When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I thought I'd bring you guys along on my adventure. Kinda long winded but here we go....
For the past month I've been searching for one that had a bad traction battery or similar expensive item to repair (planned on a prius cell swap or brake actuator change). The only search criteria I really had...
1. Buy the cheapest one I could find.
2. Currently running
3. Not black interior ( It has tan interior)
4. Under 200k miles
I wasn't opposed to a salvage title / wrecked vehicle but for ease of reselling a clean title was prefered. My preference is to troubleshoot / replace components rather than do body work. Another very relevant fact is I couldn't come up with a good line to tell the wife if a wrecker dropped off a mangled car in our driveway. Admittedly rebuilding a wrecked one sounded more fun. With that said I really didn't want to get that "look". Taking a chance on a car that at least looks ok has many advantages to some of us.
The purchase...
A few days ago I purchased a clean title, 2008 LS600hl, 190k miles. It was 700 miles away in another state.
. It was listed for $9700. On the drivers.lexus site I noticed in 2018 a lexus dealer diagnosed it with a failing traction battery. With that info I offered $7000. 3 weeks after I contacted them they got back to me and accepted my offer. I ended up paying $6500 plus $500 in tax. They never admitted the car had any issues. I expected so much...
(side story...) My buddy bought a gs450h a few months ago from a small dealer. I helped him check the car over. It was throwing 10 codes( I scanned it). The dealer said all the warning dash lights being on was normal. He also said all his cars had "those lights on", haha. A quick search on clublexus suggested the codes may be due to a dead 12v battery. We made an even lower offer, paid the man. Then drove the car home. ALL of the codes cleared once we replaced one of the two 12v batteries in the trunk. My buddy was happy with that deal. This site is really helpful which is one reason I try to post my .02 when I can. I appreciate you guys.
Back to my out of state LS600h
Luckily someone I knew lived nearby the car. She was able to test drive it and send a few pictures my way. Right off the bat It had a low tire light and a check brake message. She was able to pump the brake and hear the brake motor turn on. It only ran for a second before the system was charged. With any luck the actuator is good. If not I'm fairly proficient at replacing them. It'll be my 3rd. The hybrid battery had almost full bars. In park with a bunch of accessories on it didn't drop any bars (in park with ice off). During the test drive she did mention a slight clunk at times. I tend to think worst case scenario to start with... clunk=air strut(s). Otherwise the drive was uneventful. She was surprised by how much acceleration it had.
A few more random thoughts...
I really like the adjustable suspension I've had on my other vehicles. I'd like to keep the air suspension alive if the rest of the car isn't a basketcase. The car lived in vegas from 2008-2019. Hopefully one winter in salty roads won't cause too many rusted bolt headaches. As for the exterior color...In AZ all cars turn that ugly sand color without a bath. One of my current cars was tan / gold when I purchased it. I repainted it white. If I hold onto the 600h for a few years I will likely paint it white too.
I anticipate it being delivered next week. Until then my mind will be filled with wild emotional swings while I wonder how bad or good it will be. When it does finally show up there is a good possibility my wife might make me sleep in the garage for a few days. Hopefully the massage seats function!
Mike, congrats! I'm not technically proficient but excited to hear about your project. It sounds like you got a great deal, knowing these were $117k new cars. Even if you had to put in 3-4k right off the bat, you will have an awesome ride nicely sorted. I also agree about keeping the air ride going! When I owned my '91 with air there was nothing on earth that road as nice on our crappy Illinois roads as that car, when it worked! I also owned an '08 LS600h and it only had a single issue with me which was a rear door latch mechanism. I think the 600h's weren't revered because the mpg's really stunk for a hybrid, but you are getting a loaded L version with even more goodies and the silent ride at low speeds which was cool. EVERYONE would stare at my 600h and even when I brought it to Lexus, they all came out to see it. I just picked up a 2014 LS460 with very high miles for it's age (186k) miles. Even though I'm not so handy I can follow a tutorial or video. Making something better is a great feeling. Best of luck with your new project!
Thank's Gumart1. I grew up in IL until I was in my mid 20's. Pot holes and all I will still always consider it home. I hope your LS460 treats you kindly too.
I personally love that sand color but I know I may be in the minority with that preference. Looks like a beautiful vehicle - I've always been interested in the 600HL of that year. Please update us when it comes in I'd love to continue reading your story
It has arrived! The driver caught the bottom right plastic protectors of the car on his rig while getting it off, very minor damage. He claimed he would give a partial refund for the damage. It was documented but I'm not holding my breath.
