Looking To Buy Used Gs 450h Se-l - Need Advice

[autobahn]

I'm looking to buy a used GS 450h SE-L. I have a budget of around £30K. The best GS 450h SE-L that I can get from a Lexus dealer appears to be around two years old (56-plate) at close to 20K miles. I'm a bit confused with some dealer cars as one doesn't have the wooden steering wheel. I thought this was standard on the SE-L model? What i'd like to know is if a 2-year old GS450h comes standard with the following and which of these are options:

1. Wooden steering wheel

2. Adaptive cruise control

3. Mark Levinson music system

4. Parking sensors + rear camera

5. Xenon headlights

Also, how much can I realistically negotiate with the dealer in the current economic climate? I'd like to get any scuff marks and stone chips repaired, a full professional valet, a service if the mileage is close to a service, new carpet mats, a years road tax included, satnav map upgrade CD/DVD and new tyres if the present ones are worn. And are dealers generally flexible on price?

[DJ Wozza]

I'm dead jealous, I had a GS450h as a loan when my car was in for service, impressive motor !!

I can't help with the specifications, but read on.

In the current climate I'd suggest you can push hard to get the deal you want, it is worth going to at least

2 different dealers and push as hard as you dare for the the bits you mention.

...any scuff marks and stone chips repaired, a full professional valet, a service if the mileage is close to a service, new carpet mats, a years road tax included, satnav map upgrade CD/DVD and new tyres if the present ones are worn

The worst they can do is try to knock you down a little on what you are asking for. The road tax should be

included with an Approved Used Lexus I believe, so barter hard !! Don't be afraid to look like you are going

to walk away, they need your business. Remeber, best poker face, and don't be afraid to try another dealer

to get exactly what you want. There are many Lexus Dealers in London :)

When I bought my used IS200 2 1/2years ago, it was up for £10,999, I paid £9,000 with the car serviced,

New alloys, mats, and my 1st service completely free !! I was originally offered the car with £1,000 off, and

said I'd think about it. The following day I had a call with another £1,000 off as a 'final offer'. I then asked for

the 1st service free. 10 minutes later I was called to say if I came that day to start the documentation I could

have the deal that I wanted. That was in happier economic times, so push hard for your deal.

Also anything you are getting 'extra' make sure they put that in writing on the sales document, I produced this

when the presented me with a bill for my first service.. they were shocked in the service dept, but then went to

check and I paid nothing :D

Let us know how you get on.

[autobahn]

Thanks for the advice, DJ Wozza. Oh, I forgot to mention that i'd like new wiper blades too!

It's funny but one dealer simply wasn't interested in selling me a GS 450h. I tried another one and after the initial "we're a big dealership and have got the best stock" he found one with a few scuff marks and a couple of stone chips. But at least he was interested in selling me a car. It's a shame that the dealerships aren't networked so you're stuck with the very limited stock from individual dealerships.

The mileage on the Lexus site for approved used vehicles also seems to be incorrect. I enquired about one car and found that the mileage advertised was lower by 1,500 miles than the real mileage.

Anyway, i'm determined to find a decent dealership and get a GS 450h.

Can someone clarify if road tax is included with an approved used Lexus? The dealer I spoke to today said I would have to add the cost of road tax to the purchase price.

[Parthiban]

Hi there, notice you're in London, which dealers have you visited so far? If your budget is £30k, I think it may go a little further than you might be expecting. When I was at my dealer a few weeks ago, they had two '08' plate GS450hs (facelifted models), one an SE-L in white and the other a Sport in caspian sky both for £36k. They are now £33k and £35k respectively and I'm sure are very negotiable (yes that's right, just a few months old and well over £10k off list!). Therefore a 2006 car is easily mid-20s pricewise, and should be able to knock a few £k off that.

As far as spec is concerned, I believe everything you've mentioned there is included on the SE-L except the wooden steering wheel, I think this was an option so will be there on some cars and not on others.

