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Comments
Dealers must buy trade-ins at wholesale (or below) and sell them at retail - that's an obvious fact but one often overlooked by the customer.
I find it easier to sell my old vehicle myself but your mileage may vary...I know a lot of people that wouldn't think of selling their vehicle privately because of the potential problems. But, on the other hand, it is reasonable for dealers to say, "well, I say it's worth $X - but you think it's worth $X + $3k. Great - go find your own buyer at that price; I can buy 'em all day at the auction for $X so why would I pay you a dollar more?"
And don't several states get their sales tax money on the top-line sales price of the new vehicle - regardless of the trade-in value on the old one?
We have 2 boys, ages 15 and 17, so figure one of them can use it since taxes and insurance is low, esp. if I drop collision. I just have to convince my son it's not a "Mom" car before he'll use it. When I was that age, I would have been thrilled to have a loaded vehicle with a/c instead of the Chevy Vega Hatchback I had.
I'm sure the Lexus dealer didn't want a Ford sitting on their lot, even in the Used side; they suggested I put it on ebay if I decided not to keep it. That's what they do with lots of their used cars.
In fact they have a 2004 Flint Mica 330 with NAV,RES,12,000 miles right now on ebay for a great price. I test drove it but didn't like the colors but thought I'd mention it if anyone is looking. I missed a great one I would have bought; they had just sold it on ebay to a guy up north. They didn't even advertise it locally. I guess they'd rather we buy their new cars.
THIS IS THE TYPE OF INFORMATION I WAS EXPECTING WHEN I FIRST LOGED IN HERE
Anyway, your '98 Explorer is a GREAT car to hand down. And you are right; it wouldn't bring much in today's market.
We told our son that we would get him ONE vehicle for high-school as he turned 16; that we would select it jointly; and if he wrecked it he would be walking until he bought his own the next time around.
We agreed on a '96 Explorer Sport 2-dr 4.0L 6-cyl which was about 18 months old with 20k miles on it when we purchased it. Took 3 months to get the pipe smoke smell out of it...
Not fast, not real cool, but had dual airbags, ABS, power everything, good seats, black over tan leather, etc.
So while his buddies were wrecking their V8 Mustangs, Camaros, and Firebirds, and their parents were paying $2-3k a year in insurance for the privilege, he drove this puppy.
We sold it about 3 years later for half what we paid and I consider it one of my better parenting moves. Go for it!
I tried to make a deal at least 12500 but they said no - so I told them Im not getting the car. One week later they still got the car in the lot and I tried again to see if they will give me 12000 but still no so I stop calling them.
I tried another dealer and they want to see the car and they are willing to give me 1000 over invoice that is on the lot but this was before the year end - so im not sure if I go on the 16th if they are still willing to deal.
Premium Plus Package (sunroof, leather, wood steering wheel, shift knob,console, and other trim, power rear liftgate, Home Link, roof rack and cross bars, defrost/reverse rearview mirrors)
Preferred Accessory Package
Tow Package
Heated Seats
Rain Sensing Wipers
18" Wheels
MSRP: $41,688
Final Price: $37,600
(Before taxes, reg., fees)
Total discount: $ 4,088
Percent Savings off MSRP: 9.806%
OTD Price: $41,139
(Incl. CA tax, reg., doc. fees, etc)
I had no trade in, no loan, and I paid by check. As I wrote the check, they tried to sell me Lojack, paint/interior protection, and an extended warranty for an additional $4400. I said, "No." They said they'd knock off $600. As a last resort, they said they'd sell me Lojack at half price, for $895. I finished writing the check and bought nothing else from them.
Finally, no matter what package you are looking for with your RX 330, there is no reason why you cannot get a nine to ten percent discount in CA.
For more pre buying and car option details, read my post #624.
Congratulations on your great deal and looking forward to hearing about your impressions on the RX!
The one in S. Atl. did not have any with NAV; I didn't hear from Hennessy's till after I'd bought on the 30th. The Nalley folks had 1 NAV and 1 NAV/RES and that's who I was dealing with (Roswell location) until I decided to take the deal I got locally.
If my husband hadn't been working that day and we hadn't been getting ready to go out of town I probably would have gotten it there. Just didn't have time to go to Atlanta that day. Good Luck!
Congrats on your purchase!
We purchased our RX from a different dealer than our LS. We did not have to wait long at all for it; just e-mailed all dealers within 100 mile radius with the colors and packages we wanted and talked to the ones who were willing to work with our price. We ended up at Stevens Creek Lexus. For a full account, see my post #624.
We are definitely enjoying the vehicle, as I'm sure you are. By the way, you got a great deal for an August purchase. Thanks for the congrats!
Just in the process of buying an RX330 in Conneticut. When asking the dealer about what "packages" we can get, the dealer ran down a list of what the car comes with (in other words, what they usually see on Rx330s with Navigation). Since these options line up with what we're looking for, that's OK... But I want to check with anyone else who's had experience in Conneticut (or the Northeast) in knowing the price is a good one.
