I am looking at possibly buying a 2001 GS430 from someone in a few days and want to know what most of you guys look for as far as inspecting the car for possible problems. I talked to a Lexus dealer about getting the car looked at and inspected before I buy but he said all they do is look at hoses and belts which will cost $90. Is this the only thing that Lexus dealers look at when you are getting a car checked out or are they supposed to do more? He seemed to say there is no way to check for any problems with the car mechanically like engine and trans. I know about moisture in the headlights and some sunroof and trim rattles. I ran a carfax and the car appears to be clean aside from having a minor accident on the right hand side a few years ago. I know to check the fluids but I am sure anybody selling a car is going to put new fluids in the car before they sell it. Is there any way of checking for a possible headgasket,brake, or suspension problem. I used the search feature and did not come up with too much on what people look at and do for inspecting a used GS. Unfortunatley I do not have a mechanic around here that I trust.

 

i would take it to a mechanic that is going to lift up the car so that you can see if there is any oil leaking from the engine or transmission and check out all the suspension....i bought a car several months ago, and when jason at jpi lifted my car, he noticed the transmission seal was broken and i had to get my lower control arm replaced as well...had i been able to lift the car up before i bought it to inspect, i would have noticed it...but since i bought the car at an auction, that option wasn't available....i still got a good deal though!

 

Don't look at it...take it to a mechanic who you pay to look at it. Better an expert sees it rather then you guessing.

 

I was just kind of surprised that the Lexus dealer said all they look at are the belts and hoses when they do a inspection or check the car out and they charge $90 to do that. They said there is nothing else they can do to look for possibly anything wrong which seemed odd. Maybe I was just talking to someone who was incompetent but I figured they would do a more thorough inspection and know what to look for since they deal with mainly Lexus. He said they don't put it on a lift or even put it on a diagnostic which would show if any engine codes had been shown recently so it really seemed like a waste of money or not very helpful if that is all they do. I just wanted to see if anyone else who took a possible used Lexus to a Lexus dealer only had the belts and hoses looked at when they paid for an inspection or if this dealership is incompetent. Thanks.

 

If you ask the dealer to look for certain things, then they most likely will. dont go in and say "heres my car tell me if anythings wrong" Give them certain things to look at and they will. Besides, customer satisfaction at Lexus, is afterall, one of the top in any manufacturer. good luck with the purchase

 

You should definitely look at the lines of the car to make sure everything lines up. I don't know how good your eyes are, but I can tell when a car has been resprayed. Open the hood and look to see if you see paint off the bolts that hold the front fender down. If so, the front fender was probably off. Also look on the inside portion of the doors to see if all the VIN stickers are there. You should see VIN stickers on every panel of the car. Don't trust car fax because it's a joke. If you aren't too sure of how to inspect the car, take it somewhere. Also, get the VIN and call a dealer to see what services have been performed to the car. There is nothing more nerve racking than buying a used vehicle and not knowing the history. Best of luck to you.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I told the mechanic to put it on a lift and look for suspension, structure damage, possible headgasket issue, any leaking fluids from trans, engine, etc, brakes. He said it looked good and well taken care of mechanically. The brakes felt like there was a little friction or rubbing when I was braking but the mechanic said the brakes and pads looked good and the owner said he had the pads replaced recently. There were what looked like some smudges on the inside glass of the speedometer/rpm/gear binacles and they think it was a spray that somehow got up there from when it was detailed, it did not seem to rub off so I guess it is on the inside. There also is what looks like some gunk or crust that seems built up behind the 2 turn signal light indicators in the interior. The leather had some conditioner on it and it was black which I am not a huge fan of. The exterior had a few nicks and off color rubbings around the bumpers but you only notice these when you get close. There were 2 or 3 slight fade spots on the hood that looked like sap had eaten some paint down but again you had to get close to notice it and unfortunately black will show all these defects. It is selling for a good price and I am very interested. I hope everything works out. Thanks guys for all your input.