Hey everyone, as some of you know I am buying an 2007-2008 is350 pretty soon and can't seem to find one that fits my needs in Chicago land area. I'm not 100% rdy yet, still got a couple of months, 2-3 months so I can save a little more for down payment but I started searching already and I know they are rare but Damn didn't know it was this hard. I'm really picky when it comes to the exterior color and will only consider Smokey granite mica or matador red mica. Could be any interior color. I don't need it fully loaded but would like it to have at least cooled and heated seats and navi would be a big plus. Also really don't want it to have more than 70k miles. I will be financing so has to be from a dealer (doesn't have to be Lexus dealer) . My price range for 2007-2008 is right around 20k no more than 22-23k. So far I only found 1 that kind of meets my needs but it feels to good to be true. It's a red mica with 32k miles for $19500. It ssys it has sports package, no navi, but it has cooled and heated seats. Seems kind of low miles for that price... But other than that I only find black ones with much higher mileage. I'm very specific to the color I want.. If anyone spots one within maybe like 100 miles of Chicago can you let me know.. Thanks...

 

You're limiting yourself to a very small area of the country. When I purchased my '06 IS350, I flew from SC to NJ to get it. SGM with NAV & sports pkg w/ only 31k miles at the time.

Also, that IS350 of $19.5k w/ 32k miless is about right; I beat you could get it for under $19k though.

By the way, dealers like "cash"! If you can get a credit union to loan you the funds for the carr BEFORE the day you pick-up the car, it'll be a MUCH smoother process. Also, I bet the CU will have a much better interest rate.

 

Hmmm, will a credit union be similar to getting financed at dealer, will I be able to take the loan for 5 years? But then again if I get money from other source than a dealer, wouldn't it make sense to buy the car from a private party instead of dealer?

 

It will probably be a better interest rate with the CU; CU's are member-owned institutions and don't have shareholders, like big banks.

Depends on what the CU offers? Mine offered 1yr-6yrs on mine; I went with 5yrs.

 

thanks alot, i guess i will have to look elsewhere and maybe travel to get the car. i will def look into a private credit union and see if that will be a good option for me. Also if i was to buy at a dealer with "cash" what can i expect to haggle on the price. maybe $1000? $2000? obviusly having "cash" will help me in that but i heard that if a certain car is in demand then a dealer doesnt have to even haggle, whatever the sticker price is thats what you can expect to pay. So im not sure how "in demand" the is350 is? thanks

 

Well, your best bet is finding one at a dealership that doesn't even sell Lexus vehicles. More than likely it was a trade-in and the seller got shafted on the trade-in value. Like in my case, it was at a Chevy dealership; but the price was honestly already so smokin good, so I didn't even talk them down. The haggling will only make sense if they are truly asking too much for it as-is. Yeah, the more popular a vehicle, the more likely they can ask a bit more; but the 2IS really doesn't fall into that category.

My CU from back home in OR is offering 2.49% on 2009 models or newer for 60-72 months; anything older and the interest rate doubles. This just gives you an idea of what you could be looking at.

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchr...RM&enableSeo=1

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks-...s=29617&_sop=2

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...rch=true&Log=0

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invento...tion=undefined

 

Awesome thanks, helps alot, wow there's even some 2009-2010 models for right around the top of my mark. Can u say if there's any particular year that's alot better than the previues one that would be worth the extra money other than its newer. Like is there anything big that 2010 might have that the 2009 or 2008 won't?

 

There's nothing that really changed between the 09-10 versus the 06-08. I would just avoid the 06 though just because it's the first model year and you can't directly turn off traction control which helps in Chicago in the winters. It's just slightly different bumpers, the 09+ have turn signals on the mirrors, different tail lights, and the interior is just slightly different.

 

^Hey, I own a '06! LOL The only reason why I'd say to avoid the '06 is the T/C button function...like chi123 said above. But for the budget you have, you can get something MUCH newer if you'd like.

 

thanks guys, just a quick off the topic question, would it be possible to get the blinkers on the mirrors on an 07-09 model? i would hate to be tricking people because they would think i have an 10+ model lol but they look pretty good and make car look a little bit more modern. not a big deal but i figure id ask...

 

The '09 had the mirror blinkers. Also, the cars are harder to find and worth more than people think. $19k is a steal for one with $32k miles.

Believe it or not, I looked for 6 months and watched the average sales price of an '09 climb from $21k to $24k - I paid $23,900 on dec 28th for my '09 that's loaded with 40k miles. It has nearly all f-sport options and was even titled as an f-sport (although it's not really one).

Sounds contrarian, but because of the rising prices and scarcity, Carmax actually had a few worth looking at - they'll ship to anywhere. I went with mine simply because of still being under warranty and having all of the performance options I would have dumped an extra $4k into anyway.

 

yea i know thats why i said in post above that the one with 32k for $19.5k seemed to good to be true.. i mean dont get me wrong, you can def find a 2007 is350 for 19k but really really really hard for one that has such low miles. I noticed on the post in the description for the one with 32k miles they really made it a point to say that the car is AS-IS which could be normal not sure but i ill post the link to it and you guys can tell me if it seems to good to be true.

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-...sting=74040884

and it has 34.5k miles not 32k , same thing tho.
Also in the desciption it says it has navi but it clearly DOES NOT when looking at the pics....

 

If you need to get a 5-year loan to purchase a car that's 6-7 years old, you might want to reconsider this purchase. Find something cheap, save up over those 5 years, and then you'll have enough money to buy new.

 

lol thanks but not gonna work that way lol, i already have something cheap and i dont have the best job but i work hard for the money so i deserve to drive something nice. i can buy this car with a 5 year loan, becasue thats the typical loan people get now, and still continue saving and once im done with the lex ill still have money saved up to buy something new or put down downpayment for a house or condo. I appreciate your opinion but driving my 95 honda or another piece of **** for another 5 years is not gonna work lol. like i said i work hard for the little money i do get and i can afford the lex so im gonna buy one and continue working and continue saving while i drive a nice car. i completelty understand your point though but keep in mind its a lexus we are talking about, would i ever consider taking a 5 year loan on a 20k 7 year old BMW or Audi ? HELLLLLL NOOOOO!!! the only reason this makes sense is because its a lexus.

 

sorry but u just made it sound like only rich ****s who can afford to buy the car with cash should only buy this car. what people dont finance used lexuses? do i need to take loan for 5 years? NO but it will keep monthly payments lower and i can and will most likely pay it off faster anyway. Plus im not the type to switch cars every couple of years. i will most likely be driving that thing till it hits 200k miles or more. Sorry if i sound rude but ur comment sort of pissed me off. yea its a 5-7 year old lexus , can i buy a NEW car 2014 for 20k? sure i can but i rather get a used sexy as *** luxury car over a NEW 20k car that the lex will most liekly outlast anyways...