I'm not going to lie, it is a bit rough on the outside for my taste. In the short term a little touch up paint is in order. There are some pretty big rock chips on the front hood. The carpeting on the interior could use some cleaning too. The seats and interior are in good shape. Surprisingly the seats, dash, and doors appear cleaner than our 460. It has only been here an hour. I'll post more tomorrow. As expected it is full of codes and issues.
Congrats on the new car. I wish you good luck with it.
I think for 7 grand its a good buy. I look forward to you posting your journey with getting the car into shape. As far as "rock chips", it looks like someone fired 00 buck at it!
Here are the codes it had when it arrived (first picture). I cleared them and half came back ( second/third picture).
Dash lights...
Aside from the low air tire light there are no fault lights on the dash. The spare is missing, 4 tires are reporting. That should account for the tpms code/light.
There is a message displayed on the dash display "check parking brake system". I'm guessing if I do the reset procedure for the brake actuator some of the brake codes may clear.
The best news of the evening...I was able to drive it around the block a few times on only battery power. Without a good traction battery I think the other issues would be much more difficult to sort out.
Another plus, my wife doesn't seem to mind the color. It looks a lot better in person then the dealer pictures that were posted. Earlier in the day before it arrived she had referred to it as my grandpa car. Hopefully that title doesn't stick.
Tomorrow... Emissions and titling. I'm slightly concerned about getting the title in my name. I do have a title but there is quite a lengthy paper trail. Hopefully everything goes smoothly.
So far I have mostly addressed easy items. I changed engine air filters, cabin filter, installed a few bumper clips, and replaced hood struts. The hood strut mount on the left was about to fall off. Both bolts were only installed a few turns. I think that may have been the clunk my friend heard on the test drive. Earlier in the day my daughter tested out the drop down video screen while I played. That drop down dvd player is handy! The car was on but running off the battery for a half hour. I almost started to change the oil while she was watching her video. Luckily while I was contemplating the oil change the engine kicked on to charge the batteries. Has anyone accidentally changed their oil with the engine running ?
Get it to pass emissions...
I took it on a 1 hour round trip drive today to pick up a spare tire I found on offerup. Unfortunatly it had no tpms sensor in it. A new sensor should be here in a few hours. I'm really not a fan of amazon but their convenience is hard to beat. The real goal of the drive was to get it emissions ready. Yesterday I noticed not all the sensors had "reset". Thoughts of dropping the exhaust to inspect the $8000 valves was starting to weigh on me. Luckily it appears they are functional. It passed emissions! I'm quite happy about that. I enjoyed driving it today but I am looking forward to pushing it a little harder to see what it can do.
The title got transferred into my name as well. I credit my wifes cousin at the dmv for helping with the title paperwork. Last week she was able to check documents while it was being purchased in Utah. The dealer did explain the steps prior to the purchase. I give them props for this but not much else.
The title story goes something like this...
In 2019 the dealer sold the car. Lets call the guy that bought it José. José had a lien through the dealer. José defaulted on the loan and the dealer repossessed the car. Since the Utah dealer refused to sell directly to me my friend in Utah purchased the car for me. In all the paperwork read something like
1. Dealer sold 2019
2. José is new owner 2019
3. Dealer repo's car 2020
4. Sold to my friend 2021
5. Sold to me today.
In total, I think there were 8 pages of documents. The carfax didn't have any hint of a repo. I assume since the defaulted loan was through the dealer not much got reported. I doubt my friend who purchased it for me will show up as an owner either. Technically it was never fully titled in her name. Either way, it has depreciated to the point where if there were another 5 owners I doubt it matters, ha.
Thanks. Yes, the rear bumper I was able to pop back into place. I put a dab of emblem glue on it for the time being. I should be able to remove it without too much hassle. In a month or so I plan on mounting a hitch to the car. During that process the bumper needs to come off. At that time I may install a new "bumper clip" on that corner if it is busted.
I touched up a few other spots too.
The front bumper was missing a clip near the left fender. I was able to replace the clip without pulling anything apart. On the right side of the car directly behind the front wheel there was an area that needed attention too. I was able to adjust it. It's better now but not perfect. I need to order a bag of those white push in clips. In this case the old clips are not holding very tight. There are clips that hold the lower section that is popped out. Plus clips that hold the smaller chrome section above it. Both pieces have play in them.
It is possible the shipper caught the lower one on his rig too. I haven't watched the video close enough to see if this is the case. The lower section of these pieces showed signs of getting snagged on the trailer. It's hard to say for sure when these were snagged. I updated the post #8 with pictures from the damage the shipper definitely caused. I used Haulmatch.com they have been nice about it. I received a few calls today from them. It looks like they are going to refund a few hundred dollars. IMO nothing necessarily needs to be replaced, I'm happy with the outcome.
01-22-21, 05:19 PM
Project LS600HL for cheap
