Hello everyone,
I'm a new user to this forum, I'm a new user of Lexus community, I have read a lot of threads in this forum and I'm really enjoying to be here.
Just a quick background, my first and only car (before Lexus) was Skoda Octavia 1.6 sedan (gasoline) from 1999 and owned it close to 5 years. Throughout those years I have learned a lot about mechanics and a started to do the maintenance my self. Since the first day I bought it (rushed decision) I was always worried and fixing something. Either it was a blown headgasket, old shockers, electrical problemas, locking mechanism (damn those VW mechanisms) and so on. For the past year I was done with always worrying about something in the car. It practically became Saturday routine to fix something.
This brings me to Lexus. I have read so much about the Lexus. About making very luxurious and reliable cars. I started to look after IS250 from 2008 (due to low budget 12k€), described as a very fun, agile and reliable car (except direct injection system). Unfortunately I live in Portugal and used cars are very expensive and not a lot of them (specially Lexus). In total there are 30 used Lexus currently selling in Portugal under 12k€
Then, there were no more IS250 selling during 2 months, so I started to look after different Lexus models. For my budget I could only find RX400h, IS220d (diesel), IS200, RX300 and that is it. And then, I found GS450h. Although I was looking for something more sporty and with bigger boot, I got very excited by the power it can deliver and luxury put inside it. It was a risky decision for me to buy it since it was located 400km away from me. The car condition on the photos and 65k miles on it got me VERY interested. For that price I couldn't get anything better regarding comfort, power, luxury and condition. The only thing scaring me of buying that car on the same day was the age due to hybrid battery. Car had 12 years and apparently it never changed the battery. Originally this car cost 60k€ and I managed to buy it for little over 10k€.
Fortunately for me the risk has paid off (in my opinion). Car barely had any scratches, had 1 owner who barely drove it (average of 5k miles per year, checked with Lexus dealer), always assisted at Lexus and great condition overall. And after his death his wife didn't need the car so she asked nearest used car dealer to sell the car.
Although hybrid battery will require a soon replacement/reconditioning for sure. When I was using Techstream software (with READY ON and radio ON), hybrid battery was discharging 1 bar per 10 min. Reaching only 2 bars left (purple) ICE would kick-in to charge the battery. Anyway, with luck I might need only to replace some battery modules (40$ each) or even if I replace the whole battery (1600$ total) I still think this car is worth it. Fun, elegant and very low maintenance. It's weird for me that car doesn't need to change anything like a regular car like a driving belt.
The only thing I see in maintenance manual to replace is: oil filter, oil. Occasionally change air filter, clean air conditioner filter. And very rare (spark plugs and coolant). I still don't believe it. Oh and I bet the breaks are still original, since the car uses regenerative braking. I checked them, still within the limits, probably only in 1-2 years I will see the brake pad warning light. Please don't take this literally, I do know the car still requires maintenance, but damn, it is so less than I'm used to.
Another big deal factor that got me into Lexus is the maintenance. Usually who buy a Lexus (at least in Portugal) has the money to pay for the maintenance. And if they have the money to pay for it, they won't go to local sketchy mechanics, specially if there is a problem Hybrid system. And in Lexus if there is a tiny issue, all the warning lights will come on and will bug you until you fix it. That is very good if you are buying a used Lexus and very bad if you are trying to sell a broken Lexus. And it's not easy to camouflage issues. For example, when I bought the car it had a TPMS warning light. I knew it wasn't a big deal and it even helped to negotiate the price (car dealer had no idea what that warning meant).
Anyhow, I'm very happy to be part of this community and I'll try to contribute with what I know and learn throughout the way.
Cheers!
