Why the huge price difference?

[blipblop]

Was looking at these two at the same dealer. I drove the RWD one

21.4k, RWD, Base, 36k miles Car1

27.8k, AWD, don't know the options yet, 36k miles. Car2

Both are CPO by Lexus. 3yr/100kmiles. Any ideas why one is ~7k more? Living in New England maybe the RWD doesn't sell as well? But a new RWD vs AWD IS250 is only ~ 3k difference.

 

[Bignate603]

AWD is probably part of it but you don't know how its optioned yet. It may be loaded compared to the base model.

 

[SearchMaster]

Probably rarity - supply and demand.

 

[KDKPSJ]

Originally posted by: blipblop
Was looking at these two at the same dealer. I drove the RWD one

21.4k, RWD, Base, 36k miles Car1

27.8k, AWD, don't know the options yet, 36k miles. Car2

Both are CPO by Lexus. 3yr/100kmiles. Any ideas why one is ~7k more? Living in New England maybe the RWD doesn't sell as well? But a new RWD vs AWD IS250 is only ~ 3k difference.

You answered it yourself. That's a huge difference right there. Even though new IS250 AWD only costs $ 3k more than RWD one, the difference is quite big especially when used price is considered in northern states.

If IS250 was a performance car like 3 series or G, RWD/AWD wouldn't mean as much because people would buy RWD one for driving pleasure and there is a market for it. But IS250 is certainly not such performance car, more likely luxury commuter, which makes RWD/AWD a big deal in northern states.

 

[Arkaign]

The AWD version is much slower than the already anemic IS250, but for old people I guess it's fine?

 

[KDKPSJ]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
The AWD version is much slower than the already anemic IS250, but for old people I guess it's fine?

Guess so. People I know who bought IS250 didn't buy it for run, they bought it for comfort and luxury. Some even told me that they would never get IS350 unless AWD version is available.

 

[blipblop]

Yea, went down to check again. There is some strange smell in the 21.4k car versus other CPO cars. I had the salesman start two other ones up.

RWD isn't an issue, damn that smell.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: blipblop
Yea, went down to check again. There is some strange smell in the 21.4k car versus other CPO cars. I had the salesman start two other ones up.

RWD isn't an issue, damn that smell.

Strange smell is usually one of these things :

(1)- Cat/kid/drunk person pissed/shat/puked into the carpet, and it didn't get properly cleaned, as contaminants can get under the carpet onto the foam mounting for the fitment of the carpet, or down to the metal itself depending on design.

(2)- Air conditioner got funked, which can happen pretty easily depending on how one used it.

(3)- Car was flooded, windows rolled down or something.

(4)- Some idiot put the wrong fluid in the radiator by accident at some point in time.

(5)- Ex-mafia car, dead body funk.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
(5)- Ex-mafia car, dead body funk.

OP, did you look in the trunk?

 

[blipblop]

Indeed I did! I found another CPO one with 17k miles. Listed ~ 25.8k. It's been on the dealer lot since April. Will probably check this one out sometime this week.

 

[Mojoed]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
The AWD version is much slower than the already anemic IS250, but for old people I guess it's fine?

What do you mean "for old people?" I'm not old and I don't give two shits how quick my cars are. Point A to point B, safely and reliably is what matters for a lot of people, young and old.

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: Arkaign
(5)- Ex-mafia car, dead body funk.

OP, did you look in the trunk?

A wild hooker appear...

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Mojoed

Originally posted by: Arkaign
The AWD version is much slower than the already anemic IS250, but for old people I guess it's fine?

What do you mean "for old people?" I'm not old and I don't give two shits how quick my cars are. Point A to point B, safely and reliably is what matters for a lot of people, young and old.

Lexus confuses me with the IS. It's supposedly meant to be a sport sedan, according to their website, but the IS250 AWD starts at $34.5k, and has a 0-60 time of 8.3 seconds. The IS350 is a totally different story.

Point A to point B car, safely and reliably, can be done for a whole lot less $$. It doesn't even get good fuel economy, it's rated at 20/26, that's not great for the smallish size and lack of power. About the only positive things you can say about it is that it's reasonably comfortable, should be reliable, and has a decent options list. For someone looking for a practical affordable A to B car, there are countless better options.

If we were talking about a $15k econobox, then yeah 8.3 seconds and a total lack of power makes sense, but this car costs more than twice as much, and for what?

Better options in entry lux, with base cost :

Acura TSX $32.7k
BMW 328xi $35.6k
Infiniti G37x $35.7k
Audi A4 Quattro $32.3k

etc ..

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Mojoed

Originally posted by: Arkaign
The AWD version is much slower than the already anemic IS250, but for old people I guess it's fine?

What do you mean "for old people?" I'm not old and I don't give two shits how quick my cars are. Point A to point B, safely and reliably is what matters for a lot of people, young and old.

Lexus confuses me with the IS. It's supposedly meant to be a sport sedan, according to their website, but the IS250 AWD starts at $34.5k, and has a 0-60 time of 8.3 seconds. The IS350 is a totally different story.

Point A to point B car, safely and reliably, can be done for a whole lot less $$. It doesn't even get good fuel economy, it's rated at 20/26, that's not great for the smallish size and lack of power. About the only positive things you can say about it is that it's reasonably comfortable, should be reliable, and has a decent options list. For someone looking for a practical affordable A to B car, there are countless better options.

If we were talking about a $15k econobox, then yeah 8.3 seconds and a total lack of power makes sense, but this car costs more than twice as much, and for what?

