Is It Advisable To Buy A Lexus From Auctioneers?

[Subby]

I'm interested in an IS250 being sold by an auction house (Pickles, Sydney) - and was told that one cannot take the car for a test drive. It is a fixed price vehicle - not going to be auctioned.

Since I've never bought a car without driving it first, wanted to know the views of more experienced Forum members in this regard.

Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about the process and its pros and cons.

Thanks

Subhash

[RolleyBoy]

any warranty left? i think its a big gamble mate cause you cant figure out whats wrong and it could end up costing more than u can save

[@mans247]

Mate i was at a pickles auction looking at Lexus cars and the cars were going for allot more than market value, i wouldn't bother. The only time you want to buy from an auction is if it is significantly cheaper so that way you can justify the risk in not test driving the car etc before purchase.Dont bother, just search the net and get an inspection done and negotiate hard and you will get yourself a deal!

[evolutune]

Look at the service history if its available. These really tight tolerance engines need regular oil changes, I've seen near new motors clagged up with sludge without regular oil changes. The tighter the tolerances, the more wear you'll get on a motor. If the service history is good or it has warranty you're laughing.

[Poisson]

I sold my old RX350 at Pickles in Perth - got $6000 more than Lexus offered as a trade-in, so I was happy.