Playdrv4me

The front fender looks a little off color in the first photo (again, silver possibly playing tricks on the eyes), but otherwise the car looks solid.

caddyowner

I just told my wife today that things on the Lexus forum have slowed down since you bought your car.

I ran a 200 mile search for 04-06 cars under 60K miles and 42 cars pop up. That's a pretty good selection.

Some questions:

- Do your parents want to buy CPO or not?

- What trim level? You posted a CL (good choice) but many older folks don't care about fiddling with nav and climate menus and would be happier with a Premium.

- What interior and exterior colors? Again, some older folks prefer colors like cypress, briarwood, and mystic gold that younger folks wouldn't consider. (I'm not dissing your parents - they are probably about my age. I would have liked a Cypress premium if it would have had the CL interior and my wife wouldn't have reminded me daily that she hates green.)

- What target price?

They guy I bought my 01 wheels from has a silver / ecru car and it looked very classy. It didn't have the usual silver / black look. Zeigler in Kzoo still appears to have that white / gray 05 premium. There are a couple cypress cars at dealers in the Cleveland area. Classic Lexus near Cleveland also has a newly listed CPO 06 flint mica with 20K miles for $34K.

CarGuy89

Thanks for the input! Lol I did notice a bit of a slow down. I will take a closer look at the fender if we do go.

As for what they are looking for:
Color: They prefer a lighter color, my dad especially. This only leaves silver and white. I showed them the brownish color and they didn't like it so much. I have yet to show them cypress (but I'm personally not a fan, no offense to those who are).

Options: I strongly recommended one with nav just b/c my parents aren't very good at parking. I think they will find the backup cam useful (I do). I am not ripping on them, just a very clear fact after living with them for so long. They even admit to it and always let me do the parking in tight areas.

Price: same as me, around 25k or so. I'm sure they could go a bit higher, but I really don't think you need to spend that much for a good example, as so many have demonstrated.

Warranty: My parents would prefer warranty for the same reason as me - peace of mind. Not so much to cover the powertrain, but more for all those little electronics that can potentially be $$$ to fix.

In my search so far, I did see a nice flint mica with 32k miles, private seller. Not cheap, but good set of options. I don't really know if they would want another car in the same color (might get confusing for me too).
Again, thanks for your input. I will be searching on and off throughout the week. If nothing better pops up we will plan a trip to OH this weekend.

I did see some other attractive ones. However, just about every car on there has been there ever since I looked for my car. I ran a thorough search on all of the ones that appeared good. None of the ones that are on there (for a reasonable price) made it through my search due to prior accident and/or a history of unscheduled dealer visits.

abs

I think the price is going to depend to some degree on the market. I'm in the tri-state market at paid 28.2 for mine which, as you know, is a 2005 with 42k on it, but is a ML not a CL.

The link you posted looks clean to my eyes, but I did notice some chipping in the plastic below the NAVI panel . . . I've noticed that as a common wear spot on a lot of these cars.

Andrew

CarGuy89

Good catch, I didn't even notice lol. Yeah, my radio's right chrome trim piece is missing (looks like it got snapped off). There are some scuff marks on my radio as well. Works great though, so not too big of a deal. My parents aren't too huge on cosmetic stuff (definitely not like us on the boards). As long as things work well mechanically they are fine with it.

Also abs, how are you enjoying the new ride? It looks awesome!

Side question: Does anyone know where I might be able to find the small chrome trim for my radio (with nav)? I asked the dealer but they say they can only order a new radio...which is $820+

caddyowner

For parking, I only use the backup camera to make sure the area is clear. I use the parking sensors to gauge distance. The front and rear sensors are handy.

For light colors, there should be a fairly large number of cars available. Silver was the 2nd or 3rd most popular color - about tied with flint mica. The whites, together, should be 4th most popular. Mystic gold was #5, just behind blue. Cypress was fairly rare, but they tend to sell slowly because of the color.

Two flint mica cars may be tough to tell apart. When growing up, we had two 66 Chevy Impalas. Both were 2-door, blue with black vinyl interior, same 283 engine and powerglide transmission. My brother was in the Navy, stationed in South Carolina and bought his car down there, not knowing that my dad bought virtually the same car in Ohio. The only difference was that my brother's car had A/C - and had the antenna on the rear fender (due to the A/C) rather than the front fender.

Good luck with your search.

CarGuy89

Thanks for the info! My parents aren't really a fan of the gold either. We had a gold 1991 Dodge Grand Caravan for a few yrs back in the day and I think they are through with gold lol.

