I definitely noticed the rear struts replaced too. I mentioned it to the dealer as an example of why I prefer non-air. No mention of control arms yet or rough ride.

I will have to see if I can arrange an independent inspection from afar. Hate to make the flight out and find problems and go home empty handed. But even worse to inherit a money pit. Thank you, Junglequac and comotiger!

 

Happy to help amigo. Unfortunately, you are looking for a car, given your preferred options, that cost around $80-85,000. And while a Lexus will be as gentle to your wallet as a true luxury priced car will most likely be, things are going to break and especially if you have the air suspension, it will not be cheap.

 

The 91k encounter with the median concerns me more than the 57k accident and tow. The Lexus 5k service visits are great but doesn't trump the accidents. I would walk away.

Many Lexus dealers buy cars at auctions too. They don't deal exclusively with trades and lease returns. With due diligence, you can buy a car with confidence from any dealer, especially if you are looking for a "unicorn". If all checks out the Oceanside car may be a better deal.

 

Perhaps I'll cast a wider net and won't disqualify those small indy dealers but I sure will scrutinize their offerings more.

I wasn't as impressed by the Oceanside listing. Although the leather isn't black, the gray leather does exhibit some heavy rubbed off areas on the driver's door handle, to the point that there are black patches. Who puts that much weight on the handle? The seats also seem to show some depressed/discolored areas. The trunk liner also appears to have some sort of stain. I could probably clean it with Folex or replace the trunk carpet but that's something obvious I expected the dealer to have noticed and taken care of already if they paid attention to detail. If it was closer then I would at least go test drive and inspect it in person. From photos alone I don't get the urge to make the 8 hr drive or 1.5 hr flight to see this particular example.

 

I think you're being a little too picky about little things while not being picky about the right things.

The car is 10 years old...the trunk mat is replaceable for $50. You're going to have wear on door handles and such, these areas can be re-dyed...or it may just be an area that needs cleaning. Dealers don't spend much on detailing, and they don't restore cars when they sell them used, they just clean them up.

It makes zero sense to me that you would not consider a car with a stain on a replaceable trunk mat or a dirty area on an armrest, but you would consider a car thats had 3 owners and been in two accidents...

 

I hear ya, Steve. I don't have the knowledge, nor the experience, to deal with re-dying leather. It may be a simple and economical fix, but it's not something I would desire wanting/needing to do. There are other 07s with leather in better condition so that is the standard I am holding this particular 07 too as well. My feeling is that if the previous owner(s) did not care enough to watch out for the leather, parts of the car that they come into contact with everyday, then I don't have as much faith that they took good care of the rest of the car. I myself, would be embarrassed to have my own car leather look like that. Sure, it's more superficial, but enough to turn me off to the car. Of course, that's not the sole reason. The Lexus service history also shows a recent radiator coolant leak that the owner declined to have fixed. The customer also reported a fuel leak, but the dealer wasn't able to find the source or confirm. The AC blower motor also is making excessive noise (but that was covered by an extended warranty). There are also a few other repairs/maintenance recommended and declined at the last visit in August 2016, such as as red level brakes, tires, and suspension. It is not clear if all of that work has been addressed and may still be needed. This may be the right car for someone else. The overall package just isn't speaking to me.

As for the 2009 AWD with accident history, it definitely was a concern at first. But even our Sienna had a minor accident reported where, similar to Duck's wife, a vehicle hit the car behind me and it got shoved into the adjacent lane and continued to slide into my driver's door. It ended up being cosmetic but is an accident nevertheless. Our Sienna was also multi-owned and I take exceptional pride in how it was cared for and, over Christmas, I reached out to the family that purchased our Sienna eight months ago and they still gush about how it's the most "practical and comfortable" vehicle they ever owned and no problems to report. I don't have a valid explanation but multi-owner doesn't trigger alarms in my head as much as others. As for the curb damage to the wheels, I figure that isn't too radical and I could completely envision my wife doing something like that. The 2009 AWD had leaking rear struts, but at least they were taken to Lexus and the customer had it replaced. The record shows me they cared enough to report and rectify problems rather than acknowledge problems and decline a host of needed maintenance (as on the Oceanside LS). The needed repairs on the Oceanside LS could have been performed elsewhere and I don't have any proof that they weren't, but it seems a series of maintenance was allowed to continue and collect. I am thankful to Junglequac for helping point out alternative listings to consider, it just wasn't the right fit.

 

In the 91K incident, the driver's side wheels hit the median hard enough to be damaged and were replaced. One driver side wheel bearing was also replaced at the same time. I think the car hit the median pretty hard to cause so much damage. While no major issues have cropped up in the 10000 miles and 16 months since, I would hesitate to buy.

