BETTER THAN A DEALERSHIP!
I planned on owning this car for 10 years. I took care of it because I wanted to drive a really nice car for a long time. Life changed on me though, and I have to let this car go. I take great care of my cars, and it shows here.
Why is buying from me better than buying through a dealership?
- I’m not hiding anything. I will give you the full history of the car, and even show you the flaws.
- You get all the maintenance records.
- You can talk directly to the one and only owner.
This car has received the “Berding” treatment. That means I’ve done all the maintenance myself, kept all the records in a tidy 3-ring binder, driven it like an adult, kept it in a heated garage year-round, and didn’t even let people eat while in my car.
Upgrades: This car has a clear plastic shield over the entire hood, front bumper, front side fenders, and rear view mirrors. Most cars that have this type of protection might have a strip on the front of the hood which leaves a visible line. My car has the entire hood covered, plus the rest of the front end. This helps protect the car from bugs, rocks, and anything that might scratch it while driving.
I’ve used Mobil 1 Full Synthetic oil for all oil changes. Lexus recommends performing oil changes every 10,000 miles, I’ve increased that interval to every 7,500 just to make sure I never have “old” oil in the car.
This car has never been smoked in. No pets. Obviously, it’s never been in an accident, and the CarFax is clean. Title is in hand, ready to go.
I’ve kept a log of the mileage on every fuel-up. The real-world results are that over the lifetime of this vehicle under all driving conditions, it averages 39 MPG. It goes up in the summer, and down in the winter, up in the city, and down on the highway (it’s a hybrid). I have the logs to show every fill-up as well.
If you’re planning on doing road trips, this is a fantastic vehicle. When traveling over mountains, it never feels like it’s even working. Because of the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), and the very quiet engine, the engine revs a little bit higher when going up a mountain, and the regenerative braking takes over when going down the mountain, and the car never shifts. It never feels like it’s working hard, straining, or doing anything that you’d even need to notice. It’s a smooth and awesome experience.
This car is fantastic in the summer and in the winter. In all seasons the fully-automatic climate control knows how to handle heat, A/C, fan direction and speed. Unlike other cars, when you turn this one on, the fans slowly spin up to whatever speed is needed, they don’t blast at you. It’s a more subtle and luxurious feel. And just in case you and your traveling partner have different internal thermostats, this car has full dual-zone automatic climate control. And it really does work, it’s not just a gimmick. In the summer, there’s an electronically-controlled rear sunshade and ventilated front seats. In the winter there are heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. There’s even a sensor on the windshield that detects if it needs to run the defroster and will do so automatically. Plus, something really nice for bad Minnesota weather: there’s a heated deicer for the wipers so they won’t ice up.
Safety: This car has tons of airbags. The regular front air bags of course, plus front knee air bags, plus front and rear seat-mounted side impact airbags, plus front and rear side curtain airbags. I think it has 10 airbags total.
Parking: Not only does this car have a rear-view camera (I’m spoiled now), but it also has parking sensors in the front and back. This means whenever you get close to something, you get both an audible and visual alert of where you’re getting close.
More Safety: Blind spot monitoring is awesome and has been 100% accurate in my usage. There’s also something really handy when you’re backing out of a spot: those same sensors can detect if there’s someone coming up on you that you can’t see yet, and it’ll alert you. Helps avoid accidents in parking lots. It’s helped me avoid issues, and I’m going to miss it.
Audio: I use the Bluetooth audio connection all the time to listen to podcasts while I’m driving. There’s also HD radio, which is a substantial upgrade over standard radio, it’s so much clearer. If you’re into satellite radio, it has that capability as well. There’s even a DVD player so you can watch movies, so long as you’re parked. There are a lot more audio features, but really the Bluetooth audio and HD radio are the ones that I used the most.
Automatic features: The headlights are automatic. The wipers are automatic. The climate control is automatic. The rear-view mirrors (internal and external) automatically dim as needed. Other cars just feel “dumb” by comparison.
Tire pressure monitor: unlike a lot of other cars that just warn you when a tire is low, this car actually tells you the real-time air pressure in each tire whenever you want to see it. You can know if there’s an issue before there’s actually going to be an issue.
The Keys: This car is designed so you put the key in your pocket or purse and basically forget about it. You reach to open the door handle and it unlocks. You step in and press the start button. When leaving the car, press a spot on any of the four door handles to lock the car. You never need to actually fumble with your key for anything, which is why the keys are in such good shape: I hardly every actually pressed any of the buttons on them. Plus, let’s say you leave your keys in your purse, put your purse in the trunk, and try to close the trunk? The car figures out that you’re going to lock yourself out and it’ll beep at you and won’t close the trunk. (Yes, that’s actually happened to me.)
