Buying Used Is250

[lex666]

Hello everyone,

i am new to this website, i've been looking to buy an IS250 since this car first arrive in aust, after saving some money to buy this car then circumstances changes and i ended up buying a boat to pursue my hobby,

now i am thinking to just buy the used IS250 prestige(prestige with enhancement pack preferbly) to suit my budget as the more i saw this car on the road the more i am thinking of getting one

after spending a fair of bit of times reading this forum a few concern start to arise with all of the pro and cons from this website member and i had a few question to the current is250 owner.

Rattle problem, squeking moonroof--->is that problem fixed now???? even tough i only want to buy used prestige not the sports and lux but its still i am going to pay the odd +(-)$50k not $5k or so, and i dont want to deal with that hassle when i pay that sort of $$$$.if i buy this car not from lexus dealers, will the lexus dealer handle my warranty claim? as i assume this will go to warranty claim

for 2006 build----> is there any common mechanical/technical problem among this build plate?(as i am most likely will get the car from this build date)

now the HEAVY question---> how much do you guys think i should spend on 2006 model prestige with enhancement pack??

for the last 1 month i've been constantly browsing car sale website, auction, etc researching about the pricing of this used car, and i see quite a bit of variance such as

1.the auction price is much lower than the price most dealer advertised($43k-$44k in auction in dealer $56-$60k)-as the auction price is the good indication of the price the dealer would prepare to pay for that sort of car. no matter auction, trade in, or private purchase of course with some MINOR difference depending on the condition of the car but it shouldnt be $3000 or $4000 difference(should i bargain really hard when negotiation this car???)

2.somtimes(NOT VERY OFTEN) sports lux model can be sold as cheap as the price of prestige with enhancement pack when it sold privetly(should i just wait for this odd chance and add a few more grand and get the sports and lux??)

3.i am not a stranger to car industry as i am working in car industry for a while until now(not lexus dealership unfortunetly) so that's why i can say point no 1

4. how expensive is the service of this car?

thanks for the help

cheers

[ldc]

From what i have experienced, the late 2007 onwards shouldnt have rattle issues. If you have seat rattles the fix is just retightening of the seat to the rails (bolts).

If you shop around, i think you could land a good deal on a used car, but the cost i would think will depend on the Ks travelled needless to say. If you find a cheap base prestige than think about it, as the E.P version might be worth more but is it worth the extra $$$.

Have not done a "paid" service on my car yet so would not know.

[Naz]

Hello,

Just with regards to servicing, a very rough guide would be as follows:

15,000 km - Free,

30,000 km - $500ish,

45,000 km - $400ish,

60,000 km - $500ish,

75,000 km - $500ish,

90,000 km - $800ish,

105,000 km - 400ish,

This is a very rough guide and subject to change. I was told this by a dealer when I was looking around :)

Much more competitive than Audi or BMW plus you get a pickup and drop off and free loan car, how can you beat that for value. Not sure if you will get that if you buy used though, depends on the dealer where you service.

Hope that helps.

[Sapphire Cam]

I purchased an ex. executive-driven Prestige (with moonroof, no enhancement pack, 12000kms, 1 year old) through Lexus dealer for 53K driveaway with Lexus after-market reverse sensors installed with early in 2007. That was a good deal at the time. The Prestige variants appear hard to come by through a dealership (I waited for months). No problems with the vehicle apart from a squeaky drivers seat, and buzzing sunroof (which have been rectified by the dealer). If you are after the enhancement pack (Ive driven a loan car with one - nice, but overpriced I think) on a Prestige, something 12 months old now you'd be looking at 56-58 driveaway and maybe 53-54 without. I would be having my eye on a 2007 build date if you can. I actually think there is noticeable difference in the ride between the 06 and 07 vehicles (having driven a few) - the 06's tend to be a little softer, and I reckon the auto in the 07's has been adjusted a little in 2nd gear (for the better).

Loan car is available for as long as your car is still in the new car warranty period (4 years from inital rego date).

[lex666]

Thanks for the reply guys

Sapphire cam, i thinks thats a really valuable info for me about the transmission difference between the 06 and 07 model maybe other 06 owners that's have try the 07 model can justify this issue as well if they read this forum.

for the price you paid, please allow me to make an opinion on that

i had simmilar offer to you i rang one of the dealership for 07 model demo with moonroof about 5000kms and the offer is $54k drive away, without bargain, i believe if i come to the dealership and negotiate i will be able to rip a few more thousand dollars of it for sure. as i am working in dealership myself and i know how much profit roughly they get if you pay their asking price, especially in luxury car segment they wont survive the business if they only make $2k on $50++ car so they have to set their price high+ room to allow for negotiation.

[Sapphire Cam]

Thats a pretty good price, because according to my dealer 5000 kms seems to be a cut-off point for them (demo to 2nd hand). Under 5000 kms and you'll be hard pressed getting any more than a 2-3k off driveaway price for a new unit. However 5000+ kms they can probably knock off 7-8k off driveaway price. Remember the Luxury Car Tax (rather topical at the moment!) kicks in at 57k, and the dealer must add any options to that retail price (roof, enahancement pack) for new. So you have to factor that in on your discount that you get for buying 2nd hand. So a 56,900 new auto is under, but add the roof and its basically 59k plus all on-roads AND the LTC and (prior to negotiation) its 64-65k for the vehicle on the road. The LTC is what killed me in buying new. It suddenly made a 12 month old vehicle on the road over 10k cheaper!!

For an auto is250 prestige under 12 months old, with roof and <10000 kms I think you couldn't any better than 52k d'away (thru a Lexus dealer). Privately you could nearly go sub-50, but again that will be hard to find.

[shin_akuma]

Hi Sapphire Cam,

Where do you buy your lexus from?

I have just got an offer for late 2007 Is205 which only has 4,000 km on it. It was a prestige model with moonroof and fitted rear parking sensor.

The asking price is 57k, I have bargained for it but that was the best I could get the car for. I am in Melbourne btw.

What do you guys think of that price?

Thanks

[Naz]

Not a bad price, in Sydney there was a similar car with 12K on the clock but no rear sensors for 52990. I am sure you could knock them down 1K or 2K. I did see a few cars when I was looking around at citylexus in Melb for around 54888 with 5K not sure if these are on the road prices are not, and also depends on the condition of the cars :)