2004 Flint Mica with 34K miles on it. This car is the color combination Im looking for but not CPO. Pictures look good and service history checks out, as does carfax. Im located in eastern NC so don't have a way to get up there to look. I know many of you bought cars out of your immediate area. How did the logistics work? Who looked over the car for you? Did you transfer the vehicle or fly to the destination and drive it home? How do you negotiate when the dealer knows your committed with the travel distance? any help would be appreciated.

 

I bought mine from Lucky motors in the Chicago area. I had my brother-in-law who lived in that area test drive it and look it over for me. after it all checked out I made the purchase and had them deliver it down on a Car Hauler and had my local Lexus dealer have a once over as well. the only thing that really stings is the out of state taxes.

 

If you plan on flexing your negotiating skills, I'd keep the travel to yourself. Would you give someone a deal if they flew 500 miles just to see your car and then tried to negotiate the price?

 

I would only buy a car sight unseen if it was a fully detailed and reconditioned CPO used from Lexus. Other than that you would have to find someone that could go drive it and get it inspected by Lexus before you do the deal.

I did buy mine remote but bought from a Lexus dealer CPO car with 13k miles on it, I bought it over the phone with a 10k credit card down payment (for a couple thousand less than asking) - and also threatened them that the car had better be mint as promised or I'd raise the roof to Lexus HQ, they delivered as promised. Use the credit card as DP so in case its a bomb you can walk away from the deal - drive a rental home but its better then buying a bad car.


Even at 35 k miles, cars can be trashed, but the car you are looking at may be in very good shape, or it may have a lot of minor wear and tear, and dirt/smell, etc that is difficult to see unless inspected personally. My experience is that 3rd party sales people lie like a rug or they simply have no idea what mint condition actually means. They generally cannot be trusted to give you an accurate assessment of condition. .All of this matters a lot if you are extremely picky - but if you are a little more casual about condition it may not be a problem.

 

The car is at a lexus dealer but since its an 2004, they cannot CPO the car. I asked about an extended warranty (lexus platinum) and they said it adds 2400 to the current price. 25K for an 2004 even with low miles with no warranty seems high to me based on my months of research and advice for all the smart folks on this site.

 

I bought my car almost 2 years ago. I live in Michigan and found the car that met my specs (05 or 06 CL, flint mica/black, about 30K miles) at a BMW dealer in Bellevue, WA on Autotrader. The car's service history on Lexus.com checked out OK.

1 - I posted an inspection request in this forum and in the Pacific Northwest forum requesting someone who knew LS430s to check out the car. A number of members volunteered. Airtime was first and he worked just down the road from the dealership.

2- The next morning, he visited the dealership and took 50+ pics, posting them online. The car needed some TLC on the body, but otherwise looked OK. (I showed the pics to my body shop and got a preliminary estimate.) I sent Airtime a restaurant gift card for his trouble.

3 - I called the dealer, negotiated a price ($500 off), put a deposit on my credit card, and had the dealer arrange transport.

4 - I arranged to have the dealer deliver the car to Airtime's independent Lexus mechanic, just down the road. The mechanic gave the car the thumbs up. I paid the mechanic via credit card over the phone.

5 - The dealership sent the purchase paperwork to a local notary and we met at a coffee shop. I handed her a certified check and signed all the paperwork. (My son financed the car for me, so I didn't have to deal with any complications from the bank or credit union.)

6 - About a week later, the car was on a car hauler and in another week it was at my house. Unfortunately, it had an additional dent in the trunk that occurred sometime between Airtime's inspection and delivery, But, it was already headed to the body shop and the deal was under budget, so I didn't sweat it.

7 - Getting the title was a bit of a trial because of a software problem at the State of Washington - no fault of the dealer. It took another 2-3 weeks for the title to arrive.

It worked out OK for me. Well, with an additional $500 or so to fix the trunk lid. It would have been better if I had the time to fly out and take delivery of the car myself - either driving the car back or arranging for my own closed transport.

Good luck in your search.

 

I had a similar issue with the car hauler that transported mine - a small dent on the back passenger roof. easily fixed but still kinda frustrating.

 

Sounds like CPO provides a extra degree of comfort with out of town transactions. I have time and don't mind flying one way to get the car and drive it home so transport shouldn't be an issue or expense. While traveling may be limiting my negotiation leverage, I beleive the fact that I am willing to travel gives me some added leverage. For example, the car in Chicago at a lexus dealership is 2004 non CPO for $25K (asking). I can compare that to a CPO 2006 for $25K in West Palm Beach at a lexus dealership. Travel to Chicago or West Palm is a wash from my location and the drive home is roughly 900 miles either way. Although the car in Chicago is lower miles, the CPO value and newer model year may carry the day.

Which way would you lean given these two cars. Options are the same on both.

 

I bought my IS 350 in NYC from Michigan. I negotiated and purchased it over the phone, he was a private owner in Manhattan and I flew there with the check. I never even test drove it. He sent me extremely detailed pictures, I never even looked at the interior. But with 18k miles, I knew it would be good. I knew there was risk involved, but I trusted my instincts. I did have to pay Michigan taxes though.

 

When serious about a car, get the VIN and enter it as yours in the owner's section of Lexus.com to view the service history. Then delete the car if you don't buy it. Don't do this too many times as there are rumors that you can be banned. I would not want to buy any car that had lived it's 6-8 year life in midwest / northeast winters - unless you knew the owner never drove it in the salt.

 

Just FYI, I'm selling a 2005 Ultra Luxury with 54k miles in the for-sale section and asking the same price.

 

Not sure on the history on this one, and it has nearly double the miles:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false