istarzan

iTrader: (8)

I'm transferring a 07 IS350 from one carmax to my local one, should be here next week. I was wondering if you guys think its a good deal? Its almost fully loaded except no ML system.

Its $27,890 with low miles about 38k. Of course carmax doesn't do negotiations so do you think this is a good price for this car given its mileage and options? It thought it was very reasonable. Thanks.

esmith1790

I just went to my local Lexus Dealership and found an IS350 on the lot. I just bought a 2007 IS350 with 19,800 miles and it is certified Pre-own for 28,800.00.

So i paid 1000.00 more and got 1/2 the miles and got CPO from the dealership. Not sure what kind of warranty comes with it from carmax.

Maybe i just got an awesome deal, but your price seems pretty close.

istarzan

iTrader: (8)

Thats a great price for those miles. What options do you have?

Fizzboy7

Carmax is almost always high because there are no negotiations and prices are set in favor of the dealer. Basically the place is good for the common Joe who doesn't know how to or want to hassle with bargaining (there are lots of these people out there). The question will be do you want the low pressure experience or are you willing to work for a deeper bargain?

istarzan

iTrader: (8)

Of course I'd want a better price. However, I think that price is reasonable, given that it has all options except ML and with those miles. I really wanted a 2008 in Glacier Frost Mica and with Lux package but its impossible to find. 2007 in silver was my second choice and they had it. Plus I'm tired of looking and waiting so..

Fizzboy7

Other ideas....
You can also try looking at Autotrader.com. But if you want the Carmax one, you can always see what service contracts or warranties they might be able to throw in. Maybe there's room there.
Good luck.

Clloyd3182

i got my 07 350 with 53k miles and all options except ML and sport package from a small local dealer for 21.5k. I know that was a steal, but there were a few others close to the same deal when i was looking... I just would have gone a couple hundred miles to pick it up.

Evitzee

Prices are local, so what one person paid in CA or OH doesn't equate to what one is going to pay in NC. Do your homework and if you are tired of looking and there is nothing local, than go the Carmax route. Time is money. Be careful when you say 'almost fully loaded', that covers a wide range. Many have described their cars as fully loaded and they find out it isn't even close.

nastyemu

Carmax will negotiate.

istarzan

iTrader: (8)

I didn't see the car yet in person but it has Nav, Lux Package, and headlight washers for sure. I don't know if it has other options on it. Was wondering if there is a way to tell by the VIN?

They make it their policy to not negotiate on price. Are you taking about warranties etc.?

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I hope you've actually seen this car in person...

I was looking for an '07 IS350 about 5 months ago and started at Carmax, only because they had hundreds of cars and it allowed me to test drive a bunch all at once. However, without exception, every single car on their lot had a very beat-up interior. The main reason for this is that most of their cars are fleet/rental/lease cars, which mean the previous drivers treat them fairly poorly. If you haven't seen the car yet and are just having them transfer it, I'd highly recommend inspecting the interior very closely. Frankly I was appalled each time I sat inside the cars (I tried Lexus IS, BMW 3, Infiniti G, etc) because they were invariably scratched up and beaten up inside.

I also found Carmax's prices to be nothing extraordinary. I thought their prices would be some of the lowest, but I found that not to be the case. In addition they didn't negotiate of course, which made it a dealbreaker for me - I would NEVER buy a car I couldn't negotiate on, because there's ALWAYS room for push, even if not on price.

Get clear on the options the car has. Your car is likely not even close to fully loaded. This isn't a knock on the car you're looking at, it's just a statement of fact. Here's a thread showing the options and option packages on the 2IS: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...e-threads.html. Also here: http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2007/...ons/index.html

Don't trust their ad and description at all as far as what options the car has. Whoever wrote the ad likely did a cursory look at the car and wrote up the description based on that, and they certainly have no idea what options were actually available on the car. As far as using the VIN, I can't speak to that, but I can tell you that using the above two links and actually inspecting the car in person, you'll be able to tell what it has and doesn't.

Lastly, I highly recommend getting an extended warranty. You're likely still within the factory 4 year/50k mile warranty period (depending on original sale date if it's an '07), which means you can still buy a Platinum VSA warranty. Read the Buyer's Guide thread above for a discussion of warranties and for a contact from whom to purchase if you so decide. At least call them for a price. Also use the Buyer's Guide thread to ensure your IS350 has had all the requisite recalls and TSIBs performed, otherwise you could be in for some significant costs. Follow the thread to go to Lexus.com and type in the vehicle's VIN to see dealer service history. Also (this goes without saying), get a Carfax and Autocheck. Carmax does sell cars that have been in accidents.

