First off, hello to you all, I am looking to buy my first Lexus which is an IS350. I found one for sale with 102k for $13,300. The only real negative from appearance is a scratch/scuff on the door. He claims that it was from "a traffic cone and the shop said they could buff it out." Assuming the carfax looks good other than that, what price do you think is fair for this car? He said tires are fair so take that into account also. Thanks a ton.


Scratch

 

what package does it come with? does it have navigation?

 

Sorry, I forgot to mention. No navigation; has heated/cooled seats. I think it might just be base model.

 

I just got a 06 is350 with 78k miles for $14k9. Mine has navigation tho.
On that car, I wouldn't spend more than $12k. Just my opinion tho

 

Yes I confirmed it is a base model. I was thinking 12k as well but I'm not sure about how to fix that scratch/scuff. I would like I get rid of it if I bougt the car.

 

offer $11k and you can buff the scratches out

 

I'm not going to look up KBB or other internet prices for you on that year/model/trim but I will tell you I highly doubt the current owner will lower the price that much and definitely not 11K. Also if you buy the car and it's a deep scratch you can try taking it to a professional detailer or paint the door( which I know you don't want). I had a ton of people low ball me on the sale of my IS and I basically told them to kick rocks! So it depends on how bad you want THIS car. 350's are a bit more difficult to find. Other than that the car looks fine. Ask if all the recalls were done.

 

I already KBB'd it but it generally is hard to tell its real condition without going to look at it in person. It's is 2 hours drive or a 50 minute flight if my brother takes me there in his plane; so I was just askingrg here to see what value that you guys would put on the car from the information I gave you.

You are right though, painting would be expensive and would probably be a last resort. I agree, these are hard to come by around here. This and another 350 are within driving distance but the other has 140k on the clock for 11 obo.

Edit: in the ad the guy said his wife is pregnant and he would like to sell quick and don't be afraid to negotiate. I took that as him saying there is some definite wiggle room.

 

looks like it will buff out

 

Go with KBB or start there. Scratch is not that bad.

 

The weird part, is if the person took the car to the shop, why not have the job done by then. If it can "buff" out, then it doesn't take long to do. When my clients ask for that type of work, I either get the job done the same day or within that week of seeing the car, since it does not take long to buff out.

You can't tell by looking at a photo whether it buffs off or not, but the general rule, if you can feel the scratch with your finger nail, then it doesn't buff out. And a re-spray will definitely show since the car is almost 10 years old.

I hope that helps, but like Sffd103 mentioned, how bad do you want the car? IS350's are somewhat hard to find these days. The decision is yours, just an opinion, if you're keeping the car for a long time, continue shopping, don't settle. Best of luck

 

Get a bottle of quick detailer and a microfiber cloth and a bottle of Meguiar's ultimate compound and a small handheld buffing pad. Total should be $20 or less. Bring them along and ask to verify that it will buff out before deciding on your offer amount. If the seller refuses, assume it won't buff out.

Also I recommend registering the VIN on the Lexus website (free) before going to see it. That will show you all dealership maintenance & recalls done on the car. You can get Lexus to do the recalls free after you buy the car if needed, but it says something about how the previous owners looked after the car overall if the recalls weren't performed. As you mentioned used 2nd gen IS350s are hard to find, so decide on what the car is worth to you beforehand and then make your first in person offer significantly lower than that to leave room for negotiation without exceeding your max price. You could also start to walk away if you're not completely happy with the seller's best price and then "change your mind" and buy it if the seller doesn't come down any more. Good luck!

 

Haha I do the opposite tactic, I don't want them to see or know if I can fix something easily and then I use it to negotiate the price.

 

Man, you guys all have crazy tactics to negotiate every single cent out of the sellers haha. I think the price you guys get your cars are probably on par with the trade in price lol. It is so hard to make money from you lol.

 

These recalls are the ones that have been fixed judging by the Lexus site. Carfax shows it as a lease until around 50k miles. 4 Owners. Shows no oil changes from like 60k to 100k so I hope the person at least changed it often enough at home or some mom and pop shop. Might go check it out this weekend if the weather is nice enough to fly over there.

FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR - SAFETY RECALL BLA - INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING OF THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR - PERFORMED SAFETY RECALL BLA REPLACE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR

VALVE SPRINGS - PERFORM ALE VALVE SPRING RECALL ALE - REDESIGNED VALVE SPRINGS - PERFORMED ALE VALVE SPRING REPLACEMENT

9LA REPLACE FUEL DELIVERY PIPES FOR IS250/350 - 9LA 9LA LEXUS FUEL DELIVERY PIPE - PERFORMED RECALL - 9LA REPLACE FUEL DELIVERY PIPES FOR IS250/350

9LC REPLACE POWER STEERING LINK ASSM FOR IS250/350 2WD - 9LC 9LC LEXUS POWER STEERING LINK - PERFORMED RECALL - 9LC REPLACE POWER STEERING LINK ASSM FOR IS250/350 2WD




Lol?
POTENTIAL FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL - PERFORMED ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND FLOOR SURFACE MODIFICATION PERFORMED ECU REPROGRAMMING