Lexus RX 330 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

dmorelli1

Does anyone have any info about the refund the dealers get on the advertising that dandg spoke about in Post#935? Any proof I can bring into the dealer? I was just quoted $38,417 which is $1200 over dealer invoice($37,217) for the exact same equipped RX330. It seems the base price has increased $220.00. This d.i.includes $458 for LDA(Lexus dealer advertising) which the dealer says we have to pay. Where did you get it for $37,500? I live on Long Island.

cotmc

When we were shopping at some dealers far away from us, the last dealer we talked to said she was "looking right at the car." Then she took a bigger step and offered to email me several digital pics of the car. Within 2 hours I received several pictures by email, including a closeup of the window sticker, VIN, and a few exterior and interior pics. The pics were date coded. The cool thing about it is she was the one who practically insisted on taking the pics and emailing them to me. This was Ontario Lexus, in CA. That weekend we drove out west and returned home with "the car"!

(Steve: Sorry if it seems I'm dragging something out. I just wanted to put this idea out there for future shoppers.)

gardencar

Great idea! This would save someone a trip and make sure that a dealer was being truthful to you.

tjack978

I just bought my new crystal white RX330 last night from Keyes Lexus in Van Nuys, CA:

2WD
Navigation w/camera
Premium Plus
Cargo Mat, wheel locks

Dealer add-on:
Custom Chrome Wheels/Michelins
Running boards
Gold emblem kit (ick)

OTD $39650

The dealer add-ons totalled almost $3850 so I told them to take them off and I would give them $38,000. for the car. They agreed to the $38,000, then asked me if I would keep the add-ons for cost. I don't know about "cost" of those items, but I felt they were worth $1650 so I agreed.

I love my car and I want to thank all of you for this forum. After reading your comments and researching costing provided through Edmunds, I felt truly prepared to negotiate.

Thanks so much!

cotmc

I believe "OTD" = "Out The Door", which includes everything paid to the dealer: including the final negotiated purchase price, taxes, and all fees. If $38K (before accessories) was truly an OTD figure, then this was a truly phenomenal deal, especially considering it was equipped with Nav. But I'm guessing those figures were before taxes and fees, correct?

On a related note, I wish dealers wouldn't install accessories onto their sales vehicles until a buyer indicates he wants them installed! They are typically such a "personal" (very subjective) modification, and they are rarely worth the price paid.

For example, Chrome wheels (assuming they are the same style as the standard alloy wheels) typically cost $600-$1000, although some dealers will try to mark these up above $1500. I personally don't care much for chrome wheels, and therefore, I wouldn't pay an extra $500 for them. In the end, they typically add little resale value, except to an individual customer who really likes the look of chrome.

Another example is running boards. The RX330 sits low enough that running boards serve very little functional purpose. I am guessing their biggest attraction is the custom "look" they provide to the vehicle. Again, this is very subjective, and it adds little actual value or purpose to the RX330. It might be perfect for the individual who really likes that "look", but it also limits the customer base, and disappoints the customers who had otherwise liked every other aspect of that car (including the pre-modified price).

I can definitely see the case for adding accessories to demonstrator vehicles, but I wish dealers would lay off the mods on their sales fleet, at least until the customer requests those mods.

Just my $.02 worth of opinion!

stever

The digital pic idea is pretty slick. Next time get the salesperson on AIM or MSN Messenger and make 'em walk out to the car with a web cam going!

If you just have to go to the dealer, you can grab your PDA or internet phone and take Edmunds with you:

Edmunds2Go!

Steve, Host

dandg

Hi,
 we got our RX330 at Lexus of Watertown,about 2 hours away from where we live but a much better deal then what we could get locally.We would be happy to email contact there if that helps.We contacted several dealers by email (from internet and a couple of posters here sent us)and worked them for best price.
dandg

dmorelli1

Thanks for the info...I am about to make a deal here on Long Island for $800 over d.i.(total $38,178) but it looks as if I will have to pay the advertising which the dealers are saying are added to their di?