Now is the time to drive a hard bargain, as the dealers are desperate to sell cars and the dealerships are like ghost towns regarding customers! Don't let them see how much you want it and you should be able to get an excellent discount. Yes they don't tax the used vehicles, so that's something you'll also need to negotiate into the deal :winky:

[autobahn]

When did the facelift happen? I got two different answers from two different Lexus dealers!

[DJ Wozza]

also try looking on the Lexus website for the car to narrow down your search,

you can put in model and area, let their site do the searching for you !!

[DJ Wozza]

just looked for cars in London (where in London are you ?) , £26,000 to £34,000 price range..

for £32,995 Mar 08 Black

for £29,995 Nov 07 Black

There is a big selection mate, and these are without haggling at all, so expect at least a grand or more off.

CLICK HERE

[Mike246]

Hi Autobahn,

Your post caught my attention as I bought a '07 GS430 three months ago. The reality of the fuel increase at that time (before the full impact of the crunch) was that the car was very diffcult to offload as only a lunatic would buy a V8. In fact the consumption is not bad at all as the engine never goes above 2,000 rpm - I get 31+ on the motorway.

The goodies you mention are all on the 430 as standard. The wooden steering wheel is wonderful and makes the car delightful to use. The adaptive cruise control really works and radar locks onto a car at up half a mile - best not to use it near Chatham docks or any of the RAF bases!

The Mark Levinson system is good and even plays DVDs on screen with the parking brake on. Not much practical use and shame there is no TV tuner or iPOD input.

The reversing aid and steering-linked display are very effective but the car is a big lump to park in any event. I've owned a GS for 10 years and still can't get it right.

The satnav has inbuilt traffic warning and is quite complicated to use. Apart from that you have voice control, effective cellphone integration (beware - model dependant), variable suspension setting and computerised almost everything.

In particular the six-speed transmission is superb and well-matched with the V8 engine.

You might want to consider the petrol 430 as an alternative is they will be much cheaper than a hybrid - either way you will still shed loads of money between buying and selling!

[Parthiban]

When did the facelift happen? I got two different answers from two different Lexus dealers!

It was the beginning of this year - I think '08' plate onwards.

It's quite obvious to spot the difference though, facelifted cars have a different front bumper and indicators in the wing mirrors :)

As Wozza says there's plenty to choose from, and if you can afford it I'd go for the newer ones and haggle like crazy as they've really taken a huge depreciation hit - comparatively the older cars are not as good value for money unless they knock a lot off the price.

[autobahn]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies. It's given me a lot of confidence to commit to becoming a Lexus owner finally! I will find some time over the next 3-4 weeks to locate a car and haggle hard. I am guessing that this is quite a good time to buy with the holiday season approaching. If I could get an '08-plate for as close to £30K as possible then that would be the ideal scenario but I can stretch my budget very slightly is need be (possibly up to £32K).

I have to say i've been on many car forums over the years and i'm very impressed with the LOC. The friendliness and helpfulness is very much appreciated. I hope to be able to fill in the 'Lexus Model' part of my profile before Christmas!

[DJ Wozza]

If you get the car before Christmas, there is a big Lexus Meet on December 20th,

click my signature below for more details.....

Glad to have helped fella.

[Parthiban]

If I could get an '08-plate for as close to £30K as possible then that would be the ideal scenario but I can stretch my budget very slightly is need be (possibly up to £32K).

If that's your budget, you'll get an '08' plate no problem :winky:

If you haven't already, make sure to pop into Lexus Woodford (as they have some cracking deals on) and if you go to Edgware Road, make sure to deal with AJ there.............

Good luck with finding a car, I'm sure you'll be able to find one soon :)

[Huddy]

Autobahn

I don't know if you've actually driven a SE-L. I have, and I couldn't live with it. The sunroof makes the headroom too low for me. I'm 6ft on a warm day and there are people taller than me, so I thought I should warn you. I had to opt for a SE, which has everything you list apart from the adaptive cruise control and the wooden steering wheel. I did quite fancy the auto cruise.

