and I have looked it at alot over the weekend it is flawless inside and outside. If they did do body work they did an unbelievable job. I just need a carfax as my "Ace in the hole" for getting that price down a bit.

Blake, be carefull with carfax. Here's a copy of something I just posted in another forum:

As Step says, not everything is covered in a carfax report. Cosmetic repairs are easy to hide by any decent shop. Structural repairs are easier to detect, but you have to know where to look - inside the engine bay, under rocker panels, inside the trunk, under carpets, under the chassis, etc - easy to miss one. My suggestion, if you really like the car, spend a few bucks and take it to a reputable body shop and have them check it out. It's their business - they know what to look for without hesitation - in less than ten minutes they can give you a complete picture. Being forewarned is being forearmed! Good luck.

[jainla]

Ditto the advice about the VIN stickers; it's the fastest way to see if the car has been involved in some kind of major crash.

If there's a Lexus dealer nearby see if they will do a PPI inspection. I had them do one on my car and it cost about $200; and they also pulled up (and printed out ) the service history. I bet also an indy mechanic might do one.

Once the car is up on the lift it's very hard to hide major repairs like bodywork or other damage from a major crash. I had a friend who bought a Passat and heard this clunking noise; turns out when the car was on the lift they saw there had been some kind of accident that tore the transmission and driveline off their mountings....good thing he was able to get his money back!

Flood damage might be a little tougher to spot. Certainly all the metal mounts under the car would be dead givaways; I'd look inside some of the ECU bays; the fuse bays; look for anything that should never get wet but is corroded. You might also be able to pull back some of the carpeting; smell for mold. Also things like the screws for the seat tracks inside the car; any springs or other metal parts under the seats etc. Also look in the trunk for the tire jack; mount down screws and nuts, see if they look ok.

Although for these cars i would guess a flood would short out some if not all of the electronics; so if they are running you are probably ok. Far more worrisome is the weird mileage reading; how many miles are showing on the car now?

[kc92hatch]

Blake,

Based purely on that carfax report, I'd say to look this vehicle over very closely. I'd say that the car is certainly not worth $8000.

Take other's advise here and look very carefully for flood damage, body damage, etc. Ask about the odometer and see if you can figure out what happened. It's OK to buy a car that has problems - BUT you have to take that into account into the price. You will need to figure out what else might be wrong before you can determine a price. Once you start to see some shady dealings (like perhaps this odometer situation), then you have to start wondering what else might be going on that you don't know about.

Sometimes, the best deal is the deal you never make.

Good luck.

[Blake_batonrouge]

No way would I pay that for a '97. I just bought a very nice '99 with 160k miles in Covington 2 weeks ago for $8,000....

Ya b*stard....That is the one I was going to buy if I think it is the same one. When I made it to Covington the guy was like, oh I just sold it to a guy from North Louisiana....LOL Blake's think alike. I checked all the doors and I did see that everything matched up. I also noticed the timing belt sticker was done, but what is getting me on this car is the fact that it is a base model without heated seats even. Also it has a funny smell inside, sorta like they are trying to cover up a heavy smoker so I think I will pass on this one. The mileage is correct on the car at 140k.

[blake918]

No way would I pay that for a '97. I just bought a very nice '99 with 160k miles in Covington 2 weeks ago for $8,000....

Ya b*stard....That is the one I was going to buy if I think it is the same one. When I made it to Covington the guy was like, oh I just sold it to a guy from North Louisiana....LOL Blake's think alike.

LOL that's too funny! Yep, that sounds like the same car since I do live in North Louisiana. I am friends with the seller, so I guess that's why I got a good deal! You wouldn't have liked this one though, no heated seats!! ;) hehe

[nc211]

No way would I pay that for a '97. I just bought a very nice '99 with 160k miles in Covington 2 weeks ago for $8,000....

