Talk me out of (or into) this.

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
So I've been looking for a newer car for an eternity now. I want a IS 350, but there are so few for sale in my area that the last several months have been frustrating to say the least.

I found one about 50 miles from me today, and so far it looks really good.
2006, one owner, 30k miles, apparently excellent condition with Nav + premium stereo upgrades. $20k.
Blue book is $25k private seller, so this looks like a good price. Assuming the test drive and inspection go well, it may be a winner.

Assuming there are no surprises, does this sound like a deal to you guys? I don't have a link because the listing is no longer up, but the car looked mint from the pictures. Not the exact color choice I wanted (silver exterior with black leather interior), but it could be much worse.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Sounds wonderful to me. Price is somewhat suspicious, but who knows. 30k miles is nothing, unless it was just beat to shit during that time (unlikely).
 

lastig21

Platinum Member
Oct 23, 2000
2,145
0
0
Amazing price. Pull the carfax, and see if the owner minds letting you have it inspected at a body shop. Nice choice!
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Yeah this is what I was thinking about the price as well. I'm planning on checking it out thoroughly, since the only ones I've seen at this price have been either really high mileage or cars with previous accidents.
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Update, apparently the seller is deployed overseas, but offered to ship the car to me at his expense so I could check it out (!). I offered to just come pick it up myself... waiting for a response. How would a purchase and title transfer happen in this case, faxing documents back and forth?
 

DVad3r

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2005
5,340
3
81
30 k miles is nothing, the engine has just broken in.

I'd say go for it after doing your research on the car and prefebly having someone who knows cars look at it.
 

DVad3r

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2005
5,340
3
81
Update, apparently the seller is deployed overseas, but offered to ship the car to me at his expense so I could check it out (!). I offered to just come pick it up myself... waiting for a response. How would a purchase and title transfer happen in this case, faxing documents back and forth?

Very fishy my friend. Who the hell spends hundreds of bucks to ship a car just for you to check out? Just say you want to come up and see it and that's it. If he wants to ship it, do it, but don't give him any money before he does.

I had a friend buying a car on autotrader, a Lexus also except an 08 GS. It was a total scam and the guy just wanted money. He offered something similar with shipping and had a whole story of being rich and not needing the car because he was going to college etc.
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Very fishy my friend. Who the hell spends hundreds of bucks to ship a car just for you to check out? Just say you want to come up and see it and that's it. If he wants to ship it, do it, but don't give him any money before he does.

I had a friend buying a car on autotrader, a Lexus also except an 08 GS. It was a total scam and the guy just wanted money. He offered something similar with shipping and had a whole story of being rich and not needing the car because he was going to college etc.

I am definitely not giving this guy a penny until I have the car in my driveway and title in hand. The shipping offer really raised a red flag for me as well. He really sounds legit in his emails. If he's a scammer he's a pretty good one.
 

bctbct

Diamond Member
Dec 22, 2005
4,868
1
0
I am definitely not giving this guy a penny until I have the car in my driveway and title in hand. The shipping offer really raised a red flag for me as well. He really sounds legit in his emails. If he's a scammer he's a pretty good one.

scam

when he sends you a check for 10k to pay the shipping and wants you to send him the 9k back....send it in cash
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
scam

when he sends you a check for 10k to pay the shipping and wants you to send him the 9k back....send it in cash

Err... what? The car is supposedly here in FL, about 2 hours away from me. If he tries to send me a check of any kind, or get me to pay anything whatsoever before I actually have the car sitting in front of me, I am ending all contact.
I looked up some common scams, but I haven't found anything quite like this exact scenario yet, I'm not really sure what to think of the whole thing. I offered to drive up and look at the car myself, his response will probably tell me whether this is legit or not.
 

Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
0
Update, apparently the seller is deployed overseas, but offered to ship the car to me at his expense so I could check it out (!). I offered to just come pick it up myself... waiting for a response. How would a purchase and title transfer happen in this case, faxing documents back and forth?

This is a story that is used for scams relatively often. If you can't go see the car yourself I'd walk.
 

cheesehead

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
10,079
0
0
Have a look at a Toyota Avalon. Once you get over the fact that it's a "grandpa car", you'll find that it's a very good alternative to the IS350 - almost as luxurious, even more spacious on the inside, surprisingly powerful, and very very cheap.

EDIT:

Also, if RWD isn't a dealkiller, Hyundai Genesis. If you're going to do a big luxury car, make sure it's a BIG luxury car.
 
Last edited:

canadageek

Senior member
Dec 28, 2004
619
0
0
Err... what? The car is supposedly here in FL, about 2 hours away from me. If he tries to send me a check of any kind, or get me to pay anything whatsoever before I actually have the car sitting in front of me, I am ending all contact.
I looked up some common scams, but I haven't found anything quite like this exact scenario yet, I'm not really sure what to think of the whole thing. I offered to drive up and look at the car myself, his response will probably tell me whether this is legit or not.

This is 100% a scam. The car doesn't exist and the only thing that will happen is you losing money.
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
This is 100% a scam. The car doesn't exist and the only thing that will happen is you losing money.

