Some Buying Advice Please.

[hotwheels]

I'm looking to buy a 220d with high mileage. All of the 3 cars i'm looking at the moment have full service history.

Even though the cars are listed as high milers it is not mentioned how many miles they have covered but i believe they would be over 100k miles.

Is that mileage ok for the specific model, how many Ks miles can these engines go?

Is there something i should check while test driving them?

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Thanks

GT

[hotwheels]

Well it seems that nobody is driving a high mileage 220d... :(

[Faz-Faz]

When i bought my lexus it was on around 85,000.

this was owned by a Dr who drove it mainly on the motorway.

now it is at 95000 and no problems.. the only thing that was wrong with it was that it had stonechips on the bonnet and the front bumber other than that car looked brandnew..

So it depends if the cars you are looking at are mainly driven on the motorway or not.

Sorry if i was no help but thats just my case..

[hotwheels]

When i bought my lexus it was on around 85,000.

this was owned by a Dr who drove it mainly on the motorway.

now it is at 95000 and no problems.. the only thing that was wrong with it was that it had stonechips on the bonnet and the front bumber other than that car looked brandnew..

So it depends if the cars you are looking at are mainly driven on the motorway or not.

Sorry if i was no help but thats just my case..

Thanks for your feedback faz-faz.

I'm mainly looking for advise on mechanical parts and mainly the turbo.

After how many miles does it need to be replaced?

Rgds

GT

[ihpj]

I think its brave of you considering a 220d at all :)

Have you read all the threads on the forum about the experiences people have had with their cars? Ranging from EGR valves, to gear ratios and 5th injectors :) And thats while these cars are under 3YRS and 60K (which is the factory Warranty) ... and you want to buy one outside of Warranty? Brave man :)

[hotwheels]

I think its brave of you considering a 220d at all :)

Have you read all the threads on the forum about the experiences people have had with their cars? Ranging from EGR valves, to gear ratios and 5th injectors :) And thats while these cars are under 3YRS and 60K (which is the factory Warranty) ... and you want to buy one outside of Warranty? Brave man :)

Thanks for the feedback.

Considering that all of the 3 cars I'm looking have FSH shouldn't all these faulty parts been replaced at an earlier point?

i know that some relatively small parts will need to be replaced sooner or later and i'm prepaired for that but it is big things i'm worried off and that's where i need some advice.

The gear ratios issue sounds worrying, what;s the common problem with them?

Rgds

GT

[dgman]

I'm looking to buy a 220d with high mileage. All of the 3 cars i'm looking at the moment have full service history.

Even though the cars are listed as high milers it is not mentioned how many miles they have covered but i believe they would be over 100k miles.

Is that mileage ok for the specific model, how many Ks miles can these engines go?

Is there something i should check while test driving them?

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Thanks

GT

hotwheels,my mechanic told me that he has seen many lease cars coming back for servicing having covered in excess of 250k miles on the clock without any significant issues.my own car has 72k miles and has been 100% reliable.

[bigmick777]

Thanks for the feedback.

Considering that all of the 3 cars I'm looking have FSH shouldn't all these faulty parts been replaced at an earlier point?

i know that some relatively small parts will need to be replaced sooner or later and i'm prepaired for that but it is big things i'm worried off and that's where i need some advice.

The gear ratios issue sounds worrying, what;s the common problem with them?

Rgds

GT

You need to take a test drive to appreciate the gear ratios! I did some reading before I went for my 220d - 2006 (back in Feb).

On your test drive you will notice that you have to drive the car very differently. You need the revs around 2000rpm before you get the power. Being in the wrong gear you wont go anywhere. You tend to have to be in a lower gear than you would normally expect.

This is very noticeable on the motorway where as people say you have to be at 80 mph before realistically going into 6th gear. Driving at 70 is best in 5th.

With the above in mind, I went for the 220d sport which has the "better" gear ratios. I can happily be in 6th from 60mph plus and be on the power. Check the other recent posts on 220d sport versus SE.

As for realibility, I cannot comment on mileage, but again trawling through the forums will indicate that there are a few common problems. With this in mind I would suggest you budget for an extended warranty. I went with the lexus one based again on this forum :-) . I believe they provide an extended warranty on cars with very high mileage - prices are fixed.

Give Lexus a call with the number plate. They will tell you if the recalls (5th injector etc) have been done.

I have been very happy with mine, the warranty has come into play though! EGR valve last month (surprise surprise) and headlight ballasts. The latter would have cost £1200 without the warranty. The EGR valve was done a year ago too before I had the car so it really is a common fault. Double check any warranty for this item and CAT convertor etc (they can fail together) - my EGR was done under the 12 month warranty from previous year but Lexus mentioned that they were looking to extend the EGR warranty on existing cars to a 5 year warranty due to the nature and number of the failures.

[Rob Eva]

Hotwheels - I'd say go for it. I've had my 220d for a year now and I'm delighted with it. Yes, it takes a while to get used to the required driving style, but after a bit of practice (and not driving it like an old lady) I consistently get around 50 mpg and it's got a good turn of speed when you need it. Admittedly most of my driving is on motorways. 6th gear seems usable to me at 70 mph as long as it's not a steep incline.

The quality of the Lexus servicing is a bit variable - I've not had a great experience with them to be honest (mainly Leicester, but other dealers may be better).

There does seem to be a considerable amount of negative opinion on these forums regarding the 220d, but I can only speak for my car, which is superb. Mine has the built in sat-nav and Mark Levinson stereo system, which if you get the choice, I'd highly recommend paying a bit more for.

Good luck with your purchase.