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Lexus ES 300/ES 330 Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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Comments
rbr-You hit it right on the nose. Our customers could go to other dealerships and pay less, but they understand the benefits our dealership has to offer. Valet service for one. The other mentioned dealerships do not offer it. And the ability to show them how and why we are #1 in service in the district. And the Ford comment was because they were talking about fleet sales. And you are correct about Lexus not becoming Toyota. But there is a large difference between what we sell and what Toyota sells. If you look at the other cost cutting highline dealers, they don't have too much more to offer than their sister stores. (Acura, Infiniti)
atoews- I apologize for making you think I implied buyers are cheap. That is not the case. I know how it is from both sides of the spectrum. And you are correct with other dealers undercutting their competitors. What I meant was rather than looking at price, take a look at everything you are getting. If anyone is familiar with Wegmans, it is the same idea. You pay more for groceries there, but isn't it the most pleasing supermarket to be in? And you rarely come out unsatisfied.
2 visits to the dealership - on Sat for test drive and last night to negotiate/sign the contract. Even though the place was packed on Sat, Marcus Laurence (the sales rep) was very kind, not pushy, let us drive both ES330 and RX330 (we were not decided whether to get a sedan or an SUV), and very polite and informative - spend 1.5 hours on us even though he knew we were just looking. I would recommend him highly (I did observe other sales reps and was not that impressed).
One hint - negotiate the price 30 mins before they close for the night !
thanks and best wishes.
Enjoy your beautiful new car.
Lehighlexus and gekko2, your conversation is better placed in any of several discussions on our Smart Shopper board. And motownusa, you should drop by the ongoing Lexus ES 300 and Lexus ES 330 discussions to check out what folks have to say about each of these vehicles.
The excellent search features on the left side of the page are often overlooked. They will help locate the best place to find helpful and relevant information.
Hope this is helpful - as always, feel free to email me if I can help any of you find anything in the Town Hall.
"Most cars today have the same features, comfortable ride, and will get you from point A to point B. The main reason why people move up is to be pampered and not have to worry about salesmen calling everyday, among other things. If you are so happy with everything Toyota has to offer on the service side, why aren't you driving one? "
Sorry, pal, but that's sure not why I bought a Lexus - nor anyone else I know.
I bought my Lexus because it's the most quiet, luxurious. smoothest riding car out there. Period. The same is true of most people I know. If you're selling Lexus over Toyota simply on the basis of dealer service, you need to find another line of work.
As I noted in that post I just linked, the purpose of this discussion is to share prices paid and actual purchasing experiences with either the ES 300 or ES 330.
Let's regroup in a more appropriate discussion and let this one get back on track.
Thanks!
Loco
- Exactly. Compare a Camry vs. an ES330, and the two cars seem to be worlds apart in refinement, ride quality, and quietness.
Initially, he liked the TL-S due to its value compared with the ES300 (that and back in '02 there wasn't any discounting on the ES300). With the new TL being more expensive than the previous one, and with discounting on the ES330, he probably would lean towards the ES330 between the 2.
I noticed you are like me in that you only purchase your cars (don't lease). That is one of the reasons to avoid the M45:
1. Terrible resale value on Infinitis.
2. The M45 is being completely redone next year - your car will be outdated real fast. Nissan confirmed the Fuga shown at the Tokyo Auto Show will arrive in 2004 as the next M45.
3. The fact that you can get $10,000 discounts on the M45 should tell you something - nobody wants this car (simple supply and demand). It sells roughly 300 a month vs. the ES 330 at about 5000 a month. Now, sales shouldn't dictate your purchase, and the M45 is well built, but when a new car sells as poorly as the M45 I'd stay away.
(Edmunds Invoice Price - Mfg. Incentives) x 1.02 Dealer Fat = Fair Price
The formula is not bad on paper for buyers, but only if dealers are willing, and all buyers insist so, ala, supply and demand again. Good luck tho!
I see that Lexus is not giving as much off as Infiniti, because they're just more popular. And I do know about the Lexus holding its value much better.
BUT...I buy and keep my cars 8-10 years. I'm not that concerned about what's the most popular car, but what I like.
I test drove the 2004 Acura TL after I read a lot about it, and loved the value and the features it had. I just didn't love the car.
The ES 330 is great, but I'm not nuts about the stereo and the speed is lacking. I do love the styling and interior.
The M45 is great also, and I really like the stereo and the speed of it, although you can't beat the ES 330 interior.
I don't like the fact that the ES 330 is "just like a camry". I do like the fact that the M45 is different than most cars on the road.
So, that's my take on it! I just wish I could get the ES 330 with the better stereo without paying the $3,000 more to get it.
Thanks again for all the advice!
- Manufacturers will offer end-of-year cash-back and dealer incentives. On something like a new Lexus (2004) I doubt there will be any of these items to move prices close to or below invoice. Now if you wanted a nice Oldsmobile...........
No different than the Jaguar X-Type/Ford Mondeo, Jaguar S-Type/Lincoln LS, Volkswagon Passat/Audi A4, VW Toureg/Porsche Cayenne, Cadillac XLR/Corvette, etc. Heck, the Chrysler Crossfire gets 40% of its parts from Mercedes. Oh well, maybe this is an argument for another time.
Good prices appear on many web sites , but when it comes to have a dealer sell you a car at that price it is nearly impossible.
Can anyone help me to at least obtain a real quote from a recognized dealer that will be the same or lower than the prices obtained through the various web sites
Many thanks
"Hey guys, Bobst actually buys a car !!!" Oct 28, 2003 10:59am
1.It was a demo with a bunch of miles (they are more likely to take a loss on a year old car with miles on it.)
2.It was a preowned car. (Many dealers can buy cars directly from Lexus that were used by their distridt reps and such.)
3.They are BS'ing you.
You usually won't find incentives and rebates on Lexus products, but they can be found on this website or any other car site
This may be an odd quirk in Texas, but it's something to consider for the folks on this board who clearly watch the bottom line. I've heard sales tax on leases in many states is paid on a monthly basis which means you only pay tax only on the part of the car you use; but for those who lease in Texas, be aware of the nice deal our state comptroller gets collecting sales tax twice from the same driver for the same car. For me it will amount to $3250 on a $30k vehicle.
My favorite is carbargains.net. They gave me a list of 5 dealers and a good price (better than I'd have gotten on my own). It turns out that a dealer located 300 miles away had a better price than my local dealer - but the local dealer honored it, anyway. The only downside is that it will cost you $200 to use carbargains.
Good luck.
At that point, I had decided I wanted the ES330, anyway. This was in early August before the cars had even shipped from Japan. My local dealer told me that they were list price only and wouldn't budge - until he found out that I was using Carbargains. He immediately gave me $1000 under list. I managed to get him to drop that $500 more.
Now, I can't say that Carbargains would save everyone money. But I'm probably an average negotiator and it saved me a bundle. If you're a great negotiator, it might not save you much. It will, however, save you a lot of time running from one dealer to the next.
Note, however, that you might do as well with AAA or Sam's Club or Autobytel without spending anything. Unfortunately, none of those had any dealers in my area, so I can't be sure.
"until he found out that I was using Carbargains." Sounds like a good negotiation tool if you can get a handle on what their prices would be.
I agree with you about the buying clubs not having good coverage. I am in a major metro area and they did not have an infiniti dealer in my state at all.