Ls 400's And Traders/dealers

[thatfatbloke]

Just had a quick look on fleabay at LS's and noticed that the vast majority of them are being sold through the trade,over 75% of them in fact. So why is it that when I want to part-ex anything bigger than a 2-litre car for example that the dealer always says 'You'd be better off getting shot of it privately mate,I wouldn't be able to sell that gas guzzler 'cos no-one wants 'em'.

I did have the theory that the dealer would have no trouble in selling a Lexus as it's an excellent car,but some of these LS400's have been on fleabay for months.

Strange.

[jpjsavage]

That's puzzled me a bit too. From my limited experience (viewing two LS400 at dealers), I can conclude that both cars were in a less than desirable state. The privately owned cars I viewed had been looked after carefully. Clearly, this is a bit of a crass generalisation. I guess that dealers get these cars very cheaply (through auctions, occasional part-ex perhaps?) and feel they can sell them on for a small profit. If I were spending between £500 - £5000 on a car I would always go for a private sale.

[messi]

I wouldnt trust car traders anyway. Dealers are okay, but traders, thats a no. I remember before i bought my ls430, i saw one on the net a trader was selling. It was close to me. So i called him up, sure enough he made out the car was in pristine condition with no mechanical issues and that he'd do a trade in with my Audi S4 i had then which was a 99 model worth around £3000 of i sold it privately. So from the pictures the ls430 looked clean aswell. So i went down, omg, the car had scratches everywhere on it, but he didnt tell me that. When i started the ls430 up, there was a massive roar to it. The downpipe was blown. To top it of he wanted my Audi S4 for £500. Obviously i wasnt happy at all, so you can guess what i said to him.

[Bluesman]

I don't know what the difference is between Traders and Dealers they all know how to lie and leave out important info had you of known at the time of purchase would mean you wouldn't have bought it in the first place.

Always remember that when you are buying a car today it is the rarest car on this earth and he could sell it a hundred times over for the screen price easily. Take that same car back to him a week later and suddenly there is just no call for this type of car any more.

I understand that sellers of cars as a living have to make a profit and I don't have problem with that what I cant deal with are the deceit and lies from the.

I know of one LS400 98 MK IV in Hampshire the dealer has had for sale now approaching 3 years. It still sits at the back of the barn where his cars are stored and he is still to lazy to pull it out when possible customers come to see it even with appointments made 3 days in advance.

When these LS go through auctions such as British Cat Auctions which just down the road from me you would be astonished at just how low these cars make as the hammer goes down. I have seen MK 4s go through with 100k on the clock and all keys for £300. The dealers are frightened of them as they know it will be a difficult car to sell which means they would have to actually work hard to sell it and hard work is something that doesn't sit well with any dealer/trader.

Here endeth todays lesson, I will now go and find a darkend room with a nice cup of tea and have a play of the latest Joe Bonamassa DVD, Christmas present.

Mike

[mikeyv]

I bought mine from an established eBay trader with good feedback.

He was a tidy bloke and told me that he had an agreement with the local Honda dealer, whereby he took all their part exes, good bad or indifferent, apart from those the dealer could retail of course.

He would then sell the good stuff, through eBay and other ads, and mainly dispose of the tat through the proper auctions.

I would say that there are good and bad traders, often you can get a good idea just from their adverts, or over the phone, you just need to use your common sense mostly.

One thing to bear in mind - trade prices on LS 430s are VERY low - I had a shock when putting the reg nos of a couple of 430s in to Glass's guide online - try it yourselves for a giggle.

[Scribe]

Can't help feeling that most of the 400s currently on eBay and Autotrader are sheds and/or grossly overpriced. And you don't see many late ones for sale. It looks like everyone's hanging on to them - perhaps because early 430s don't seem worth trading up to?

My very limited experience of car traders (people who buy and sell cars as a sideline to their everyday work) is that they hope to make a few hundred quid on each deal, so they're not going to spend anything on the car to fix serious faults. I went to look at a 400 being sold by a trader and it had more problems than I wanted to take on, especially at the price he wanted. And traders are more likely to buy a Lexus that needs work, because private owners who maintain cars properly are going to sell them privately to get a decent price.

[steve2006]

I've seen some right sheds over the years, a year 2000 Toyota Celsior that looked like it had been driven around ploughed fields judging by the amount of mud underneath and around the arches plus the whole body had plant material growing in it, this was a trader.

