When I bought my first IS300 in 2006 the resale was $14,000+

When I bought my second (current) IS300 in 2008 the resale was $11,500+

In the last 2 years the resale has taken a HUGE dive in the Lexus IS300. More than I had ever imagined. I checked the loan values at a bank for the average IS300, 2004, 80k miles and loan is only $4,800 now. (which translates to a retail of $6,500).

God that is depressing........... $1,200 less than 2010 values.

 

Well you are talking about an 8 year old car. MSRP avg for the IS300 in 02 was about $33k. Cars are the worst investments you can make unfortunately. Age and mileage only add to that factor. The value isn't gonna stay up forever.

 

Don't mean I can't b*tch about it I am more concerned with the maintenance costs being huge on parts and labor IF something is needed (including the 100k service costs) on a car that is only 6 grand.

 

When I had my '04, I put 105k miles on it since it was new in 3 years of ownership. Service costs were fairly inexpensive, even though I did all the services at the dealer. When owning luxury brands, cost of ownership and maintenance are factors I looked at before making the purchase. Owning and maintaining an 8 year old IS is only a fraction of the cost in maintaing an 09 IS F. I have 10 quarts to fill at each oil change. You got nothing to worry about.

 

You are however doing minor maintenance. Lexus doesn't discriminate the age of the vehicle for the MSRP of the part, and the IS parts are some of their high dollar ones. Unfortunately these cars can't last forever, even though they are strong. I just see a lot more $6k cars out there with auto zone parts replacement ability than Lexus dealer only items.

My Lexus have been good to me, all of them (3 SC 400's and 2 IS300's), but they can't last forever. Eventually something is going to cost an arm and leg on this car and if the value goes below $5k while I still own it, that will be the tipping point to buy a newer 250/350.

 

That's why you should never "sit on cars" unless they are collector cars.
When I was 17 I bought a brand new 1998 Ford F150, paid for it brand new I think $17.5 after taxes and everything. I loved that thing and kept really good care of it, 10 years later I could only sell it for like $2,500.... Talk about sh!!ty...

Since then I learned that if you hold on to a car for too long it's just gonna keep depreciating over time even if you put more and more work into it and grow attached to it...

I am definitely selling my car VERY soon, probably in the spring.
I really love it and take care of it and everything, but I already know how much I invested into it & would rather try to break even than lose a lot of money for nothing......



I just looked up 2006 IS250 RWD 5-speed, 100k miles
KBB value = $11,500

daym that's what I have my eyes on right now..

 

KBB puts real low numbers on the IS series which is good if you are in the market for one. I have noticed that NADA usually gives a couple grand more which is good if you are looking to sell. I think about selling my 350 from time to time but I would miss that car too much, I LOVE driving that thing.

 

6500?! I remember I initially wanted an IS300. I saw 2 2005s going for 25k. 2002 were around 15k I believe, nothing less. That's the thing with cars, they depreciate Whenever I bought my GS, 98's were going for 12-14k, nothing less. After new years, you would see them for 8-9k!

 

Let me add, I remember I wanted a GS430 so bad, and I wanted an 03+.. I didn't buy one because the ran like 30k, and it was a few thousands out of my budget. i was just skimming through the vehicle classifieds yesterday, and I saw one for 8k! Money lost, just like that in a few years.

 

I really love my car, but I am shocked at the rapid deprecation. Deprecation is a double edged sword, I really like it in the way that you can afford cars that were out of your price range before. My only big concern is the IS's depreciate to much and become throw away cars, or beat the hell like the 240sx's out there. that being said, and again i really don't need another IS300 right now, but I see ones with low prices on craigslist right now and think of getting one as the daily beater, (especially a white one with a black interior!) and go crazy with mods with the one I have.

I really think they will become a cult classic car, because in no other car you can get, a Japanese compact rear wheel drive sedan with a manual option with a inline 6 cylinder engine that is related to the mighty Toyota Supra. Also the luxury and the badge help as well!

 

AMEN That's what I call mine, a 4 door Supra haha

 

OR you could buy a Supra as their prices are starting to come down now.
I bought my IS because it has the best of both worlds. Luxury, performance, and an L emblem on the front and back.

 

that depreciation rate is really depressing for a toyota based model. i remember when i bought my is300 i couldn't find anything cheaper than 17-18k for a good one. *sigh*

 

wanna sell me your tails...

 

I got my car CPO for $26K before tax in early 2006. It was almost exactly what I wanted, and I paid a hefty premium for it. I remember checking prices a couple months later, and the value had dropped thousands. In my case, I wasn't too disappointed. I got what I was looking for, and I plan to keep the car for a while. When I'm ready for another car, I'll just get another car, and keep the IS as my daily beater.