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Lexus RX 330 Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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I am still confused by these 18" wheels. Don't the 18" have the rims with 10 spokes? That's how they show it if you research it on Lexus' website. I thought if the car had the 6 spokes they were not the 18" wheels. Now I am starting to wonder what I test drove as well. Would you pay extra for it? Or did you get it because it came with it? thanks!
I would have to walk out to my car to see how many spokes my 18" wheels.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Good Luck!
when you say 6-8 weeks ago and people paid THAT price do you mean aprox $38,400? This will help me understand if I am getting a good deal without having to go back and review all the posts as well. So far I got $34,400 and $34,200 so it's way off.
I will try your tactic of telling the salesguy $38,000. I hope it works but I know it's not always so easy.
Thanks again!
I purchased my RX330, AWD, Prem+, Nav, 18", etc. on 6/25. I contacted four Northern CA and Bay Area dealerships through edmunds price quote system and these were my experiences:
All dealers responded immediately and quoted an MSRP of 45083.
1. Freeman Lexus of Santa Rosa did not have the color/pkg I wanted on the ground - said it could be a week or more wait. The salesman quoted 41388 - what he said was 1500 over invoice. Came down to 40888 and then stated that he didn't have to sell the car for less than that because he could get more from "walk-ins", cited popularity in our area, etc. After I secured a better price from another dealer, I called him back and offered to purchase the car from him if he could match. (I am Sonoma County business owner and like to do business here.)
He said he'd see what he could do and call back in an hour - never heard from him again.
2. Concord Lexus offered 41388 as well to start. I decided they were too much out of my area and did not pursue.
3. Lexus of Marin offered same 41388 then came to 40888. They did not have the color/pkg I wanted and could not give me delivery date. They sort of double teamed me on the phone with two salesman and implied they could do a better deal, match my other offer - maybe - if I could wait maybe 3 weeks, maybe more... Honestly, I expected better from this dealership, it all seemed a little greasy.
4. Coliseum Lexus of Oakland - the winner!
Initially offered 40888, ultimately came to 40638 + TTL. I think that between my trade-in and final price I may have left a couple hundred dollars on the table, but they were the only one with my color/pkg on the ground and the Internet/Fleet Manager there was absolutely great - no greasy maneuvering. He managed to hold the car for me without deposit from Thursday to Saturday morning (maybe nobody else wanted it? Who knows, I appreciated the effort anyway) and he was very straight forward, professional, and likable. I wish I could name him here, but ask for the Internet/Fleet Manager and you should get him - I hope it's OK to say that. His "style" of selling does not leave you feeling like you've been "sold". Coliseum Lexus should be happy to have him.
BTW, love the RX. Have never owned an automatic before, so I am really happy.
I know others on this forum are disappointed with the "transmission hesitation" and I was very wary. Have had the car for over 2 weeks and honestly, it's not an issue for me - maybe because this is my first automatic I just don't "get" the problem??
My RX is really a dream to drive and I have no regrets!
Sorry for the length of post, but I hope it helps someone as I was helped by everyone - thanks again...
Dealers do not negotiate anything lower than that over internet as I tried.
You may get ~500 less than invoice if you get it from S. CA, if you want to pick up your car from there. The internet buying process is the same regardless.
I am in So. CA, and I got mine about six months ago. 05 RX330 AWD w/NAV, Pre. Plus and 18'' RIM HID RES (DVD)
MSRP of $47653 from Lexus.com and KBB.com and I got it at Invoice price $41,876 + tax & license
Color Breakwater
Hope that help.
.
Second, what kind of prices have you guys gotten on the FWD Premium Plus without Navi? Everyone seems to get the AWD, but I live in Miami, so I am not sure that I would really need the AWD here. (And yes, I know that heated seats doesn't make any sense in Miami, but I relly like heated seats for my back.) :P
Thanks for any advice you all can offer!
Going to purchase a RX330 AWD, no navigation. Who has the best deal in Denver? Any comments to share on dealerships in the Rocky Mountain area?
Thanks!
I took the invoice price from edmunds.com and emailed the specs of the car to 4 dealers mentioning edmunds and requesting a quote. I said that I would visit the dealer only after agreeing the final "OTD" (out the door) price in order to pick up the car.
I was polite but requested no calls. I was clear that I would shop the price around. To those who wanted to call me or so I asked if they would not quote me and some did and others not.
2 of the 4 dealers engaged. I repeated that I wanted an "all-in" OTD (out the door) price. Be sure to mention the processing fee and Lexus Dealer Advertising fee as something you will not pay later. They will bring it up when you go.
Got me best deal and then reconfirmed that they had the car in stock, got the name of the person, and reconfirmed that were absolutely no other costs, charges or fees.
Printed the edmunds page, all emails and went and picked up the car.
Best car deal I ever made.
Thanks
LCB
(IN) offered 40888 then, 40388 - which sounded good to me.
I was later contacted by someone identifying himself as (IN's) "Boss" and was told I had misunderstood the 40388 - that (IN) had simply told me he would "try" to get me this price.....
I could hear (IN) in the background of this conversation throwing out numbers and "what if we could..." statements which were then repeated by "Boss".
Ultimately they did not have the car I wanted and didn't seem to know for sure when they would - but might figure it out if I came in....
This was simply my experience with this dealership and these particular individuals. I am glad to hear you had a more positive and straightforward experience!
Just thought that I should post some information that I believe will be useful for the masses. Firstly, this forum has been a tremendous source of info for me and has helped me a lot in getting what I believe was a good deal.