307web

Well, you can consider it added dealer profit if you want and decide if the total cost to you including that fee is what you're willing to pay or not. You could see if you could get a lower markup over invoice somewhere else so the net cost to you is less even if you pay that fee.

guptag724

I was planning to buy a RX330 next week when I heard about 400h. Do you think I should wait till 400h is launced? i drive about 5000 miles a year. Any opinion would be appreciated.Moreover AWD vs FWD is also confusing me.
thanks

gardencar

Guptag, if I only drove 5000 miles a year, I would go with the AWD RX330. Unless you are extremely environmentally conscious, you would not be able to benefit from one of the largest reasons for getting a hybrid, lowered fuel consumption. At your miles per annum, it might take you a decade, probably more, to recoup the difference in price between the RX330 and 400h.

On the other hand, I am not sure if the combined power of 300+ horses from the gas and electric engines would kick in together during hard acceleration to give you a faster, sportier car. That might be a reason to wait for the 400h. The extra quiet and smooth electric engine at low speeds would also be a plus. With the low miles you are driving per year, I assume that most of your driving will be in the city, so you will be in the electric mode, mostly. If your pocket book can bear it and if you can wait, go for it. Bear in mind that you won't be recouping the extra large price tag any time soon.

About getting the AWD over the FWD, your profile doesn't show where in the US you're at. Obviously, if you lived in snow country, you wouldn't need advice on this, so I am assuming you don't see snow, much. Even so, you probably do get rain and AWD is always better in rain, or any slippery situation, than single axle drive. (Yes, Willard, even front wheel biased AWD!)

newshopper3

My unbelievable experience - first with Lexus, may be the last

The deal: RX330, premium plus
MSRP $41500
My offer $37500
Their's $38000
A trade-in price close to agreement.

A nice salesman spent 2 hours working his way to earn the deal and my respect; and I was ready to accept their offer so we were all set. He went to his manager 4 times and seemed to progress very well. By then I felt this Lexus dealer was a good one.

Then, a so-called “senior” guy showed up. He just took over claiming he knew nothing about the deal. Next he boasted that his dealer was #1 and he was #1 there, and started to cheap me about the invoice price of the 330 and the kbb value of my trade-in. As an informed buyer, I could not imagine that a salesman could be more rude and impolite that this guy was.

I felt so bad for the young salesman as I stopped talking to the “senior” guy. I could not understand this Lexus tactic – why let the young guy spent all his time only to send another one to waste the whole thing in one minute. Lexus may want to portrait itself “customer friendly” – but this dealership certainly doesn’t help. The name is “Meade Lexus” in Utica, Michigan.

cotmc

I once had this tactic occur with a Nissan dealer several years ago, but I never would have suspected a Lexus dealership to play this type of game!

You might consider calling up the dealership tomorrow morning and asking specifically for the new car sales manager. Make sure you specify that you need to speak to the head manager of new car sales -- no assistant managers! (Or, you might even try to talk to the general manager?) Once he/she is on the phone, explain how you worked closely with one of his salesmen; how you were about to accept a price of $38K and purchase a new RX330 from them; and then explain how a senior salesman intervened on the sales process and soured the entire experience for you. If you make a strong case of how you were about to reach an agreement just before this turn of events, I bet their top management will try very hard to make things right and sell you their vehicle. It may also help the dealership by alerting their top management about this senior so-called #1 salesman, as well as helping out the younger salesman by putting in a good word for him.

On the other hand, if they don't seem too concerned, then you probably shouldn't give them your business.

gardencar

I agree 100% with cotmc. I would also like to add that I had a similar experience happen to me at Nissan and at a Ford dealership as well. However, it doesn't surprise me too much to see this at a Lexus dealership, as it is after all, a car dealership. Unfortunately, some of them resort to tactics such as this. They have a junior rep who may or may not be honestly working with you and who faithfully submits all your offers for "approval". On the other side of the wall, they may or may not look at your offer, before writing down a counter offer, and so on. I have sometimes wondered if this is not some kind of choreographed play to see how high you are willing to go from your first offer and how much you are willing to put up with, before you get up and leave. Finally, when they think you've had enough, they send in some senior guy who's the "closer". More often than not, he is arrogant and obnoxious, trying to convince you that he is doing you a great favor.
 
