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Is still working good but just in case it decided to go buh-bai. I am on a hunt for a new car. Well a used car.
So I was browsing online and saw an ad for:
2007 Lexus ES 350 FWD
Have 97K on it and selling for 8,395. 3 previous owners, clean title and no accident.
Fuel economy
Fuel tank size:
18 gal
Fuel type:
Gasoline
Performance
Transmission:
Automatic
Drivetrain:
Front-Wheel Drive
Safety
ABS brakes
Backup Camera
Curtain airbags
Driver airbag
Front side airbags
Parking Sensors
Passenger airbag
Alloy Wheels
Bluetooth
Leather Seats
Navigation System
Sunroof/Moonroof
I am like wow this car sounds too good to be true. So I went check it out and drive it. Everything sounds good but I am paranoid and wanted to ensure that everything is good so I've asked the seller if I can have my mechanic take a look at it before moving forward. He agreed.
Less than 5 minutes on my mechanic shop. My mechanic told me that the car mileage is not 97K is 210K and as soon as he told me that I said okay I am not buying the car. He also told me that there is something wrong with the exhaust and there is rust all over underneath car engines.
Cars that age are by and large only sold because of other people's problems. Sometimes those are problems you aren't buying. The '05 Honda is doing pretty well for me, although I've had some expected repairs. Catalytic converter on something that age is pretty expected. The problem was the owner had a hip replacement and couldn't get in the car and drive a stick shift. That's not a problem that I'm buying but it's the only reason the car was sold. When you decide to own old cars, expect the normal problems.
I'd either fix your car or buy something much, much newer. 3-7 years is the sweet spot. One owner, either someone that leases or just likes to throw money at new cars every 3-7 years. Usually got another ~10 years of mostly trouble-free ownership before the problems start. When you're looking at 15+ it's the tail end of the useful life of the car. Expect normal problems.
Well you got the car inspected by a mechanic - that's the #1 thing. In finding the inspector, I always quiz the inspector to ask:
What will you check?
And for each answer to the above - how will you check it?
Then, will I get a written report itemizing the findings?
Some inspections are much more thorough than others. It costs more, but I tend to be conservative with finding an inspector who will do thorough inspection. It's not like you should be having 20 cars inspected - if it's more than 3, you're probably not doing your own due diligence well. It's very helpful to discuss the report with the inspector after you get it, to get addition context.
Beyond the vehicle inspection, on a used car, I get a CarFax report.
Of course you can always ask for copies of maintenance records, but many people don't keep these. The main thing you want to see is that they actually DO maintenance on a reasonable schedule - they don't just take the car in to get it repaired when it won't operate anymore.
Go to Lexus website. You can enter a vin number and pull all the records of maintenance and repairs. That’s how I picked my last 3 Lexus cars.
Same can be done with MB. But good luck getting that info from them. You have to know or bribe someone.
97k is nothing on a Toyota product. My dad had a 08 Avalon, same car basically. Had hard 350k of nyc tlc miles on it. Original engine and trans when it was sold.
Less than 5 minutes on my mechanic shop. My mechanic told me that the car mileage is not 97K is 210K and as soon as he told me that I said okay I am not buying the car. He also told me that there is something wrong with the exhaust and there is rust all over underneath car engines.
I am curious how he determined the true mileage? Is there somewhere else besides the odometer that tracks that (maybe something in the computer?)
Go to Lexus website. You can enter a vin number and pull all the records of maintenance and repairs. That’s how I picked my last 3 Lexus cars.
Same can be done with MB. But good luck getting that info from them. You have to know or bribe someone.
I know not all independent shops report work to Car Fax. Would an independent shop's reporting to Lexus via VIN really be much different? Does Lexus offer some sort of incentive for more independents to report?
If I'm considering buying a used car from a private seller I'd want to see proof of maintenance/accident repair. It might include Car Fax reports it might not.
FWIW, I've always kept maintenance logs for my cars, noting any problems, accidents, all routine service or repair. Also service receipts. Case in point: I lived in a tiny remote bush town for 16 years. My Subaru was barely a year old when I moved there but there was no way to get dealer service without shipping it by marine barge at a cost of $600 each leg. So, it was serviced by a local marine engine mechanic who fleshed out his income working on resident cars. Just because he didn't report the work to anyone doesn't mean it didn't get done. I followed Subaru's maintenance schedule down to every oil change and kept a detailed log. For my own information obviously, but eventually for a buyer's. Sold the car at age 22 for over KBB. The log & receipts went with it.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-01-2024 at 04:25 PM..
Pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic of your choice.
If you had read the whole post, you would have seen they already did that.
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and as soon as he told me that I said okay I am not buying the car. He also told me that there is something wrong with the exhaust and there is rust all over underneath car engines.
Someone wanted to get rid of this car so badly they turned back the odometer. Risky move. It's a felony!