fastcorner

Daaamn, the f sport and levinson combo is unbeatable. The car being only 6 years old at that time and with all of the packages is a great out the door price. Do you think since the GS350 was still in production then, that even if used prices fall GS350 will not go back to that price point since people now know it's out of production?

hotct

Grabbed it up quickly, I'd say within a couple days of it listing. I kept an eye on all the GS for sale in my area for months waiting on this one. Forgot to mention they also did all four brakes and rotors, changed oil on the car.

fastcorner

That’s great. I’m glad your consistency and patience paid off, sounds like a sweet GS350 and I bet it felt great to get at that price

repugnante

If the Feds continue to raise the interest rate, I'd hold off if I were you

fastcorner

I am no economist here, but with higher interest rates could that push people towards used cars because they don’t feel they can afford a newer one or get robbed on interest?
With people having less money due to inflationary pressures etc. I wonder if that will keep people buying used as well. New car sales have been down for a while previous to pandemic as well. I assume cars do come down in price a decent amount, just not as much as many including I would hope due to inflationary pressure and still increased demand due to cars.

I plan on holding off for now. Although with GS no longe being produced they may not go as cheap as 2019 or so when they no-one knew they’d stop producing them.

Going to see how the market drops in the next few months, see how the staples like civics, Camry’s drop in price and compare with the drops in GS350 or IS350.

lockedlex

I've observed that higher rates actually push people to buy NEW cars... simply because they can be leased. People would rather drop 10k on a 3 year lease than buy a 10k car (plus taxes) and have 3 years of higher payments. Plus they get a newer car, even if there is no equity. Which is of course silly math, but it works out for some people that don't have the cashflow to finance or pay up front or pay for out-of-warranty repairs.

The GS is a great car for 10 years ago... but for the 20k range, there are many others with newer tech, better performance and mileage, etc. It's even worse if you're paying in the 30k+ range, it's a good car, but in the past 5 years, there have been many others that are close or exceed it in various parameters for 30k+. It won't be going up in value, just expect more depreciation.

msdmsdmsd

I'm currently inquiring about a 2018 f-sport awd with mileage 43k, OTD about 36k, seems to have a year of warranty left, I don't think it's a good deal, but it's already the cheapest on the market

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

So just for argument sake, lets ask about your $30k range GS? I'm guessing depending on miles, you would be looking at 2018, 19, & 20 GS's. Granted Infotainment/Carplay is lacking, but I don't know what else in Luxury class you think is so much better than the GS? Are you talking about other Lexus?

There is the used German car stay in the shop $$$$ market and the Tesla used EV market also. So what equally would you compare as newer tech and so on even worst? I have my eyes on something next possibly, but the version of it I want is not in the $30k low price range, and it's reputation is not the most reliable. Yes the GS is getting a bit dated, but tell us what's so much better?

fastcorner

Interesting points. I can see someone justify the leasing route especially when they factor maintenance and warranty. Personally would never do it, especially since you have no asset in the end, even factoring depreciation. I’d have to look at it through the lens of having a new car every 3 years and do the calculations, but that won’t be something I’ll be financially thinking about any time soon 😂😂

I’ve found a 2013 GS350 F-Sport with 82k miles on it for $20,000, out the door around $21,500. From a Lexus dealer and well maintained, it seems to be beating the market price by around $2-3,000 depending…. Does that year, mileage and price change your thesis a bit on this car or do you still think it’ll be a little bit too much money for the car? I’m a cheap *** and the “right price” is an important psychological element to me but if I’m only losing out on $2-3k from pre pandemic pricing I wouldn’t be too upset. I drive under 3,000 miles a year typically, and if I got a job further from me I’m still likely to be under 5,000 miles.

