Hi,

Can anyone provide me some advice?

I've been looking at a 2005 GS 300 SL-L (June 2005), with 71,000 miles on the clock, from Lexus Approved and have a few questions.

1. The dealer has told me the car does not have a cambelt but a chain. The car has 71,000 miles on the clock, does anyone know the life span of the chain?
2. Any advice on haggling the price? The dealer says there is movement on the price - but then isn't there always. What top tips are there on this motor asking £13,900?

Really appreciate any feedback.

Regards, Alan.

Hi,

Back in August I purchased a 55 plate GS300SE with 36,000 miles from a Lexus dealer for £15,500, it was originally advertised at £17,995 and even with the discount I managed to get 2 years warranty and 2 years servicing thrown in.

In answer to your question regarding the timing chain I believe it doesn't need changing until 100,000 miles.

In which case 13900 seems a tad steep......

Also - Thought chains lasted ad-infinitum?

Wow - a difference of 14% between the dealer's asking price and what you paid, plus 2 years extended warranty and servicing.

How did you go about the negotiation?

I just told them that that was the deal I wanted and if they could agree to do it I would agree to buy it.
I think there's a lot of dealers with a lot of stock who aren't selling much/anything at the moment and most will consider a deal, if you convince them that you are serious and prepared to do a quick deal.

Also bear in mind that this was back in August when the credit crunch was only just starting to be talked about, I reckon you could get an even better deal in today's market.

Good luck.

It's a done deal - picked up the car on the weekend - thanks for the tips - it's a great car, and great service from Roger at Reading and his team for getting the car in great shape.

Congratulations - What sort of a deal did you manage to negotiate?

I got 14% off, with 2 years free servicing, 6 months car tax, and a cuddly toy. Lexus Reading did a brilliant job of getting the bodywork into top shape - every little imperfection I pointed out was sorted. It looks brand new. It's a real joy to drive, and makes the journey too and from work a real pleasure - don't mind the traffic jams at all now.