IS250 Opinion - Super Low Mileage - Good or Bad?

bobmc · February 26, 2016

I'm looking to buy a used IS250 and I'm having trouble finding good examples near me but I've recently seen an IS250 for sale on 2005 plate with only about 40K on the clock.

I've spoken to the dealer and he tells me that the sole previous owner lives in spain for most of the year and hence the low mileage.

However, I've heard people say that long periods of standing unused are not good for engines. Also, checking the MOT history suggests that it wasn't too well cared for as there were advisories regarding brakes and misted shocks that repeated year after year.

It's about £700 - £800 over what an average mileage example would typically be but I'm assuming that as it looks as if it needs a brake service and new shocks I might be able to use that to negotiate a discount.

I'd welcome any thoughts or comments you good people may have

Bluesman · February 26, 2016

Hi Bob, There's no magic answer to finding your car other than to be single minded in your hunt. When I am after something I first get all the sites I need to visit on a twice daily visit to sites that I would check sometimes hourly, seems a bit over the top? most sites especially sites like eBay and Autotrader can change in an instance and if your not there when it pops up you can miss it. Good luck with your hunt. Mike.

Cracksta · February 26, 2016

Was the car sitting in a garage or sitting on the street for the pro-longed time?

As long as it has full service history and you've test driven it, you'll be in a better place to decide, not all 'full serviced' cars means its a good one though, it could've had a hard life.

Check the mot history from the government website, might give you a better feel of it.

is200 Newbie · February 26, 2016

Sorry but I would trust your own instinct over what a dealer tells you - they will want to sell the car, they will use any excuse to gloss over any issue to sell or to make the car stand out as the brightest can in the lot.. Best get the name of the owner, contact him and from there base your decision both on what the dealer and the owner has told you. If it does turn out the owner lives in Spain then it would give some confidence in the dealer. Like cracksta said above, you can check its history, tax and if its currently insured on the DVLA web pages.

My opinion is that a car like this needs to be run - high mileage is of no issue at all providing you look after it and by that I mean the basics (oil / brakes etc) as they are built solid otherwise, ok you do get into servicing timescales from an older car more but nothing that would not crop up with time for a low miler. I would check fluids / rubber hoses / greased components from a car that sits idle for most of the time. Contacting the owner may reveal if he has had it from new and also how often it has been used. Might turn out he has and only done supermarket miles or school runs...not enough in my opinion to keep a car in good running order (just my opinion)

If not phased by the owners opinions on here then take a very good look at the condition of it - exhaust will be another good essential area to check as sitting for long periods without use could corrode it, caught me out when mine went with a quoted price from Lexus of £2700 for replacement!! (not available as a 3rd party part so only option is eBay or a custom exhaust) - brakes will also seize. There are no cam belts on these (chains on them - no issue there from a low miler)

What model is it and what price is it up for? Full service history?

Remember the service intervals go by mileage and by year so it will have to have been kept up to date with the stamps not due to the mileage but for the years. From what you have said, brakes and shocks then you will be looking at approx. £1500 fitted - more from a dealer. If the plugs have not been done then add another 500 on top of that!

bobmc · February 26, 2016

Thanks for the helpful comments guys

It was garaged when the owner was away. From the photo's it looks good cosmetically and it has SatNav/Reverse camera and Mark Levinson Audio

On the negative side it is older than I would have liked (but on the other hand it's well within budget) and the MOT history implies only basic maintenance was carried out

I'm looking on all the major sites, autotrader/motors/pistonheads/LOC and eBay but they're few and far between in the local area (Teesside)

I haven't had chance to go and look at it (even this one is 50 miles away) but I've done a little plus/minus comparison for myself and I think I will go and take a look and avoid being tempted into taking any rash decisions.

IS200 Newbie

I've followed your posts recently with interest. Hopefully your troubles are behind you now.

There are some comments in the MOT history referring to exhaust corrosion (mentioned in 2011@31K, mentioned again in 2012@34K, but not mentioned since) so I will pay special attention to this when I view the car.

