Was looking at what seems to be a clean 2002 (is 300 ) for about $4,500$ but was turned off when I saw the odometer... Would appreciate advice on If it's too high to consider

 

Welcome to CL as a new poster.

Even for a car that is virtually spotless, I probably wouldn't consider anything with that kind of mileage on it....though the IS300, to its credit, ranks as one of the most durable and reliable modern cars on the market. Those who are selling something like that are often just trying to unload something that is starting to become a money pit. Even with an IS300 (and I owned one for almost five years), I'd be very cautious at that mileage.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, however... Being that I need a car(I'm 18) have a job .I have a deal of 500 down payment on that vehicle with low first time buyer interest, is there anyway I can tell if the car would be a waste of time other than the obvious reasons.. I really would like a Lexus , but it is my money, and would like to see it invest a good term of time

 

I'd recommend something newer unless you have money squirreled away for repairs. Look at the 1IS forum here to see what issues pop up over time. I'd say pass and get something more practical.

 

to be very honest, i know you like a lexus, but given your position and situation i am not sure if you want to stretch for luxury at this point. you might want to invest the same amount (or less) on say a corolla or camry with much less miles, and work towards saving more or a better job for a better payoff in the future

 

Welcome to CL.

The mileage is high, yes. But that's not my main concern for you.

The IS is one of the most expensive cars to insure, especially for an 18 year old. Have you received any insurance quotes for it? I will have to estimate $300-400 a month for an 18-year old in Florida for an IS300.

Also, how much will you be driving? If you don't rack up too many miles per year, you should be fine with that car with regular service/maintenance. But if you plan to drive a lot, maintenance costs will start adding up. The IS has a thirst for gas, tires, and, if you do a lot of searching over ClubLexus, modifications ( ); all of which cost a lot of money...

 

you can find something with much less mileage for that price. It may not have the Lexus name, but that's a lot of miles. Lexus brand is reliable, but you never know what could go wrong with a car with 200+ miles on it.

 

It will have problems. If you don't have the means to do most of the repairs forget about it

 

Though it's a Lexus it is 12 years and the miles is quite high so I would stay away. To maintain it will eventually cost more likely than the value of the car. I'd recommend at the range a entry level car like the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla which would have much lower miles. It may not have the Lexus badge in front but you don't want a headache of a car either unless you are DIY in fixing cars.

 

Yup, get an insurance quote and you'll realize it would be impossible to own that car, unless you can insure it under your parents name as one of them as the primary driver, with you as the primary driver on one of their other cars that would hopefully have cheap insurance rates.

It also looks like you are taking out a loan, which IMO is also a bad idea on that car. If you're going to do a loan, I'd up your budget a good bit and get something with about 50-75k miles on it. That way you can avoid expensive repairs that potentially could come along on an older high mile car like that one.


As for people saying don't buy it, 200k mile car equals money pit, tons of problems, etc. Well that depends on how it was driven/maintained. If its on its 1st or 2nd owner, responsible adult, with a full service history, ie a stack of reciepts for repairs, no problems on the test drive, drives tight/runs great, well then go for it. Cars like that are kind of rare when they get to be more than 7-8 years old, but they are out there. A lot of times you can get lucky and the owner just dumped a ton of money in it in the past couple of years, ie new a/c, timing belt service, etc.

 

Wit that kind of mileage, you need to ask for a big stack of maintenance receipts. I have known way too many people who buy high mileage cars get screwed because they made the mistake of taking the sellers word for how the car was maintained and what was actually replaced/repaired.

I've driven LS430 close to that mileage and it drove brand new, but it had a well documented maintenance history through a Lexus dealer, so you can't just automatically say every car at that mileage is going to be a headache or a problem.

I'll tell you this though, the nice ones at that miles that were actually cared for, I GUARANTEE you, the seller will be fairly firm on the price and list it a bit higher than similar cars because they know what they have and what they've put into it. Hard to get a "great deal" or a "steal" on a car like that, especially if it's a private seller who knows their car in and out.

 

yes....thats too much mileage . I would say get a newer Toyota rather than a Lexus

 

I'd skip it. While initially very reliable, many/most 1IS's have lived tough lives in the hands of your very own peers. For your first venture into the auto world, stick with something practical, safe, and reliable. Last thing you want is to be bogged down financially when you are at a time in life to be living and having fun.