Here's what we're ending up with:
RX300 All Wheel Drive
* Premium Plus Package (or equivalent) With Leather trim, Power/tilt telescoping steering wheel with memory; Power Liftgate, High Intensity headlamps; Moonroof with 1-touch; Roof rail and racks; Leather and wood steering wheel and shifter knob)
* Also included is a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, though we're told that the Mark Levinson Audio package isn't available in the Northeast... (Is this true? This is the difference between the PT package and the VN package...)
* HH Package (or equivalent) With Rheostat (adjustable) dual-heated front seats and Rain Sensing Wipers.
* 18" Alloy Wheels
* Navigation System with Rear Camera package
We started negotiating at MSRP of $44,798 and ended at $42,398
Then we added in a Rear Seat Entertainment System, where the Dealer will install a two-screen (back of front headrests) DVD player.... says that after market "sale" price is $2400.
This brings our total cost of the vehicle to $44,798.
Including the Nav., 6-disc changer and the Entertainment package... does this seem high to anyone?? Please help a.s.a.p.
Another thing, why are you getting two screens behind the headrests? Lexus provides a factory DVD screen that drops down from the ceiling, behind the sunroof, in the center. This option is only $1400 from the factory. Ask your dealer to look for a car with this option already installed and save yourself $1000. It sounds to me the dealer is trying to pull a fast one on you with the entertainment system. I know you can get the head rest screens from Good Guys for less, if that's what you prefer.
Keep working on the dealer, or go to a different one with a written quote. This guy is not giving you his best price. Good luck and enjoy your RX 330!
Buy at $38,000
Inskip Lexus in Warwick,RI
I thought it used to be 30,996 with MSRP of 35,025.
now its showing 31,128 with MSRP 35,209. (base price).
someone is offering me 36,610.00 that is suppose to be 1K over invoice - thought the invoice was 36,172.00.(msrp 40,128.00)
thanks
1) Is an extended warranty worth the investment? (Our Mercedes C230 ended up with $3000 worth of work just days before the 4yr/48k miles warranty expired... and two months later was looking at another $1400 repair....)
2) I've heard talk that other extended warranties are available on line... Can anyone recommend a site to find one? Do the dealerships respect these after market warranties?
Thanks
I would only purchase a manufacturer's warranty to insure this does not happen.
If you only drive a few thousand miles a year and would benefit for the time factor part of the warranty - 7 years, I would consider it. If you drive quite a bit and would be at 70,000 miles fairly soon, which is only 20,000 over the origianl warranty, I would probably not buy it.
As far as your MBZ needing all those repairs, that is the big difference between the two marques. Our LS400 has 154,500 miles on it, hasn't needed any out of the ordinary repairs, just normal wear and tear, and it still drives beautifully. Therefore, when we bought our RX330, we passed on the extended warranty, even though we don't anticipate putting 70k mi. in seven years.
You have the option of changing your mind and buying the extended warranty before the 3yr/36,000 mi. mark, I believe, even though the bumper to bumper warranty is 4/50k, and emissions and power train warranties are 5/50k and 6/70k, respectively. You can use this site to check for yourself. There is a reason why these dealers push the warranties so enthusiastically, they know it's a pretty safe bet, especially the Lexus dealer.
Take a look at posting #643. He used my quote as starting point and did quite well!
Thanks for the kudos and good luck with your shopping!
Premium Plus Package (sunroof, leather, wood steering wheel, shift knob,console, and other trim, power rear liftgate, Home Link, roof rack and cross bars, defrost/reverse rearview mirrors),Preferred Accessory Package, Tow Package, Heated Seats, Rain Sensing Wipers, 18" Wheels
MSRP: $41,688
Final Price: $38,700 - Trade in $16700 = $22000
The discount was around $3K in NJ (Difeo Lexus). I negotiated from the amount of money I had to pay. I started from $21K and I was happy ending with $22K. It took me less than 2 hrs to test drive and buy the Car. Delivery on Monday.
Premium Plus Pkg, Nav, Heated Seats, 18" wheels, etc.
MSRP: $44,038
Final Price: $40,900 plus reg/doc fees.
I knew I can get more off by reading this forum, but I didn't want to haggle over the price. I knew what I want and was in and out of the dealership in 2 hours. Most of it because they had the prep the car. The car I wanted just came in. The service was great. The gentleman I was working with was awesome, and would highly recommend him and this dealership to someone that is looking to buy an Lexus.
I'm looking to buy a new RX330 this month in the SF Bay area. I would like to know from anyone who bought their's in the recent past, from what dealership and what was their Out The Door price was and with what options.
Also, quote your experiences about any particular dealer you liked or didn't.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Check out posts #624, 643, and 664 for Bay Area Pricing. We both were able to get more than $4,000 off MSRP. Good luck on your purchase.
