[vigsom]

This story dates back to Sep2017, and how a virtual evaluation of a used Lexus ES 330 helped someone very close to me realize his dream of getting his first used car.

Background

Someone very close to me was looking for a car in the United States, and needed help in shortlisting one.

His preferences for his first car were:

1. different, stylish, yet reliable
2. full size
3. capable of long road trips
4. comfortable to fit his 6 ft 3 profile.

He had driven several rented cars viz. Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Mitsubishi Outlander and this Lincoln Navigator below, so he had clocked good miles as a driver.



However, renting a car and owning a car are two different aspects, so choosing the right car with one’s money had to be spot on.

Budget Considerations and Brand Shortlisting

1. He was absolutely clear that he wasn’t interested in a new car as his budget wouldn’t get him anything close to his requirements.

2. He wanted to cap his investment at USD 6k ; he’d thus run a very low risk should the car give him issues in ownership.

3. Finding a car to meet his requirements in this budget wasn’t going to be easy.

4. In the United States, a first time car buyer would typically settle for a used Corolla, while he started off by presenting me examples of old Jaguars, Infinitis and Accuras.

Having read his mind and his requirements, I zeroed in on Lexus as a brand, focusing on used options of 2004-2006 vintage.

Why a 2004-06 Lexus?

1. Fitted his budget
2. Reliable
3. Exclusive
4. Great features for its time
5. Ownership experience

Shortlisting Suitable Examples

I had absolutely no idea of the used car market in the United States, but expected that it would operate on similar lines as in India.

That would mean:

1. On-line marketplaces,
2. reputed used car dealers,
3. dealership annexes dealing in pre-owned cars

In used car markets, it is very easy to palm off a lemon to an unsuspecting buyer; and the US is no exception.

In our case, there was absolutely no room for error, particularly because my close one was a novice at assessing cars and I wanted him to get the right car.

Given my experience in evaluation and hands on maintenance of used cars, I typically knew what to look for.

While I made him do the searching, I, in parallel, looked at used Lexus options directly listed by sellers.

Examples that we shortlisted from the many that we saw (most of them on Craigslist):

1. 2004 RX 330, Clean Title, done 2,30,000 miles with a very detailed description – looked like she was passionately kept
2. 2006 Lexus ES 330, Clean Title, done only 75,000 miles but was priced way over budget
3. 2006 Lexus ES 330, Clean Title, 1,55,000 miles, Third Owner, looked genuine based on the several photographs posted

After my search, I realized that the selling price for a Lexus is disproportionately higher for examples that have done under 1,00,000 miles.

Example : A sub-I,00,000 mile Lexus of same vintage and condition would cost approx. 25% more than one that has done, say, 1,40,000 miles.

Between examples 1 and 3 listed above, I felt no.3 to be better suited since it had lower miles and looked in equally good nick as no.1

Remote / Virtual Evaluation

Now comes the tricky part.

The buyer’s biggest constraint was that he didn’t know a technician or engineer who could do a good evaluation of a prospective car, and therefore wanted me to help him.

I was in India, while he was in Arizona, USA.

There was no way I could do a physical evaluation of the car, but there sure was a way to do it virtually!!!

It was a challenge, as, all these years, I had evaluated cars in person, while this time I needed to educate him on what to look for.

1. I started off by explaining to him on the phone on what to look for, but I think I was overloading him with information

2. Since there were several photographs of the car in the ad, I created a ppt with a set of instructions (one page attached below)



3. Sample instructions based on the above attachment are reproduced below :

QUOTE

a. When you open the hood , the first whitish container to your left is the engine Coolant expansion tank.

See that the coolant in it is red (it will be but still check). Ask the owner if this was changed recently. It should have been changed at 1,00,000miles and maybe again at 1,50,000 miles.

b. The next block arrow points to a black cover which is the engine oil filler cap.

Just ask him to unscrew that anticlockwise, use a torch to see how the engine looks like. The metal should be clear/ light brown and shouldn't be greasy or full of sludge.

c. The two thin red arrows point to a) the yellow oil dipstick and b) the red transmission dipstick.

Check how the engine oil is and see if the level of oil is close to the upper dot which denotes max., then insert the dipstick back properly.

In the case of the transmission dip stick, ensure that the oil level is at the COLD mark.

d. Start the engine, go to the rear.

Be careful about a hot exhaust.

Place your palm at the exhaust outlet port for 2-3 secs. and then smell your palm. It shouldn't smell of burnt oil nor should there be soot.

The smell you should get is typical condensate with a little carbon like smell.

e. Check the spare wheel sidewall for tire make and date of manufacture - it should kind of match the particulars on the 4 wheels.

f. Ask for all the maintenance the owner has done and for what he knows has been done

UNQUOTE

The above is not an exhaustive list. Here are a few of the other points that I'd called out:

1. Check the dashboard for no errors.

2. Check the overall look and feel of the interiors – chaffed seats, cracked leather.

3. Check operation of the AC and the heater.

4. Turn the front wheels and inspect the suspension, struts, drive-shafts for noise or visible damage.

5. Operate windows, doors, and check all features inside to be functional.

6. Looking at visible signs of abuse – badly kept interiors, broken buttons, etc.

I then told him to check the car out with all my points, and revert with a video of the car, if the owner was okay with it.

I didn’t want to get on a video call since resolution would be poor; there would be some lag, and nothing worthwhile would come out of it.

Inspection

Since the VIN was highlighted in one of the photographs in the ad., he could pull a Carfax report before inspecting the car.

No major issues were reported and that the first two owners had got the car serviced only at Lexus. Records were available till some 1,49,000 miles.