I also went looking with another LOC member and saw a 1998 LS400 in gold, again a trader. Must admit from a distance it looked nice but having seen the height sensor link replaced with a nylon zip tie and both rear exhaust boxes from another model held on by several jubilee clips it was time to walk away.

Another thing to look for is the amount of previous owners, the 1st will have looked after the car with dealer servicing, the second probably the same or independant servicing,3rd owner doesn't bother as much about servicing or washing/waxing get to the 4th and it's now treated as a banger so deteriorates rapidly.

I also keep looking at JDM imports, I have noticed recently that there are a lot fewer low mileage ones coming up, the Japanese economy must mean they are now hanging on to their cars a lot longer even though their equivalent MOT is very difficult to pass.

[Cotswold Pete]

Just had a quick look on fleabay at LS's and noticed that the vast majority of them are being sold through the trade,over 75% of them in fact. So why is it that when I want to part-ex anything bigger than a 2-litre car for example that the dealer always says 'You'd be better off getting shot of it privately mate,I wouldn't be able to sell that gas guzzler 'cos no-one wants 'em'.

I did have the theory that the dealer would have no trouble in selling a Lexus as it's an excellent car,but some of these LS400's have been on fleabay for months.

Strange.

I guess traders/dealers want a quick sale, so either a frugal motor or something that stands out, and your average 2litre will not stand out.

When I was looking for my MK 4, I saw a lot of cr*p on eBay, and it was obvious by looking at the photos, and i found the front seat was always a good place to start looking.

I got mine from a dealer (who runs out of the back of chicken farm near Taunton), honest guy, bought on sight, and he said only trades Toyota,/Lexus VW, and Mercs as he never has a recall on warranty.

I think it is pot luck, as it was only when I got my second LS400 I realised I had bought a bit of a clonker first time, and had probably paid over the odds, but at least this forum is a great place to have others give their views.

Also I think once you get a good LS, less likely to want to sell it unless your looking to upgrade or give up driving, so less private sales

[The-Acre]

Just had a quick look on fleabay at LS's and noticed that the vast majority of them are being sold through the trade,over 75% of them in fact. So why is it that when I want to part-ex anything bigger than a 2-litre car for example that the dealer always says 'You'd be better off getting shot of it privately mate,I wouldn't be able to sell that gas guzzler 'cos no-one wants 'em'.

I did have the theory that the dealer would have no trouble in selling a Lexus as it's an excellent car,but some of these LS400's have been on fleabay for months.

Strange.

Interestingly my last LS (a 93) sold on eBay to a dealer. I keep looking to see if it rears its head again but nothing so far.

[Malc]

He's probably using it for his own personal transport

Malc

[jpjsavage]

The first LS I went to look at was at a garage very close to my house (literally 5 min walk). It was a 1993 Celsior and in a pretty terrible state. I had advice from folk on here about it and walked away. However, I did drive it and, even in the state it was in, it was a fantastic drive!

[beeblebrox]

Well this makes for sobering reading.

I'm going to be buying my first LS400 some time in the next couple of months and the thought of buying from a trader didn't seem too bad until I read this thread. A lot of the privately offered cars on eBay/gumtree at the moment do seem to be sheddy and the traders are much more persuasive with their wording.

Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places?

[Malc]

No your not. I was a car dealer and happened to take in part exchange a LS400 that I couldn't then shift !

So I drove ir as my personal car and some 10 years later and now on my third I realise just how lucky I was to chance upon the LS400.

Many dealers / traders love some of their cars and will nurture and love it as their own ( which of course they are ). They have a simple financial interest in the car and will preserve it's value as best as possible until it's sold ...... simple economics.

There's going to be a good one out there for you, you've just got to be picky and a dedicated hunter.

Malc

[Bluesman]

Well this makes for sobering reading.

I'm going to be buying my first LS400 some time in the next couple of months and the thought of buying from a trader didn't seem too bad until I read this thread. A lot of the privately offered cars on eBay/gumtree at the moment do seem to be sheddy and the traders are much more persuasive with their wording.

Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places?

