PPI in Chicago area

[Diytech123]

I am looking for a good PPI reference (s) for buying an LC/LX in Chicago area. When I asked a Lexus dealership they said it costs $155 for inspection and an additional $155 for running diagnosis. That means spending $300+ for a car that whether I am going to buy or not seems to be rather high.

What is the cost for a good PPI on LX? I am a suburbanite with no knowledge of automobiles ( I can talk about cloud and computers all day but not much about under the hood) and hence I need to depend on who could sense my eagerness for an LC/LX and give me the real picture what its really worth or not.

Thanks in advance.

By the way, my other two cars are: 2015 Acura MDX and 2004 Lexus ES 330

 

[Sandroad]

Here's what I would do, if I were a "suburbanite with no knowledge of automobiles" and about to buy an LX. I would do a thorough test drive, a complete check of the vehicles history on Carfax, and do a thorough visual inspection inside and out for damages and rust. If everything checks out for you, I would then pay the dealer the 2 hours of labor they are asking, plus get them to pull the Lexus service history. Use their report as a negotiating tool to address any concerns about repairs or maintenance with the seller. You could easily save the $300 in a lower price for things it needed you didn't know about. Spendy, but good peace of mind. If you don't buy the vehicle after all that, it will be for good reason! Something was wrong!

 

[Chocolate]

Check the service history on "Lexus Drivers"/"Toyota Owners" (corresponding names). You can see the extent of the maintenance that was done on the vehicle at a dealer. When I bought in 2016, I searched based on lowest price for a clean title/Carfax vehicle that was regularly maintained.

Also, evidence of accident repair often show up in the dealer records even with a clean Carfax. Just looked at a clean looking 11 AWD RX with a clean Carfax. Evidence of front end damage and owner brought it back in because one of the headlights was reinstalled incorrectly per the dealer records, so it was more than minor damage.

 

[mcgaskins]

Could be the best $300 you ever spent. These aren't cheap trucks, so don't be cheap.

 

[Diytech123]

Thank you for the advice.

Interestingly I found a 2011 LX 570 with 125k miles asking 27k but with 1 damage (not accident) and 3 owners being reported on the Carfax. Surprisingly with third and the last owner, service records disappear after damage is being reported 2 years back with the third owner.

Car is located in Springfield Illinois, 250 miles away from me. Should I trust the dealer on everything is clean statement and drive 5 hours make a road trip or look for a PPI locally and then drive there.

 

[Reckless]

Get photos of under carriage/chassis and see rust level first.

 

[ArnieC]

Since I live pretty close by - Milwaukee Suburbs - I highly suggest a fly and drive. Really nice to get a head start on the rust demon, and these rigs seem to change hands pretty high here in the midwest compared to down south. I really like the car prices in Atlanta area, and its an easy fly and drive. 2 hour direct flight, 12 hour or less return trip.

 

[Diytech123]

Since I live pretty close by - Milwaukee Suburbs - I highly suggest a fly and drive. Really nice to get a head start on the rust demon, and these rigs seem to change hands pretty high here in the midwest compared to down south. I really like the car prices in Atlanta area, and its an easy fly and drive. 2 hour direct flight, 12 hour or less return trip.

Will start looking out there. Remotely negotiating ..not sure how it goes though.. any suggestions?

 

[ArnieC]

I was talking to a dealer and ended up just paying asking - the price was good, service records were spotless, and was the color I wanted, there was not a ton of negotiation room anyway and I needed a car. It was pretty painless for me as I was a cash buyer with no trade in so my wife and I just flew down with a check and drove it home over the weekend.

 

[Reckless]

Road tripping in LC is fun. I tell my friends that I can drive from Chicago to Cali anytime I like. I drove 1200 miles this week and fell asleep in my LC at least three times for short periods. I put my 2 in 1 laptop on top of subwoofer and watch movies.

 

[Diytech123]

Road tripping in LC is fun. I tell my friends that I can drive from Chicago to Cali anytime I like. I drove 1200 miles this week and fell asleep in my LC at least three times for short periods. I put my 2 in 1 laptop on top of subwoofer and watch movies.

I love that experience! I am big fan of long drives too! Not that long though! Wantvto go Arches and other parks at Utah.

 

[mcgaskins]

Road tripping in LC is fun. I tell my friends that I can drive from Chicago to Cali anytime I like. I drove 1200 miles this week and fell asleep in my LC at least three times for short periods. I put my 2 in 1 laptop on top of subwoofer and watch movies.

Troll level 1,000. Nicely done your posts always crack me up.

 

[Reckless]

I didnt mean to troll.... Just an idea for road trippers/wannabe overlanders like me. It may come off funny on the internet. I wasn't saying to watch movies while driving but at pit stops/grabbing a bite to eat/camping/etc. Its pretty cool having a laptop at your fingertips near the dash and watching movies while stopped or browsing the web/writing emails with a wireless keyboard. If I get time I will post a photo so you have a better idea. I am used to having many computer screens on my desk at the office like the matrix so maybe its my computer engineering background. I have to work responding to emails at all hours and use to checking email constantly. Kind of like my mobile office (I wish the land cruiser had more comfortable seats and a bit more space). I think its better than having a computer mount like law enforcement use.

 

[Diytech123]

Finally I bought 2009 LX 570 with 120k miles on it. I had it inspected at local Lexus dealership. They did multi point inspection band OBD diagnostic. It came out clean. Now I would like to know a good independent mechanic in Chicago preferably in Northwest suburbs. I would like to make sure everything is well taken care of from now on wards.