His video and report only suggested the following exceptions:

1. Rear bumper was redone, with an amateur touch up patch visible at the right corner

2. Tires needed replacement

3. Brakes needed some attention for better bite

4. AT shift lock grommet missing



Decision Making and Delivery

1. Based on his report and his video, it seemed like a good buy.

2. This example had the DVD Navigation too, apart from all the other goodies (eg. Motorised rear sun blind, Mark Levinson audio, heated and ventilated front seats) that came standard with the Lexus ES 330.

3. I asked him if he was sure that the car drove well, and he said yes, and I gave him the Thumbs Up to go ahead.

He finally closed the deal at USD 5,200, factoring approx. USD 800 for other expenses.







He bought the car for cash, went to the DMV for formalities, and was done quick.









Maintenance

Approx. two months into ownership, he managed to get to a good, experienced technician and had the car inspected by him.

The technician only recommended skimming of all rotors and changing the rear brake pads, adding that the car was in excellent shape !!!

It was a great relief for the owner that his first evaluation of a used car was a success.

Road Trips

The car did some memorable road trips, and those are here for you to savour:

1. Sedona, AZ





2. Monument Valley, AZ






3. Death Valley, CA-NEV






4. New Mexico





Learnings

With some good homework, it is possible to land a dream car for less anywhere across the globe; and with technology , a virtual assessment can make that dream become reality.

Closing Comments and Verdict

The 17,000 miles run on this Lexus ES 330 has been an exhilarating experience for the owner.

Apart from one engine oil change, the car demanded only

• Skimming of rotors plus change of rear brake pads USD320
• Change of all four tires USD 600

The car was a steal for USD 5200, which was a mere 1/6th the cost of this car when new.

Long Live Lexus !!!!!

[rohittunga]

That generation Lexus ES (2002-2006) is a great first car for anybody. You can buy them from as little as $2000. They really over engineered the ES and even though its based on the Camry, Lexus made enough changes inside to make it look and feel premium. Unless someone deliberately neglects the car, it will run forever.

I say this because like your friend, my first car was also the Lexus ES 300 which I purchased during my internship. My budget back then was less than your friend's but still the car ran flawlessly for almost 5 years and about 80,000 miles, only requiring oil changes and tyres. Another plus point is the resale. I had placed a half hearted ad on FB marketplace for just 20% less than what I paid. The car was sold within hours and there wasn't even any negotiations involved. Even though I've moved on from the Lexus to something massively more powerful and german, I still sometimes miss the fuss free and smooth nature of the car.

Your friend will have years of trouble free motoring with that Lexus. Here are some pics of my car

[TheGearBox]

Wow, this is the first time I have heard about someone carrying out a virtual inspection on a car halfway around the world. (I'm assuming you live in India, vigsom.) Excellent story!

Originally Posted by vigsom

Since the VIN was highlighted in one of the photographs in the ad., he could pull a Carfax report before inspecting the car.

Carfax is a very useful tool while buying a used car in the US. One can check the car's entire history and make an informed decision. Too bad we don't have such a service in India.

[GTO]

I love this generation of the ES & have admired it on my USA trips. It's a proper luxury barge with great presence & very "American" styling. Has aged well . Amazing how these cars run and run and run. I'd gotten a 90,000 mile Accord (1.5 lakh km) and put another 15 - 20k miles on it. No breakdowns, brilliantly over-engineered. In my time with the car, it only required the regular wear & tear stuff.

Wish Lexus would look back at their (short) history and design clean cars like this ES again. The current Lexus' are downright ugly.

[Utopian]

This is a good idea. The market is open for such independent evaluators who can provide this service for a charge. Works very well for the uninitiated.

I am happy that the older Lexus designs didn't suffer from awkward >< grille design. These ones look uncluttered and classy.

[HKap]

Originally Posted by GTO

I love this generation of the ES & have admired it on my USA trips. It's a proper luxury barge with great presence & very "American" styling. Has aged well . Amazing how these cars run and run and run. I'd gotten a 90,000 mile Accord (1.5 lakh km) and put another 15 - 20k miles on it. No breakdowns, brilliantly over-engineered. In my time with the car, it only required the regular wear & tear stuff.

Wish Lexus would look back at their (short) history and design clean cars like this ES again. The current Lexus' are downright ugly.

Japanese cars and their reliability!! Unbeatable. Back in 2006 when I was in the US, i'd bought a 6 year old Corolla with about 70k miles for ~USD 5500. I drove it for a year, put about 15k miles on it, changed oil a couple of times and sold it for approx ~5k. Amazing car. My friend who lived next door had a 12 year old manual transmission Accord with over 200k miles. Same story, oil change and sold it to a friend after a year (when we returned to India). Last I heard that car was going strong at 300k miles with the usual wear and tear maintenance. Compare that to the Germans and its even more astonishing.

A friend at work here in Canada bought a 4 year old Macan S and within a couple months had an engine oil leak (apparently a known issue for the pre 2019 Porshce V6) and a AC compressor issue. Fortunately the used car dealer covered the cost else he would have been out about 8k CAD. CRAZY.


BTW, check out the newer lexus models. They look great. The new ES looks great in person. The LC500 is probably one of the best looking cars out there today (even better in person). The 2021 IS is pretty droolworthy too. Waiting to see it in person. I wish they'd put a better gearbox in the IS350.

[AVIS]

Steep spare part replacement costs can be an issue for luxury cars with this amount of mileage. It's good that this is a Lexus ES. It's quite reliable to start with, and I think it shares some spare parts with Toyota Avalon. So instead of paying for premium Lexus parts, he could go for cheaper Toyota parts where possible.