PlPete

First of all thanks to everyone that has been helpful in my other thread where I try to figure out if I want to go RWD or AWD. The verdict is RWD!

So far I have narrowed down my search to two cars. Both quite similar in terms of features but both with some red flags. Hope to get some second opinions from some experienced members here. As much as I like the car and am excited about getting behind the wheel I want to make a smart decision. Allow me to explain:

Car #1 = 2014 IS350 with 48k miles. Has all the features I really wanted which included the F-Sport package, Mark-Levinson sound and red interior. What's the red flag? Carfax says that the car was exported to Turkey and spent about 1.5yrs there before coming back to USA. The next entry is service at a Lexus dealer. My take - the car was originally purchased in Huston, TX. After doing some research, there is a Turkish consulate in Huston. It seems like the diplomat exported the car for the stated amount of time and brought it back to US upon returning. Having worked with the diplomatic community in DC in past life, although not common I do know of diplomats taking cars and other items back home in containers. This is not cheap but then then a diplomat making decent tax free money and possibly not paying for housing can easily afford something like this. The saving grace of the situation seems to be that the car was serviced at a Lexus dealer upon return where I'd imagine they would try to service anything they could that would need attention. I already test drove the car and closely inspected it. Even had it up on a lift to look at the under-body. Everything checked out fine and the car ran very well. No signs of any leaks or things that would have me worried. Interior is in great shape too and everything worked. According to the on-line source this car has been on the lot for 4 months at the end of February. What's your take? Run or sounds legit?

Car #2 = 2015 IS350 with 55k miles. This car is nearly identical to car #1 but also has cooled front seats in addition to heated and also radar cruise control. Certainly nice but can live without it. Everything else in terms of features looks to be the same. What's the red flag? This was originally a California car which ended up in NY. One of the items on Carfax lists that the car sustained damage in Feb of 2018. It was reported to front, left rear, rear right rear and left front. My Take - the dealership didn't have much information on this. Carfax says that damage was not necessarily caused by an accident which mean it could have been scratches from someone keying the car, stuff that can happen in a big city, vandalized or something weather related. I have yet to see this car and plan to inspect it very closely. From photos it looks great but those are just photos and I know better not to trust it. This car is actually priced slightly lower than the 2014 car but not by very much. Wonder if it's due to the listed damage in Carfax. According to the on-line source it has been at the dealer for about 2-3 weeks. What's your take? Run or sounds legit?

I've only dealt with the dealer for the 2014 car and the 5-star reviews were very inline with my experience. Extremely low pressure and had me test driving in 10 minutes after my arrival. Even got him to put the car on a lift for me. Seems like a nice family owned small business. Only spoke via phone and email with the other dealer and trying to see when I can go see the car, which is about an hour away. The other is 9 miles.So what do you guys think? Appreciate any advice and will update this thread as I make progress in case this is helpful for anyone else.

Flash5

Rudiculous

iTrader: (15)

I agree with Flash5

You are also more than welcome to take the car to an independent mechanic of your choice before purchasing, to give you peace of mind.

SSworks

I had similar choices, just a reminder some features of ENFORM doesnt work on 2014 models like the ability to remote start and unlock and lock and use guest driving mode from the app.
That said if these features doesnt matter to you LOW BALL THEM on the 2014 lol I guarantee you they will take it. 4 months on a lot is a long time and they want to move it ASAP.

Flash5

SSworks

I went in with an offer of high teens for a car they advertised in the high 20's, we settled just just just outside of the teens LOL.
LOW BALL THEM

PS I went it with a blank check in hand from my financial institution so they knew I was serious with my offer for a 2014 350 F sport white red interior ML and a bunch more options enabled from factory.

PlPete

Thanks guys! Didn't know there were some differences in features within the ENFORM system. Does that get any updates?

And being in sales most of my life I'll be respectful enough not to low ball as I hate being on the receiving end myself. That doesn't mean I'm not down to negotiate. I feel like low balling can get you asked to leave unless they are desperate to move the car. Almost 4 months is a long time, however. The 2014 car dropped $1500 during that time and is now down to $23,400. I think $22,500 out the door with paperwork fee would be decent.

I'll try to test drive the 2015 model this weekend. I'll bring a check for a down payment in case things do check out and I get an offer I can't refuse although the car has been listed for only under 3 weeks. It's pretty discounted though at $23k.

net4n6

iTrader: (1)

I would look for another car without the "red flag". There are many cars out there for you to choose unless you are in hurry to get one. These red flags will hurt the resale of the cars in the future too. In addition, you will not enjoy the car as much because in the back on your head "the red flag is always there".

link13

Hi PlPete, I think you would appreciate the cooled seats in the DC Summers (I lived in Arlington, VA 20 years ago). There have been some issues reported with the 2014s specifically and one of those is failure of the infotainment system. I don't think it's common, but there's a thread on it in here. I had a 2014 IS 250 F SPORT before I got my current car and I did experience the battery drain issue (there's a thread on it in here). That appears to affect the '14s primarily. I would say the damage report is more of a red flag than a car being shipped overseas and then back, but if the damage was repaired correctly, maybe it's not a red flag. I hope you find the right car. Welcome to CL!

PlPete

net4n6 - definitely and not trying to rush into anything and that's why I always do extensive research and look for additional opinions. My current A4 had a Carfax entry specific to the engine that I was able to track down. Things ended up being fixed properly and engine has been trouble free and strong. With car shopping if something is too good to be true it probably is and if it doesn't feel right, I walk. But certainly don't want to loose out on a good deal too

link13 - thank you! Small world and yes DC can be pretty swampy hot in the summer. I heard mixed reviews about the effectiveness of the cooled seats on the IS so did not put much emphasis on it. I played with the infotainment on the 2014 car and even connected my phone to make sure that feature works. Didn't notice any issues. I'll have to look into what the actual problem was. The 2014 had a new looking battery installed so I can try to find out when and why. With weather clearing up a bit I will try to go out and inspect and drive the 2015 car to see what things look like. Ideally the car could have been keyed in the city and that was extent of the damage rather than being hit while parked or similar. I think looking at body panel gaps and any overspray might give anything like that away. We will see...

Thanks for all the responses so far!