Back in June, we were selling our '01 MDX and shopping for a new model, considering the RX330, the base XC90, a new MDX, or even the Murano. While focusing further on the RX330, I became very frustrated with the lack of RX330 discounting at our Arizona Lexus dealers. Someone within a Town Hall forum here posted that Southern California dealers were offering good discounts. For grins, I started sending quote requests from the Lexus website to a few Lexus dealers in Southern California. Their initial quotes were much lower than what our local Phoenix dealers were hinting. When I received a $37.1K quote on a $39.4K Prem Plus FWD model, I forwarded that email to Scottsdale Lexus. The next day they (Scottsdale) called me back and told me they had a model exactly as I wanted, but they couldn't touch that quote! Would I be willing to spend several hundred dollars more in order to buy it locally? My answer: "No!"
The final price I received from Crown Lexus in Ontario was $36.2K. I'm guessing the best price I could have negotiated locally would have been between $37.5K and $38K. Another nice bonus is we paid only $45 for Doc Fees instead of the typical $299 Doc Fees we pay here in the valley.
We worked this purchase into a vacation trip. Crown Lexus picked us up from our motel in San Diego, and we drove the new car home. The only minus was the extra trip to our DMV office to register the Lexus when we returned home.
Hopefully our local dealers are providing much better discounts now. Regardless, when you are prepared to make a purchase, I recommend using the online quote request tool on the Lexus website. Request a quote from both the internet departments at both Bell and Scottsdale Lexus, as well as a couple dealers in Southern California. See if the locals are now willing to compete!
Handling/Performance: Our RX330 (with 18" wheels) seems to be more nimble and more car-like than our older MDX. The RX330 seems to be able to stop more quickly, as well as accelerate a little better at highway speeds. It's turning radius is very good. However, the RX330 leans more during cornering than our MDX did, and its transmission isn't as responsive at lower speeds. (That may be fixed with the ECM TSB I will soon have applied.) Our RX330 FWD is averaging about 21 mpg on mixed freeway/suburb driving, while our '01 MDX (AWD) averaged about 17.5 mpg.
Reliability: We had a couple problems with the climate control system of our MDX (which were quickly repaired), but I chalk that up to being an early production model. (We bought one of the very first models. The serial number was below 300.) The only problem with our RX330 was a small rattle underneath that was quickly resolved. We now have 10K miles on the RX330. I might give a small edge to the RX330. If nothing else, Lexus provides a longer drivetrain warranty than Acura. For overall reliability and build quality, it's hard to beat either one of these SUVs.
Interior: Our RX330 is significantly quieter than our '01 MDX. As I said, Acura has greatly improved the noise issue with their newer models. I personally liked the firm perforated leather seats in the MDX, but I've read several comments from people who disliked the seats in the MDX. The RX330 has better trim with a more luxurious feel and look to it. The RX330 has some other nice features not found in our '01 MDX, such as a telescoping steering wheel, power lumbar adjustment, auto open and close on both front windows and moonroof, power rear liftgate, and a split rear seat that can be adjusted forward/backward as well as for seatback angle. The standard RX330 stereo sounds a little better, and has more adjustments, than our standard (non-Bose) MDX stereo.
Cargo Room: This is where the MDX shines. The cargo bay is wider and taller, as well as a little bit deeper. The extra width of the MDX is also evident in the 2nd row seat. It was much easier to fit a child seat with 2 adults in the 2nd row of the MDX than in the back of our RX330. The MDX also provides a split 3rd-row seat, which adds additional seating/cargo flexibility. For example, we could seat 4 adults and one child very comfortably while lowering a section of both the 2nd and 3rd row seats for lengthy cargo items. The MDX beats the RX330 hands down for "utility".
Another major consideration is the physical design (the "look") of these two SUVs. That's a subjective question that only you can answer. For us, we liked the sporty look of the RX330 over the boxier look of the MDX.
Please email info on your dealer & contact (name of your sales person).
Others Townhall'ers:if you've worked with good sales people in Seattle/Portland. Courteous and not snooty/stuck-up. Please email me too!
Thanks!
aooolongcha@hotmail.com
All the messages I'm reading show a $3000 - $4000 savings but it seems that they relate to the west coast. Any better deals out there for the NE?
MSRP $41,688
$38,000
I finally baught my RX330 over this weekend 01/18.
RX330 FWD, fully loaded with Mark Levinson Audio Package, Navigation, DVD Entertainment system, Heated Front seats, Alloy wheels with wheel locks, 6 CD changer etc. etc.
I paid $600 above KBB invoice price of $39,200. I baught mine at Stevens Creek Lexus. Let me tell you that my overall experience at this dealership was awesome. They were very co-operative and willing to neigotiate. I was out within 2 hours, with no upselling what so ever. I baught extended warranty 7yr/100,000 miles at a very decent price.
The car salesman was extremely helpful from the beginning to the very end of the deal. Also, for exceptional credit history I got a pretty good deal on the APR as well.
Please let me know if i paid the right price and how does the overall deal look.
Thanks in advance.