Hello I am looking into purchasing an 2012 HS 250h with about 56k miles.

I was wondering if there are any good buyer's guides on what to look out for or any of you had any advice.

I understand there were two recalls transaxle and rear suspension replacement and the way to look for them is a off center alignment or listing in the car. Do I have that correct?

Any other helpful tips when evaluating the car?

Thank you!

 

The same rules apply as for any other used vehicle. Get it inspected by an independent repair shop. This usually costs less than $100. Then use what they find to either negotiate a lower price or decide to keep looking for another vehicle. I recall the transaxle recall was only for the 2010 models. This vehicle has the Camry engine and hybrid system, so it is very familiar to every repair shop.


You can go to NHTSA.gov to look up recalls applicable to any specific vehicle by VIN. Get the CARFAX report.

If you have the VIN you can go the the Lexus Drivers Site, join for free and after entering the VIN look up the dealer service history. https://support.lexus.com/s/article/...ew-my-ser-8226
I do this for all used Toyotas for Lexus
​​​​​​Join the Lexus Drivers Site (free) then enter the VIN of the vehicle you plan to maybe purchase and with a little hunting you can find the dealer service history. Be warned that the site is sometimes cranky about finding service histories.
​​​​​​https://www.lexus.com/My-Lexus

To see the service history at Lexus Drivers do the following:
On the page that lists the car whose VIN you entered there will be a line that states
Vehicle Health Report
Learn More - click this box
Then on the next page it will state
My Service
On the right side it will state Service History
View History - click this box to see the service history
The it will slowly take you to a page you need to scroll down to see the service history
Each entry will be a line, click on the + at the side to see more about each entry

 

Cant recommend Clutchless' post above enough. Getting the VIN code and being able to see the complete history of the car (1 owner, took it into Lexus dealership exclusively) was priceless. A million times more valuable than a carfax (which I also paid for and ran a report of).

Take a look at the screen, likely toast but read up on the forum and see how you can buy new ones (if you're handy) so you can replace it from being yellowed out and crappy looking

 

Hello, I bought a 2011 model and I love that thing, I did check when I got it checked up that a rear shock was leaking oil and they reccomended that I change that, still waiting on a quote so I can get it taken care of so as far as that is concered thats a great place to start, just take a look around and make sure everything looks right, check it's maintenace history and get a good value, it's a great car, good luck!

 

Replace both rear shocks since the vehicle is 13 years old. New Lexus shocks are about $60 each online and any gas station repair shop can install them in less than 2 hours. It is a simple job. Do not go to the dealer. I have seen insane dealer quotes of $800 for this job. It should cost less than $400 to replace both rear shocks.
The only shocks that fit are from Lexus. There are no aftermarket rear shocks.