Pulled the Trigger on a 2008 LS600hL
06-05-14, 06:25 AM
#31
Moderator
Had a good look at th eLS600 from Chicago last night. The Lexus dealer closes early (6 pm) on Weds (I didn't realize that), so when I showed up at 5:45 for an extended test drive/walkaround they offerred to just let me take the car home to check out overnight. This gave me the chance to do a long test drive and a thorough look at all costmetic issues.
First Impressions:
Overall, the body is in really good shape. No door dings. It does, though, have a few minor surface scratches on the paint (rear bumper mainly). Also, there are some chips on the front bumper (from rocks, I assume). More problematic is that one of the wheels has a pretty sizeable scrape from a curb that looks somewhat unappealing.
The car drives AMAZING! Definitely quieter than my 2011 LS460. I couldn't really feel much difference in the suspension, despite the fact my 2011 doesn't have the Air Suspension. I tried out the "Comfort" and "Sport" modes and couldn't feel a huge difference, but that was okay.
The car looked much bigger to me than my LS460. I know it's slightly longer, but it really does look like a pretty imposing car when parked next to "normal" cars in a parking lot.
I reset the mileage calculator when I took the car. On my ride home (mostly interstate, with some in-town driving) I averaged 26 MPG! Definitely an improvement over the LS460 (although a pretty short sample).
The interior is nearly flawless. I saw a couple of stains on the carpet under the driver's side mat, but nothing that would concern me too much. The dash, door, and seat leather was pretty much perfect, with just a small amount of wear showing on the driver's seat cushion.
Everything worked as advertised. I spent most of the evening pushing buttons and testing functionality (including the DVD, stereo, sunshades, reclining rear seats, sunroof, etc., etc...)
I LOVED the dynamic cruise control. It worked flawlesslessly, and now I don't know how I ever lived without it! I suppose it will become common on new cars in the next few years. What a nice feature!
So I think it's overall a go on the purchase, although I do think I'll see what the Lexus dealer can do about the minor scratches/rock chips and curb rash on the wheel rim.
SLIMJIMTEL: You said "As a CPO car, don't accept any scratches or dings, they are supposed to fix them all, wheels too!" Is that just your opinion, or is it written somewhere that CPO cars should be free of scratches, dings, and wheel scrapes?
Thanks!
First Impressions:
Overall, the body is in really good shape. No door dings. It does, though, have a few minor surface scratches on the paint (rear bumper mainly). Also, there are some chips on the front bumper (from rocks, I assume). More problematic is that one of the wheels has a pretty sizeable scrape from a curb that looks somewhat unappealing.
The car drives AMAZING! Definitely quieter than my 2011 LS460. I couldn't really feel much difference in the suspension, despite the fact my 2011 doesn't have the Air Suspension. I tried out the "Comfort" and "Sport" modes and couldn't feel a huge difference, but that was okay.
The car looked much bigger to me than my LS460. I know it's slightly longer, but it really does look like a pretty imposing car when parked next to "normal" cars in a parking lot.
I reset the mileage calculator when I took the car. On my ride home (mostly interstate, with some in-town driving) I averaged 26 MPG! Definitely an improvement over the LS460 (although a pretty short sample).
The interior is nearly flawless. I saw a couple of stains on the carpet under the driver's side mat, but nothing that would concern me too much. The dash, door, and seat leather was pretty much perfect, with just a small amount of wear showing on the driver's seat cushion.
Everything worked as advertised. I spent most of the evening pushing buttons and testing functionality (including the DVD, stereo, sunshades, reclining rear seats, sunroof, etc., etc...)
I LOVED the dynamic cruise control. It worked flawlesslessly, and now I don't know how I ever lived without it! I suppose it will become common on new cars in the next few years. What a nice feature!
So I think it's overall a go on the purchase, although I do think I'll see what the Lexus dealer can do about the minor scratches/rock chips and curb rash on the wheel rim.
SLIMJIMTEL: You said "As a CPO car, don't accept any scratches or dings, they are supposed to fix them all, wheels too!" Is that just your opinion, or is it written somewhere that CPO cars should be free of scratches, dings, and wheel scrapes?
Thanks!
06-05-14, 07:20 AM
#32
Lead Lap
Rock chips are normal given the age of the car and mileage and a scuff on the bumper shouldn't be too big of a deal. If these are to you, you can get them painted for about $300-500 at a good body shop. I personally wouldn't let one of the mobile touch up paint guys fix it. I think they do a horrible job.
The wheel isn't a big deal. The wheel place my dealer uses is in my neighborhood and charges about $100 to fix. You should be able to get that fixed easily by the dealer since it doesn't cost them much. If they don't fix it know that it isn't expensive and not a deal breaker.
I had a 460 SWB before the 600 and you will notice the car is definitely heavier and as you drive it more you will notice the sport and comfort settings on the car feel completely different, you can definitely feel the difference in the rebound of the shock especially on speed humps, not bumps.
The wheel isn't a big deal. The wheel place my dealer uses is in my neighborhood and charges about $100 to fix. You should be able to get that fixed easily by the dealer since it doesn't cost them much. If they don't fix it know that it isn't expensive and not a deal breaker.
I had a 460 SWB before the 600 and you will notice the car is definitely heavier and as you drive it more you will notice the sport and comfort settings on the car feel completely different, you can definitely feel the difference in the rebound of the shock especially on speed humps, not bumps.
06-05-14, 08:49 AM
#33
Here is the CPO checklist .
Yes they should fix chips and scratches to a Lexus standard. None visible.
http://www.lexus.com/cpo/pdf/CPO_161_Checklist.pdf
Yes they should fix chips and scratches to a Lexus standard. None visible.
http://www.lexus.com/cpo/pdf/CPO_161_Checklist.pdf
06-05-14, 09:19 AM
#34
Instructor
Thread Starter
Thanks for the advice, everyone! I spoke with the Used Car Manager today to relay some of my concerns about the minor issues I found. He said the wheel problem actually was caused by the truck driver who brought the car from Chicago and will definitely be taken care of. I didn't pin him down on the other issues just yet.
I'll bring the car back to Lexus after work today and will point out all of the minor flaws I discovered. I get the feeling the Lexus dealer here will work with me to bring the car up to full CPO standards with no problem. I don't see any showstoppers here, and the more I drive the car, the more I like it. The silver exterior with the light gray interior is my favorite combination, too!
I'll bring the car back to Lexus after work today and will point out all of the minor flaws I discovered. I get the feeling the Lexus dealer here will work with me to bring the car up to full CPO standards with no problem. I don't see any showstoppers here, and the more I drive the car, the more I like it. The silver exterior with the light gray interior is my favorite combination, too!
06-05-14, 09:23 AM
#35
The wheel isn't a big deal. The wheel place my dealer uses is in my neighborhood and charges about $100 to fix. You should be able to get that fixed easily by the dealer since it doesn't cost them much. If they don't fix it know that it isn't expensive and not a deal breaker.
06-05-14, 09:23 AM
#36
Instructor
Thread Starter
One last thing I forgot to mention. I did hear a slight amount of wind noise while on the interstate. I have zero wind noise in my 2011 LS460, and to be honest, didn't even really know what to listen for. But when I turned off the stereo and listened, I could detect a bit more than I'm used to with the LS460. From reading the threads, I know this is common on almost all LS models. Since I generally listen to music at a medium volume whenever I'm in the car, I really doubt that it will bother me. I don't think I would have even noticed it had it not been for all the posts on the forum about it...
06-05-14, 10:10 AM
#37
Lead Lap
06-05-14, 10:58 AM
#38
Instructor
Thread Starter
Thanks!
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