I don't think that's a great price. I bought my 2007 IS350 a few months ago with 56k miles on it but it was Certified, with a comprehensive warranty for 3 years/100k miles, all for $24k. You're buying at the worst time right now - used car prices in general are extremely high, and Japan-sourced cars specifically due to the disaster - so if you can hold off I'd highly recommend it. But even if you have to buy now, I just did a quick check of Cars.com for IS350s in my area (MD) and I found better deals than that.

AaronN

I agree with Calvin; not a great price.

I got my 08 in February with 32k, with all options except ML for 25.5k. I would keep looking.

istarzan

iTrader: (8)

Thanks a lot Calvin for all the info. It was very helpful. Believe me, I've researched and checked for 6 months for the color, year, and options I wanted. Next to impossible to find. That or its located 3000 miles away and I'm not about to buy it sight unseen nor am I going to fly to California to check out a car I may or may not buy. This one from Carmax is the closest I've found and I am willing to sacrifice price at this point without going new.

I've read the buyer's guide and found that it has Nav, Lux pack, head lamp washers, and park assist from what I can tell by the pics.

Also checked lexus.com via its VIN and found out its Tungsten Pearl, my 2nd choice of color. It also has 2 recalls that need to be done.

All in all, I think I'll get this one even tho the price may be 2k higher than other dealers would have it. I'm just tired of searching. It looks clean but I'll see in person.

Here are the pics. Its not on carmax.com anymore since they took it off because its being transfered.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...aff=national#4

my95tsi

iTrader: (2)

I bought my 2008 IS350 with the Sport Package last October with 8500 miles on it for $28,500. Mine was not CPO but you're price seems a bit high. I would definitely keep looking. IMO Carmax is only good for appraisals, I would never buy a car from them.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Glad it helped. Unfortunately the link above is bad so I couldn't look at it (if you have the listing up, look for a stable URL as opposed to the one you're at).

Out of curiosity, did you not know what the color was before you checked Lexus.com with the VIN? I just found that part odd.

And I assume from Lexus.com you were able to pull up the Lexus Service History? What work has it had done? What can you tell about the history of the car? You might want to post a PDF of it for people to help decipher.

The recalls thing is exactly what worries me about Carmax cars. Like I said above, they're most often fleet, rental, or lease cars, which means they haven't been taken care of. Case in point is the fact that the car has 2 open unperformed recalls. TSIBs and annoying issues like dash rattles are one thing; recalls are another. Now if it's two open recalls, I'm going to assume one is the fuel pressure sensor recall, which was the most recent, and second is the valve spring recall. Fuel pressure sensor was only a few months ago, so that's more understandable. But the valve spring recall was 9-12 months ago - that's a long time for a car to go without having a recall performed. I can't speak to whether this particular issue, having gone unfixed, would cause damage to the car, but I CAN definitively say that it's indicative of a larger pattern of poor care of the car.

Here's my second big concern. Do you know if it still has any warranty left? The factory warranty is 4 years/50k miles from purchase date. So you're obviously within the period for mileage, but depending on the purchase date, you could be out of warranty or could have just a few months left. Find this out immediately, and here's why.

Given the open recall status of the car, you can be assured that it hasn't had other non-essential work performed, for example the dash rattle or cam gear TSIB. Both of these are $1000-1500 repairs. These two issues will almost certainly afflict your car (as they do most every 2IS of that year) and if the car's out of warranty, you're going to be stuck with the costs (granted, cam gear is covered by extended powertrain warranty, but it's just an example). And even if it has a few months of warranty left, the issues could come up after it's expired.

I know the feeling and frustration of having waited forever for the car you want. But with this particular car, you're paying a premium of a few thousand dollars just because you want the car now, and it's what's available that matches your demands. All I'm saying is be careful and weigh the fact that you're considering paying $2000 or so over what you should be for a car that's likely out of warranty AND has open recalls and likely other unperformed TSIBs, both of which indicate strongly that the car hasn't been well cared for.

If you do go ahead and buy this car, especially given the above, I HIGHLY recommend buying a Lexus extended warranty (Platinum VSA) or, if you're out of warranty period and can't, at the very least a Carmax extended warranty, which is actually one of the best aftermarket warranties you can get. Keep in mind this will probably cost an extra $1600-2000, which is about the premium you're paying for this car. You could look at a comparable car that might not exactly match what you're looking for but is a better deal and then put that difference toward a warranty.

Also, have you checked Carfax/Autocheck for accidents?