Well, I'm definitely not going to be losing any money because I'm not paying until I have possession of the vehicle. At this point I am thinking it's most likely a scam, but I'm curious as to what the response will be to my offer of looking at the car myself.
 

c3p0

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 2000
2,494
0
0
I would be totally shocked if this is not a scam. I see posts like this every day on Craig's List. It probably won't hurt to see what kind of response you get from him. But I wouldn't hold my breath for this to be legit.

c3p0
 
Last edited:

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Have a look at a Toyota Avalon. Once you get over the fact that it's a "grandpa car", you'll find that it's a very good alternative to the IS350 - almost as luxurious, even more spacious on the inside, surprisingly powerful, and very very cheap.

EDIT:

Also, if RWD isn't a dealkiller, Hyundai Genesis. If you're going to do a big luxury car, make sure it's a BIG luxury car.

The Avalon is indeed an excellent vehicle, but it's a terrible alternative to an IS350. An IS350 is a tight, great handling small sports sedan that will do low 5 second 0-60 runs. The Avalon OTOH is a really cushy and roomy cruiser. It's like comparing a Vette to a Buick.
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Yes, the Avalon is completely different from what I'm looking for. The cars I considered before deciding on the IS 350 were the G35 (I don't like the looks of it), 330i (buying a BMW just out of warranty is scary), and 335i (awesome, but too expensive).
 

lastig21

Platinum Member
Oct 23, 2000
2,145
0
0
Yes, the Avalon is completely different from what I'm looking for. The cars I considered before deciding on the IS 350 were the G35 (I don't like the looks of it), 330i (buying a BMW just out of warranty is scary), and 335i (awesome, but too expensive).

Earlier this year I looked at these same cars. I also considered:
Infiniti M35 (current model, what I bought)
Lexus GS (current model)
Acura TL (previous model)
Acura TSX (current model)

It doesn't sound like this IS350 is going to work out, so I'm just throwing out other options to consider. If I were looking today, I would also check out the Subaru Legacy (previous and current model).
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Earlier this year I looked at these same cars. I also considered:
Infiniti M35 (current model, what I bought)
Lexus GS (current model)
Acura TL (previous model)
Acura TSX (current model)

It doesn't sound like this IS350 is going to work out, so I'm just throwing out other options to consider. If I were looking today, I would also check out the Subaru Legacy (previous and current model).

Thanks for the suggestions, I've been looking for a car for about 4 months now, and I'm 99.9% certain that I want an IS 350 and nothing else at this point though. I've considered literally everything under the sun, and the IS has the best combination of looks + reliability + performance in my mind.

I made the decision on the model a couple months ago, but there is such a disgustingly low number of these cars available for sale. It looks like everyone only buys the 250, there are a ton of those. I mean, there are a number of used 350's in my area, but almost all of them are comically overpriced (I'm talking like 30k for an 06 with ~50k miles, and it's all dealers so that doesn't even include fees and tax.)

I found one that looked like a great deal from a dealer in Atlanta a week or so ago, but that's so far to travel, and the listing is gone now as well. I check autotrader/cars.com/craigslist multiple times a day, it's like a routine now. I'm just getting really frustrated at this point though. This was the first lead I've had that actually was looking semi legit, until he pulled the shipping garbage. Ugh.
 

Kroze

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2001
4,052
1
0
Definitely sound like a scam. I say pass on it and go find a different Lexus.
 

lastig21

Platinum Member
Oct 23, 2000
2,145
0
0
What part of Florida do you live in? If you've been searching for this long, I would expect to make a road trip out of it at this point. It could be alot of fun! Houston has a few 06/07 IS350's with about 35k miles for $26k/$27k. Is that comparable to the Florida market?

If you can find a licensed dealer, you may be able to pay a fee and let him buy a car for you at a dealer-only auction (like Manheim). This comes with a certain amount of risk, but people are generally very happy with the outcome. From other posts I've seen around the web, this typically runs $400 to $600.
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Hmm, I've never heard of an auction buying service like that, do you have any more info on this?

I'm in central FL, those numbers sound close although most of the cars are closer to 30k for the better looking ones. There are a few closer to 25k, but they seem to be generally less desirable: bad colors, more miles, and base models (seems to always come as a package deal of bad). There is a white one listed for 23.5k near me, but I've already checked it out and it's not in great condition.
 

lastig21

Platinum Member
Oct 23, 2000
2,145
0
0
I haven't used a dealer, but I do watch the Fatwallet thread for price trends. Manheim isn't open to the public, only dealers. Its where dealers buy their inventory before prepping and selling them retail. If you know an individual that you trust with a dealer's license, you can have them attend the auction and buy the car. You will not get to see the car, and will only have a description from the dealer (when he calls to say whats available). Manheim discloses all information about the car, and if something isn't factual after the purchase, they do allow for returns. You would need to research it further.

The FW thread. I use for price trends, but there are a couple of dealers that post as well:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/819529

A couple of posts here on AT Garage
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=294399
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=53916
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
81
Thanks for the info, I'll look in to it. I don't know anyone with a dealer license unfortunately though.