JerryT

I read so many forums in the new car sections " people would be crazy to buy a premium car out of warranty". I disagree, IN fact I think you save money by doing so,


I think its a great deal, You save over $30,000+ (they seem to forget the cost of depreciation) and how much really does anyone spend on a car from 70K to 200K out side of normal maintenance?

I would guess far far less than $5000. Yeah there may be a few unlucky owners who have to spend $10,000 but that is still far far less than the cost of new and new car buyers are already throwing way 10s of thousands in depreciation ,,ok but its not in repairs.....but its guaranteed to be tossed to the wind. Used cars, and I don;t care whether German or Japanese are not guaranteed to cost $30,000 tossed away in four years,

I guess the bottom line is you don;t get the latest and greatest tech. Which may or may not be a good thing, What you DO get is the pleasure of driving a $$60,000+ car dimes or even pennies on the dollar.

I just don't see many MB, BMW, Infiniti, Acura Audis and Lexuss in the junkyards with 80K on them.
I would bet most of you who buy these cars with higher miles don;t spend the equivalent of a new lease payment on them. Am I wrong?

Personally I buy 3-4 year old cars with at least 6 months manufacturer warranty left and pay cash, Saving 10s of thousands.

AlexusAnja

My LS was bought at 1/2 price the original msrp at 4 years old and 38k miles. For a LS, that is brand new. I KNOW this is going to 300k and I don't feel I'm missing any luxury. Now that same $26k I'm not getting much in new market even cloae to power or luxury and I'm not sure if I get to 300k miles trouble free.

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

read that title to yourself again and you have found your answer,.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

if you are talking about Mercedes or BMW then your answer is no, definitely not.

I joined a Benz forum for a few months before I bought my LS, and the common rule there is do not buy one that's not covered by warrantee,because problems will happen, and they will be costly.

But when it comes to these Lexus's they are the exception to the rule.

I drove a 20 year old lexus for the past 4-5 years, yes 20 YEARS OLD, and it gave me no problems except for normal maintenance , and one or two issues along the way.

AJT123

With the LS, it's so well put together and solid that you still feel like you're driving around in a 60k car, it's just not new anymore.

Bought my 04 LS in January 2012 with 74k on the clock (for $16,9!!!) when it was an 8 year old vehicle, now it's a decade old (was manufactured in late '03) with 105k. Was stunned by the solidity/build quality then, and still am today. Absolutely no issues whatsoever; feels every bit as solid as when I bought it (even then it was 8 years old lol). I have no doubt this car will take me WELL past 250k with no issues. Just change your oil every 5k and your timing belt every 100k and enjoy the ride!

XecutivLS

Just bought my 05 LS couple months ago. It's got 142k on the clock. I dare any new honda, Toyota, nissan, Chevy, etc. owner to drive my car and compare it to there practically new car. I'd bet they'd feel like my car is smoother, quieter, and more elegant than they're car they paid twice or even 3 times as much for. My next car will be a 2013+ LS 460 after I rack up some miles on my black beauty. This car is an absolute dream to drive. My only regret is not having a UL, but I consider myself lucky for what I paid for my car.



-Sayed

JerryT

And yet there are many more in the MB and BMW forums not blowing chunks of cash on their used older models. Certainly not the bag of money flipped out the window when the front wheel goes over the curb in a new one.

The thing is, The bone yards are not filled with 100K mile BMWs and BENZes. People are buying these cars and fixing them. I still don;t think they are spending $10,000 on an $80,000 car and if they are it is still a bargain. There are so many used ones selling with over 80K miles.People are paying $18,000 for $80,000 cars and even if putting $20K into them its still a bargain basement ride.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1
This car cost from $87K-to well over $150K So a guy pays $40K and maybe has to put $15K in in four years. I just don't think people are putting that kind of money in used cars. Otherwise the boneyards would be full of perfect bodied German cars with 100K miles on them.

Lexus may not be as expensive or as usual to repair because like , Infinitis and Acuras cost less because they are made by companies who make NIssans and Hondas. Lots of interchangeable parts,

I am just thinking if for some crazy reason I wanted an S600 I would rather buy one at a huge discount and put some money aside for the inevitable. But not $20,000.

Just wondering because so many in the BMW and Mercedes forums are not blowing huge amounts of money consistently on their used older models. Certainly not the chunk that is blown when the front wheel goes over the curb in a new one. They do seem to agree the japanese are more reliable used though, As do I.

