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Lexus GS 450h Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • tricky73tricky73 Member Posts: 132
    Ken

    I do not know what you currently drive, but so far the GS450h seems to be a good replacement for the LS430 which I should never have replaced. The "green" attribute of the 450, although novel, was not a major consideration in my decision. At my age I do not hot-dog a car so blazing performance wasn't important either...this machine has the same satisfying comfort to me as a favorite pair of loafers.

    I will continue to post as more experience is accumulated with the 450, including service experience. Although these forums are national, once certain posters indicate where they live, it would be helpful to identify those shops who know what they are doing and try and accommodate the customers needs rather than spend time explaining why something can't be fixed.
  • mkraussmkrauss Member Posts: 2
    I'm contemplating buying a GS 450h, but want the Power Active Vehicle Stabilizer. I'm distressed to learn that only cars sold on the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountain States have this option.

    Why is Lexus behaving this way? On the "build your Lexus" site, punch in different Zip codes (East, Central, and West) and you will see what I mean.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Simple fly to Denver, Portland or Seattle and get your car. Make a nice vacation of it. Then when you go in for service explain to them how they lost the sale.

    Welcome to the Forum

    PS
    Do not try to buy in CA. They will sting you with our horrible sales tax.
  • tricky73tricky73 Member Posts: 132
    I think this is a wonderful option; my comparison is with 2 recent model LS 430's, an ES 330, and an LS 460L. I do not hot dog an automobile at my age, but feel much more (safely) confident and comfortable in the 450h. The radar cruise is also very worthwhile for geezers...hold out for it!!

    Still looking for comments on the run flat tires...they seem great but cannot find any information about them except they are expensive and hard to find. Also a bit queezy about not having a spare although I have not had a flat tire in 20 years.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    I replaced run-flats on my GS450h a week after buying the car. I absolutely hated how harsh they made the ride. And I don't even live in a place like New York or Chicago, where the roads are full of potholes.

    The run-flats on my car where pretty quiet despite offering really harsh ride. Also, my car did have a spare tired; I wouldn't have it any other way. Some of the run-flat packages include the spare, some don't.
  • tricky73tricky73 Member Posts: 132
    Did the ride improve? Mine are the Firestone/Bridgestone brand that I am led to believe solve the problem by building the tire with stiffer sidewalls as opposed to using gummy stuff or having a tire within a tire. If so, this is probably what causes the harsher ride. Some posters claim the air supports the car, but it is really the prestressed carcass that does the job, and this prestress comes from the internal pressure.

    The reason I do not have a spare is the car has active stability control which demands a second battery to control the suspension; hence no spare because that is where the additional battery is housed.

    Thanks for the post; always glad to hear from others.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    The difference in the ride quality after taking of run-flats (Dunlop 5000) was like night and day. I put Continental ContiExtremeContact tires on the car; these are second highest rated Ultra High Performance All Season tire on TireRack. The jarring harshness is gone completely; although the Conti tires are a bit louder than the Dunlop run-flats.
  • deaddogdeaddog Member Posts: 60
    If anybody is watching this dead thread, I have a question. I can get a new 2008 gs450h off a dealer lot in NE for $50,000 even. Options are levinson, navi, all season runflats, lexus link, spoiler, accessory package (net/mats/wheel locks). That is below "invoice" because Lexus is giving dealers $6000 on 2008 models. I could get the same car with same equipment as a 2009 for $57,000. Do you think 50 is a good price on the 2008? Would you go for the 2009 for an extra 7000? If it helps, assume that I will sell/trade the car in 3 years.
    Thanks
  • vigorlovervigorlover Member Posts: 40
    Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I have been looking into GS450h due to the absolute dearth of GS460 (I wonder if Lexus is doing that on purpose to spur sales of the hybrid?). I just today got a quote for $55,866 plus tax (I live in California) on a 2009 with the options listed below, MSRP $62,215:
    Run Flat All-Season Tires with Spare Tire
    Mark Levinson Audio
    Lexus Link (Digital)
    Navigation System Includes:
    Generation 5 Navigation System and
    Voice-Activation with Destination Input
    Rear Spoiler
    Cargo Net
    Trunk Mat
    Wheel Locks
  • pslalapslala Member Posts: 2
    Virgolover,
    Would you mind telling me where you got your quote? I live in Palm Springs and went to Desert Lexus. The salesman told me that the GS450h was still in production and that no dealer would have one for at least another 2 months. I couldn't believe my ears. I am awaiting a quote from Lexus of Riverside through the Costco auto buying program. They were supposed to have phoned some time yesterday,I am still waiting. I thought sales people would be jumping at the chance to sell me a car. I spoke with Longo Lexus and they seem to have plenty in inventory but want to make sure I get the best price. I would like all the options you mentioned above.
    Thanks
  • deaddogdeaddog Member Posts: 60
    FYI - I ended up getting this deal for 48,000 - I'm very pleased
  • vigorlovervigorlover Member Posts: 40
    pslala,