Ya b*stard....That is the one I was going to buy if I think it is the same one. When I made it to Covington the guy was like, oh I just sold it to a guy from North Louisiana....LOL Blake's think alike.

LOL that's too funny! Yep, that sounds like the same car since I do live in North Louisiana. I am friends with the seller, so I guess that's why I got a good deal! You wouldn't have liked this one though, no heated seats!! ;) hehe

Wait....what? Blake918, you've got sum' xplainin' to do! What happened to ole' dependable?

[ED.]

I car faxed it, and so far it seems a bit "iffy" have a look I saved the sites html content as an attachment here. Also for you folks that need it I have 14 reports remaining and I have no use for them.

Any pics of the new ride?

I took the 96 by a place called 'auto beauty specialists' to have them look at a spot on the trunk and the guy who looked it over had a black 99 jut like mine. I kept going over and looking inisde of it. He replaced the head unit with some Alpine thing that looked like crap but he said it sounded good. Honestly I like the look of OEM more than anything but that's just me...

Theres an 'old people lot' down the street from me and I say that because it is all Caddilacs and other American cars but the lot is done nicely so what do you know. But they have a black 99 I went by and looked at one Sunday and the window sticker said it had 188k. I've meant to call them and see how much they want. I should just for giggles. Knowing them a lot but you never know.

I think I quoted the wrong the reply. I was wondering if Blake had any pics of his 1999?

[Lexusfreak]

I car faxed it, and so far it seems a bit "iffy" have a look I saved the sites html content as an attachment here. Also for you folks that need it I have 14 reports remaining and I have no use for them.

John, you have a PM. B)

[blake918]

I started a thread explaining it so that I don't hijack this thread any further...

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=49823

Wait....what? Blake918, you've got sum' xplainin' to do! What happened to ole' dependable?

I think I quoted the wrong the reply. I was wondering if Blake had any pics of his 1999?

[Blake_batonrouge]

Just to give you guys an update: I went and looked at the car for sale. It is at a dealership that is run by religious fanatics. When i got into the car I found it smelled a little funny. Also there was no heated seats and it was honestly just a little too plain for my taste. To top it all off, I told the guy there were some issues with the carfax and that I needed some documentation on the car being there was none. He became quite the !Removed! and said GOD WILL NOT LET ME SELL A BAD CAR. YOU DON'T NEED DOCUMENTATION FOR THIS CAR BECAUSE GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. So I told him "By all means stick this car in your A$$ and pray to god you don't go to hell for lying." So after I "blessed" him I left the dealership and haven't been back. I am now back at square one with the lexus hunt.

[nc211]

Yeah....just like God required a pastor and his wife to buy a new Mercedes SL600 and Bentely several years ago....that my former employer "idiots" three months later got to enjoy driving to lunch from the repo lot next to his office. Guess God forgot to make the payments and not commit intentional fruad to a federal institution via doctored income receipts and false tax returns....Ooops...

Last time I checked, God works in mysterious ways with some lessons learned the hard way. Sounds like you've already learned that lesson and was smart enough to not need it taught to you again. Good move.

[jcrome04]

LOL.

Offer $7g

But overall it's still good. I wouldn't say over-priced.

[Blake_batonrouge]

Yeah....just like God required a pastor and his wife to buy a new Mercedes SL600 and Bentely several years ago....that my former employer "idiots" three months later got to enjoy driving to lunch from the repo lot next to his office. Guess God forgot to make the payments and not commit intentional fruad to a federal institution via doctored income receipts and false tax returns....Ooops...

Last time I checked, God works in mysterious ways with some lessons learned the hard way. Sounds like you've already learned that lesson and was smart enough to not need it taught to you again. Good move.

I live in the land of Jimmy Swaggart. One of the biggest religious idiots on earth. How you going to go and play with a prostitute 35 miles from your religious camp? Also his famous "i live in a two bedroom home" line. If that house he lives in is a two bedroom, those are the biggest bedrooms on earth!!!!!