2013 and earlier Lexus IS 250 / IS 350 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

jc7098

I came across this "used" IS 350 on cars.com. Has 850 miles on, basically new! Dealership is asking $35,995, but you could probably negotiate that. Car is in Alabama, to far for me. It's matador red with grey interior.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&paId=132281159&pag- eNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRI- CE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=0&leadExists=true&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_27_%7CD-_- 7839_%7CN-N%7CR-10000%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-34786&aff=national

intence

I would pull the trigger from the dealer in Sarasota. We don't have a large selection of dealers in the DFW area, and if they aren't going to give me a price I can live with, then i'll buy from someone who can.

In my situation, I really don't need the car right away, i'll probably wait another month or two, and see what pricing looks like then.

PP and Sewell will keep selling the car for MSRP as long as there's a market that will pay MSRP. We're already seeing great deals in the Florida and California areas, eventually the price will drop in TX, but for now i'd rather support a dealer who will sell at a fair price.

intence

I'd rather wait and get a real new one. If you're not getting a substancial discount on a demo, I wouldn't go for it. Who knows how the car was broken in and driven for those 850 miles? If I was test driving the 350, i'd want to see what the performance was like, and i'd probably drive it hard.

carnivore1

I contacted Wilde Lexus also. Same deal - $2500 off invoice. Live in Daytona so it is easily worth the drive to save that much. Only problem is I already ordered the IS350 back in Oct. from a dealership in Jacksonville. Going to give them a chance to match and if not I will wait the extra month or two and place a new order with Wilde.

trulyd123

Thanks for the info! I am shopping dealers, down from the $32954 to $32200 (whooohooo!) I'm gonna sit tight until it gets closer to $31000, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will let you guys know how its going!

I'm not gonna ask you guys to wish me luck, but to pray for my patience to endure w/ these folks. Some of these dealers are TOUGH!! Praise God for all the info out there on how to be smart, savvy, and persistant consumers, not to mention forums like this!

mldj98

Just picked up my IS350/White W/Black interior from Wilde Lexus today and it was a VERY smooth transaction....no games, the figures were right on what we had agreed upon!
Finance guy offered the pre-paid maintenance plan but I declined and there was no pressure whatsoever. Car was detailed, tinted, and ready to go! The internet sales guy was straight forward from the original quotes all the way through delivery!!! Now that's what I call a dealer!!!
For all that have not tried Wilde Lexus of Sarasota....give them a try....what do you have to loose?
Oh, and by the way....I think someone on here said they sent him an internet quote request and received no response...I mentioned that to him today....and he said it was funny because he answers all emails.....no matter what!
So try again....it will be well worth the effort!
Drove it on the freeway home and was going 90 before I even knew it!!! Very smooth!!!!!
Happy Motoring!!!

glenm8

100% agree!!!

starman98

Why is the IS so HOT here in Texas? I mean this is Truck country I would figure the car would be more in demand in CA and FL where every other car is not a jacked up truck.

dallasrunner

I went through Wilde in Sarasota, and having the car shipped to TX, DFW area. Ordered the car last week, and Internet sales rep was very straight forward and responsive to all the questions I had. Basically received the same deal everyone else is getting--$2,500 off MSRP. Ordered the Tugsten Pearl/Black interior.

Didn't like Park Place because I kept telling them I wanted the IS350, and they insisted on selling me the IS250--probably its all they had at the time.

Since I test drove the IS350 at Sewell, I tried working with them, and even gave them an opportunity to match Wilde's offer. This is the e-mail response from the Sewell sales rep:

"Thank you for the opportunity, but I can not offer you a $2500 discount on a new IS 350. We are completely sold out of 350's and everything we have incoming has been reserved. We don't have any reason to discount the car that heavily given the market demand. Thank you again for the follow. Perhaps I can assist you in the future"

I agree Texas is Truck country, and if the IS is selling so hot, why have I not seen any out on the roads? The only future assistance Sewell will be doing is changing the oil on my new IS.

callmedrfill

If you are so hung up on getting the best price, why would you buy on the 2nd/3rd of the month?

You (should) know there will be spiffs, bonuses, quotas and sales targets at stake a couple of days before Xmas, and the last week of the year. You will reach your numbers then.

Just use this time to test drive, appraise a dealers service and inventory, and go with who has what you want and treats you right.

