kevinsurfer Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 I am new to this forum and wanted to get your opinions on this deal. It is for a 2000 ls, one owner, with 45,500mi. The dealer offer is 16k out the door. the car is in great condition, but there are a few cosmetic flaws. The back bumper,trunk and front bumper needs to be repainted due to scratches.One of the foglight assembly is bent and needs to be repaired. Otherwise, the car has passed mechanical inspection.This car is being sold by a local lexus dealer. Should I go for it or pass? The color is a cream white pearl. It has the Nakamichi system, but no sun roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrome04 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 That price you'd think it'd be mint condition. And no sunroof? Personally I'd just keep my eyes open for something else.. Plenty of LS's up for grabs if you look hard enough. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc211 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 No sunroof? I don't think I've ever heard of that before on the LS. Is it an American version, or brought over from overseas via a military personnel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrome04 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Believe it or not I've seen a couple with no sunroof. They look dumb and they enrage me HAHAHA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990LS400 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 kevinsurfer is in Hawaii. It's not like he going to buy a car in another state and drive it there. The auto market is quite different in Hawaii and Hawaii is not part of the regular Lexus USA distribution system. Lexus vehicles are imported into Hawaii through Servco which, if I understand correctly, was or maybe still is the sole importer of cars into Hawaii. Someone please correct me if I am wrong as I have never really understood all this -- it's a little like how liquor is distributed in Kansas by only one company. Kevin, have you asked Servo Lexus about fixing the issues before you buy it or is it only an "as is" sale. Repainting bumpers is a pretty standard operation before selling a used car -- at least it is here. I don't understand how the foglight could be "bent" since they are built into the lower bumper but the foglights are fairly inexpensive -- I'm seeing new foglight assemblies on-line for less that $150. I have a similar 2000 LS400 with Nakamichi. My car is metallic Crystal White instead of the non-metallic Pearl White on the car you are looking at. I actually tried to buy a new LS400 without a sunroof in 1990 but I had to settle for one with a sunroof and only two other options -- keyless entry and floor mats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsurfer Posted October 17, 2008 Author Share Posted October 17, 2008 kevinsurfer is in Hawaii. It's not like he going to buy a car in another state and drive it there. The auto market is quite different in Hawaii and Hawaii is not part of the regular Lexus USA distribution system. Lexus vehicles are imported into Hawaii through Servco which, if I understand correctly, was or maybe still is the sole importer of cars into Hawaii. Someone please correct me if I am wrong as I have never really understood all this -- it's a little like how liquor is distributed in Kansas by only one company.Kevin, have you asked Servo Lexus about fixing the issues before you buy it or is it only an "as is" sale. Repainting bumpers is a pretty standard operation before selling a used car -- at least it is here. I don't understand how the foglight could be "bent" since they are built into the lower bumper but the foglights are fairly inexpensive -- I'm seeing new foglight assemblies on-line for less that $150. I have a similar 2000 LS400 with Nakamichi. My car is metallic Crystal White instead of the non-metallic Pearl White on the car you are looking at. I actually tried to buy a new LS400 without a sunroof in 1990 but I had to settle for one with a sunroof and only two other options -- keyless entry and floor mats. Thanks guys for the input. They are willing to fix the fog light assembly but it will add $700.00 to the deal. In Hawaii we have only one distributor (Servco) and the private sector. I wish it was all mint, but then the price would be in the high 17k to 18k range. The more I think about it the more hesistant I feel about the purchase. Oh well, at least we have great weather here in Hawaii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 The fog light it much cheaper than than , you can buy one on ebay for less than a $100 , make them fix the paint and buy your own foglights as it is 2 screws to install in 3 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun786 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Well, if I were you I wouldn't spend more than $14,500 ... I mean realistically, in exactly 1 year and 2 months that car will be 10 yrs old... Do you really want to spend $16k on that? Its your call, but in my opinion not a wise investment (even though buying a car is not an investment, more like a devestment...LOL)... I personally own a 1996 LS400 which I purchased in 2000 for $25,000 from a lexus dealership in pristine condition with 56,000 miles on it... Now that same car has 176,000 miles and yet a very solid car!!!.... but Investing $16,000 in an almost 9 year old car I think you should look at other options... Maybe go for a LS430 around $20,000<<< now thats well worth it .... even with 70k or 80k miles on it (taking into consideration the maintaince of the previous owner)... Whatever your decision is GOOD LUCK :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsurfer Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 Well, if I were you I wouldn't spend more than $14,500 ... I mean realistically, in exactly 1 year and 2 months that car will be 10 yrs old... Do you really want to spend $16k on that? Its your call, but in my opinion not a wise investment (even though buying a car is not an investment, more like a devestment...LOL)... I personally own a 1996 LS400 which I purchased in 2000 for $25,000 from a lexus dealership in pristine condition with 56,000 miles on it... Now that same car has 176,000 miles and yet a very solid car!!!.... but Investing $16,000 in an almost 9 year old car I think you should look at other options... Maybe go for a LS430 around $20,000<<< now thats well worth it .... even with 70k or 80k miles on it (taking into consideration the maintaince of the previous owner)... Whatever your decision is GOOD LUCK :D Thanks for your thoughts. I pulled the trigger and picked up the LS for $15.2k OTD. They replaced the hood struts, did a 45k servicing (replaced all fluids and did an inspection of the entire car), detailed the car, changed the wipers,supplied touch up paint (car is 2 toned), and gave me a new cd changer magazine. I discovered it was owned by a little old lady who traded it in for another car. I fixed the fog light on the passenger side (all needed was 2 washers to shim it). Here in Hawaii, it is hard to find a 2.5 Gen LS with very low milage. I've been looking and I was lucky enough to find this gem. Had I not bought it, there were 2 other buyer that wanted to buy. The car runs unreal and the stock Nakamichi sounds awesome. I plan to keep her a long time. I really like the Diamond white pearl color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990LS400 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Kevin, Here is a link that shows the options and packages for the 2000 LS400 that was sold on the U.S. mainland: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/2000/2000LSspecs.pdf Maybe you can post some photos and/or tell us exactly how your car is equipped in comparison to what was sold on the mainland. Good luck with your "new" car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsurfer Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 Kevin,Here is a link that shows the options and packages for the 2000 LS400 that was sold on the U.S. mainland: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/2000/2000LSspecs.pdf Maybe you can post some photos and/or tell us exactly how your car is equipped in comparison to what was sold on the mainland. Good luck with your "new" car! Thanks and I will work on the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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