Memory Positions: This car can store up to 3 memory positions. It remembers the position of the seat, steering wheel, and exterior rear-view mirrors. If you’re going to be sharing this car with someone, it’s a fantastic feature.
Paint: It’s extremely difficult to photograph, but this car has a metallic paint that has shiny flecks of metal in it. It glistens in the sun and it’s beautiful. You’re going to have to see it on a nice sunny day.
Warranty: This car is still under the manufacturer’s original warranty! Lexus comes with a 4-year, 50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty on everything, plus longer warranties on other components like the powertrain and hybrid components. Since this car is only 3 years old and has about 43,000 miles, you’re getting the warranty benefits of buying a brand new car!
Documentation: I have the original owner’s manuals (which I’ve actually read), plus paperwork on all maintenance all gathered neatly in a 3-ring binder.
Reliability: This car has never given me a single issue. Nothing. I would have zero hesitation about driving this car anywhere.
Maintenance: I just did an oil change a couple hundred miles ago, and the 30,000-mile maintenance was done just before 30,000 miles. I would recommend your next oil change in about 7,000 miles, though technically you could wait until nearly 10,000 miles. There is nothing this car needs mechanically.
Features of this car:
Performance:
- 2.5L Dual Cam In-Line 4-cylinder Engine with High Output Permanent Magnet Electric Drive Motor / 200 Total System Horsepower
- All-Aluminum Engine Construction and VVT-i
- Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission with Intelligence (ECT-i)
- 4-Wheel Independent MacPherson Strut-Type Suspension w/Gas Pressurized Shock Absorbers
- Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
- 17″ Aluminum Alloy Split 5-Spoke Wheels
- 215/55R17 All-Season Tires
- Rear Spoiler
Safety Features:
- Dual Front Airbags, Dual Front Knee Airbags, Front & Rear Seat-Mounted Side Impact Airbags, Front & Rear Side Curtain Airbags, Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) 3-Point Safety Belts for All Seating Positions
- Front & Rear Outboard Seatbelt Pretensioners with Force Limiters
- Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with TRAC
- 4-Wheel Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and Brake Assist (BA)
- Smart Stop Technology
- Energy Managing Crumple Zones, Side Door Beams
- Theft-Deterrent System with Engine Immobilizer
- Safety Connect: Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, Emergency Assist Button (SOS), and Enhanced Roadside Assistance
- Auto On/Off Projector Bulb Headlamps w/Integrated Foglamps/LED Daytime
- Running Lights (DRL)
- Intermittent Wipers w/Mist Cycle
- Tire Pressure Monitor / Tool Kit / First Aid Kit
Luxury and Convenience Features:
- SmartAccess with Push Button Start/Stop
- Piano Black Trimmed Interior
- 10-Way Driver’s and Passenger’s (including Lumbar) Power Seats
- Electrochromic Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror
- Electrochromic Heated Outside Mirrors
- One-Touch Open/Close Power Tilt-and-Slide Moonroof
- Automatic Dual Zone Climate Control
- Lexus Premium Audio System with Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL) and MP3 Player Connectivity (mini-plug) and 8 Speakers
- Bluetooth Technology, USB Audio Plus, SiriusXM Satellite Radio
- Power Windows w/One-Touch Auto Open/Close Feature
- Power Door Locks with Anti-Lock Out Display Functions and Column-Mounted Cruise Control
- Rear Glass Imprinted Antenna w/FM Diversity System
- Rear Window Defogger with Timer
- Drive Mode Select (Eco, Normal, Sport)
- Lexus Personalized Settings
- Blind Spot Monitor w/Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- High Intensity Discharge (HID) Headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps
- Power Rear Sunshade
Luxury Package:
- Perforated leather-trimmed interior
- Heated & ventilated front seats
- Bamboo interior trim
- Power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel
- Lexus Memory System for driver’s seat, outside mirrors, & steering wheel
- Remote Keyless entry-linked memory
Additional Features:
- Hard Disk Drive Navigation system with Backup Camera, 8″ VGA Screen, Voice Command, Single DVD/CD Player, Lexus Enform w/Destination Assist and eDestination and subscription-free App Suite
- Power Trunk Closer
- Intuitive Parking Assist
- Rain-Sensing Wipers with Deicer
- Bamboo & Leather Trimmed Heated Steering Wheel
- All Weather Floor Mats
- Trunk Mat, Cargo Net, Wheel Locks and Rear Bumper Protection
With all of these features, plus the impecable maintenance, plus still being under warranty, this is quite possibly the best used car on the market. I wish I didn’t have to sell her, but as I mentioned above, life changed on me, so this car has to find a new owner that will take care of her like I have.
$25,900
Michael
612-384-5740
mberding@gmail.com
