Well, those joke cars just might become available… for anyone who needs a rolling laugh machine.
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Used to love doing clutch jobs in them, very easy and the transaxle was light enough to just man handle it without a jack… They were pretty easy to work on IIRC…
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There was a Yugo that ran long enough to need a new clutch? 
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One of the few standard “luxury” features on the Yugo was the electrically-heated rear window. Yugo owners really appreciated that feature because it helped to keep their hands warm in the winter, while they pushed the car.
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And, if anyone is hankering for one of the “original” Yugos, this one is currently available in Ohio!
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My wife is actively looking at replacing her 07 Lexus with 275k miles. She has some stock options coming due next month. We’ve tested a few vehicles including the new ES-250 and a Toyota Crown. She’s leaning toward the Crown. Real nice car. Both are very nice vehicles.
They are selling 2yo ES-350’s at almost the exact same price as a new one.
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When the price of used is almost the same as new, go new. But generally speaking my days for new cars is past. Buying used has the advantage of offering reliability data and reviews of owner satisfaction. My last three vehicles were “pre-owned” and I have no regrets.
I had an engineer that worked for me that would lease a new vehicle every 2 years. During those 2 years he wouldn’t do ANY maintenance. No oil changes, no tire rotation…NOTHING. One of his vehicles was smoking at only 25k miles. I’d hate to be the person who bought any of his used vehicles.
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That is why you do your homework, if there is no sign of maintenance (dealer records/Carfax whatever) and the dipstick is varnished, under the oil cap looks old…
There are normally signs, like do the tires match (non staggard), if 2 look OE with good tread and it has 2 new tires on it, then never rotated, probably not maintained either… Can you still get a dud-yes, but your chances are much lower… That is why if you don’t know what to look for, you always need a prepurchase inspection…
And who would by a vehicle just off lease with only 25K miles on it that was smoking?? lol (no answer needed please, rhetorical question)…
I have bought many many vehicles over the years, probably more than a lot of people 20-30 years older than me, all but one were used, I never had an issue with any of them, most were 1, 2, 3 years old (not counting the toys)…
The dealer he traded it in did. Not sure what they did with it. Other vehicles he traded in weren’t smoking at 20k miles. But again - during that period he never once did an oil change or any other maintenance. This includes CLEANING. His cars were disgusting after a few months.
Here in New England - the majority of car ownership is leasing. Mainly for status - get into a fancier car. Dumb idea, but it’s their money. Too many of these leasers don’t do proper maintenance. Way too many.
I have bought GREAT used vehicles in the past…but it’s still a crap shoot. Even if you do all the due diligence.
I didn’t say not to be careful. And your engineer runs a risk. The dealer could hold that he violated his lease.
Most won’t. He usually didn’t lease his next vehicle from the same dealer. New dealer just paid took in the lease and gave him a new vehicle with new lease.