MisterNoName

...well $19,770:

No pictures since they haven't detailed it yet. But the dealership is not too far from me so I went there to take a look.

1. 73,000 miles. Silver exterior, light gray interior. I prefer tan but the light gray would do.
   
2. I got the full Carfax. It had service done at all major mileage points. 20,000; 35,000; 40,000; 50,000; 55,000; 60,000 and 70,000.
   
3. Two owners. Both bought and sold at this dealership. The first one was for only for 9 months and it was a rental. The second one was an older couple according to the salesman.
   
4. Carfax says minor damage...twice. Doesn't say what type specifically. Salesman says normally a dent or a scratch and not a collision. Collision damage is either modern or major he said. Twice: February 2019 and October 2023.
   
5. Can't take vehicle for prepurchase inspection. They said they have had issues with people taking parts. But I can bring a technician or mechanic to one of their facilities and do one they can do one there.
6. Comes with a 6 month or 6,000 mile powertrain warranty.

This would be my primary vehicle. I really don't drive much except going to work and driving around town. Every now and then I'll drive four or five hours to visit my family in another state.

Thoughts?

Edit...thread title should start with: I'm.

bluebunny

Sounds like a good deal to me and I'm a compulsive shopper and comparer.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a car from any farther north than VA because of rust.

Get a good inspector to check on repairs from damage.

RadiantX45

If it was a rental for enterprise or something then I’d say hard no. But since it was only 9 months then it was probably a loaner for the dealer which should be fine. Don’t know for sure just conjecture.

I’d really inspect the vehicle sometimes repairs aren’t done at the best places mismatched paint, missing panels in the engine bay, etc. But sounds like service history is in order.

Clutchless

I do this for all used Lexus I consider purchasing. FYI Toyota has a similar feature at their site. It has a lot more detail than CarFax. I actually bought 2 new Lexus' from the same dealer, Lindsay Lexus in Alexandria. If you buy it do get the transmission fluid changed or ask for it as part of the deal. If they won't do it, Priority Toyota in Springfield will. Good Luck.

​​​​​​Join the Lexus Drivers Site (free) then enter the VIN of the vehicle you plan to maybe purchase and with a little hunting you can find the dealer service history. Be warned that the site is sometimes cranky about finding service histories.
​​​​​​https://www.lexus.com/My-Lexus

To see the service history at Lexus Drivers do the following:
On the page that lists the car whose VIN you entered there will be a line that states
Vehicle Health Report
Learn More - click this box
Then on the next page it will state
My Service
On the right side it will state Service History
View History - click this box to see the service history
The it will slowly take you to a page you need to scroll down to see the service history
Each entry will be a line, click on the + at the side to see more about each entry

MisterNoName

Thanks. I saw on June of this year, 69,000 miles, during the 70,000 miles drive they performed a "BG TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGE". I don't know what BG stands for however.

In June of 2022 I saw:

SERVICE: GLASS
DESCRIPTION:~|~CUSTOMER STATES TO INSTALL WINDSHIELD ~|~

I wonder what that was about. It was the same day they got their 60K mile service. The Carfax has two minor damage reports but no specifics.

RadiantX45

Minor damage can certainly mean a collision. I know from experience a car had its front bumper replaced and the car fax stated “minor damage to front end” only. The incident wasn’t reported to DMV so that is why it didn’t say “accident reported”.

Carfax wouldn’t report minor damage for a scratch or ding - idk where they’d even get data that small from. I believe it would be bigger than that. It is taken from either the shop that repaired the vehicle or the insurance company that had a claim on it.

RadiantX45

Another two cents of mine. If they don’t have photos of the car up within a couple days or the sales dude can’t get you any then there’s a chance it’s in a body shop. Most dealers have onsite detailing but they don’t have onsite body shops. If I’m interested in a car in my area without pics I drive to it and see if I can find it on the lot. I’d rather see it before it gets reconditioned anyway. Most times I can find it in their service area - other times I can’t. If I can’t find it then I assume it’s at a body shop. Of course there are other reasons but that’s just what I assume. I’ve seen cars go without pics for weeks or as long as a month with guise of “detail” - Details don’t take that long.

MisterNoName

That's exactly what I did. I drove to the dealership to see the actual vehicle. It wasn't detailed yet. I didn't see anything obviously wrong with it while walking around it and sitting in it. A little dusty though. I didn't test drive it but they said I could do that once it's been detailed and conditioned.

MisterNoName

Yeah I'm definitely going to have to schedule a mobile car inspector to do the pre-purchase inspection.

RadiantX45

Glad you were able to see it in person. For me the service history checks out. It’s had the transmission fluid service at relatively low mileage so you shouldn’t have any problems there. Wouldn’t worry about the windshield glass replacement.

Lexus dealers are *usually* good at only selling used cars that meet their high standards whether certified or not. But you can always encounter a dud and that’s where the third party inspection comes in.

If you get it checked out by a third party make sure you go on the drive with the mechanic when they test it out on the road.

RX in NC

Regarding the ATF service records, "BG" is the brand of the machine that performs the fluid exchange. I believe they dominate the ATF exchange market. Is there any documentation on which ATF they used? These Aisin transmissions are very finicky about which ATFs work well and which do not. I prefer doing my own ATF drain-and-fills because (1) I get to purchase my own preferred ATF and (2) I am not dragging old fluid (and potentially long-settled debris in the pan) back up through the valve bodies which can create shifting issues that were not there before.

MisterNoName

It is not specific. Just says this:

SERVICE: CUSTOMER REQUESTS TO PERFORM BG TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGEDESCRIPTION: ~|~CUSTOMER REQUESTS TO PERFORM BG TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGE ~|~RECOMMEND BG TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGE PER TIME AND MILEAGE

Clutchless

The service department will be able to advise what transmission fluid they use with the BG machine on vehicles that take Toyota WS fluid. However I would be pretty confident it is the proper fluid. It sounds like a nice vehicle if the history at the Lexus Drivers Site confirms their story.

BG makes 6 types of transmission fluids (and 3 different cleaning/treatment chemicals) so they have a proper offering for almost every vehicle. See this link which shows they make a low viscosity full synthetic ATF that it suitable for Toyota WS. https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/trans...synthetic-atf/

MisterNoName

Update: Salesman called and said it will be ready for a look over and test drive Monday afternoon.

If everything looks and sounds good to me I'll schedule a mobile pre-purchase inspection. There's some local guys called "Auto Analyst" that I'll probably use.

Maybe I shouldn't be but ​I'm nervous about buying a used car. I'm 46 but I've never actually bought a used car before. My first few cars were given to me after my father or older brothers got done with them. My current vehicle, 2007 Nissan Murano, I bought brand new.

bluebunny

Toyota and Lexus vehicles last better than anything else, in my opinion. Unless the inspection turns up something wonky, it will likely be the nicest and most trouble free car you've had.

My first Toyota was a 10 year old '97 4runner with 165,000 miles on it already. I was very nervous but it was the most dependable car I'd ever had ( about #45 in a long history of used cars) It finally had to be parked due to rust when it had 265,000.