Hello and welcome to the best kept secret in motoring the LS400. We are a friendly bunch and there is always plenty of help on hand to newbys such as yourself to help you into the ownership of the greatest car on the road today (for normal people, yes, I would have a Bugatti Veyron when I win the lottery) I would still keep my Lexus. There are lots of unloved LSs out there and you need to avoid them like the plague, there are some nice ones that come onto the market but you just have to be patient. If cars are a long distance from you, you can always ask if there is a member near by that could take a quick look for elimination purposes. Good luck Mike

[Scribe]

Hi Beeblebrox and welcome to the Club. I echo what Malc and Mike have said: there are good 400s out there, but you may need to spend some time travelling to find them. Mine was bought privately in August 2010 from someone 230 miles away, which may seem a bit mad, but after looking at another example (younger, more expensive, fewer miles but more faults) I could tell it was a good buy - and I still think it was. Apart from the pleasure I get from driving it, it's got through two MOTs without work and has barely depreciated. So I'd say: look at a few cars, then you've got something to make comparisons. You won't regret buying a good one, but you might regret settling for a dodgy one. Any good one will need maintenance and will have the occasional problem - they're just cars, after all - but people on here are very willing to share their knowledge and experience. Good luck with your search.

[ambermarine]

There are two excellent examples on eBay at the moment Mark IVs around 100 -120 k miles price probably above book but if they are above average they are worth it.

They are dealers but that is not a condemnation of the oppotunitty to view.

It as already been stated by others all the reasons why traders end up with these cars,what people should also know is that Lexus will not resell any Lexus that is more than 6 years old so they could be trade purchases from Lexus dealerships that have been taken by Lexus in part exchange.

[jpjsavage]

Just adding my welcome to the forum. From my experiences in buying an LS400 over the last six months, I would agree that the key thing is patience. The right car will come along eventually but be prepared to wait for it.

[Maduggo]

Hiya and welcome

Traders of cars are like any business person, you get good ones and you get bad ones. Some that care and some that wont give a rats ***** if you die in a shed they sell as it's sold as seen.

Just be patient and you will find a car you want.

Took me a few months and several hundred miles to get my first Ls, was a Ls400, had it a year and then spent a few months and several more hundred miles before i found the stunning Ls430 i have now.

Many others on here have done very similar and got the car they wanted.

You can too with patience and a little of luck.

[beeblebrox]

Hi all and thanks for the warm welcome.

This really does seem to be a well-mannered and knowledgable forum, and I'm looking forward to getting my own 'Japanese Rolls-Royce' and contributing back to the forum as I can.

Unfortunately my being in South Wales means that the majority of cars worth going to see are all a fair old way away, so when a decent-looking motor comes up perhaps I'll ask if anyone could give it a once-over before I make a potentially pointless long journey.

I'm going to take my time and wait for the right car rather than drop hundreds on the first one that comes along, so everything I'm reading on this forum has been really helpful so far. The LS is going to sit alongside my MX-5 as the wafty long-distance cruiser. It'll certainly be quieter on the motorways! :)

[MNP]

Hi,

And welcome, I managed to find my LS400 on eBay recently, a very nice gentleman who, I discovered later, was a LOC member for a while.

I went to look at two Mk4's, one private and one dealer. Both were over priced and tatty, they would have been Ok but required lots of tlc and money, so I held out. The thing about eBay is that you can view, test drive and walk away if it's not as described or doesn't feel right. Whilst my Mk3 is a year or two older and much higher mileage than the others I looked at, she looks more like 82000 than the 182000 she has on the clock. She has been and still is loved!!!

The key is to wait until the right one comes along. Good luck.

Mark.

[Bluesman]

Hi all and thanks for the warm welcome.

This really does seem to be a well-mannered and knowledgable forum, and I'm looking forward to getting my own 'Japanese Rolls-Royce' and contributing back to the forum as I can.

Unfortunately my being in South Wales means that the majority of cars worth going to see are all a fair old way away, so when a decent-looking motor comes up perhaps I'll ask if anyone could give it a once-over before I make a potentially pointless long journey.

I'm going to take my time and wait for the right car rather than drop hundreds on the first one that comes along, so everything I'm reading on this forum has been really helpful so far. The LS is going to sit alongside my MX-5 as the wafty long-distance cruiser. It'll certainly be quieter on the motorways! :)

South Wales ?? You live next door to Profess Gas in Hengoed they will convert your pride & joy to LPG in a day and they do a fantastic job.

Mike