Someone mentioned the six speed box (on the 430). The hybrid version doesn't actually have a six speed box. It uses a CVT, which works very well. The sequential shift function isn't a gear change as you may be used to in other cars. It reduces the ratio relative to the speed the car would have chosen had it been left to it's own devices. Using this causes the regenerative braking to come into effect. You can, (as I have often done without realising it ), drive around in a lower ratio and the car still operates normally, varying the ratio as you change speed. I sense that over time, if you had selected a lower ratio, the car raises it back to normal if you don't change it yourself. Maybe someone else can confirm this.

Yes, it will have sensors and rear camera as standard. That wasn't a huge selling point for me at the time, but now I have it I can't live without it. The camera allows you to reverse out of your driveway while your back window is misted or frosted up. It's actually easier to reverse using the camera than using the mirrors. But you need to watch you don't swipe something with your front wing as you steer in reverse.

I believe the Mark Levinson system is standard on the SE and SE-L. I don't rate it so highly. I don't enjoy listening to music on it, as it sounds flat. I also find the speed-related volume control is less than effective, and I'm constantly adjusting the volume when I stop at lights. I've heard better systems in run of the mill cars, and it irks me that Lexus make such a big deal about it. It certainly doesn't match Merc and BMW systems.

You should get a decent car for much less than 30k. Try outside London, as I understand buyers are travelling north to buy their cars up here, as they are cheaper. We don't have the congestion charge up here.

Yes, Lexus do tax the car for you. I think it's less than £200 anyway, so it wouldn't break your 30k budget.

Good luck.

[braindead]

I've had my 450h for just 3 weeks. It was bang on two years old with 39k on the clock when I bought it from Lexus Coventry. It was advertised as an SE but has ventilated seats so maybe it's an SE-L - I don't know.

Paid just £20,700 for it and got new alloys and mats thrown in. They gave me £6,500 trade in on my 53 plate Prius (yes! Prius). The asking price was £21,900. I'm very, very happy with the deal and the car. Only slight downsides are minor scuffs where a roof rack has been attached I think (not surprising given the boot size) and a couple of scratches on the wood inside.

I did the old trick of going in a few days before month end - that always seems to help as they try to hit their targets.

What a car for the money. £46k new, £20.7k after two years.

[Huddy]

It was advertised as an SE but has ventilated seats so maybe it's an SE-L - I don't know

My SE also has ventilated seats, and I thought it was standard. If you need to know what spec you have, there is a plate on the driver's door pillar showing the exact spec.

[kns]

To awnser your questions, the pre-facelift GS450h SE-L (06 to beginning of 08) had all the items you mention apart from the wooden wheel. That item was part of the 'wood pack' which meant the wheel and gear selector - an option I specified when I bought my car.

The post facelift deleted the wood pack option altogether, its now only available on the GS460, and the ACC and Sunroof became part of an option pack. Adaptive Cruise has always been an important feature for me, great if your a lazy driver!!!!!!!

Regards

Keith

[bob.grainger]

I bought an '07 GS450-h SE-L, 25k miles with wood pack, about 6 months ago, from Lexus Coventry. It's in metallic Mesa Red with the light colour leather and looks absolutely superb when the sun catches it. I paid 31k but consider that fair because the car was in a superb almost new condition - it even still smelt new. For me two major plus points of the car are the adaptive cruise control (this is stunningly good) and the acceleration (when you put your foot down and you get both motors kicking in it feels like a rocket lift off). I took it down the Fosse Way a few weeks ago, a road notorious for lack of places to pass, and found that I could easily just zip past other cars that in any other car I would never have even dared to attempt.

It's a very different car to any I have driven before, and I agree with the earlier comments about reduced headroom and small boot, but all in all I'm a happy bunny (and even better - my wife loves it also !)

BTW Lexus Coventry offer superb service.