Limit

I’m a 16 year old HS student (17 next month). My parents have been looking for a car for me since January…I’ve been driving their 99 Grand Marquis since then. God I hate that car. They also own a 95 model, so I don’t have much choice.

Anyway as you might be able to tell my parents care extensively about the safety of the cars they own. So, my choices are limited. I’ve been trying to “work” with them. They want a safe car, and like most teens I want a good looking car. If it were totally up to them they would have already gotten something like an Impala (the new style), LeSabre, or Park Avenue. I don’t think I could take the pain, since I find those cars horribly ugly lol…get this, my mom even said our Mercury was “sporty.”

Anyway, around my area there is a 98 GS300 for sale. Beautiful car…silver, sunroof, spoiler, 30% tint all around from previous owner. Only problem is the mileage…95K. Well actually I was wondering if this was a problem. It looks like it’s been cared for nicely, but this car will probably be something I drive for a good while (from now on into college). Anyway I was just wondering. He wants 18K for it, and spending 18K on a car with 95K on it just seems risky (btw, he’s selling it b/c he bought a Hummer). Will the mileage make a big difference? I know the question depends on a number of factors. If we take it to be checked out, and all goes well, would you say it’s a good buy? I know a good bit about cars but I always wondered exactly how mileage affected an engine’s performance. Will it still do 0-60 in 7.6, or does mileage like that slow that down? Would there be any point in putting a turbocharger on a car with 100k+ later on? Basically, I’m just wondering how big of a deal mileage truly is!

Oh, and are there any important Lexus related questions I should ask the owner?

joshoowa

iTrader: (1)

DONT BUY... found a 99 GS300 for 19,500 on autotrader.com just let you know...should try looking around town, this car is pretyy common to see for sale

joshoowa

iTrader: (1)

man your going to waste alot of money ... plus think abuot it in about 2 yrs your gonna hit the 100k mark and your going to need a major tune up and those are not cheap.

joshoowa

iTrader: (1)

tell that lunatic to throw in some 20's with that ride ... lol

chuckisc

I found many used GS300 on Ebay with awesome deals and hookups.... for example, I found this one on ebay from the 1st search:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2419055312

how crazy is that.....

Limit

Well, 18K is his starting price. I haven't even started negotiations...no way I'd actually pay 18K.

The idea of buying a car with that many miles just seems worse and worse, though.


Oh man, convincing my parents to buy a car off ebay would probably be impossible...and how much is shipping on cars usually? lol

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

No idea what joshoowa is rambling about... although service on any luxury car is going to be expensive. But the mileage - a Lexus with 95K - is nothing to worry about.

Drive the car, do the homework, get it mechanically checked out, make a reasonable offer if it's all good.

bluelex

i agree, 95k isn't that bad , these cars ride til the end of time. i have a friens with a 98 gs4 with 125k and rides it hard , no problems. servc won't b that crazy high, but i do stll suggest 2 keep looking around on autotrader or ebay 4 local dealers or even if u have 2 drive a little, but if u knock the guy down enough on the car than don't b scared about the miles...good luck

J.P.

I agree 100k on that car is nothing but if your in college and may not be able to afford the repairs if one comes your way, in my opinion take that 18k and buy something brand new…

KayGee

If I were 17 and my parents were looking to buy me a $18K car to last thru college, there is no way I would be considering any car with almost 100K miles. I bet that you will have a hard time convincing your Dad to buy you such a high milage car (I had the same discussion with my Dad when I was in college). Why not consider something like a new or almost new Celica (2003 MSRP $17,340)? It will have the Toyota quality, sporty good looks and will be cheaper to repair and maintain. Then after you graduate from college you can buy your own Lexus brand new (or almost new).

gs400998

If you must have a GS300, I would check autotrader and cars to see if you can find one with lower mileage. If 90K service is not done by the previous owner, then get ready to spend $1,400 at Lexus dealership for 90K service and timing belt/water pump. An alternative is to get a low-mileage 2002 Maxima. I found many 02 Maxima below 20,000 miles under $18,000 at autotrader.

Limit

I’d love to get a Celica…but like I said basically all my parents car about is safety. They would buy the ugliest car in the world IF it were the safest. The even considered buying a Roadmaster with 120k miles on it…and one day my dad came up to me and pointed out a Volvo S80 in a magazine with the ratings beside it. Yea, it had 5/5 for crash, but then right under it it had 1/5 for reliability. I flipped out and started yelling at him b/c of how stupid he seemed to be when it came to buying cars.

I’m not sure what to do. It looks like no matter what I’ll end up with a large mid-size 4 door.

We looked at a 2000 grand prix gtp coupe (same size as 4-door) and they deemed that based on looks I would drive it fast. (lol)

I’ve looked extensively at the 5th gen maxima (00-03) and after a while I started not to like them as much. Not sure here…


I swear this is so stressful lol. If I’m gonna have a car for a few years I want something that looks good, something they do sell kits for in case I ever want one, something I’ll be happy spending my money for a system on. But no, they’d be 100% happy and get it tomorrow if I said I wanted a LeSabre or Impala. The Grand Prix is unsafe, the Accord is probably too small, the Galant is probably too small…it seems like every other good looking 4 door is a luxury car (GS, 5 series, LS…)

Now you may understand why I’m asking about a car with that many miles on it lol. What else is there to do…

Navaz

I totaly agree, I have a GS 400 that i bought brand new in Oct of 97 (First one in Canada) and I drive it hard every day, I have now 298000 km on it and it drives comparable to a new one, but I have never missed a service and If something feels not right I take it to lexus right away and get watever replaced, so far it's just been normal ware and tear items, 2 sets of spark plugs, belts, Bushings and such.

KayGee

I am sure that type of behavior will not help your case.

markjenn

This seems like a classic case of your parents being way too involved in your life and you being way too dependent on their money to buy you a car. If you had your own money, you'd buy whatever you pleased. right? I'd rather drive a 68 Nova with my own money than a Ferrari Enzo given to me by my parents.

It's Ok for parents to help out on a first car - I'd try and negotiate a deal where they *help* you buy a cheaper/newer car - maybe they make a big down payment and get your insurance, but you handle the payments and gas/maintenance. But .... you get to buy what you want. If this is unacceptable to them, then buy whatever you can afford with your own money. They may worry, but they'll be proud of you for wanting to do it on your own.

I have no idea why someone in high school and getting ready for college needs a Lexus GS. If you are paying for gas and maintenance, it will bankrupt you. If your parents are, then you're just back into the same problem - doing what they want you to do and not what you want to do.

IMHO, time to leave the nest.

- Mark