The plugs 'should' have been done in 2011/2012 but again, I will check this out when I go to view.

It's listed by the dealer as an 'SE' but it would appear to have most of the options for an 'SE-I' - 17in wheels, leather interior, Multimedia, asking 5995

is200 Newbie · February 26, 2016

I think the dealer price is being swayed by the relatively low mileage on this one, mileage on a car this old should not be a big factor as it doesn't tell the story of how the cars been looked after as you have witnessed - 5995 to me sounds a bit too OTT considering you could be looking at a few quite expensive fixes. Its definitely a contender for haggling down but take into account the prices you are faced with to put right - if you do go for it as is and applying the cost of the repairs (brakes / exhaust etc) then you will be looking at 9k overall (cost plus repair) to make this car happy again and at that price you are into a different price bracket of a car that you can be buying.

It depends upon what you find regarding exhaust and brakes. Those alone will add 3k to your bill from a dealer. Ask the dealer to put it through its MOT at an independent garage (not his) to ensure the exhaust and brakes are good. If bad then ask him to put right before he sells. I am sure when he see's the cost of parts then he will be willing to do a deal.

Check the exact spec - there are SE-L and SE-I options out there which are quite similar in the markings. Have a look at the V5 doc to make sure. I am pretty sure a check using the car reg on the DVLA site will let you know what it is to be sure.

My price would be £4500 but even then I would be a bit wary. Check the oil - if black then I would leave alone. Check for white crusting around the water pump area (front of car between the rad and engine block towards the bottom of the engine) which would indicate water pump issues, not due to use but due to age. Tyres, chech these are on the right way as I have seen cars and purchased one that had the tryes on the wrong way round (rotation indicator wrong) masking issues with the steering / shocks etc. Wear on outside on a "rotated" tyre would indicate issues. 2 keys essential - one being the master. Only one key then consider another 300£ to add to your bill.

One very good opportunity to see the cars health, may be a bit too late to organise this, get or take a Bluetooth OBD reader with you, plug it in and read the history of any errors. Some dealers will wipe this clean but some may not. Its an easy check to do. No indicator lights on the dash wont mean there never has been, they could have been cleared but still stored within the ecu. I have checked this twice when buying a car - once it brought up the history and the other it did not. Worth a go.

Lastly, don't be persuaded by the first one you see, although you have only found this one, there are a lot out there in better condition.

ahmedali44 · February 26, 2016

Sometimes u got to travel to get a decent car as I travelled from Essex to Plymouth but I got from lexus main dealer. Make sure it's got 2 keys, otherwise it will cost u 300, u can use this as haggleing point, use auto trader valuation site then u will have a rough idea of value of car.is it possible u can put link on here of the car. But it's v low mileage for 2005.i got 2009 with 40k on clock.if it's 2005 it probably is se-l. But sometimes se got extra like se-l

ahmedali44 · February 26, 2016

27 minutes ago, ahmedali44 said:

Sometimes u got to travel to get a decent car as I travelled from Essex to Plymouth but I got from lexus main dealer. Make sure it's got 2 keys, otherwise it will cost u 300, u can use this as haggleing point, use auto trader valuation site then u will have a rough idea of value of car.is it possible u can put link on here of the car. But it's v low mileage for 2005.i got 2009 with 40k on clock.if it's 2005 it probably is se-l. But sometimes se got extra like se-l

Think I found car, is it Yg55pvs, too much advisories,need all brakes for sure I say offers around £4000.mot only until March 2016.i personally would use advisories for haggleing. Rather then travelling there make offer over phone and point out all advisories. According to autotrader valuation it's worth private just over 5k, dealer 6k but it need lot of work. Best of luck mate

steveledzep · February 26, 2016

52 minutes ago, ahmedali44 said:

Sometimes u got to travel to get a decent car

I live in Carmarthenshire in South West Wales, a million miles from everywhere

My last four cars have been collected from Milton Keynes, Wrexham, Newark and my present one from Southport. Two Saabs and two Lexus, all bought blind after serious discussions with the vendor. All have been excellent. You can usually make a good judgement on the seller. I do have past experience in the motor trade, albeit 30 odd years ago, traders buy blind all the time based on an unwritten trust between dealers.

toffee_pie · February 26, 2016

I travel where ever for cars, I don't get people restricting themselves to a distinct area for a sizable purchase, second to a house/mortgage a car is probably your single highest investment, it it worth travelling for one? hell yes.

bobmc · February 26, 2016

Thanks for all the helpful comments and thoughts. I was a bit worried about starting another thread about buying a used IS

Ahmedali - you found the right car :) I was being a bit coy I suppose....

I was thinking if I managed to get the price down to 5K it might be worth a punt but your comments have made me reconsider.

It's interesting that you all seem to think that travelling to find the right car is the thing to do. My thoughts were that this would weaken your negotiation if the dealer knew you were willing to travel 100's of miles to buy the car and the fact that you have to do the deal 'sight unseen.

But, as toffee_pie has said, it's a major outlay and worth taking the time and effort to try and get the best deal you can.

Any pointers to where I could get a suitable Bluetooth OBD reader from?

toffee_pie · February 26, 2016

if that car is a lemon, and from what I have read I have no reason to see why its not. You can easily put about £2k into it (or more) parts for a is250 are not cheap.

Discs, shocks, plugs... etc etc. As pointed out they need to be used. Low milage is not always good, more often than not its detrimental to a cars health.

Probably needs tyres too from sitting idle, chuck in about £150 for a corner on the rears alone.

is200 Newbie · February 26, 2016

I use the following OBD scanner

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM327-Mini-Bluetooth-ODB2-ODBII-Car-Auto-Torque-Diagnostic-Scanner-Tool-White-/111744267146?hash=item1a047a338a:g:9oUAAOSw-jhUGtlL

You get what you pay for - I have found it has detected the faults fine that I have had on mine - for a tenner you cant go wrong. You can spend up to whatever you want and get a more in-depth reader, Toyota Techstream is the best but you will pay for it. With the scanner above just download the "Torque" app for your phone or tablet and away you go.

If you are looking outside of your area then if ringing the dealer you don't need to let them know where you are coming from ... tell them you are just around the corner...

bobmc · February 26, 2016

OK, at that price it's definitely worth having one around. I didn't realise they'd got so cheap.

You mentioned some dealers/users will clear codes. Does the app tell you if the codes have been cleared?

is200 Newbie · February 26, 2016

A quick look through eBay (not checked DVLA info) and there are a few on there within budget - need to travel though. I would not be put off by the mileage of them unless you are planning on doing a lot of miles and even then it wont be a big issue

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-IS-250-2-5-SE-L-Full-service-history-/272131999226?hash=item3f5c54c5fa:g:884AAOSwFNZWveRe

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-Lexus-IS-250-2-5-SE-L-4dr-/252266165815?hash=item3abc3c3637:g:6O8AAOSw5dNWpjfc

The one below is on eBay listed wrongly as an ES-L(should be SE-L)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-LEXUS-IS-250-ES-L-2-5L-V6-6-Speed-Manual-/252290210254?hash=item3abdab19ce:g:MH0AAOSwZ1lWecP7

bobmc · February 26, 2016

thanks for the suggestions. 2 were manual transmission though and I would really like auto because it's supposed to be a better match for the car and engine and it's cheaper to tax. Also, I just fancy one after driving manuals for most of my life.

Keep 'em coming though. If anyone spots a bargain - let me know.

ahmedali44 · February 26, 2016

I live in essex, I bought 2 mercs from Glasgow, 1 merc from Cornwall, last lexus is220d was from Preston, this one from Plymouth.if price is right then I go anywhere to buy a car..i try to do deal over phone first then see if it's worth travelling.this is250 got £1100.00 off.

bobmc · February 26, 2016

Meant to say, my budget is about 7K or 8K with £10K being my upper limit - but only if was something special, like the dealers master mechanic's family car.

ahmedali44 · February 26, 2016

It's bit of travelling involved but lexus Coventry got 2 within ur budget is250 se-l,2008,40k on clock argenta ice, its on for 10k but I'm sure if u haggle might get it down.its worth a shot offering over the phone. It's top spec model.u can get reg number on thier website and do mot history check but it's main lexus dealer,so shouldn't b any problems plus u get lexus warranty for 1 yr too.another thing is u have 30 days to return car if ur not happy.best of luck haggleing

.

Gramera flash · February 27, 2016

9 hours ago, ahmedali44 said:

It's bit of travelling involved but lexus Coventry got 2 within ur budget is250 se-l,2008,40k on clock argenta ice, its on for 10k but I'm sure if u haggle might get it down.its worth a shot offering over the phone. It's top spec model.u can get reg number on thier website and do mot history check but it's main lexus dealer,so shouldn't b any problems plus u get lexus warranty for 1 yr too.another thing is u have 30 days to return car if ur not happy.best of luck haggleing

.

That's way overpriced

ahmedali44 · February 27, 2016

Main dealers always overpriced, just got to haggle, mine was on 11500,got them down to 10400,u do get benefit of 1 yr warranty, hpi checked etc etc.as far this cars are concerned u got to haggle with them.

rayaans · February 27, 2016

2 hours ago, Gramera flash said:

That's way overpriced

Its at a dealer hence itll be priced higher than a private car anyway. Lexus coventry have a habit of knocking the price down a lot to make you think you got a good deal when you enquire as well.

johnatg · February 27, 2016

I think that in general you guys are being too hard on the original mentioned car. Little use is not necessarily bad - I bought my current MX-5 at 14 years old and it had done 40K miles - it is now 24 years old and has done 65K. It has been on SORN every winter since new and doesn't really get enough use even during summer. But it has no problems.

Back to the IS250 - yes it will need brake discs, but many IS250s do at 40K miles - and most in the £5K - £6K price range. The front calipers will be OK - you can free the slides as they have hexagons if they are a bit stuck. The rears could possibly need replacement if they are far gone, but not necessarily. Parts costs could be £200-£300 - I doubt that much more would need to be spent, although you can spend much more if you go for upgraded discs and pads. The shock absorber is a bit strange - I'd be inclined to clean it off carefully and see how it goes. If it needs replacing you'll need to do both sides and they are going to be £100 or more a piece. The labour costs for brakes and suspension shouldn't be exorbitant - both are easy routine jobs and any competent diy-er or independent garage could handle them.

I wouldn't worry about plugs - it really is a nonsense changing plugs at time intervals - it's miles, not time which wears them and they don't deteriorate when not used, unlike rubber and oil items. Mine are almost 10 years old and haven't been changed - I haven't got to 60K yet.

Exhaust - probably surface corrosion - it might be a problem, but it's that section where it divides into two which suffers. I'm sure that a good stainless fabricator could make up the section for £300 or so and anyway it might last for years yet.

Tyres - may be needed sooner rather than later - you can spend loadsamoney but you can get a full set of decent tyres for not much more than £300 (eg check out Avon ZV5s from tyre-shopper.co.uk). I'm not necessarily recommending them as the best you can get but they would be fine for most people.

So don't dismiss the car - get an inspection if you're not confident in assessing it yourself and don't go on generalities. Is it worth the money? I'll not comment on price but the work required might justify some off - and a lot depends on how much you can do yourself. Any ten year old car needs competent diy to be an economic proposition (and don't expect zero expenses) - that's why they are so cheap! Buy a newer car if you'll be mostly using garages.

bobmc · February 27, 2016

I'm not dismissing the original car, but I am getting less keen on it. Although to be fair I don't think I'd have started the topic if I didn't have any doubts to begin with.

John, you make some good points but my general thinking is that it's too much of a compromise on age and features really and I'm only really considering it because it's the only one local to me.

I've spent year driving round in company cars and vans and even when I've bought my own it's tended to be cheap runabouts as other things were a priority. But this time, I really want to find something that will give me some pleasure in owning and running it.

With that in mind, the search continues....