If you are looking for a 2005 RX330 in NY, your first and only stopshould Lexus of ROCKVILLE CENTER. They are simply the best from price perspective and customer service. They have been around for just 1 year and are motivated to get business and hence there great prices and outstanding customer service. There is a young sales manager there who is simply outstanding. Deal with him if you can. I will not give names nor the price I paid but all I can say is I shopped 6 dealers in NY (including Rallye who were by far one of the worst in price and service, understandably as they have been around for long and have developed a false ego), 6 dealers in NJ, 6 in CA, and Lexus of Rockville Center were the lowest in price and best in service. I have read the forums here and believe I got an outstanding deal. Just so know what you want, be courteous, be patient, and be ready to do the deal then and there and I assure you, you will not leave unhappy, guaranteed!! And no, I do not work for them. If you dont believe, go see for yourself and you willknow what Im talking about. In addition, they got me financing for 4.3% 3 year auto loan in todays market which is pretty darn good. Also, remember, the moreoptions you get on the car, the more profit the dealer makes and the more savings they can passon to you.The few options you get, the lesser room to negotiate. Thanks again to everyone here!!!
To those who dont like the cheap silver plastic look on the rx330 dashboard (around the cd and nav), it can be covered if you go for the extra wood accessory package which is aftermarket and is about 800 bucks.it covers all that andmakes it look great.however, that wood is veneer and may come off after few years AND will have to be glued on again.
Last useful feature is the remote start, great for winters. Can start and heat upthe car from the house during winter. Its about 500 bucks aftermarket.
RX kicks X5, Infiniti, ML350, Acura behinds anyday!! Test drove all.
Thank you in advance.
Thx
kirstie_h
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Also, instead of stretching your budget, have you thought about getting a Toyota Highlander? It's basically the same vehicle but will cost you less and you can probably buy one for close to Invoice and Toyota probably has a factory to customer rebate also.
We have had the rx for about 6 weeks and have no regrets. we were looking at a 2003 mercedes 320e. mercedes just cannot compare to the reliability of lexus. most of my mercedes owner friends agree with me. yes mercedes owners agree that lexus is more reliable. buy the lexus you cannot go wrong.
If you send quote requests through Lexus' website, you might subsequently receive short survey emails regarding dealers’ response to your requests. I don't know who initiates these surveys, Lexus or the dealers themselves. But, I noticed I got quick responses (within minutes) if I submitted the survey with a neutral response. Sometimes, after submitting the surveys, I also got 'out-of-office' emails from people at Toyota, so I believe these surveys might be monitored by real people at Toyota/Lexus. This may or may not help you get a better deal, but I felt I got better quotes after I submitted the surveys.
Be wary of dealers whose internet sales departments simply pass you onto the traditional salespeople on their floor. I had a very courteous exchange with a NJ dealer's internet department. They quoted me a very good price with only a bit of negotiating. But, when I walked into the dealership, they handed me off to a salesman on the floor who was extremely arrogant and pushy. He had 'notes' from my conversations with the internet staff. He knew I wouldn't be making the purchase right away, and I was simply coming to look at the color choices in their inventory. I had made it clear that I would come back later in the day with my wife to make the decision on colors. Yet, the salesman was insistent, and quite rudely so, saying that if I didn't sign the purchase agreement right then (no VIN, open to color choices), with a NON-refundable $2500 deposit, they would not deal with me. He finally brought in the sales manager who eventually told me I didn't have to sign the purchase agreement, but they'd keep the form filled and ready when I returned. The whole thing seemed a bit staged for a high-pressure sale. I certainly wasn't expecting this after the civil experience I had with their internet staff. Of course, I never returned to that dealership.
1.Finance the car
Total cost of the car=$63,726.10(including tax & PDI+admin)
Finance rate= 2.4%
Down payment-$15,000
Monthly payment- $1065.65X48 months= $51,151.20
Total = $ 66,151.20
2. Lease the car
Finance rate-2.5% (if I put $5000 security deposit)
Security deposit- $5000
Payment due upon delivery- $2615.10
MOnthly payments- 780.10X48= $37,444.80
Residual- $24,444.40+tax= $28,111.06
Total= $68,170.96 (This is the cost if I decide to buy the vehicle after 48 months)
Pls advise what way should I go
Thanks
First, they told me that they only receive shipments of new cars every two months... so I had better hurry and buy something because it could be a LONG time before they see more cars.
Second, that production would be moving from Japan to Canada shortly, and that production delays were anticipated. My own research turned up that production had moved to Canada in September of '03. Upon bringing this to the dealers attention, he acknowledged production had already moved to Canada, but that there were huge production problems as a result. Therefore, they were still receiving many of their cars from Japan and there were shortages and that the entire world would be coming to an end shortly.
Any truth to ANY of this or is this just an attempt at pressuring me? Sidenote: if this is a sales tactic... not so bright. I'd have bought the car already if I felt like they were being honest with me. They're saying they have no idea when they might get in the car that I want, so I should probably buy the one sitting in front of me, quickly.
Help.
Huh? did he tell you this? If so, he must be god in which case he could be correct about RX supply!
Otherwise, he's false. A good portion(over 50%) of North American RX manufacturing has been occuring in Canada for over a year now. So I can't see how they are having problems with production. Your salesman may mean that total RX production save for Hybrid's is moving to Canada for North American market. Which I doubt, since I don't think the Canada plant has enough capacity since it also produces several other products. He's definately B.Sing about the every 2 months thing. Dealers typically get shipments on a weekly basis.