:confuse:

DrFill

audball

Dallasrunner, I ordered my vehicle from Wilde the same day you did (changed my exterior color today - hope it didn't put delivery further back..). Anyway, if luck should have it that both our vehicles are ready for shipping at the same time, do you have any interest in trying to get a discount by shipping both vehicles on the same carrier? They'd have to go through Austin to get to Dallas, which is less direct than going through Houston, but it might be economically worth it? (Total guess, no idea if such negotiations with the shippers is possible...)

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I have some friends in Dallas I haven't seen in a while. If a deal can't be made with the shipper through Austin to Dallas, yet it could if both went directly to Dallas, I might be able to arrange a coincident visit up there... (Austin delivery would be preferred, but just mentioning the possibility...)

dl7265

What were the shipping charges to Austin and Dallas ? And is that to your Homes ? A car carrier holds what ? 7-9 vehicles ?

DL

realthor

For those of you that ordered through Sarasota, what was the expected time of delivery? And if it takes 2-3 months, what makes you think you wouldn't get the same deal from inventory in other dealerships?

[Deleted User]

The car is expected to arrive within the week from Sarasota to Dallas unless, of course, you place a special order

patriot21

Finally got my IS 250 last night from the dealership in Alexandria, VA. I spent a week going back and forth with the dealer over price and leasing details. At first they told me the lease had a 2.95 apr, which eventually I was able to make them admit was really a 0.00295 money factor. They wouldn't budge on the 38119 MSPR, but to make the deal work they came down about 2k in the end. My deal was no money down, 20k miles per year, 48 mo, $599 payment. Still seemed like a high payment to me (and I wanted 36 not 48), but when I first started they wanted $668/mo. So did I get a good deal or not? In the end, the car is so nice that I don't mind if I got worked a little by the dealership.

falconone

If you use the MSRP they quoted you ($38119) and a money factor of .00295 (%7.08) and a 45% residual which equates to 17153 the payment SHOULD BE 599.84. I have no idea how the computed a $668 payment. Look at your contract and see what the cap cost is. Also look to see other variables as I have little info to work with.

dallasrunner

Audball, Sure I'm always up for discounts If we can arrange a deal, that would be great. I have friends in Austin so I don't mind going down there..

Realthor, Lexus dealers were telling me that I would have to special order the Sport Package so I assumned the chances of getting an IS350 w/ sport package from a dealer's inventory was slim no matter how long I waited. I also wanted the Nav/Mark Lev/Park Assist. There probably will be better deals later, but this is the deal I was looking for right now. Not only that, the more I drive and put miles on my current car, I lose value there. Also, have the peace of mind knowing what/when I'm getting the car which Wilde stated about 90days.

audball

Realthor, I'm in the same boat as dallasrunner (want sport package, must special order). Yes, odds of finding an in-stock vehicle should be better 2-3 months from now, BUT you are betting on two things:

1) The dealership with a vehicle in stock will give you just as good a deal as Wilde will now. (I'm guessing $2500 will still be the best deal around come Feb/Mar.)

2) The vehicle in stock has exactly the options you want. For me, that's Sport + Nav + XM, in Red/Cashmere.

I personally think the chances are very slim that such a vehicle could be found, in stock, within the next 2-3 months -- for $2500 off MSRP. However, if such a vehicle does become available before the order from Wilde touches U.S. soil, I may purchase it and simply get my deposit back. (I explicity confirmed it was fully refundable before I committed.). Since the car is selling so well, I wouldn't think Wilde would have a problem selling the vehicle to somebody else. Additionally, they shouldn't be too bother about refunding the deposit, as they will have had 2+ months of interest gained on the money (small change, but still net income).

As for delivery dallasrunner, if we're both willing to go to the other cities, we should shop whatever is more economical. We don't have to worry about the details for a while, so we can iron things out down the road. I'm waiting for a color-change confirmation email, so when I get a response, I'll reply and mention the attempt at joint shipping savings. (If you beat me to it, the salesman should be able to figure out who I am with "David from Austin").

realthor

I really expect to get a new car by the end of the year in order to take advantage of the sales tax discount. However, if I can't find an IS350 with Sport/Nav/ML I'll probably have to settle for the M35. And I really don't care for paying MSRP either.
BTW, I've had a deposit on the IS350 since July 5th.

outwest1

Hello Everyone,
Great forum! We'd like to thank all who posted about Wilde -- especially the first person who mentioned them here.
After reading about Wilde, we contacted their internet sales manager. Everything was as described: courteous, friendly, helpful. Above all, they were VERY WILLING TO WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER ON PRICING! In our opinion, that's a HUGE difference from what we experienced from our local dealers (Lexus of Seattle, and Lexus of Bellevue)
The bottom line is this: We ordered an IS250 AWD from Wilde and are having it shipped clear across the country from Florida to Seattle, Washington. Even with the monumental cost of shipping included, we still saved more money buying from Wilde than what the local dealers would do.

tyorder1

Well I can't speak for the rest of florida, but the Lexus of Naples has about 15 IS on the lot. Half and half 250/350. Most are base models with one or two fully loaded 350 topped out around 42,900. Now compare that to where I live the other half of the year, Chicago, and you can't find an IS. I ordered mine about 3 months ago and I will be picking mine up around Dec 9th at Lexus of Naperville.

