Anthony81

I'm pulling the trigger on an 05 with 109k miles on the clock. I drove it last night and it seems to be in very good shape. All the features work and I didn't see any flaws anywhere. I pulled the service records from Lexus and everything is up to date including TB/WP and oil changes every 5k, etc. Since the vehicle is an hour away, can I do without a pre-purchase inspection? Obviously it would be ideal, but for convenience and time's sake it is going to be tricky to get it looked at.

Jabberwock

Sounds like you have done the basic homework. Its a big purchase and since you are buying privately with zero warranty I'd recommend taking it to Lexus for an inspection before buying. I have been buying used cars for 40 years but I would be leery about buying used without an inspection. At the very least, before you buy meet the seller at a local independent local shop in the seller's area and have them inspect and put up on a lift to carefully inspect for rust, previous accident damage, paint/repair work, oil and fluid leaks, etc.

Anthony81

Thanks for the input. I'd be buying it from a Cadillac dealer. The TB/WP was done at the local Toyota dealer in July. I could take it back to them, but I doubt it would be anything further than what is done at 90,000 mile service. No recommendations other than TB/WP show up on the service history. I'm going to see it during the day (and bringing a flashlight), so I will make sure to get a better look for leaks and rust.

BradTank

It's obviously ideal to get an inspection, but if you have all the records and a Cadillac dealership is selling it (not a Buy Here, Pay Here type used car lot) I think you're pretty safe. Most "new car" dealers aren't going to sell junk on their lots, it's just not worth the headache for them. Of course the flipside is you'll usually pay quite a bit more.

Did you also pull a CarFax report and see the accident history?

Definitely look at it during the day and look down the side of the car at different angles to see if any bodywork has been done. If you see some orange peel on the paint or some surfaces don't appear as glossy, it's probably had some work done.

Also, most car dealers either by law or have a policy that if something "turn up" in a few days, they have to take the car back. You could also get an inspection after the fact and if something major comes out (like it's clearly been in an accident) they would likely have to give you a refund. Obviously though, you want to do your homework as you're in a much weaker position after the purchase.

notwealthy

I bought my LS sight unseen online with no inspection. Most these cars were really well cared for and are so well built that not much should be going wrong at ~110k. If you want, go on Lexus' "lexus owners" page on their site and register the VIN. It will bring up all service records from when it was serviced at a franchise dealer. If we were talking about a MB/BMW/Audi of the same age and mileage, it would be a totally different story

edit:re-read op and saw you already looked up the service records

toddmorr

i've never bought a car with an inspection and its always worked out. Check the maintenance records, and carefully question the seller, get plenty of pics. might be hard to do if its a dealer sale but I"d much rather buy from an individual. As others have pointed out, these are fundamentally reliable cars, if the maintenance records are there, you are unlikely to have a significant problem.

At the same time, I do think its reasonable to expect minor issues that weren't disclosed prior to sale. Thats just the risk you take with a used car sale, and the price reflects that. For example, I had leather seat damage worse than expected but didn't really freak out...can easily be fixed for not much. stuff like that

Anthony81

Well I bought it, and I'll post pictures soon. The only surprises were that it came with snow tires and the smart key access doesn't seem to work. I might have to bring it to a dealer to program it. Some research should help. Details: 2005 Custom Luxury. Black on Black. Super clean, and all features work. 109k miles. Paid $14,100 for it.

SixSeven

Glad everything worked out for you.
I get mine next week - also from a Cadillac dealer.
Looking forward to seeing pics of yours.

Tom57

Sounds like you got a great deal. And, being in MN, you'll need the snows. Get a nice set of wheels and tires for the 8 months of "good weather" there. If you get TechStream mini you can program your SmartAccess key fobs for around $35 - the cost of Techstream cable. Well bought!