I didn't realize there were leak and other problems with the Oceanside car. Those are definitely disqualifying issues compared to the cosmetic issues in a 100K+ miles vehicle.

 

You just take it to a detailer and pay them $100. Leather repaired.

These things are superficial. Even people who take great care of a car might stain a door handle or have something leak in their trunk. To think of those items as more serious than an accident or a heavy curb hit that could have had a huge impact on suspension components, etc is silly.

A coolant or fuel leak? Issues yes, enough to turn me off the car? Probably. The issue is that the multiple accidents aren't enough to deter you yet something like that is. Do you not see the issue there?

 

Even if you can re-dye the leather, the depressions also need additional foam and would require the leather to be removed and put back, yes/no? The leather isn't my sole reason for eliminating the car from contention, it's just the culmination of things. Those leaks, if left unattended, could lead to more costly damage to the engine than a minor fender bender.

I see your point and have rejected other vehicles with accident histories. I just don't perceive the particular accidents as severe with the 2009 AWD. Sure, the accident in 2013 is a mystery, but the curb incident was in December 2013 and the front wheel bearing was in August 2015, over 1.5 years and 30k miles apart. They seem to be isolated incidents without any subsequent suspension issues being raised in the service history. The rear air springs were replaced September 2011 at 19k miles and preceded the run-in with the curb. I just don't see the major concern in this case. We may still ultimately pass on the car but I'm not ready to dismiss it outright. I wish the 2009 AWD was closer so I could get it inspected and test drive it for myself. I may be picky, but am glad I can afford to be.

EDIT: I rechecked the CarFax and it looks like the accident they flagged was December 2013, so that must have been with the curb. So we're talking about one accident, not multiple accidents. I'm not trying to make the 2009 AWD out to be the perfect car. I truly appreciate everyone's advice and trying to look out for our best interest. Thank you, all.

 

I don't take issue with you being picky, the things you choose to be picky about are what I think will ultimately let you down. It's like saying you'd rather have cancer than a bruise on your arm.

Upholstery is easy. Accidents are another story. A fuel leak is not going to damage the engine.

 

Accident 1 (12/13/13) showing on Carfax




Accident 2 (8/27/15) not showing on Carfax. IMO, this incident caused worse damage.

 

Well, if it was as obvious as cancer, I would agree with you, Steve. I was referring more to the coolant leak that the customer declined to fix. Hopefully they did get it addressed elsewhere but if they didn't, or took too long to correct, then that could lead to engine damage. Overheating was a topic I spent a great deal of time investigating with a different LS seller in San Francisco. He claimed it was a warning that only occurred once but even that created many doubts in my mind.

I appreciate the concern that I may not be comparing vehicle condition appropriately but, based on what I can dredge up online and exchanges with the dealership staff, I am comfortable keeping the 2009 AWD on our watch list. Believe me, I still have concerns about the air suspension and potential LCA. I just haven't seen enough to reject this car yet. I am glad there's the forum of voices to protect me from rose-colored glasses. I am trying to stay impartial and objective but that AWD moniker is appealing to me more and more, even though AWD was not on our list of must-haves.

 

Ah, I have looked at the service history a few times and misread those descriptions multiple times. Thanks for pointing out those separate accidents, comotiger.

I'm finding it harder to walk away from this 2009 AWD than the white 2009 in San Francisco, despite the SF car being the color I wanted. I know I'm being stubborn but truly am thankful for everyone's unbiased input. I know everyone's trying to protect me and keep me grounded. I just am hard of hearing sometimes. Still hard to walk away from this one, but I am listening to the chorus....slowly...but surely.

 

In a car with 100K miles, there are bound to be issues. LCAs are not a big deal as many folks here have replaced all 8 control arms for less than $1500. The air suspension repair is expensive, so you need to factor in replacement costs or converting to coil-overs. Air suspension is usually packaged with the rear seat reclining option, so you don't have much of a choice there. Although AWD is not needed in CA, virtually all the SUVs and many trucks sold there have 4WD or AWD, so why not get an AWD LS?? It gives you an excuse to travel in style to the mountains as shown here

 

What. The. Heck! First time seeing that commercial. And LOVED it!

And that white LS...so tempting.

P.S. That's a great price for the LCAs. My mechanic replaced all 8 for a customer, aftermarket parts, for $2k (tax and labor included). Ugh, the air suspension, that will definitely keep me up at night. If someone converts AS to coil-overs, then what happens to the buttons on the center console? Just decoration?