Sold my old Accord and I am interested in IS350. The dealer sent me a quota last week: $41200 for 2015 new IS350 sedan AWD. Although it is higher than some shared prices in autopriceshare, I am ok with the small price difference (less than $1000).
When I test drove the 2015 model, the dealers also showed me the 2014 AWD IS350, he could give me $3500 off. The problem with that 2014 model is that it already has 5000 miles.
People here must know IS350 better than me. I have two questions and hope someone could give some advice. Firstly, In you own opinion, which one is better? 2014 model or 2015 model. Secondly, For the 2014 model, is it normal that it has 5000 miles already for a 'new' car?

 

its a bad deal.

 

Welcome to CL! I was disappointed at the 2014 because of certain trim pieces and features lacking but 2015 revised to the point I like it again. 2015 added things like:

LED fog lamps
Siri Eyes Free technology from Apple; compatible with iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 models
Heated/ventilated front seats added to F SPORT (F SPORT AWD also gets heated steering wheel)
Revised interior trim, including piano black on window switches and instrument panel
New Stratus Gray interior replaces Light Gray
Backup monitor adds dynamic grid lines to aid parking maneuvers
Available Lexus Enform Remote

And yes 5000 miles is fine. In fact it was probably a dealer demo or the GM's car. At our store, our executives put around 5000 miles on a car before it's put back into inventory

 

Or maybe a factory-program car. A program car, as I understand it, is one that was owned by the company, never had a title, and, for registration purposes, is considered new, even if it has substantial mileage on it. A guy I used to work with bought a Ford F-150 that way.

You say you feel the mileage on it is not an issue, but how about the price for that mileage? Given that it's a 41K car brand-new, I don't think that only $3500 off for having 5000 miles on it (a significant number of miles, IMO) is a particularly good deal. And, of course, at 5000 miles, the car may need an oil change and/or other small service/inspections before the OP would even take delivery of it.

 

With out a doubt, I would go for a new 2015 model.

 

Don't get caught up in the "is this model year better than that year?" That is a psychological battle ***you will never win.*** The thing is, every single model year henceforth will have nicer features your older model does not have. You cannot get a new car every year to keep up with this pattern, so just give up. Go with the best deal- both cars are built great.

FWIW, $3500 off sticker price for a used, two year old IS is horrible. Anyone should be able to get far more off on a brand new one with zero miles. The "new" IS is no longer the cat's meow, as it's been out for two years now.

As far as dealer demos, beware of those. They are usually abused during full-throttle test drives before the engine has had a chance to break in or even warm up. Think of dealer demos as the punching bag every hits when walking by at the gym.

I don't think Lexus sells factory demos. That's more of a GM/American thing. If someone knows for sure, please inform me for my own knowledge.

 

Yeah I have never heard of an actual Lexus Dealership having a 'DEMO' car on their lot. Have seen it many times with a GM dealership back in the day, but definitely that is not a good deal whatsoever. Never be in a rush to jump on a new car, even if you think you're getting a good deal, If you can I'd go with a 2015.

 

I fully agree on the demo abuse issue. Salespeople, if they ride along (they often don't with me, because they know I can be trusted) are supposed to tell test-drivers not to use full throttle or brakes if the engine is brand-new. But many of them seemingly don't care, or don't really think it can shorten the life of the engine or brakes. I myself don't take a new engine over about 4000-4500 RPM, even on a review.

 

are these non f-sports? 41200 for a 2015 is a great price for a 350 Fsport AWD 2015.

 

$3500 off what? How much did they want for the '14? If it's $3500 off the original MSRP, then yes, it's a bad deal. But if they're knocking it down $3500 off their current asking price, depending on what that asking price is, it may be a fair deal.

The '15 does have some nice improvements, but it all depends on the final cost of the two cars to know if it's worth it or not.

My '14 IS350 has 12k on it. I've had it for 18 months. Remember that the '14s came out in July of 2013, so depending on when that car was delivered, it may or may not be a lot of miles.

I've found it to be very tough to get a great deal on an IS in Washington, so good luck!

 

$3,500 off a '14 vs a '15 equipped exactly the same is a horrible deal. Especially if it has 5,000 miles.

 

For me, $3500 is cheap for peace of mind that you got a brand new car without any abuse. Additionally, the FY15 i hear has a much smoother Infotainment...mine works pretty well. No complaints FY15 is also second year of production and should have way less annoying bugs.

 

i would go for the '15 just for the well documented random battery drain issue on the '14 model. seems almost all of those happened on a '14 IS.

 

They say that once you drive a car off the dealer lot, it immediately depreciates 20%.

That '14 with mileage should be at least $7k off the sticker, even if registered new...

 

Depends on the region. When I was looking for my GS in NJ, all they had available for me to test drive was the demo non F-Sport they had on the lot which had a bit over 300 miles on it. When I bought my IS in CA, I test drove the exact model I ended up taking home.