Taken the plunge

djkenn · July 23, 2016

Hi all

Put a deposit on an IS250. When I get some photos done, I'll put them up here.

The car is older than I wanted but is only 42000 miles. It has a half Lexus service history and half Independent. Aside from one scrape on the front spoiler, I can't find any stone chips, the interior has original Lexus mats and Lexus Bromley number plates front and rear. The plastic engine covers are safely in place except for one. The only downside is no multi media pack and no mark Levinson sound. The trader is doing all the wheels as part of the deal.

The first few months of used car ownership are a voyage of discovery so I'll share some of the highs and lows.

First questions.

Will a dealer give me a print out if the service history at Lexus, what I need to quote ?

Is there any point registering for My Lexus on the Lexus UK website?

More importantly, thanks to all forum members who have answered questions.

bobmc · July 23, 2016

You should get the service book with the car and this should be stamped by the dealer for each service the car has had.

Depending on how fastidious the previous owner(s) has been, you may also get the invoices for the services and any other work done (brakes, suspension, etc).

Ideally, now you have put down a deposit, ask the dealer for a copy of the service book by email or whatever, as well as the V5. Then I would ring the lexus dealer and have a chat with the service manager. Tell them you are buying the car and ask them what services they did on the car. Lexus are normally quite helpful. It's worth giving the indy a call as well but they may or may not want to speak to you, but you won't know unless you ask.

You need to establish if the 6 year/60K service has been done. At this service the spark plugs are changed, on the Lexus this involves a bit of strip down and is therefore expensive. If it hasn't, use this to haggle a better deal.

If you get sight of the V5, try and contact the previous owner. Find out the history and why they decided to sell.

Vintagesixtysix · July 24, 2016

Concure with Bob...

Your local Lexus dealer will also be happy to do a free safety check..... In reality a quick rudimentary visual inspection.

They'll then use it to have a chat about a service plan, which you may or may not be interested in.

Was not a hard sell..... I asked them to give me everything they knew about the car and I also called the supplying dealer ( Lexus Stockport) who were extremely helpful.

The MOT history online as recently discussed on the forum is also an easy one to track if any issues...... Worth looking at advisories etc and see if you can confirm work done.... Parts used .... Who did the work etc.

Good luck... hope it's a good one.

Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC