Is This A Good Price On A Lexus Is200se

[Sunil patel]

Hi,

I've agreed to buy a Lexus IS200SE and hopefully will be picking it up on Saturday. Below are some of the details, what would be a cheap price for it. It's a private sale:

IS200SE

2001 (51 Reg)

56K full service history all Lexus except for 1 (will need the 60k service)

Silver

No scratches or dents

6 months MOT and Tax

2 New front tyres

HPI clear

Current owners had it for 18 months and sounds genuine but there have been 4 previous owners.

What price should I be targeting to get a really good deal, it's a private sale?

Thanks

[DJ Wozza]

I'd go for £5000 but they may think I was taking the mickey.

4 previous owners is a heck of a lot, plus current owners

= you will be it's 6th owner in 6 years.....

Does the car have all it's previous M.O.T's ?

It may well be worth an R.A.C. or AA inspection for your peace of mind.

Good luck fella.

[Sunil patel]

I would have thought £5,000 was way too low.

I'm thinking more like £6500 and I will be doing a HPI check.

Parkers say it's £7,330 for a private sale????? Confused

[Rikos]

I think £5000 is way to low and they's probably feel insulted.

I would think around £6400, I paid £5750 for my sport with 64k on the clock so maybe start of at £6000.

Also you say it's had two front tyres, i would recommend if you do buy it to go and get your geo checked straight away just in case as you may be needing two new tyres within a month.

[DJ Wozza]

"I'd go for £5000 but they may think I was taking the mickey."

Exactly !!

£6,000 max because of the previous owners.

An HPI check I believe is included in an RAC inspection. With that many previous

owners I would want a FULL inspection before I would consider buying,

an HPI check is just not enough, I think someone with some real experience needs

to check over the car.

This is my first Lexus , but I am that happy I'll be keeping her for 3 years at least.

I cant see why anyone would want to keep a 'good' Lexus less than 2 years.

Just too many previous owners for my liking,

"you will be it's 6th owner in 6 years"

but other opinions may well differ.

I don't want to sound negative because I love mine, I really do.

I just feel with that many previous owners a full inspection is necessary.

If they are reluctant to allow you to have an inspection done,

WALK AWAY !

£120 or so is a small price for peace of mind on a £6000+ purchase

[ssk]

I bought my father's IS200SE 2001(Y) off of him for 5K. He did me a favour as that is what Saab were offering him on a trade in (80K miles and he was the only owner from new), so I would have thought £5K was way too low for a private sale.

Si

[Rikos]

I agree with wozza that an inspection would be a good idea and number if previous owners is high.

Wozza where do you get £120 price for an RAC inspection. When i rang them up before i got mine they said a full inspection and HPI would be around £300.

If it is only £120 then definately something to look into

[WylieCoyote]

Hello there,

£5k isn't as far-fetched and ridiculous as it sounds and I'm inclined to share opions with DJ on this one. Bear in mind that 6 owners in 6 years is a lot and that is going to hurt your resale chances a lot. Few people will want a 7-owner car - particularly a prestige model; so if you're looking to change within a couple of years I'd advise walking away and finding maybe a 2 or 3-owner vehicle. If you're however looking to run the vehicle until it's dead (it is a Lexus so global warming will have melted the polar ice caps, engulfed most of East Anglia and reversed the North Atlantic trade winds by the time that happens) then it doesn't really make any difference. I'd certainly think about starting mid-late £5000 and look to pay no more than £6000. Remember Lexus's/Lexi (has anyone actually got the definitive answer to this one???) are in plentiful supply on the used car market both through private individuals and dealer showrooms so you can afford to be picky. Inspection is totally mandatory on a non-approved used vehicle. Even £300 would seem a bargain if you didn't get one done and a week later you had some fatal mechanical problem. I'm sure it is a gorgeous vehicle but there are plenty of others out there and I'd just get a tad jumpy about so many owners. Having said that, it's your baby and your money and I just hate it when people tell me how to spend mine so I won't do the same to you! Just make sure you choose wisely and consider not just now, but the future of the vehicle and how it will affect you - and more importantly, your wallet.

Keep us in the loop and good luck with your purchase.

Keith

ssk - you cannot compare a vehicle with one owner from new - whom you know and can vouch for every single mile the vehicle has done to a vehicle that has 5, that will knock hundreds, even thousands off the value of the vehicle.

[DJ Wozza]

Am quoting prices from about 3 years ago when I was an RAC member:winky:,

I'm sure if not a member then prices 30- 40% or more higher maybe,

if its gone up by that much then apologies...my bad .

I have a Lexus approved warranty on mine so free RAC inspection b4

I bought it, and 1 year free RAC total cover too.

[Rikos]

No need to apologise mate your probably right about being a member or not.

[Rory]

in my opinion £5k is a very good price if you can get it for that, especially if the inside is as good condition as you say the outside is, if its hpi clear and everythin works, and u've checked everything that this forum advises you to look for (ball joints, even tyre wear, cd player errors)

bear in mind your 60k service advises the cambelt, plugs and possibly water pump while they're at it, its an expensive service,

£6k to me would definately be worth considering...

[ssk]

ssk - you cannot compare a vehicle with one owner from new - whom you know and can vouch for every single mile the vehicle has done to a vehicle that has 5, that will knock hundreds, even thousands off the value of the vehicle.

It was giving an idea of what a main dealer would give on a trade-in. They don't normally ask how many owners etc (they sometimes don't even look at the car), they just give a bottom price.

Si

[WylieCoyote]

ssk - you cannot compare a vehicle with one owner from new - whom you know and can vouch for every single mile the vehicle has done to a vehicle that has 5, that will knock hundreds, even thousands off the value of the vehicle.

It was giving an idea of what a main dealer would give on a trade-in. They don't normally ask how many owners etc (they sometimes don't even look at the car), they just give a bottom price.

Si

That's true. Dealers are basically out to make as much money as they can and just give you a rock bottom price. They're only in it for the money!

Keith