    I live in San Jose but ended up going to Lexus of Pleasanton (East Bay) to buy the car. On Friday they had mine plus two silver and one black GS450h. I got a white GS450h with Nav, Mark Levinson, XM, run flats with spare, spoiler, accessory package, all-weather mats, wheel locks, for $56,000. Basically $150 over invoice. This was the only one with XM, though actually I did not care about that, I just preferred the white.

    Putnam Lexus in Redwood City had a silver one, Stevens Creek Lexus in San Jose had a couple GS450h. It is the GS460 that is unavailable, though supposedly still in production. Good luck in your shopping, beat the tax increase!
  • pslalapslala Member Posts: 2
    Thanks so much for the great information. You would have thought that the sales man would have known that. I look forward to trying to get as great of a deal as you. Enjoy your new car.
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    In the spirit of reviving this thread I'm posting information on my 2010 GS 450h purchase.

    My lease on the 2007 GS 450h is maturing in January of 2010. I would've loved to keep the car had it not been in an accident that significantly lowered its value. In addition, the car is full of rattles, squeaks and creaks that are pretty unbearable. All attempts to fix these in the past have proven to offer only temporary relief.

    I've driven a lot of other cars, including BMW 550i and 535i, Audi A6 3.0T, Infiniti M45, Ford Taurus SHO, Hyundai Genesis 4.6, and a bunch more. Except for the A6 everything else felt like a fairly significant step down from the 450h. I love that car with the exception of the noises. My hope is that compared to 2007 model, the 2010 MY should have the rattles problems resolved, at least for the most part.

    Unlike before, you cannot just go to a dealership and pick up the 450h anymore. They are now available by special order only. Which is bad because you have to wait, but it is FANTASTIC because you can finally get the GS450h the way you want it. And the way that I want is is base, without the overpriced Mark Levinson system or the terrible navigation system that cant be used while you drive!

    I went and listened to the regular GS stereo, and found it perfectly acceptable. And unlike in 2007, the rear camera, bluetooth, and parking sensors are standard on the base model without navigation. So instead of paying $1,400 for the navigation system and $200 map updates, I got a fantastic Garmin system with free traffic information and life-time free maps for a combined total of $270 ($200 for the system and $70 for lifetime maps).

    Now to the price. At first the dealerships I contacted gave me a load of BS about how they don't discount special order cars at all. Then I found one (in Alexandria, VA) that would allow me to buy it for $1,500 over invoice. Then I went to another local dealer with that information and they offered it to me for $1,000 over invoice. At this point the Alexandria dealership agreed to $1,000 over invoice as well, and these guys don't have any junk fees.

    So there you have it: a 2010 GS 450h at $1,000 over invoice. It's not as good as my 2007 deal (couple hundred under invoice), but I think it's a sweet deal. Have to wait almost three more months though....
  • vigorlovervigorlover Member Posts: 40
    I have been loving my 2009 GS450h which I bought in March (just before the California sales tax increase!). I have to agree with some of your comments though. The Mark Levinson stereo does not sound like anything special to me, and the fact that even a passenger cannot enter addresses into the Nav while the car is moving more than a few mph makes it much less useful. Otherwise I am at 10k miles and all is well.
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