jyt1022

Hi all. Been doing a lot of research here and looking to buy a used 2nd gen IS350. Would love to get some of your advice here between my two options:

Option 1: 2006 Lexus IS 350 - $8.8K

• 124,000 miles
• Luxury package, 18" wheels, Navi, Mark Levinson sound, parking sensor and rear spoiler
• Exterior and interior are in pretty good shape. Minor dings which is expected but nothing alarming. There's also a small tear in the drivers seat though.
• Service records: This is a two owner car where the first owner had it for 120K miles. The first owner drove for personal use and did most of the standard maintenance with the dealer. There were a few declined service records near the end of his ownership though. The second owner is a car mechanic and took care of the car, did all the work for 120K (Water pump, thermostat, antifreeze, Differential oil change, spark plugs, air filter, cabin filter, brake pad and rotors front and rear. Transmission oils and filter done at AAMCO TRANSMISSION)
• I personally have seen this car and had a mechanic check it out. No issues whatsoever so I feel this should run for a while.

Option 2: 2007 Lexus IS 350 - $10.9K

• 62,000 Miles
• Premium package, 18" wheels, Navi and rear spoiler
• I haven't seen this car in person yet but from photos, it looks like there's some small paint wearing but nothing else that I can see. Assume similar condition as the first car without the driver seat tear
• Service records: The car is currently being sold at a USED car dealership (which concerns me sometimes). I checked mylexus and it was a single owner with perfect service records at a dealership up to 59K miles.
• I'm planning to get this car checked out but its 100+ miles away so want to see if you guys think its worth it.

I'm debating between the two. On the surface $2K more for a car with 60,000 less miles seem like a no brainer. Obviously losing out on a couple features such as Mark Levinson sound and park assist (which I think are fine). What do you guys think? Or do you think the price is too high for both?

Thanks again

mandyfig

Less miles car gets my vote. Trust your instinct. Good luck. You end up with the other, sounds good too.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Devils advocate. Less miles means it was sitting a lot which can be more damaging than being used. Rodents come to mind or a LOT of short trips which is more wear than 120,000 miles. These being what they are if there are fuel delivery issues from degraded fuel the car will throw a code so there is that.

Both years went through some updates to correct production issues found early on so I'd say it comes down to comfort on behalf of buyer. If the extra coin settles with zero remorse, grab the lower mileage vehicle.

As a sanity check, see what all recalls were done for both and never base a purchase on Carfax... No claim repairs happen all the time and they do not show up here.

kevin3344

All things being equal I'd take the car with less miles. Don't let the lack of ML dissuade you though, the Lexus factory system rocks. Turn it up you'll see. You can't go wrong with either one really if they were both well taken care of.

bbaugher47

I have an 07 with 60,000 miles and have zero issues. She gets driven a few days a week. If they have clean records, I would definitely make the 100 mile trip to see the 07. Any preference in the color? No open recalls?

galaxy7

Tough call. Like mentioned, gotta go with your gut. My advice, keep shopping or looking them over until one is the CLEAR winner. I bough my current car (‘13 AWD IS 250) just last week after four sustained months of shopping. If all the 2nd gen cars I looked at, the one I bought was the ONLY one I considered. Everyone’s standards are different too, but everything I looked at other than the one I bought was junk.

jyt1022

Thanks everyone. I made the trip out to look at the '07 with 60K. Wow such a bust - it was total junk. Poorly maintained and photos did not do it justice. Transmission felt jerky and the car turned on with a "CHECK SERVICE" light. lesson learned to not trust a used car dealership anymore. Definitely made me realize the '06 with 120K miles was the clear winner. I'm going to go with that vehicle this weekend. After 2 months of searching, I'm happy with this choice.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Well that sucks. But I'm guessing you meant to say the photos hid injustice!!?
It took me nearly 2 years to find the tail of the dragon! And ya, it was from a Shyster Mitsubishi stealership. Their crap was a nightmare but I grabbed 51,000 mile 2013 2IS 350. I'm sure you're not going back but if you knew the code was a simple fix, would you buy it?

jyt1022

Wow 2 years. That's some patience. Unfortunately I need a car within the next month so have to pull the trigger soon. Nope, wouldn't go back for that car. The interior was pretty beat up - dash was basically melted and could stick things to it, scratches over the panels, etc. Found some loose panels and weather sealing coming undone as well...

bbaugher47

Sounds like passing is the right move.

whitebeast

iTrader: (5)

Well transmission jerk is not simple fix. It's more likely transmission failure!!!