Buying A Pre-Owned 400H

[N5girl]

Hi

I am hoping to become a Lexus owner in the next few weeks/mths. I would be grateful if someone could help me with a few questions.

My budget is probably £22-23k max. I am not too bothered by the mileage because we are unlikely to put more than 5k on the clock each year.

So far the service at the dealers has been fantastic - so I am very tempted to buy the car from them. What should I be able to get for my budget and how much discount do I get for a high mileage car (e.g. 70k + for a 2006 model).

I am also still a bit baffled by the difference between SE/SE-L. Does the SE have the rear camera? Or does this only come on an SE with a multimedia pack? I am not bothered about having rear DVD screens but would like the parking camera.

Does anyone have any recent experience of negotiating with the dealers. Are they likely to discount, and if so, by how much? I am a cash buyer (so no p/x or finance needed). We live in London but I would be happy to travel if the discount is worth it.

What should I be looking out for with a 400h - in terms of potential big repair bills or annoying niggles that could be avoided.

Many thanks for your help.

[energyman]

Hi

I am hoping to become a Lexus owner in the next few weeks/mths. I would be grateful if someone could help me with a few questions.

My budget is probably £22-23k max. I am not too bothered by the mileage because we are unlikely to put more than 5k on the clock each year.

So far the service at the dealers has been fantastic - so I am very tempted to buy the car from them. What should I be able to get for my budget and how much discount do I get for a high mileage car (e.g. 70k + for a 2006 model).

I am also still a bit baffled by the difference between SE/SE-L. Does the SE have the rear camera? Or does this only come on an SE with a multimedia pack? I am not bothered about having rear DVD screens but would like the parking camera.

Does anyone have any recent experience of negotiating with the dealers. Are they likely to discount, and if so, by how much? I am a cash buyer (so no p/x or finance needed). We live in London but I would be happy to travel if the discount is worth it.

What should I be looking out for with a 400h - in terms of potential big repair bills or annoying niggles that could be avoided.

Many thanks for your help.

[energyman]

Hi, I took delivery of a RX400H SE last week. It's on an '05 plate and cost me just under 15K. 86,000 on the clock, but that didn't worry me because like you, we won't be doing starship miles in it. I can't praise the car enough. With the SE I have the reversing camera and satnav. Multi function steering wheel. It's the SE-L with the Ice Pack that has the headrest screens.Unless you have to keep little'uns happy, not really necessary are they? You should get quite a low mileage car with your budget. The finish and quality is fantastic as you can imagine. We are getting a combined mileage around 32 miles per gallon. Pretty good for a 3.3 ltr. engine. Boy, can they fly as well!

I know we haven't had it long enough to get a proper picture, but so far really pleased. Hope this helps,

energyman.

[EnvironMENTAL]

We recently bought an 07 RX400h SE with 30k miles that was at the top end of your budget. This was an SE without the MultiMedia pack, so it didn't have the screen in front (satnav, rear parking camera etc.). Most of the used SE's I've seen do have the MM pack but it's not standard with SE.

We couldn't haggle more than a grand off the asking price but maybe we're not very good at it.

It's a nice car, but the dash design is like something out of Battlestar Galactica (the original series) - all massive silver buttons with large bold labeling.

[N5girl]

We recently bought an 07 RX400h SE with 30k miles that was at the top end of your budget. This was an SE without the MultiMedia pack, so it didn't have the screen in front (satnav, rear parking camera etc.). Most of the used SE's I've seen do have the MM pack but it's not standard with SE.

We couldn't haggle more than a grand off the asking price but maybe we're not very good at it.

It's a nice car, but the dash design is like something out of Battlestar Galactica (the original series) - all massive silver buttons with large bold labeling.

Thanks. I think I will just have to see if each car has the reversing camera as the supply of SE seems to be much greater than SE-L.

Energyman did you get yours from a dealer or a private seller?

[ihpj]

on the SE-L I would be wary of the air suspension as failures are not unknown outside of the 3 year warranty period. I think the coil suspension is better suited to stand the test of time and unless you have a need for the gimmicky and technologically complicated air suspension - go for the SE.

Just don't rush into buying one; plenty about and I would urge you to really test drive a couple before you commit.

[rhosneigr]

I bought my Sept 2008 SE MM in Feb this year and am very pleased with it. I've done 2k miles so far and am averaging 30 mpg in all conditions. I may be wrong but I don't think the 400h comes with air suspension the difference between the SE and the SEL is the addition of the rear dvd screens on the SEL.

[Duncan Roberts]

on the SE-L I would be wary of the air suspension as failures are not unknown outside of the 3 year warranty period. I think the coil suspension is better suited to stand the test of time and unless you have a need for the gimmicky and technologically complicated air suspension - go for the SE.

Just don't rush into buying one; plenty about and I would urge you to really test drive a couple before you commit.

Air suspension is NOT available on the RX400 in any version.

[ihpj]

Air suspension is NOT available on the RX400 in any version.

Fair enough, apologies for the erroneous post then.

[N5girl]

Air suspension is NOT available on the RX400 in any version.

Fair enough, apologies for the erroneous post then.

Thanks. We drove both the 300 and 400. Decided to go for the 400 because it is congestion charge exempt which is important for us. There wasn't enough of a difference in the driving experience to warrant going for the 300.

[ihpj]

Decided to go for the 400 because it is congestion charge exempt which is important for us.

Isn't there talk of the Lexus loosing its exemption status? Glad you found one that you liked :)

[energyman]

We recently bought an 07 RX400h SE with 30k miles that was at the top end of your budget. This was an SE without the MultiMedia pack, so it didn't have the screen in front (satnav, rear parking camera etc.). Most of the used SE's I've seen do have the MM pack but it's not standard with SE.

We couldn't haggle more than a grand off the asking price but maybe we're not very good at it.

It's a nice car, but the dash design is like something out of Battlestar Galactica (the original series) - all massive silver buttons with large bold labeling.

Thanks. I think I will just have to see if each car has the reversing camera as the supply of SE seems to be much greater than SE-L.

Energyman did you get yours from a dealer or a private seller?

[energyman]

Sorry for delay in getting back. Been away. Actually got mine from a dealer. Just out of interest, the car returned 35.6 mpg. yesterday. Can't believe how economical it's turning out to be. Have you had any luck yet? The dealer I bought mine from isn't specifically a Lexus dealer but buys 'One owner' cars from Lexus Main dealers on a regular basis. He's based near Buckingham , Oxfordshire. regards Energyman