To buy or not to buy? (1 Viewer)

[Kramerica1]

Hello everyone,

2009 Lexus GX 470 Sport Utility (Shining! Low Miles! EZ-Finance!

Trying to decide if this 2009 GX 470 is a decent deal. Buying used from a dealer for $19k and has 95k miles on it. The $19k is $17,500 for the truck, then $1500 for taxes, tag, title, stealer fee.

The timing belt has not been done, but the dealer is including a timing belt change and water pump in the deal. Also, if the dealer does replace the timing belt, how can I know it was actually done besides him just telling me he replaced it?

Pros: Interior/exterior are in great shape, seems to run well. Thoroughly checked for leaks and didn't see anything.

Cons: Not much of a maintenance history, but it was a lease until about 40k miles so I know it was maintained at least until then. Clean Carfax, but only has 4 maintenance records, one a radiator replacement at 80k miles.

Overall I think it looks good, but looking to hear what other people think. Thanks!!!

 

[Tak555]

Looks good! Hard to know what's a fair price on these things... Personally I think $17.5 is pretty reasonable.

 

[Pancho64]

paid about $17k at a dealer before tax and fees for a 2007 w/ 72k miles and timing belt done already. Their ask seems reasonable. Ask for $1-2K off and see what you get. No harm in asking. Original asking for mine was $18k and I offered 15K then said no and I walked and they called me back in and made a deal. If you're willing to play games you can usually save some cash.

 

[Kramerica1]

paid about $17k at a dealer before tax and fees for a 2007 w/ 72k miles and timing belt done already. Their ask seems reasonable. Ask for $1-2K off and see what you get. No harm in asking. Original asking for mine was $18k and I offered 15K then said no and I walked and they called me back in and made a deal. If you're willing to play games you can usually save some cash.

The dealer was pretty firm on $18.9 without doing the timing belt, so I think getting them down to $17.5 is the lowest I'm going to get. Im most worried about them saying they will replace the timing belt and then just not doing it. I know that sounds absurd, but it was the vibe I was getting from the owner. Its a small used car lot...

 

[DSRTRDR]

get the VIN number and register for a Lexus owner's account on the Lexus site - that allows you to check the official Service History (as recorded by Lexus) for the vehicle

 

[Kramerica1]

get the VIN number and register for a Lexus owner's account on the Lexus site - that allows you to check the official Service History (as recorded by Lexus) for the vehicle

I did that, but odd enough the Lexus website said there was no record of service??? I’ll try again.

 

[Arailt]

I paid $19-something for a 2008 with 49k. Originally listed at $23k if I remember correctly.

It too had a short (almost no) maintenance history and I’ve had a ton of repairs since I bought it, especially given the mileage. Granted, the vehicle was located near Syracuse, NY, so not smart on my part.

If I had to do it all over again I would have worried more about the service history than the mileage.

All of this was done under the Toyota Platinum warranty since the truck was purchased in Jan ‘16 (thank god):
-Gas cap ~50k
-both front wheel bearings ~55k
-both front brake calipers ~57k
-both exhaust manifolds ~60k
-steering rack ~70k
-exhaust ~72k (cat back - hole in muffler. Yes I was very surprised the warranty covered it)
-steering wheel clock spring ~65k
-HVAC fan ~65k
-driver’s side rear brake pins ~65k (I did this on my own for $40. Brake pins and pads weren’t covered under warranty and Lexus wanted like $500)
-both ML 6x9s (I think) in front door ~65k

I’m sure I missed something. Moral of the story- worry more about the service history because that’s a good indication of how well the vehicle was cared for.