So where is the IS hot and where is it not hot?

Also they have a tone of 250 AWD in florida. Why would people by an AWD car for florida?

tonyguy2000

How much did you pay for the car before tax and license, and how much is delivery. Where does it get delivered to? A local dealership? Your house?

Thanks,

jc7098

It makes no sense to have an AWD in Florida. They were trying to pawn one off on me when I was there last Monday. I told them I didn't need AWD. The dealer told me he would only take $100 off MSRP for a RWD, then he immediately offered $2000 off the AWD. I passed. Maybe if it was the color I wanted I would have negotiated more.

footballfan

My sales person contacted me and told me that the October deals were all at MSRP. I just got a call a couple of weeks ago, and the salesperson said that my 250AWD will be in the second half of December.

Okay, but my deal is not an October deal, it's a December deal now. What would you do?

outwest1

It gets delivered directly to your house. I got the same deal everybody is getting $2,500.00 off MSRP.

PS. I don't see a lot of IS on the road. If it is soooo HOT, where are they?

tonyguy2000

How much is delivery?

thusrtonp

Spend some time in North Dallas - anywhere between Highland Park and Plano - you won't see many pickups, but will see thousands of BMW's. Mercedes, Volvo's, Lexi, etc. Notice that's where the Dallas dealers are located? More demand in Dallas than you might think.

bradleyd04

How much tax did you end up paying? How does that work?

[Deleted User]

Texas Tax is 6.25% which, coincidentally, is the same rate in Fl. You pay Texas Tax for a car you are buying as a Texas resident.
If you lease, you pay tax on your monthly payment. So on a $600 a month lease, you would pay $600 plus $37.50 ($600 X 6.25 %) for a total monthly payment of $637.50. If you purchase (finance) then you would pay tax on the total dollar amount and roll that into your financed amount.

kyfdx

I'm pretty sure that isn't the sales tax on a lease in Texas.

Texas charges sales tax on the entire selling price, even if the car is a lease.. A $40K car would have sales tax of approx. $2500... Which would have to be paid upfront, or added into the cap cost of the lease...

About $75/mo. in tax on the example above.. Although, none of that is relative to purchasing the car in Florida.. As long as you register the car in Texas, it doesn't matter where you bought it.

regards,
kyfdx
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realthor

Thanks for the info. Along the same lines, how do you handle such a transaction with your bank? Will they handle the financing the same way as if it was in state? I'm considering doing the same.

cpabuck

I'm close to leasing an IS350 but I'm not sure the dealer is using the correct money factor and residual value. When I go to Lexus.com and use their payment esimator, it comes up with a different price than the dealer's offer. Can somebody tell me what the money factor is and the residual percentage for the IS350 on a 36 month lease? Thank you.

five0_4tluv

i've been reading of the problems getting good deals on 350's. but anyone have any info on 250. this will be my wife's car and just want the basic car, which they had one last week. the "build a lexus" link has changed this morning for the 18 wheel package. was $740 this morning but now there is only the $914 option.. MSRP for what i want is 32,664.00. we were told NAV is hard to get, but they had one on the lot yesterday for $40k.

thanks

edub12

I just leased at IS 250. 3 yr lease with at 15K miles/year for 550 month. 300 down. the residual calculated at .62 of MSRP. so owe about 21K after lease expires.

dl7265

When your temp tag expires you would need to go to your local DMV and register the car in TX. So in your favor it wont be in your loan ( paying interest on taxes) And you have a month to get it taken care of. I guess the downside is you will have to pay the amount due and wait in line at DMV ( Dallas has horrible waiting lines).

Also TX taxes on the trade difference, in this case im assuming you wont have one.

DL

jc7098

I bit the bullet and bought an IS 250, RWD from Wilde Lexus in Sarasota. They certainly had the best price in Florida, and from what I've heard the best price nationally. I'll be picking it up Friday or Saturday. Matador Red with black interior. Fortunately I'm only a few hours from Sarasota so I won't need to have it delivered. Don't waste your time with any other dealers -- Wilde Lexus has been the easiest to deal with and their internet salesman is a great guy. Very straightforward. I got the same deal everyone else has been getting.

bhuwan

how much was it?

