Worth buying a car from Toronto?

[R!zz0]

Hey all,

I have been looking around for a Lexus RX 400H and my question is...Would you guys buy a car from Toronto or any Eastern part of Canada? They're about $8,000 less than what i would pay here.

Also, What are your thoughts on Hybrid? Yes/no? Battery life?

[SkiBum5.0]

I would avoid Quebec vehicles unless there is a full service book with the vehicle. It may be an o,d wives tale but I remember reading about dealerships doctoring the mileage.

I bought a car in TO and had it shipped out here. Saved some money but it was more about finding the right car. There is more selection there.

[R!zz0]

Yeah i heard from people about Quebec cars. I personally would not buy a car from there.

[Xtrema]

Who cares, they use salt more than we do in winter. All eastern cars that're winter driven worth much less than the west for this reason alone.

I have seen 1st hand what salt will do to system that get hit the most. Even if the body is intact, chances are your radiator will need replacement soon.

I don't even want to think about what it does to hybrids.

[euro_racer]

Most dealers here get their used inventory from dealer auctions usually out east... If you would buy a used car from a dealer here, should be no issue finding and buying your own out east neither

[revelations]

Get a proper check/inspection done and save yourself thousands with this arbitrage - even after the incidental costs are added.

[R!zz0]

If it's a big dealership (Toyota or Lexus) should i still get the car inspected or go with their inspection? I know corner dealerships do their own inspections and leave out lot's of other details about the cars.

[revelations]

Originally posted by R!zz0
If it's a big dealership (Toyota or Lexus) should i still get the car inspected or go with their inspection? I know corner dealerships do their own inspections and leave out lot's of other details about the cars.

I personally would, for the amount of $$ thats going to be invested and the fact that youre taking it out of province.

[Xtrema]

Unless the dealer back it up with a lengthy Manufacturer CPO, I will get independent inspection done.

[DeleriousZ]

As mentioned above, watch out for the cancer. Eastern cars seem to be much more rusty, more quickly than most cars out here.

[heavyD]

Rust! Rust! Rust! Most cars last 10 years max out east before they are sent to the scrapyard.

[quick_scar]

I thought I would comment on my parents experience with their 400h.

They have a 2006 (?) I think. The biggest complaint they have is the battery under the hood. It is not connected to the ones in the back. There have been many a time they have gone to use the vehicle and it will not start even though they know there was plenty of charge in the rear batteries when they parked it. If they let it sit a while (couple weeks when they are away for example) they tend to come home to a dead battery up front (at least not enough to "start" the vehicle.) We are pretty sure it has to do with the load it takes to consistently start and stop the motor when driving at slow speeds around the city (light to light). The motor will start and stop many times in a trip without enough time running to actually charge the battery up front. That combined with the electronics in the vehicle that we think run constantly even though it appears the vehicle is turned off (alarm, battery monitors (?), etc...).

To combat the issue, my dad has installed a battery charger in the garage with permanent leads connected to the battery. The one he has, has a simple quick connect/disconnect so that he leaves the terminals connected and just a little plug (think block heater) exposed out the grill. He tends to plug it in if he thinks it wont be used for more then a day. I remember looking a while back on google and he was not the only one facing this problem. If it is not going to be driven daily (and at speeds high enough for the motor to run for a while) I would recommend that you have some sort of roadside assistance package as it has saved my parents a number of times.

http://www.atvriders.com/images/batt...00-kit-492.jpg
This picture shows the terminals and the quick connect/disconnect ability I am talking about.


Just our experience.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by quick_scar
I thought I would comment on my parents experience with their 400h.

They have a 2006 (?) I think. The biggest complaint they have is the battery under the hood. It is not connected to the ones in the back. There have been many a time they have gone to use the vehicle and it will not start even though they know there was plenty of charge in the rear batteries when they parked it. If they let it sit a while (couple weeks when they are away for example) they tend to come home to a dead battery up front (at least not enough to "start" the vehicle.) We are pretty sure it has to do with the load it takes to consistently start and stop the motor when driving at slow speeds around the city (light to light). The motor will start and stop many times in a trip without enough time running to actually charge the battery up front. That combined with the electronics in the vehicle that we think run constantly even though it appears the vehicle is turned off (alarm, battery monitors (?), etc...).

