Any Lexus dealer will run the VIN and give you the service history of the car. Carfax runs all kinds of searches on the background of the car to see if it has been flooded, badly wrecked, used as a rental car, etc., etc. It's well worth the $20 to get the Carfax, but a lot of dealers will do this for you. Here's what a carfax looks like (I found this in an ad on ebay.): http://www.carfax.com/cfm/ccc_DisplayHisto...8UF22E3S0023844As for not getting ripped off with the price, go to kbb.com for a starting point, and also, familiarize yourself with what LS400s are selling for in your area by looking in the newspaper, autotrader, cars.com, etc. And above all, be ready to haggle! lol
I'd probably look for a used Honda Odyssey. Or is a mini-van out of the question?? lolI LOVE Chicago. My father works right outside of Joliet in Channahon, and I go up there as many times as possible to visit!