What is a $90,000 Mercedes S600 worth a month after sale? I would say the loss is more than the cost of a new engine. in an 08 and that is not likely to be needed. Maintenance costs are the same.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

It can be worth it to buy a used high end luxury car assuming you keep a good amount of money set aside each year for unexpected repairs and a good mechanic that will charge you fair prices. When it come to higher end luxury cars like the S-Class, 7 Series, and he the LS I would try to stay away from fully loaded models like a 750Li, S600, or LS600hL. The more complex the car is the more trouble you could potentially run into.

With the LS430 it is reliable enough that you won't have that many repairs compared to the German flagships or even the LS460. The LS430 is a complicated car once you have an Ultra Luxury model but even then you won't run into many issues outside of routine maintenance and possible air suspension issues. Out of all of the big flagship models of the early to mid 2000's I would feel the most comfortable owning the LS430 without a warranty. The S-Class from that era was good looking but unreliable and the 7 Series can get expensive if you get a V12 model.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Absolutely it is worth it. In fact, I think the optimal time to buy the car is right after the 1st owner paid the dealer to do the 90k maintenance. I narrowed my criteria to documented one owner cars and I had to drive nearly 1000 mile round trip to get it but it is worth it.

My UL was about 75k new and I paid 18.5 with 104k. Came with new brakes, Michelin tires, and the 90k service. Inside and out it outshines many brand new cars. I love it and everybody riding in it admires the experience. The 430 is truly a wonderful car.

AlexusAnja

It's worth it if you have average about $20k tk spend and think a used vehicle is worth that much to invest. 50% off a LS or 50% of an Elantra are not really the same. If you only have a budget of $4000, you're probably not getting a decent used luxury vehicle. I use to be of the "if a used car is more than $ 25k...it's risky." Now, I'd be willing to up to $35k for the right Lexus..LS of course or LX.

JerryT

Interesting..And I know the Germans make "less" reliable cars than Toyota. I just find some people are scared to death to have any of these vehicles repaired but have no problem throwing $10,000-$20,000 in depreciation for a few new trinkets away for some new tech they may or may not realize or use.

I read my NAV book (Infiniti) cover to cover yesterday. AMzing system. But I wonder how many people even break open the manuals on the higher end (or any car) to see what they paid for.

I own an Infiniti but always preferred Toyota. Wife is on her second RAV I sold a Tacoma to buy the Infiniti and had an Avalon well before that. I looked at Lexus but they do not make anything like the EX35. Small HAtchback car like CUV except for the hybrid. EX350 (IMO) is a soccer mom vehicles (and so is mine LOL but you don;t see many of them at all because they are much smaller and cost the same,

I am not the sedan type.......yet. But the LS would be on my short list as well as a few year old S Class or CL500 coupe.Prices are extremely reasonable for these older models. I just can't believe they will end up costing nearly what a new one would cost by any stretch of the imagination

bmore430

Read up on the suspension and electrical horror stories on the 03+ s and cl class benzes and you'll see why so many people dump them. There's a reason most high end dealers don't stock any inventory over 3 years old because they would lose money repairing them before and after sale.

After tons of research I felt ls430 is a safe bet out of warranty if service records are up to date. I'd rather put the money towards major service like timing belt, tranny flush etc at 90_100k

toddmorr

i get JerryT's point and tend to agree. The Benz S65 AMG is a good example...hard to find a more advanced automobile with more power, speed, and performance out there. Yet, if you can find one used they are dirt cheap, beyond dirt cheap actually. Because everyone knows if they break it will cost you big time. But even if they don't break, the ongoing maintenance is probably several thousand a year. Probably still makes sense to buy one used. A guy has one at my church.....beautiful car...am waiting patiently.

bmore430

Go spend some time on mbworld.org and see the yearly maintenance costs and problems these guys have. Some are shelling out an easy 7500-10k a year keeping 6-8 year old AMG mercedes in running shape and these are not high mileage cars and that's not counting anything major breaking. I noticed the same pattern for M5 and 7 series owners. I had my heart set on an 06 e55 or 06 s65 but after research and realizing I don't own a money tree the lexus seemed like a no brainer

doodoo

iTrader: (8)

As everyone else said, it is worth it, but you may want to steer clear of the german cars. In my experience, I bought an 04 ls430 worth 60k+ new for 13k with a little under 100k miles last year. It is my best investment ever, Car is basically indestructible reliability-wise. Havent had any major repairs, just knick-knack stuff. You would never go back to a civic or camry. Just do your research but you can never go wrong with a lexus