Thinking About Taking The Plunge!

[Tolvar]

Hi Guys

I've seen this at the local stealers and was wondering if it was a good buy and what i should look out for;

2002 Lexus GS 300 3.0 SE,

4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon, Petrol, 37,545 miles, Canterbury Blue, Anti-lock brakes,Alarm,16 inch alloy wheels,Remote central door locking,Climate control,Cruise control,Electrically controlled front seats,Electric windows,Automatic headlamps,Heated front seats,Speed sensitive power steering,Electric sunroof,Adjustable steering column,Engine immobiliser,Multiple airbags,Multi CD player,Front fog lamps,Electric mirror operation,Driver memory seat,Wood trim,7 speaker stereo system,Electric lumbar adjustment,Foot operated parking brake,suffolk leather interior. £13,995.

Any advice would be appreciated.

T.

[Gord]

Hi Guys

I've seen this at the local stealers and was wondering if it was a good buy and what i should look out for;

2002 Lexus GS 300 3.0 SE,

4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon, Petrol, 37,545 miles, Canterbury Blue, Anti-lock brakes,Alarm,16 inch alloy wheels,Remote central door locking,Climate control,Cruise control,Electrically controlled front seats,Electric windows,Automatic headlamps,Heated front seats,Speed sensitive power steering,Electric sunroof,Adjustable steering column,Engine immobiliser,Multiple airbags,Multi CD player,Front fog lamps,Electric mirror operation,Driver memory seat,Wood trim,7 speaker stereo system,Electric lumbar adjustment,Foot operated parking brake,suffolk leather interior. £13,995.

Any advice would be appreciated.

T.

Sound a nice car, from lexus stealer ? dont pay full asking price £13,995 offer £12,000 and then meet somewhere, please do all the checks to, HPI report :D 37,545 miles should think engine will be ok with full service history, look at condition of bodywork for dents colour change (re-painted)anywhere.

If you like it, and right price go for it :D

[maneesh]

I agree with Gord. The GS models shed value very rapidly, so don't pay even close to 14k for it.

Yes, get in inspected unless you can inspect it yourself. Just look for usual signs of clocking as these cars tolerate wear very well. 100k miles could easily pass for 37k. Check the armrest/driver's side seat, pedals and steering wheel to see whether the leather is worn at all.

Let's put it this way, my 85k GS 99 model that I got had minimal wear on seat/wheel or armrest.

Check for clunking noises from front suspension when driving. Make sure the gearchanges are seamless. The only noise you should hear is the tyre roar as wind and engine noise are minimal.

Good Luck!

[Tolvar]

Thanks for the speedie response!!

The car is being sold by Lexus Edinburgh, do i still need to do all the checks HPI etc or would they not already have done those?

Are they a good agent, has anyone else bought from them?

[Fidgits]

naaa...

you dont want that, you want my IS200 ;)

[maneesh]

Yeah they should have done the checks. According to Glass's guide, the part-ex value on that car is 12,500 (assuming it's in mint condition inside and out). So the dealer obviously wants to make 1.5k from ya as profit.

Perhaps he will let it go for 13k? Don't put an offer in the first time you see it, wait until the end of the month when the salesmen are trying to beat last month's target sales, and they are a lot more keen to swing a deal!!! I think last Thursday of every month is the best time..

I had a quick look on RAC's vehicle data search to check some basics out: It looks like the car has only had 1 owner from new (since no keeper change is showing up), and the details stored match the basic details on the Lexus website (like colour, month of first reg).

[Tolvar]

Thanks for the info maneesh, i'll wait until the last Thursady and then go have a wee chat ;)

[maneesh]

By the way, what are you driving now?

[Tolvar]

By the way, what are you driving now?

I'm driving a BMW 520, fantstic car but it has now done about 126k and even although still drives perfectly i just fancy a change. I liked the look and spec of the Lexus and of course they build them rather well.

[Gord]

Thanks for the speedie response!!

The car is being sold by Lexus Edinburgh, do i still need to do all the checks HPI etc or would they not already have done those?

Are they a good agent, has anyone else bought from them?

Lexus Edinburgh, Ian the Boss at lexus Edinburgh is a Gold member on LOC :D im sure Ian can sort something out for you :winky: or one of his salesmen :D

[maneesh]

By the way, what are you driving now?

I'm driving a BMW 520, fantstic car but it has now done about 126k and even although still drives perfectly i just fancy a change. I liked the look and spec of the Lexus and of course they build them rather well.

Cool. You'd have to get a 540i to get similar specs to the GS range.

Oh, the GS ain't as agile as the Beemer round the twisties. You might want to consider the Sport models if you enjoy driving down the twisties!

[Tolvar]

I'm not too bothered about the twisties with the BMW, i have a 911 for that ;) I'm after a waft wagon that i can drive everyday, get little hassle from and pile miles on to.