Need Help Pricing a Used Car: 2002 Lexus ES300

[vh_supra26]

Hi guys, I'm in need of help / adivce. The SO needs a new daily. We found this 2002 ES300 at a Lexus dealer. It has 65,000 miles on it and they were asking $11,900. They told me they would take $10,500. KBB has it priced at $13,500 but Edmunds has it for $9,600. What do y'all think is a good and fair price? What are some common issues on this model? Anything that I should look for? Thank you

[Subie]

That's a lot of money for an 11-year-old car even if it is really clean.

[chulooz]

I bet it will be kicking at triple the milage if its cared for right, for $10k it doesnt seem like a bad deal.

[whaap]

If the car was as nice as the photos indicate I'd buy it after trying for a lower price.

[Mandy]

But the '06 IS250 looks so much better and can be had for just 3 grand more (give/take from that dealerships lowest asking price).


Just personal preference here, you might agree/disagree, but I don't know what you're looking for, or your finances, but if I had to pick a reasonably priced, sporty, sedan, I would be between the IS250 and an Evo/WRX.

[Hanakuso]

My sister has the same car and year with over 100k miles. It's a Camry with nice Lexus luxury so it's pretty reliable. Other then one of the rear windows not working, it's still in solid shape. You should check out a Lexus forum to search common problems and then inspect the car with the knowledge.

Just be warned, it drives like a boat and is extremely boring to drive. Maybe that's a good thing tho

[vh_supra26]

Originally Posted by Subie

That's a lot of money for an 11-year-old car even if it is really clean.

Used cars doesn't seem to be as cheap as they used to be.

Originally Posted by chulooz

I bet it will be kicking at triple the milage if its cared for right, for $10k it doesnt seem like a bad deal.

Originally Posted by whaap

If the car was as nice as the photos indicate I'd buy it after trying for a lower price.

What price would y'all try for?

Originally Posted by Mandy

But the '06 IS250 looks so much better and can be had for just 3 grand more (give/take from that dealerships lowest asking price).

Just personal preference here, you might agree/disagree, but I don't know what you're looking for, or your finances, but if I had to pick a reasonably priced, sporty, sedan, I would be between the IS250 and an Evo/WRX.

I like the IS250 too but alot of them in the 15k price range are at 100,000+ miles.

We're just looking for a nice daily, low miles, good on gas, safe, reliable, and low maintenances.

She doesn't care about FWD, RWD, or AWD. Does not want another sporty sedan. She's actually trying get rid of/trade in her E39.

Originally Posted by Hanakuso

My sister has the same car and year with over 100k miles. It's a Camry with nice Lexus luxury so it's pretty reliable. Other then one of the rear windows not working, it's still in solid shape. You should check out a Lexus forum to search common problems and then inspect the car with the knowledge.

Just be warned, it drives like a boat and is extremely boring to drive. Maybe that's a good thing tho

Thanks for input.

[whaap]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

What price would y'all try for?

Thanks for input.

I'm not sure. Probably start $1200.00 less, hope to meet in the middle. But again, if it's as nice as it looks I'd probably buy it if they didn't budge.

[vh_supra26]

Originally Posted by whaap

I'm not sure. Probably start $1200.00 less, hope to meet in the middle. But again, if it's as nice as it looks I'd probably buy it if they didn't budge.

They're asking 11,900. They said they would take 10,500. So you're saying than take another 1,200 off? Which comes to be 9,300? I would like to stay in the 9k price range. Me Asian, which = cheap :p

[whaap]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

They're asking 11,900. They said they would take 10,500. So you're saying than take another 1,200 off? Which comes to be 9,300? I would like to stay in the 9k price range. Me Asian, which = cheap :p

The worst is they will say no and then you have the option of going up or walking away. If you're a very patient and, as you say, cheap perhaps you can write your phone number on a piece of paper, hand it to them and say: "call me if you change your mind" and walk out . But when you want the car that requires big cojones.

[vh_supra26]

Originally Posted by whaap

The worst is they will say no and then you have the option of going up or walking away. If you're a very patient and, as you say, cheap perhaps you can write your phone number on a piece of paper, hand it to them and say: "call me if you change your mind" and walk out . But when you want the car that requires big cojones.

Ok, thanks for the advice.

[ST185RC]

For ten grand, that's a lot of car for that price. It's already sitting less than the average of the KBB and Edmond's used pricing. I'll say that I'd rather pay 10K for this car than a CSX. I'm not even sure a similar condition CSX could be had for 10K. At the end of the day, you get a solid car with little road noise and something that will pull on the highway when torque is needed and it won't be swaying back and forth from cross drafts or an 18 wheeler passing you.

Contrary to popular belief on this board, not every car is a piece of shit if it doesn't handle like go-kart. For a 10 year old car, I would bet that it's more sturdy, better built and has less rattles and annoyances than a new FR-S/BR-Z.

Take it to your trusted mechanic for an inspection and if the engine is and everything else is healthy, in my honest opinion $10.5K is a reasonable price. If you wanna low ball him, give him the Edmond's price and tell him that it's probably worth less than that because you're taking the time out of your day to check it out then offer $8,888K, then ask him to gift it to save on tax. The scratch on the bumper needs some attention and could bring him down further.

[vh_supra26]

It's at a Lexus dealer so I don't think they can or will write it off as a gift. Yeah I was thinking 9k because the front bumper needs a buff job.