Buying a Great Used Car Starts with Research (Not an Inspection)

But, what does this even mean?

I’ll tell you all about it. But first, let me tell you a story of one of the most reliable used vehicles I’ve been blessed to own: the 2006 Lexus ES330.

And, like all great (recent) stories, it started around the 2020 lockdowns.

The Hunt for the Perfect Daily

Around the time of the COVID – 19 lockdowns around the world, my trusted classic of many years broke down. It was the legendary W124 (bless its kind soul).

Looking at the state of the vehicle, the rust that was threatening to one day eventually throw me off the driver’s seat while cruising at over 90mph, I decided to painfully let it go.

The day it was towed away, I almost broke down, mentally.

For a replacement, I wanted the W210 – which I believed (still do) is a worthy successor to the W124. Unfortunately, my wife believed that Mercedes to be the plaything of the aged.

Since she was to drive the vehicle with me, I had no option but look for something more ‘modern looking’ (read: something my wife approved of).

Now, if you’ve ever successfully satisfied your wife, you know how tall an order that was/is.

While she was typically obsessed with looks and how she would be seen as she drove around the vehicle (she never once touched the W124), I was obsessed with long term reliability and comfort, while at it.

It was clear we needed to strike a compromise: a good looking vehicle that was comfortable/luxurious and doubled as reliable. A tall order, if you know cars (and understand how hard it can be if buying 10 plus years old, used).

I presented her with the 3rd gen Avalon after weeks of research. She rejected it.
‘Too big,’ she said.

The Solara came next. She didn’t like it. Honda Accords? Nah. Older Nissans? No way! The ML430? Too big/old.

I was running out of options when I came across the ES330, casually and that changed everything.

An Imperfect, Bulletproof Luxury Sedan

I researched the Lexus ES330 for three nights straight. I’d tackle my day activities and once the kids were safely in bed, I’d take out my phone and begin reading every user review I could find online – from forums to dedicated fan communities.

I wanted to know how well the car drove, if it was comfortable and importanly, how reliable it was. The looks part, were okay, in my books. I only hoped that my wife would approve…I was growing bags under my eyes from lack of sleep researching vehicles when I should be sleeping.

The consensus of owners (and critics of the 330 ES alike) was simple and two fold: for an entry level sedan, it was quite comfortable and luxurious with ample real wood, soft touch materials everywhere, heated and cooled memory seats, dual climate and a host of other great things. Reliabilty was also PERFECT.

There was no complaints.

For the cons, only two things showed up relentlessly: the windows had a PhD in messing up: they would come up and refuses to go back down or simply fail while down. The transmission also ‘thought’, ususally between first and second gear. Not a failure though, just an annoyance that ought to be beneath the station of a Lexus.

On the fourth morning, I showed my wife an internet photo of the vehicle: at once, she exclaimed that I had finally got it (don’t allow your dirty mind wander here)!

It didn’t take much longer before we welcomed our 2006 example to the family as a metal member. And true to the reviews, she served as I expected; the windows and transmission also behaved EXACTLY as the wise prior reviewers on the internet had said they would.

I was a happy man for the five years I was with her. My wife also considered hereself blessed when she rode in absolute silence and impressive luxury.

And in all those five years, it was simply routine maintenance: fluid changes, tires, brake pads. Nothing surprising. And I flogged her daily, in one of the most unforgiving environements on earth.

Here she is below, with all her majestic glory.

Temptations…

The 2005 and 2006 ES330 were the absolute sweet spots, final model years and the ones to get. They had steering controls, heated and ventilated seats and an upgraded engine (ignoring the 2004).

Unfortunately, as the day for commitment drew, I nearly changed course when I saw that with a few, insignificant more bucks, I could own the next generation, a 2007 or 2008 model ES with a bigger engine and presumably, better everything.

Fortunately, research came to my rescue again: the early 5th gen ESs were plagued with a lot of issues including (but not limited to) dashboard cracks and unpredictable, early transmission failures.

Since I couldn’t realistically afford the later years & subsequent generation (2013 upwards when the challenge was addressed), I simply held my peace and proceeded with the purchase of the 2006.

Of course, I didn’t need to tell my wife this (she would have straight off preferred the newer but less reliable 2007 or 2008 ES).

The same logic was applied when we bought a 2002 Camry a few months after, powered by the 2AZ 4 cyclinder engine known for chronic oil burn.

Research led me to the fact that Japanese made units of the 5th gen Camry didn’t suffer from the oil burn as did those made in the US.

Solution? I made sure that Camry was made in Japan and for the time we owned her, she didn’t burn a drop of oil – and her OCI was a whole year!

Now, as a professional used vehicle inspector, this is the type of thinking I promote amonst potential used car buyers.

No Used Car is Perfect; No Car is Perfect

The point of these personal stories right up to this point?

No used vehicle is perfect. No car is perfect for that matter. They all have their challenges, challenges that will ultimately determine how annoying or enjoyable their time with you will be.

The secret is knowing which challenges are safe to accept, based on your needs and wants and those for which a deal breaker it is.

And, this is where the process of getting a good used (or new) vehicle starts. For the fourth gen ES? The worst was a ‘thinking’ transmission and windows that always acted up. And, I could live with that.

The car was also good looking (and my wife could live with that).

Miss this very important part and you’ll be cursing and shopping for another vehicle sooner rather than later.

Always Understand What You’re Up Against

Understanding a vehicles known flaws prior to purchase by means of research (Car Complaints is great), is one thing; being able to stand those flaws during everyday use is another.

For the ES example above, I determined that I’d be using the AC all the time, negating the need to roll down the windows (I live in the hot tropics).

For the transmission that thought before gear changes, I’m not exactly in my prime again; comfort now is more important to me when stacked against speed.

So, living with the greatest challenges of the vehicle was quite easy.

If this isn’t you, that’s another thing you need to work on before proceeding to the pre-inspection stage.

Remember, You Can’t Fix ‘Stupid’

Finally, remember one thing: you can’t fix stupid.

Some vehicles were designed by the Devil himself and rolled off an assembly plant in hell. For all such vehicles, avoiding them is best (even if your emotions are engaged).

With vehicles, this isn’t a matter of God forbidding (if you’re religious); rather, it’s a matter of if you’ll be comfortable when and if the WORST happens because, usually, it WILL. And, at the most INCONVENIENT time for that matter.

The ES did its worst to me, when I least expected – thinking tranny and messed up windows – but I actually not only survived but actively looked forward to it!

Always look at the worst problems other (earlier) owners had with these vehicles and imagine the problems will all happen to you, tenfold.

That’s the best first appraoch to buying a used vehicle. Miss this and your inspecting a clean title, garage queen, dealer maintained, one owner, low miles, full option example will mean little…

…you’ll ULTIMATELY still cry and maybe as you shed bitter tears of regret, you’ll then understand why the vehile was pampered, kept in the garage all the time, had ultra low miles and only the dealer was allowed to touch it.

If you’re settled on the make, model and year of vehicle you want, consider taking a look at my used car vehicle inspection manual here. At over 130 pages, this field manual equips you with what to look for, questions to ask, when to negotiate and ultimately, when to walk away from a used vehicle.

The good part? There has never been anything like it before.

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