That is a really huge coincidence with the Impalas! Shows that they have the same taste I guess! I suppose the ultimate way to tell is the which car responds to the smartkey. That and the cleaner one tends to be mine as I am a very picky owner.

jdp1955

I have 2005 Custom Lux LS430 that also has Laser Radar Cruise control. This is a dream car!
Pain $36k over 2 years ago with 41k miles. Mint condition with extended war. to 100k.
Only thing that has needed warranty repair is the telescopic steering wheel.
I Zaino claybar, Z2, Z5 every six months. The car drives and look brand new.
It is Silver with Ecru leather that I have had restored.
If you let you local dealer know what you are looking for, they will find you the car you are looking for.
I prefer dealers for used cars simply because they have access to the best cars and they will fix everything before they let you have the car.
Good luck. jp

CarGuy89

Sounds like a sick ride JDP. I am glad that the car has been reliable for you. I have driven my recently bought cpo'ed 430 a lot lately and it never misses a beat. Engine is always smooth, ride is always superb! Like you, I prefer dealing with Lexus dealers. I feel that if anyone was going to guarantee anything it would be them. Also, people on here have told me that the dealers usually get the best pic of any pre-owned Lexus vehicle, which seems to be true so far

CarGuy89

A thought just occured to me. This car will be primarily driven by my mom, who takes my grandparents out to appointments and such often. My grandfather has arthritis in his knees unfortunately, so getting into a lower car (along with climbing stairs) is pretty uncomfortable for him. With this in mind, I have started to wonder if a crossover (ie higher seating) would be a better fit. I have been looking at the RX300-330s and wonder what your thoughts/opinions are on it. I am not a huge fan of the styling, but the high ground clearance and AWD might be better for my mom. What do you guys think?

caddyowner

I was going to suggest the very same thing when you first posted about this search, but I kept quiet. I would focus on 05-06 RX330 units. The RX300s are getting long in the tooth and the 3.0 engine had sludging problems. The 04 RX330 had some teething problems. The 07-09 RX350 uses premium fuel. The next option would be the 2010 RX350 with the awesome nav and pointing device.

I would have preferred to buy a RX330 instead of the Subie, but the RX330 is just a bit too tall to transfer my wife into easily.

CarGuy89

Thanks for the info caddyowner. I briefly glanced at the RX forums and I seemed like a lot of ppl had initial quality issues, which is unusual for Toyota/Lexus. I also read that the dash squeaks when it gets hot? Pretty unacceptable IMO as that would get annoying (not to mention our 10 yr old Honda odyssey doesn't do that). I do realize that I have to accept that the RX won't be as well made as the 430. Idk I'm going to the dealer after classes on Friday (to get a new trim panel installed) and I'll probably try out an RX then.

When you said it was too tall, are you talking about too high up? Was it a bit of a climb? I've never sat in an RX so I have no idea. Thanks!

EDIT: Caddyowner, and others, please don't hesitate to throw out any suggestions! It doesn't matter what car (doesn't have to be Lexus even). As long as you think it would be a good fit for my mom and my grandparents.

caddyowner

The distance from the pavement, up 18" beside the door sill, and then to the edge of the seat is about 32" IIRC. Anything beyond 30" is difficult for my wife to negotiate as she stands, turns, and sits back on the seat. The LS430 and Outback both measure 28", so she can sit down in the seat. Also, the roofline on both cars is high enough (as is the RX) so she doesn't hit her head when she sits back onto the edge of the seat.

For a person who can walk, but has difficulty entering and exiting lower cars, most crossovers are about the right height.

You may also want to check out the Acura and Infiniti offerings and the Lincoln MKX / Ford Edge. The new Chevy Equinox / GMC Terrain / Cadillac SRX are also fairly nice. I'd avoid the last generation the SRX as I had quality issues with it. Generally, I like the Lexus RX better than any of the others. Most all of them have generally ugly styling, IMO.

CarGuy89

I was semi-looking for suitable cars for my grandparents at the last auto show. I quite liked the Lincoln MKS surprising. The seat was pretty much at the right height and the interior build quality was pleasantly high (felt like Audi/Merc/BMW/Lexus solid). I found a few loaded out and CPO'ed for 30k or so, not bad on for an 09 that was probably 50+k new.

elite7

Keep in mind the RX is made in Canada as well as Japan.

The people with quality issues most likely have a RX from Canada.

The Toyota highlander is built similarly in the sense that its built both in the USA and Japan. My neighbor got lucky and hers is built in Japan.

If i was buying the RX i would make sure that it was made in Japan before pulling the trigger.