This exact same thing hapenned to us two years ago, of all places, at a Lexus dealership. We had worked with a pleasant gentleman on more than one occasion, about purchasing an LX470. We had finally agreed on a price, including an extended warranty, when in comes the senior sales rep, "closer" guy. He takes one look at the numbers and promptly claims that the price cannot include the extended warranty and that our sales guy had simply stated that it could be included in the said price, meaning maybe, but not for sure! By then, I was angry at this guy and told them I did not appreciate bieng lied to and was prepared to walk out if he was not willing to honor the agreed price. To make a long story short, he hemmed, hawed, sputtered, and made indignant sounding noises until my wife and I had enough and walked out. I felt bad for our original sales rep but couldn't help wondering if he had known what was coming all along. Two days later, they called us back, apologized for the misunderstanding, and "Would we be so kind as to come back and deal with the head sales manager, this time?"

We politely declined. By then, we had decided to wait for the new RX330 to come out before buying a vehicle. Boy, were we glad we did, because we are tickled pink that we got the RX instead of the LX, which would have probably been too big. Everything turns out for the best. So, newshopper, just hang in there and you'll be sure to get a great deal! Good luck.

cotmc

If it wasn't for a rude "Closer" wanting to retract the extended warranty from the LX470 purchase negotiations, gardencar wouldn't be with us today! Instead, he would be helping out prospective LX buyers; warning them to stay away from the Ranger Rovers while wondering what's so hot about that GX. Hmmm, maybe I should send that guy a "thank you" card?

gardencar, did you buy your RX330 from the same Lexus dealer? Or did you stay away from them when you were shopping for your RX?

Hopefully, newshopper3 will be getting a phone call from his dealer, if he hasn't already. It's almost always an advantage to the customer to take some time to deliberate away from the sales office.

gardencar

Hey, cotmc, you're very kind. You're also right. I would probably be posting on the LX board and definitely wondering what was the fuss about the GX. We never had it on our list of possibles.

To answer your question, we did not buy our RX from that dealer, and actually avoided dealing with their sales department. However, I continued using their parts and service department because they were always forthcoming. When I sent out requests, I made sure to deal only with the internet sales manager of that dealership.

Newshopper did the right thing by refusing to give in to that closer's dishonest, bulldozer tactics. Again, you are absolutely right about using the advantage to walk out of the dealership, so they can mull over the one that got away . If they're good,the sales reps will know that they need to sell to you, more than you need to buy from them!

stever

Confessions of a Car Salesman

Part 5 has some closer tales.

Steve, Host

suv4me

Summary:
- FWD
- black exterior, grey interior
- premium plus
- chrome wheels
- dealer to tint front windows
MSRP: $40,750
PAID: $36,900 (not including TTL)
RECEIVED: $2K more on my trade in vs. other dealers.

Looks like I paid about $1000 too much, but I was pleased to get a good price for my trade in. Not sure if this is a good price for Texas, wish I would have remembered to ask for cargo mats and wheel locks based on what I'm reading here.

byebye2door

We never thought buying service prices could be so good. We did the whole deal over the phone because we live in Jacksonville, FL, and the only dealer our buying service works with is in Miami. When we got there, everything was ready to go. All we had to do was give them money (we arranged our own financing) sign papers, move stuff from old car to new, and give them our trade in. It took 45 minutes, tops.

- FWD
- neptune blue, ivory interior
- premium plus
- nav system/camera
- 18" wheels
- Heated front seats w/ RS wipers
- Cargo mat/wheel locks

MSRP: $42,478
PAID: $37,340 + TTL

My only issue was my trade in -- which was a leased Acura that still had 2 years left on the lease. I was in a bad position, and the Edmunds trade in value was less than the dealer payoff amount. . . Still, the dealer gave me within a couple hundred of the Edmunds trade-in value and using it as a trade in decreased our taxes, so we weren't that far off in the end.

dej

Can you email your contact info at Watertown Lexus plus info on your MSRP and purchase price?

thanks

DarrylJ@Direcway.Com

stever

If you mark your email address public in your profile, you can direct people to it - the spam harvesters are much less likely to find it in there.

Steve, Host

dandg

Hi Darrylj,
 be happy to.Also will tell you about other dealers we worked..........d and g

windy6

Doesn't sound too bad to me. Texas dealers don't seem to want to "deal" until they see you walking out the door on the 31st of the month. You got about 3850 off msrp, not too shabby I'd say.