[Deleted User]

kyfdx,

It appears that you are absolutely correct and that Texas is among the few states to collect taxes for the full purchase price of the car up front. So it may indeed be possible that tax is collected in whole and up front when purchasing a car from out of state.
There is some rumor that neighboring states can collect taxes, but I am not quite sure how that works.

bradleyd04,

My apologies for the misinformation. While the information I provided may be accurate for most states, it does not apply to Texas.

Hamlyn

bhuwan

I've tried to email Wilde's Internet manager with no response. Can you give me a direct email?

kyfdx

You can't post them here.. you can't offer to send them by e-mail... Please read the message in red letters...

Posts that have contact information, or offer contact information have been, and will continue to be.. deleted..

Now that we all know the dealership name and location.. I'd suggest picking up the phone...

regards,
kyfdx
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kyfdx

The great thing about leasing through the manufacturer's captive financial institution? They process leases from all over the country... They know your state's specific tax laws, and can walk the out-of-state dealer through the process..

Granted, you might have to take your car to the DMV for some sort of inspection, or to pickup the license plates... But, the out-of-state selling dealer should be able to collect the sales tax, or roll it into the lease payment... or any other option that your in-state dealer can do... Because, all of the paperwork is processed at the LFS office (wherever that may be).

regards,
kyfdx
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realthor

kyfdx, given the Texas tax laws, in your opinion do you think that a lease is still the better alternative than outright purchasing? I was unaware of the tax penalty that Texas charges compared to other states.

kyfdx

Well.. it is just a personal opinion.. but, I would be hesitant to lease a car if I lived in Illinois or Texas.. Paying a lower sales tax is one of the benefits of leasing (in most states). You lose that in Texas..

However, if the lease program on a particular model is especially good, it might still make sense to lease..

One caveat.. I'm not all that up on sales tax laws in states other than my own... If you received a sales tax trade-in credit at the end of your lease, then that would make a difference... but, I don't think you do.. That is why many Texas dealers push the balloon note programs... The car is in your name, and when the term is up, you get a sales tax credit on trade-in.

regards,
kyfdx
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dakotaok

Lexus of Tulsa wants the sticker price. I also contacted Sewell in Dallas and they do too. I haven't contacted Eskridge in OKC yet, but my guess is it's the same story. They are too proud of the IS 250 right now. Anyone had a dealer near here make a better deal?

is4me2

If you're wanting a deal right now, you will pretty much have to wait till the last day of the month and make an offer on what is sitting on the lot and then they will deal. That is what my dealer told me. Since I've had my IS350/sports package/nav on order for a couple of months and I'm at the top of the list I didn't want to cancel and go to the bottom of Wilde Lexus list so I took Wilde's email with the cost $2,500 under MSRP to where I ordered my car. I got my trade in amount that I would get on my car (same as Wildes) finalized, then I presented my email from Wilde and their jaws dropped and they acted like they didn't know anyone was going below MSRP, well they wouldn't match it, so three hours later they agreed to give me the $2,500 added to my trade in. I decided to take that as who knows when I would get the car through Wilde. I'm happy with that and everything is in writing. Trading in my car next week (don't want to get in a wreck before I turn it in) and will rent a car till mine comes in.

dakotaok

Which dealership did you go to?

jc7098

If anyone is interested, Lexus of Orlando is getting in several 350's in the next week or so with the navigation package. Here are the color combos:

White on Cashmere (two)
Black on Black
Red on Cashmere

The dealer left me that message today. In my opinion you are better off dealing with Wilde Lexus in Sarasota, but I didn't know if the 350's w/ nav were hard to find.

realthor

Thanks for the info, kydfx. I was assuming the same scenario. I'll stick with purchasing as I always have. Now If I could only find an IS350 Sport/Nav/ML . . .

bhuwan

I have been offered $37,980.00 ($40,164.00 OTD = includes TTL and 140 dealer doc fees) for a
2006 IS250AWD w/Nav, Mark Levinson, LUX pkg, park assist, headlamp washers,.
Of course the package would have to be ordered but the dealer said he can maybe get it in 4-6 weeks. They seem very cool about it and the price is amazing.

What does everyone think?approx +1700 over invoice

mldj98

Where did you get this deal?
Sounds pretty good to me!
Congrats!