Thoughts on this 2007 Lexus ES 350 for sale?

[jagsfan05]

I tried pasting the url on here from the car website but it wont let me. Go to Cars of Nashville . com and its the Silver 2007 Lexus ES 350 with 166,500 miles on it for $6595. It has the Carfax on there too.

I test drove it today and it seemed nice. My only concern is the high mileage and the recall issue with the airbag that needs to be fixed. But they mentioned if you take it into a Lexus dealership they would do it for free.

Other than that, what do you think overall? Worth more to look into? If so, I might take it into a local mechanic for a spot check.

Thanks.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

For the benefit of others, here's a direct link: http://carsofnashvilletn.com/2007-Lexus-ES350/Used-Car/Nashville-TN/9522579/Details.aspx

It's in excellent condition for the mileage, which makes me think the mileage was mostly single-person highway road trips. That's much easier on the mechanicals than stop-and-go city driving. If a mechanic checks it out it's probably worth what they're asking.

 

[mmcartalk]

It's in excellent condition for the mileage, which makes me think the mileage was mostly single-person highway road trips. That's much easier on the mechanicals than stop-and-go city driving.

....unless that road-mileage included a lot of mountain driving on older roads, which can be harder on the engine, brakes, and transmission than on level roads.

Here's the car, BTW:
http://www.carsofnashvilletn.com/2007-Lexus-ES350/Used-Car/Nashville-TN/9522579/Details.aspx

I do agree with Ian, though, that it looks very good inside and out, and if it is anywhere near that good under the skin, take it home and enjoy it.


.......and welcome to Lexus Enthusiast, jagsfan05. I see this is your first post.

 

[jagsfan05]

Thanks guys for your responses....maybe it is too high of a price for the high mileage. Just currently down...currently without employment or a vehicle. So I can't necessary just take out a loan for a vehicle and have to pay out of pocket...hence why I was looking in this price range. Just feel like I'm not going to find anything and get out of this hole

 

[jagsfan05]

Just an update...I called the dealership back to see if they had the original maintenance records from the previous car owner and if they would be willing to come down on the price a little bit. If they would, then I would be more open to taking it to a local mechanic to check it out. They didn't have the previous maintenance records and she said all she had was the Carfax. And she mentioned that they aren't willing to come down on the price anymore. She said they have already brought it down from $7,000. As you can see from the listing on CarGuru: https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=178506493

Just frustrated....not willing to pay that price for that high of mileage I don't think. Just don't know what to do from here.

Also, just curious. On another forum, someone said because this car model is a 2007 and over 10 years old, the re-call is no longer outstanding and it is a repair that I would need to pay for? But both the car dealer and the customer service rep from the Lexus phone line told me that the recall would be free even with this 2007 model if I brought it into a Lexus dealer? Confused...who is right?

 

[ThePenguin]

Airbag recalls are free

As for service history, it's pretty limited on that vehicle, but I found a few things worth mentioning:
-The VVTI tube became deformed in 2009, causing an oil leak, which was replaced under warranty.
-New spark plugs were done at 132k miles, along with a coolant flush, and resurfacing the brake rotors.
-An inspection in 2016 found that the timing cover, axle boot, camshaft, crank, and rear main seals were all leaking. The owner declined repairs at that time.

Without a doubt you need to have a Pre-Purchase Inspection done on that vehicle before you take it home.

 

[jagsfan05]

Airbag recalls are free

As for service history, it's pretty limited on that vehicle, but I found a few things worth mentioning:
-The VVTI tube became deformed in 2009, causing an oil leak, which was replaced under warranty.
-New spark plugs were done at 132k miles, along with a coolant flush, and resurfacing the brake rotors.
-An inspection in 2016 found that the timing cover, axle boot, camshaft, crank, and rear main seals were all leaking. The owner declined repairs at that time.

Without a doubt you need to have a Pre-Purchase Inspection done on that vehicle before you take it home.

Thank you for saying that. Just out of curiosity...where are you getting that information from? I don't know much about cars or how to really read Carfax that great but I don't see any of that listed on the Carfax? Where are you seeing that information? I see the part about the new spark plugs on the detailed history on the Carfax but I don't see any of that other stuff mentioned? Thanks!

 

[ThePenguin]

Thank you for saying that. Just out of curiosity...where are you getting that information from? I don't know much about cars or how to really read Carfax that great but I don't see any of that listed on the Carfax? Where are you seeing that information? I see the part about the new spark plugs on the detailed history on the Carfax but I don't see any of that other stuff mentioned? Thanks!

I work at a Lexus dealership and have access to the national service history database.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Nice work, ThePenguin. That's important info to know!

 

[jagsfan05]

I work at a Lexus dealership and have access to the national service history database.

Thank you so much!! So I take it you just ran the VIN through your system to find all that? I really appreciate you doing that.

See this is what I mean though...that is extremely worrisome that the regular car buyer wouldn't be able to tell those issues! So how am I ever supposed to purchase a vehicle (whether Lexus or something else) with confidence? That scares me half to death. But maybe I assume if you take it to a mechanic to get inspected before hand they would have also found out all these things that you mentioned or not necessarily? Sorry, don't know a ton about cars.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

A good mechanic should've picked up on all of those things if they're still problems.

There's also the possibility that the owner had them fixed for cheaper by someone other than a Lexus dealer, in which case that wouldn't show up in the database ThePenguin quoted.