Maybe you could have done somewhat better, but at some point the aggravation outweighs the savings and you go to bed with a churning stomach. Dont' second guess yourself, just enjoy the car.

canthony7

I just wanted to share with you all the deal we got this past week - which is in part due to this site, your postings and lots of internet research.



After deciding upon the RX330 - my wife decided she wanted to purchase it from the salesman we'd been doing test drives with. So i put out emails to 4 other dealers in the LA area. The quotes came back and were fairly close +or- $600.



At the same time I decided to contact AAA and take advantage of my membership with their no hassle/haggle pricing. The dealer they put us with was the same as our test drive.



The internet research gave me a variety of invoice prices for both the car and packages. And with research on leasing, and formulas in-hand we went to the dealership. The AAA quote came in $1600 higher than my lowest internet/dealer quote. And with that negotiating began.



I told them I wanted to be out the door at 35K. That was including the Premium Plus Package, cargo mat, 18" Alloy Wheels and Wheel locks. They met the price and then we started talking Lease estimates.



Our credit is outstanding with a score of almost 800 - so when they came back with a 6% money factor and payment over $500 - I told him that we had been offered payment of $450 on the internet.



Again they made it work and we got our lease payments with sales tax at $485. They did try and send in another salesman at one point to "answer any questions" - we basically said no thanks.



So in conclusion:

MSRP: $39,713

Out the door: $35,000

our trade in negated TTL, Acq. Fee and 1st month

Lease: $485 per month



hope this helps some others out there.

altima5

Canthony, 35K out the door is about the same as invoice price from KBB. Is this price including your trade in? If yes, how much is the trade in. If not, your deal will be at least 3k under the invoice.

canthony7

KBB lists invoice as 31,841 (including $625 dest. charge) - add-on $2,752 invoice price of Premium Plus Package.



that totals invoice = $34,593 - and does not include any dealer holdback.



AAA's invoice for the same listed above totaled at 33,748 and one dealer actually admitted dealer holdback was $600 - but my guess is that was a low figure.



the markup on this car is astounding - before any packages are added on. i should also mention we put no money down - only the trade in - which we got $1500 for... so as mentioned in my last post in canceled out a few things.



based on all that info - it's always possible we could've gotten an even better deal but i was satisfied with 35K.

mfullmer

What are the lease terms (length/mileage)?

The holdback is either right or way HIGH. Lexus holdback is 2% of the base MSRP ($35,900) or $718.00. Of course that decreases each month until it is zero at the end of three months. Unless one knows exactly how long the car has been there, there is no way to negotiate the holdback.

What was the Capitalized Cost?

What is the Residual Value?

altima5

Canthony, does the $35000 including the Tax, Title and Licence? Where did you get your car? Thank you for your info.

dmccurve

I am ready to purchase a RX330 AWD, but am wondering if anyone who lives in areas where winters can be harsh has any feedback on how the vehicle handles in the snow.

pinkissassy

I am looking into leasing a RX330 with the Premium Plus Package with 15,000 miles per year. I was wondering what the average monthly lease payment is?

stever

For general RX 330 questions, try the Lexus RX 330 discussion.

Steve, Host

mfullmer

Since that is not enough information to give you a real number (The length of the lease, your region, your credit are important) you should go over to the leasing board and ask there.

Be prepared to give more information in order to get an answer.

stever

Here's a link:

Lease Questions - Ask Here

Steve, Host

canthony7

mfullmer - 48month/15K miles - capcost = 35K - residual = 18,665

mfullmer

I don't understand why your CAP cost would be $35,000 if that was the "Out the Door" cost. Usually that means the negotiated price and any fees (lease acquisition, doc, etc.).

In any case.

From your numbers it looks like your lease rate is 6.5% or .00271. Not bad although higher than most around right now.

