Broker404

I've seen a few 04's on ebay lately with a buy it now for $33-35k, with mileage in the 30-45k range

Methodical

iTrader: (-1)

Actually, I paid $33,500.00. I had the used car manager of a local Lexus dealership trying to outbid me everytime I had my friend bid on the car.
My friend Tom is a General Manager for a local dealership and was kind enough to take me to the auction.

Moogy

Well, for us normal guys who don't have access to dealer auctions, are there any sources other than ebay, craigslist, and autotrader?

sparky3

My 04 LS was my second Lexus, so I didn't care about the mileage as much. I bought an 04 at the end of December (Nav, ML, Smart Key, (Modern Luxury) for $27,500 with 81k on the odometer. Silver with Black interior. Car runs and drives like new - it was made 04/04 and first sold in 07/04. Lady who owned it was a real estate agent and had every single service done at a Lexus dealer in Chicago.

I plan on owning it for 4-5 years or maybe longer. It's the nicest car I've ever had, and never worry about the mileage. It's the service history that was equally important to me, and you can call Lexus with a VIN to verify the history. They faxed me the records that showed the 1k, 5k, 15k, 30k, 60k, and 75k had all been done including oil changes.

I spent two weeks trying to find a good deal on a car. The only 04's I found started at $32,000 for 50+k mileage, but for about $35k you could get one with 35,000 or so miles. It wasn't worth $7500 for 45k to me on this model of car. BMW or MERC, I would pay the extra.

Here's a pic of her:

sparky3

Of course, this car wasn't available, and honestly it's a better deal than mine.

46k ULTRA LUXURY 04, Silver/Black:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ULTRA...QQcmdZViewItem

Even if you hit the BIN you're ahead of the game.

Good luck!
(I have absolutely no affiliation with any car dealers or ebay auctions for cars)
Shawn

Moogy

Good lord, where did you find 04 LS430's in the 30's? I can't find any on Autotrader or Craigslist... $27,500 for that car was simply an AMAZING deal.

BTW very nice car!

Moogy

Wow on the ebay listing. Only thing that sucks for me is if I buy from an ebay lister I have to pay sales tax (since they're a company). Then again, if I get an amazing car for $35K + $3K in sales tax (don't even get me started on double taxation) + $1K in shipping I'm still under $40K for an Ultra Luxury hopefully "excellent quality" LS430... I guess the best deals to be had are on ebay?

sparky3

See, I thought so too. I have the typical Camry/Sentra people at work telling me they'd never pay $27,500 for a car with 81k in miles. I tell them I'd have probably paid 30k for the car.

By the way, click the above ebay link. It's an AMAZING deal! $34,900 for an 04 Ultra Luxury Silver/Black with only 46,000 miles.

sparky3

Here's another source:

http://www.cars.com

Shawn

Moogy

I've never purchased anything through eBay.

If I were to get that car, it would cost me $35,000 + $3,000 (sales tax) + $1,000 shipping = $39,000. There would be 3,769 miles left on the basic warranty (and 12 months).

Anyone know if we have to pay sales tax to out of state "companies"? AFAIK we do... but I wanted to check...

I'm looking at a 04 LS430 with Modern Lux and Euro Sports package that has 11,000 miles and is supposedly in "prestine" condition. I haven't heard back from the owner on his "bottom line price" to sell it ASAP, but I'm guessing it'll be ~$42,500...

So - thoughts? Is the Ultra Luxury really worth it? We don't have kids, but every once and awhile I will be carting people around...

bigcory

Only $1500 more for a 15k option. Is that for real?

I have a few friends that have working in the car industry. What experience do you have with a Lexus dealer showing you the invoice and letting your pay a certain amount over that?

How about how mileage affects these numbers?

Are all LS430's certified for California's clean air requirments?

Methodical

iTrader: (-1)

Those are numbers out of an Official Black Book. ALL dealers use it to give them an idea of how much to put into a trade. My friend Tom, who is a General Manager at a large delaership gave me last weeks copy as he no longer needed it. Those are real numbers that dealerships use and all numbers are based on 12k miles per year. Btw, good luck trying to get a Lexus dealership to show you their invoice on a new vehicle. They don't want you to see the $9k mark-up on their vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Lexus but, that's why I always buy used.
Let someone else take the big hit, besides Lexus vehicles last forever

Moogy

Amen to that. I'm 100% decided on getting a LS430 and I can pull the trigger on one at any time; I just need to find the right car...

drink300

I decided to hold off on my 07' LS460 purchase until 08'. So, in the meantime, I just bought an '04 LS430 Ultra Lux Sea Mist / Ecru, w/18" chrome wheels. It has 21,000 miles and I got it for $39,500. This car is still in perfect condition.

I think there are good deals out there if you are willing to be patient...

Moogy

drink300 - how did you find the car? Was it listed in ebay motors?

Thanks!