Well, the deal is through near-family at a luxury dealer. She had her husband drop the price from a $7xxx price to $5000. The body is in perfect condition, as is the interior. The engine runs quietly, and a 30 minute test drive didn't reveal anything other than the bit of smoke coming out consistently. We actually have a small budget for a second car, and this is the first decent car in our price range if you can believe it. (My max is $5000.)
It seems the smoke is the only issue, so that's why I am having a hard time deciding. Of course, I'm not rushing anything, and the dealer is more than happy to give us time and room to decide.
I am also a bit unsure because I am getting different advice. A good friend that knows cars said that it wasn't a lot of smoke, and I may expect to get up to 150K before I need to do anything at all on the car. He threw out an estimate of 2-3 years of life left, but did say he hadn't owned a Lexus before.
But I figure you guys would know better since you have experience!
I will see what the mechanic has to say today and report back regardless of my decision.
Any other thoughts?