I'm getting that by assuming that your "$485" payment is before tax. If it is AFTER tax then you got a sweet deal and your rate is 4.82 or .00201!

canthony7

mfullmer - i may have incorrectly used the term "out-the-door" but since our trade in covered the acq. fee, TTL and 1st month - to me the 35K was the final price. like i said - it is possible we could've done a little better - but this was our first time and we were satisfied with the #'s.


and yes - the lease payment given is AFTER tax - so we did ok i guess.

balsamsbabe

Yes. That was the final before tax and title. I think they charged a fee of $50.00 or something for the registry work, but that isn't much. I think the reason we did so well was because we had another deal on the table elsewhere.
I really liked our salesperson and the team at IRA in Danvers MA. Would recommend them.

nicolosi1

I am currently looking for a

Neptune w/ black interior
premium plus package
DVD rear entertainment
AWD

I received a quote from Bay Ridge lexus in Brooklyn of 39,599 and w/out the DVD a price of 37,900. That was with no negotiation just a quick quote via e-mail. I have to wait three months for my color choice to come in. Has anyone dealt with this dealership on a purchase? I am planning on counter-offering with 38,400 for the list above. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for the input.

richard2004

I live in Vancouver B.C. and was considering buying a 2004 RX330 with the premium package. The MSRP for this car in Canada is $55,090. What kind of prices or how much off MSRP are people getting in Canada for the 2004 RX 330?

hayden1

Can anyone tell me their experience buying an RX330 through Carsdirect.com? They are claiming to have a price at or slightly below dealer cost, which I find somewhat hard to believe. Is there a catch somewhere?

stever

Check in CarsDirect.com experiences too.

Steve, Host

johnbass

I just picked up an RX330 a few days ago from Lexus of Glendale here in sunny So. CA, and I wanted to see if you guys think I got a good deal or not. I was leasing a 2000 RX300 from Glendale Lexus (4 yrs, 15k/yr, $531.19/mo, $300 total drive off through Lexus Financial Services) which had exactly 2 months left on the lease. I went back to Glendale and got a new 2004 RX330 FWD, bamboo pearl color, premium plus package, 18" wheels. They paid my last 2 lease payments, my total drive off was $1247, including first month's payment and license/DMV fees, and my payment is $490/mo for 4 yrs, 12k/yr, residual about $18K. Is this good? My FICO score is 688. The salesman told me that I basically got a $0 down deal because of the fact that if I didn't get the car now, that I would've made the last 2 lease payments anyway. He also said (and so did all the managers) that they were losing a lot of money on this deal, but that they wanted to retain me as a customer. Is this true? Was this really a losing proposition for them and a good deal for me? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

mfullmer

The only way to know whether or not the deal was go or not is to know the numbers. MSRP, CAP COST

mel3

was your pricing for the RX330 AWD or FWD?

pesdc

Hi,

I'm getting ready to purchase an RX330 in the VA/MD area and I was wondering if anyone had any experiences (good and bad) they can share with the area dealers.

I'm looking for:

AWD
Blue Mica
Premium +
Nav

Any ideas on a good OTD price in this area?

Thanks!

johnbass

Ok guys, the MSRP of the car was $39713 and the pricing was for the FWD RX330. The gross capitalized cost is $36003.91 ($35408.91 agreed upon value + $595 acquisition fee). Then there is a cap cost reduction fee of $376.36 and an adjusted cap cost of $35627.55. The residual is $17823.52. Hope that's enough info. Thanks.

mfullmer

Ok, other than the fact that a 48 month lease is never an good idea, it sounds like the deal they gave you is ok.

If the $490 is including tax then you got a money factor of about .00156 or 3.75%. If the $490 is before tax, then you got a money factor of about .00223 or 5.35% - not that good in relation to regular financing, but not bad either.

What was your deciding factor to lease for 48 months? While I've been leasing for several years now I would never lease for more than 24 months. Life takes such interesting and unexpected twists and turns it would really scare me to lock into a 48 month contract.

medman2k1

Trying to get a RX 330

FWD
Prem. Plus
Heated Seat w/RS wipers
Tow-prep
Wheel locks/cargo mat

MSRP 40,538.00

So far best I have gotten in 36,788.

I was thinking that I could atleast do 36,200. Maybe even lower.

Please opine!

Thanks

vgx

I got a pretty good deal at Lexus of Tampa, though not quite as good as you're looking for! see reply 823 for the skinny on it! Good Luck with your purchase!!

johnbass

Thanks mfullmer for your response. Yes, the $490/mo includes tax already. The reason I chose 4 years is because the warranty is also 4 years, and the payments were better than on a shorter term.