To combat the issue, my dad has installed a battery charger in the garage with permanent leads connected to the battery. The one he has, has a simple quick connect/disconnect so that he leaves the terminals connected and just a little plug (think block heater) exposed out the grill. He tends to plug it in if he thinks it wont be used for more then a day. I remember looking a while back on google and he was not the only one facing this problem. If it is not going to be driven daily (and at speeds high enough for the motor to run for a while) I would recommend that you have some sort of roadside assistance package as it has saved my parents a number of times.

http://www.atvriders.com/images/batt...00-kit-492.jpg
This picture shows the terminals and the quick connect/disconnect ability I am talking about.


Just our experience.

You do know that battery up front is no different than other cars.

Last only 4-5 years and if the engine ain't running, it ain't getting charged.

Since hybrid engine shut off a lot, I expect that's the norm for older models when battery deteriorated and not charged often enough.

[quick_scar]

Originally posted by Xtrema


You do know that battery up front is no different than other cars.

Last only 4-5 years and if the engine ain't running, it ain't getting charged.

Since hybrid engine shut off a lot, I expect that's the norm for older models when battery deteriorated and not charged often enough.

I am well aware. Just wanted to point out that they are not linked in any way. A lot of people don't think about the length of time the motor is running as they usually just go get in the car and drive. They don't think of the impact the "hybrid" has on the battery up front. Also when people think "Hybrid battery" they tend to think only of the ones in the back for the drive motors, and forget about the one that is needed to start the engine.

This is a problem (we experienced) no matter how old the battery is (although it is a bit better with a newer battery).

[R!zz0]

Now i'm thinking twice about hybrids. I called Lexus to see if there was any issues with hybrid battery. They told me that they have never had any issues with them. One guy that works there said they should last for years and years. Also, he told me that he's been working for Lexus for over 8 years and never replaced a battery.

@ Quick_scar, if i'm not mistaken i think 2006 was the first year of hybrid and maybe that's why it has issues. I guess it's either a hit or a miss but i feel bad for your parents because the battery can get very pricey especially for a car like Lexus.

[quick_scar]

Originally posted by R!zz0
Now i'm thinking twice about hybrids. I called Lexus to see if there was any issues with hybrid battery. They told me that they have never had any issues with them. One guy that works there said they should last for years and years. Also, he told me that he's been working for Lexus for over 8 years and never replaced a battery.

@ Quick_scar, if i'm not mistaken i think 2006 was the first year of hybrid and maybe that's why it has issues. I guess it's either a hit or a miss but i feel bad for your parents because the battery can get very pricey especially for a car like Lexus.

Again to clarify, I am not talking the "hybrid" specific batteries (ones located under the rear seats). Those are doing just fine so far. No problems at all. Those are probably the ones that the Lexus dealer was talking about.

I am referring to the one under the hood upfront. The 400h has common problems with the battery under the hood as the space they have for it is really small, and hence it requires a small battery. Just check the forums for 400h battery problems (almost all are in regard to the battery under the hood used for starting the engine). It was "supposed" to be corrected in the 450h, and there are definitely less reported problems with the 450h, but they are out there. Hopefully there are a couple other 400h owners on this forum that can comment on their experience.

[roll_over]

It seems like what you save on the price is going to be spent later on fixing the vehicle.

I compared a 06 from calgary and a 06 from over east and i could not believe the amount of rust one had over the other

[R!zz0]

Originally posted by roll_over
I compared a 06 from calgary and a 06 from over east and i could not believe the amount of rust one had over the other

[2BLUE]

I have bought a few vehicles from there Toronto, no issues!

2007 civic si $7500 (was the best deal)