-cson

Yo my name is Brandon
I'm new to the forum and my next door neighbor is sellin his 97' Lexus ES300
It was in the fires in Diego, like next to them(their house burned down and apparently the car survived). So the right mirror's paint is bubbly lookin'. Some minor exterior damage, paint is faded and chippin on the hood and along the rear panel on the right side. 160k miles on it and it leaks oil plus has a problem with the engine light and stalled when i got in while it was idling. I need to post pics for a better idea of it.
But my question is, is it worth pickin up? He was thinkin of puttin it up for 1800, but said he would give it to me for a grand. I would like to hustle him to 500 if at all possible. And I wanna make it into my project car. So i wanted the advice of some of you guys on the forums here. Thanks again guys.

JSM1284

I would pay a grand for it, $500 would be even better.

paintrain

^^^ yea same here. but before u seal the deal tell him your really interested and let u take it for the day and have your mechanic check it out and try and get of an idea of what kinda shape its in. then youll know what kind of money ur gunna need to fix it since it obviously has problems. the blue book value of it in "fair" condition is around 5 and this seems like its worse. so if u buy it for a grand and repairs look like theyll only be around 2k, id do it. whatever u decide to do.... good luck

kphu

iTrader: (8)

JSM everyone doesn't have a shop like you to turn junk into a work of beauty.

Brandon - WELCOME TO CL!

Taking the approach of a regular consumer. Did you test drive the car? How was the transmission? Any issues with it shifting? How's the engine when the car is under load i.e. when your driving it. How much oil is it leaking? Where is it leaking from. Is it burning oil? How much body work does it need? How's the condition on the interior?

Are you handy? Can you do most of the work yourself or will you need to pay someone to do it?


These are the types of question I'd think about. Retail for this car with 160K miles is $7K in very good condition (NADA pricing).

Estimate the cost of everything and if its under $5K then go for it.

I don't have the time or patience so that's something I'd never consider. If you can get it for $500 you can probably make a quicker buck by parting it out and sell the parts to everyone on this site.

If you decide to get it, keep us posted. Many of the folks on this site are very knowledgeable and helpful. JSM1284 is one of them.

-cson

Okay, i have photos of it up on my comp...I just don't know how to upload them onto this forum -_-.
So if someone wants to instruct by all means please do. Then i can show you guys it. In response to a few questions. No i haven't test driven it, because i just saw and asked about it today. I do not know where the oil leaks or if it burns.
I should ask haha. As regards the damage i took pictures of it and it isn't too extensive so that shouldn't be a problem. I am not very car savy, but i want to learn so that's why i wanted to invest in this car so i could teach myself. I reved the engine some and it seemed fine, but i need to drive it to make sure. I will continue to keep you guys posted.

kphu

iTrader: (8)

I don't mean to scare you but you're taking on a lot. Keep in mind that tools are expensive.

Lazy

iTrader: (2)

Ooh man jump on that deal. If you don't let me know where I could get this

BadViper22

A 97? For a grand?? Minor damages???

From what i can deduce, sounds like a deal. Spend 500-1,000 to buy, spend a few grand, possibly just a few hundred to fix any major/minor problems it has. Win.

tuan92129

1 grand Thats a steal...maybe.
I live in SD too (fires were couple blocks from my house).
Post PICS!!!

Choas

It may sound like a deal but I want to see it fire can cause a lot of damage, some of it unseen such as melted wires and such. If the damage is very minor and even if it needs a total respray its worth it anything more...I'm sorry but its toast..On another note the previous owner most likely claimed the loss on his insurance now that would make it a salvage vehicle or at the least put a serious ding on its carfax report. Now don't keep my opinion from keeping you from investing in a vehicle that can be beautiful once again i'm just telling you my point from an "insiders" prospective.