2013 Lexus GS 350 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Lexus GS 350 Long-Term Road Test

We sought alternate methods to improve on the CarMax appraisal on our 2013 Lexus GS 350.

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fordson1

Um, is that a...is that a 27% one-year depreciation I see in the Incredible Japanese Quality Machine? And that's what's being offered out there in the West Coast crib that loves all things Japanese? Hahahahahaha. The internets are collapsing. Oh, yeah...and the excuse being offered there in SoCal where there are probably more used GS300s for sale than anywhere else in the country...is that this is a Frankenstein car. Because it has a summer tire package, you know. In LA. During the summer.

rmhpmi

Damn you Steve. I was going to offer $41,000

cotak

What you get for putting performance option on a brand that are purchased by people who wants an up-scale corolla.

cuselancer17

Someone on your staff needs to buy this thing. I personally love the way it looks, you guys raved about it all year, itll (most likely) be more reliable than the german alternative over the next 6 (7?) years that itll take someone to pay for it, and its really all the car most anyone needs. If i had the 40K to spend a lux sedan right now this would be it. Over the 5, the A6, E class. Maybe not the Jag XF Supercharged but i have a soft spot for that. Come on Edmunds, someone step up!

desmolicious

so is edmunds going to fix their TMV of $45k?
since the real TMV is $40k?

How did edmunds come up with that number, seeing that it is so off?
I thought it was based on actual like cars sold. Not on assumptions.

zimtheinvader

do all these places just use pretty much the same computer program/service to calculate the values?

zimtheinvader

fordson1, Isn't that about the normal percentage for a trade-in on a 1 year old car (with nearly 2 years of mileage on it). The dealers are paying wholesale not retail for it. It is just a lot harder to swallow when it isn't 25% of a 16,000 car.

agentorange

"He said that his customers only care about the color and whether the car has navigation on it. " Yep, everything else is fluff or more things to go wrong as far as the used buyer is concerned. Extras on a new car depreciate to almost zero the minute the wheels leave the lot. I'm surprised that Edmunds has never previously come across this long established fact of the car business.

tp660

I would buy this from you guys in a heartbeat if I had the money. I had a chance to drive this. Lexus did a really good job with this car. The interior is nicely finished and the way it drives and handles is just superb. Definitely plan on getting one when I can afford it.

diondi

Trade you guys a GTI for it!

fordson1

@zimtheinvader, I'm glad you asked that. Because my math was faulty - $40k represents a depreciation of 37%, not 27% for the GS350, over one year and 20k miles. That's BAD. The Infiniti M56, which was about $4k more new than the Lexus, depreciated 26%

darthbimmer

I agree that it's hard to get value trading in a car with lots of specialized options-- the "frankenstein" car as you call it. You've basically got to find the buyer who knows & wants those options. A fleet buyer is not going to be that person. You'd have better luck if the options were grouped together as a trim level. E.g., if engine tweaks, sport suspension, rear steering, and carbon fiber trim are the "S" model, then fleet buyers and individuals will understand the comps better.

agentorange

"You'd have better luck if the options were grouped together as a trim level." But then the original buyers gets dicked paying for stuff he/she did not ask for just to get what they want. These kinds of option packages have had me walking away from deals. Perfect case with a 4x4 SUV that I wanted with a LSD. Dealer tapped on the computer and said "$1200, Sir" WTH? Is it gold plated. "No it comes as a package with a sunroof". Wrong answer as I largely detest sunroofs, and doubly so when somebody wants to force me to have one. Bag. That. Noise.

quadricycle

@agentorange: I'm the exact same way. I know what I want, and surprisingly enough I know the things that I don't want. Now bundling packages so that I actually have to get the things I don't want in order to get the things I do, and paying more for it get

greenpony

If the problem is that the car is "too new" to be in their computer systems yet, why not just keep it for another 12 month tour?

majin_ssj_eric

I have a bad feeling that despite the overall greatness of this car, it isn't selling all that well. We got ours at a major discount in June and they are still offering strong rebate incentives on the new GS. That's probably not doing you guys any favors when trying to sell it (well, that and the high mileage). Glad we leased ours.

It really is a shame because this GS 350 F-sSport is simply the best car I've ever owned (and I've had two G37's, an IS 350, and a TSX)...

legacygt

Really disappointing for a Lexus. My parents got a prior generation 3 years old with 8,000 miles for $38 a couple years ago. Some observations: The fact that the car is too new for systems to reflect the options doesn't really sound like an explanation. If it's selling at $39K with these options then, once the systems are updated, they will reflect the actual sales at $39K The systems aren't going to magically inflate transaction prices. Then there's the line "my customers don't shop specifications." This may be true but I wouldn't call it honest. You can bet that the minute this car gets cleaned up and certified, the sales team is going to be touting it's "F-Sport Package" and "tons of options" to anyone who walks in the door.

rat73

Edmunds TMVs are WAY off. Recently sold the wife's car. Priced it at TMV/KBB (basically same number). Long story short, CarMax offered 25% less than TMV. Ended up selling it for only $1k more than CarMax after A LOT of hassle. Was not worth it.

Think some of you all are missing the point on the resale of this car. People buy cars by model years. This is a 2013 car being sold in the year 2013. The 2013 new cars are still on the lot. No one cares Edmunds has had it a year. I had to sell a car once under the same circumstances and got beat up just like Edmunds did. And the "Frankenstein" thing is real to anyone who has ever bought or sold any number of cars. You never get proportional money back on specialized options. This car was sold under the complete worst conditions for getting value. As other posters have hinted if you kept it another year you would probably get the same $40k. Expect normally equipped GSs to depreciate 50% in five years, just like they always have.

Some of you all a gloating about this being some kind of sign about Lexus. Give it up. You probably said Lexus would fail in 1989 and haven't changed your tune yet.

fordson1

"As other posters have hinted if you kept it another year you would probably get the same $40k" I seriously doubt that. Also, selling a Lexus in what is probably one of the strongest Lexus markets (along with south Florida) in the country is "complete worst conditions for getting value"? C'mon. This is a nice car, but it's not a luxury Lexus, it's a performance Lexus, and they still don't have performance cred compared to cars (BMW, Audi, Merc, Infiniti) that it will be compared to. Also it kind of falls into a performance hole in that it's not that much faster than the turbo-four Audis and BMWs, but nowhere near as fast as the turbo-six models.

kyree_williams

And this is why getting a new luxury car is often a losing battle...