Also, warranty doesn’t bother me too much. Don’t know too much about warranties but assuming I need something new enough to get a Certified pre-owned would be out of my preferred amount of spend for a car. The only other option I know of is via Carmax and getting some kind of warranty from them. I’ve been driving out of warranty vehicles my whole life and haven’t been blown out by a repair thankfully (knock on wood)

Lexus being behind on some tech and the aged tech of 2013 model doesn’t bother me one bit. If the heats are warm, AC blows cold and I can see what music is playing on the dash it is enough tech for me. CarPlay would be preferred but that is ironically 2021 and onward… would much prefer a Lexus over CarPlay and can modify in the future.

thanks for your input!

fastcorner

I agree wholeheartedly. If I wanted to spend $30k getting a 2018 and upward IS/GS would make me ecstatic lol. Infotainment has never bothered me and is always last compared to reliability, affordability and the overall experience/comfort ability and handling of the car. I’m young and I feel exhausted from all of the tech all the time and being in the car just driving, relaxing and seeing the album art on infotainment is my kind of vibe.

I’m a Lexus fanboy since my 27 year old SC400 went from 2 of my older brothers down to me and still had some of the least repairs needed out of all the cars in the family fleet. Granted it started to get a bit clapped out towards the 25th year or so, but it had seen a lot over its 230,000 miles….

Still, I can definitely be agnostic to Lexus if need be. If he has suggestions on more money for less car, I’m all ears.

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

But again,... what Tech in the car are we talking about? Like what Tech things?????

greys0uled

Chiming in here if it’s not too late. I bought my 2014 F Sport with 103K miles back in Dec 2021 for $20K.

It’s a Mark Levinson, BSM, no power trunk car. Bumper had a lot of stone chips from highway driving but interior was immaculate.

If I was patient I believe I could have gotten a lower mileage car for the same price, but I came across the exact color combo I wanted so I jumped the gun.

One thing I’ll add is that I’ve started seeing a lot more 13-15 cars out on the roads, compared to a year ago. The used market has picked up on them. Where I live in Dallas, I really do feel like I see more GS’s than ES’s, which is crazy.

dkraines

I'll chime in as to why I bought the 2013 GS350 with 72K on the odometer in 2019, my criteria:

• $20K budget
• Mid size sedan
• AWD (to make it up the steep driveway when icy with snow tires on)
• Reliable (something that could go 10-12 years after I bought it without excessive maintenance cost)
• Nicer, more pep, than an Accord/Camry
• Clean, well taken care of, near mint
• Proven maintenance as per the schedule
• Pass a thorough mechanic's inspection

In 2019, there just weren't a lot of vehicles that could check these boxes. So far, I'm over 4 years in, not one issue, just oil changes (diffs and trans 1x) and a brake fluid flush, I think the front brakes are almost ready for replacement. 6-8 years to go.

fastcorner

Not too late at all, slowly accumulating my ideal buy and not rushing to buy just yet. Thanks for sharing your purchase experience!

I live around Dallas as well, been seeing some as well which surprised me too. See a lot of IS on the road as well but definitely the ES is most common. Makes you wonder when used car prices come down if the GS350 will disproportionally command a higher price.

Sounds like you got a sweet ride, f-sport and mark Levinson is top tier combo. Color of exterior and interior is definitely a big factor, saving a grand or two is great but looking at the car in the driveway and stepping into the right interior is worth it if you are driving the car for years on end.

Were prices starting to shoot up from pandemic when you were looking or did you find one before market went wild? Looking at something similar, expect 2013 and about 20K less miles.

fastcorner

That sounds like great criteria and a nice car! Definitely feel similar, why get a Camry when you can also get a luxury car with the same reliability? When you get a well maintained Lexus, a 2013 doesn’t seem “much older” than say a 2018 Camry for similar price (especially with the timeless exterior/interior)

AWD sounds like the move for snowy climates, and with that spacious GS sedan I bet you can fit a decent bit of skiing/outdoor kit in there too.

Thorough inspection is a smart move. Peace of mind that everything is kosher seals the deal on feeling certain about your car and having no worry since it’s maintained and mechanically sound.
Good to hear you’ve got a tank- the trademark change fluids and good to go Toyota lol