Better options in entry lux, with base cost :

Acura TSX $32.7k
BMW 328xi $35.6k
Infiniti G37x $35.7k
Audi A4 Quattro $32.3k

etc ..

i think it's the fact that people are willing to pay that much for the is250 and the lexus brand name. granted, it's a great looking car, i think its the best looking in the small sedan segment, but that's pretty much all it gets you vs all the other cars you stated, and the is350 is actually pretty quick.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: blipblop
Yea, went down to check again. There is some strange smell in the 21.4k car versus other CPO cars. I had the salesman start two other ones up.

RWD isn't an issue, damn that smell.

Strange smell is usually one of these things :

(1)- Cat/kid/drunk person pissed/shat/puked into the carpet, and it didn't get properly cleaned, as contaminants can get under the carpet onto the foam mounting for the fitment of the carpet, or down to the metal itself depending on design.

(2)- Air conditioner got funked, which can happen pretty easily depending on how one used it.

(3)- Car was flooded, windows rolled down or something.

(4)- Some idiot put the wrong fluid in the radiator by accident at some point in time.

(5)- Ex-mafia car, dead body funk.

LMAO.. yeah right. (bolded part)

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Mojoed

Originally posted by: Arkaign
The AWD version is much slower than the already anemic IS250, but for old people I guess it's fine?

What do you mean "for old people?" I'm not old and I don't give two shits how quick my cars are. Point A to point B, safely and reliably is what matters for a lot of people, young and old.

Lexus confuses me with the IS. It's supposedly meant to be a sport sedan, according to their website, but the IS250 AWD starts at $34.5k, and has a 0-60 time of 8.3 seconds. The IS350 is a totally different story.

Point A to point B car, safely and reliably, can be done for a whole lot less $$. It doesn't even get good fuel economy, it's rated at 20/26, that's not great for the smallish size and lack of power. About the only positive things you can say about it is that it's reasonably comfortable, should be reliable, and has a decent options list. For someone looking for a practical affordable A to B car, there are countless better options.

If we were talking about a $15k econobox, then yeah 8.3 seconds and a total lack of power makes sense, but this car costs more than twice as much, and for what?

Better options in entry lux, with base cost :

Acura TSX $32.7k
BMW 328xi $35.6k
Infiniti G37x $35.7k
Audi A4 Quattro $32.3k

etc ..

The only car on your list that I would consider (and did consider when we bought our IS250) is the G35. My wife preferred the looks of the IS though so that is what we bought.

She is a Realtor so driving around in some $15k shitbox wasn't an option.

She still gets compliments on her car after $50k miles and 3+ years of ownership.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: Arkaign
(4)- Some idiot put the wrong fluid in the radiator by accident at some point in time.

LMAO.. yeah right. (bolded part)

Heh, well it's rare, but I've actually seen it. Someone added motor oil (Jiffy Lube crackhead I think) to a buddy's radiator, and it caused all kinds of problems, including a truly skunky smell that would not go away.

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
The only car on your list that I would consider (and did consider when we bought our IS250) is the G35. My wife preferred the looks of the IS though so that is what we bought.

She is a Realtor so driving around in some $15k shitbox wasn't an option.

She still gets compliments on her car after $50k miles and 3+ years of ownership.

This is what happens when you let someone pick something for the looks factor Out of the group, I think the Audi looks the best (new gen obv), with the 3 series pretty close. Infiniti G are great driving cars, but not the sexiest things out there. IS looks nice, but also looks and feels small. It doesn't look like a $35k car, but of course looks are extremely subjective. The IS250 would be a world of improvement if they boosted it to ~250hp or so. 204hp and a 3600lb curb weight = bleh.

Now the IS350, that's actually winning me over, and with the reported troubles with fuel injectors/etc on the 335i, might even be a superior option in the group. G35/37 is still a hell of a bargain though.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: Arkaign
(4)- Some idiot put the wrong fluid in the radiator by accident at some point in time.

LMAO.. yeah right. (bolded part)

Heh, well it's rare, but I've actually seen it. Someone added motor oil (Jiffy Lube crackhead I think) to a buddy's radiator, and it caused all kinds of problems, including a truly skunky smell that would not go away.

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
The only car on your list that I would consider (and did consider when we bought our IS250) is the G35. My wife preferred the looks of the IS though so that is what we bought.

She is a Realtor so driving around in some $15k shitbox wasn't an option.

She still gets compliments on her car after $50k miles and 3+ years of ownership.

This is what happens when you let someone pick something for the looks factor Out of the group, I think the Audi looks the best (new gen obv), with the 3 series pretty close. Infiniti G are great driving cars, but not the sexiest things out there. IS looks nice, but also looks and feels small. It doesn't look like a $35k car, but of course looks are extremely subjective. The IS250 would be a world of improvement if they boosted it to ~250hp or so. 204hp and a 3600lb curb weight = bleh.

Now the IS350, that's actually winning me over, and with the reported troubles with fuel injectors/etc on the 335i, might even be a superior option in the group. G35/37 is still a hell of a bargain though.

It's exactly the same car as the IS350 just with a smaller engine and less power. It is my wife's car so I let her get the car she wanted. She loves the car so who am I (or you for that matter) to bash her decision?

 

[Arkaign]

Well that's a good point, if she's happy, then that's all that matters in the end. Of course, this is the internet, AT, and the garage, so strong opinions are to be expected

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Well that's a good point, if she's happy, then that's all that matters in the end. Of course, this is the internet, AT, and the garage, so strong opinions are to be expected

True. :beer:

 

[SearchMaster]

We're just "questioning everything", including your wife's opinion