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Lexus LS 400/LS 430 Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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Comments
LQ (Custom Lux) and the PT (Modern Lux) pkgs: Dynam Radar, Pre-Collision, headlight washers, pwr door closers, and laminated glass, all on the LQ pkg.
I'd like to know from a consumer point, what real difference would these things make in a driving experience, mainly the pre-coll and radar, I already assume the others are price- increase excuses.
kirstie_h
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The Ultra package adds benefits mostly for rear seat passengers. If I were being driven by a chauffeur and sitting in the back seat, I would go for it. But on the other hand, if I was looking for a limousine, I wouldn't pick an LS as my car!
That leaves either a base model or a Modern. But why spend this much for a car and not get the features that will be standard in even midrange cars within a few years-- before you're ready to trade in your LS? The Modern gives you the options that really matter and add a fun factor to the driving experience.
But all this is really a value analysis. If value is truly not an issue, the more toys the better-- so go for the Ultra, or the Custom, or the Modern, or the base model, whichever you can afford.
I've got the laser cruise and do a fair amount of interstate toll road to O'Hare and its great on the open road. I shut it down when in Chicago traffic, too much on & off throttle due to the dangerous cutting in of traffic.
I got a good deal on my car so the difference was much less than MSRP on the option package making it worth my while to upgrade. Fully agree with you about Ultra - couldn't see spending the extra just so kids could play, even though I have heard good things about the suspension.
OT as far as which package to buy: Considering the current thread of discussion on the basic Lexus LS forum, I'm glad I dug my heels in, got a car with 17" tires, and avoided the 18" like my research told me to.
kirstie_h
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Around here the dealer wants $41.9K for an 2001 Modern Lux if you can believe that. The only new LS430s sold here with 17" wheels are the base models.
I also came out a German sedan (E320), so the 18" wheels haven't been a negative to me. But I have done very little high speed highway driving, and some posts on the LS 430 board about problems with the 18" tires at high speed have me concerned. Let us hear on that board if you notice any problem with them!
The Dealers in Ct, Maryland and NJ seem to have good prices..If you are scouting for a low milage 01 I would suggest checking Auto Trader then if you find what you want fly out and buy it...To be on the save side go through a dealer. Cars.com is another great source.
I just don't think that the RL and the Avalon (while both very nice cars) are in the same league as the LS. This is an amazing car. If you keep your cars for a long time, I would highly recommend the LS even tough it is thousands more. Over the life of the car, the few thousand is well worth it. Plus I believe the resale value of the LS compares more favorable than the other two. Good luck.
Based on my limited experience so far, the 18" are fine at high speed. No problem. However, depending on the road surface, sometimes the tire noise is very pronounced. Also, at low speed, the 18" does not do well going over some bumps - very stiff feeling and loud thumps from the tires. As stated, coming from a German car, the 18" is not objectionable for me; however, I can see how Lexus may have missed the boat on this decision, i.e., giving up luxury for pure aesthetics and marginal performance improvement.
I know this is a bit off topic. I will follow up in the LS forum.
I posted my deal in the other forums and forgot to here. I bought my LS on Christmas eve here in MA for $55K (Modern Lux package with $37K for my '02 LS430 trade). I simply walked in an hour before closing time and did the deal. I had the old invoice from my '02 purchase (55.5K for NAV/ML package) and asked for the same deal. I might have done 1K better on the trade, but it had been painted so I didn't feel comfortable selling it privately.
SV
With this available information can you tell me if this is a good deal. I am told by the sales manager it is about $1000 over invoice.
With respect to the price, I don't know your local market condition, but in So. Cal, I bought the MSRP 62734 version for $55,422 plus TTL. For details you can see my prior post. Good luck.
MSRP $63064
Invoice $55373
Capitalized Cost $56373
Money Factor .00205
Residual Value 56%
Monthly Payment $772.88 + tax = $842.44
$1000 over invoice is 10.6% off MSRP, a good deal.
I'm not an expert and these figures are approximations.
If you want me to figure out your exact monthly payment, you must get from the dealer in writing-the MSRP, capitalized cost, the money factor and the residual percentage used.
If you don't know how to calculate the monthly payment given this information, I will do it for you or write to Car_man(as I see you did already). He cannot work up a monthly payment for you without the MSRP, capitalized cost, residual percentage and money factor for this vehicle.
Regards,
hpowders
Mine has never had a problem. I updated the Disk in 03 and it was never a problem and a huge improvement....I understand in 04 there was a problem because of a change of companies providing the software (the Disks)...I think that has now been corrected.
Pwr door closers are great in that they keep you from leaving a door cracked and running down your battery...I like the feature...It also helps keep people from banging the doors shut....Headlight washers I hardly ever use..they are good if you drive a lot at night ...If Laminated Glass means the glass that automatically repells rain to the point where you can drive with the wipers if you want...I LIKE IT.
If my monthly lease is $799/month including tax, my MSRP is $62734, and factoring in my due on delivery "fee's" to be $1100 (1900-800) then does this help?
I will get the exact numbers you suggest Monday am.
Cap Cost: 56,344
residual value: 34,503.70
money factor: .00155
thanx
Given these numbers, your pre-tax monthly payment should be $747.48. Adding 9% tax brings it up to $814.75 not the $799 you were quoted. But then again, $799 is better than $814.75.
You could probably do better on the cap. cost. Yours is 10.1% off MSRP. People posting on this board have gotten as much as 12.7% off MSRP. (Check out post #162).
Regards,
hpowders
Your calculations appear to be spot on. The dealer's first offer was for $814.77 per month. I called back and said the price had to be below 800/month and he agreed to offer me the 799/month. When I called him this am he confirmed the 799/month but must have given me the original data points for the 814.77/month deal.
Am I correct in presuming that this lowers the cap cost to (35 X 15 = 525 - 56,344 55,819?
That would be 11 % off MSRP then.
It appears the dealer gave you a cap. cost of $55,850. Working with this number and your other stats gives a monthly pre-tax payment of $732.99. Adding 9% tax comes to $798.96.
Yes. This cap. cost is just about 11% off MSRP, a good deal. Especially when combined with a very generous( for Lexus) .00155 money factor-even better than the .00165 Lexus was offering in their "December To Remember" promotion.
Good luck with the car and let us know on the LS board how you like it.
I hope I do as well when I go LS430 shopping this August.
Dealers, are you listening?
Regards,
hpowders
I am looking at leasing a new LS430 in San Francisco. I would appreciate if anyone shares their wisdom to some of my questions:
1. What is the approximate License + title + other fees I should expect for the LS430?
2. Is 55% a standard residual for a 15K miles, 36 month lease?
3. Is the 8.25% tax calculated on the Capcost - residual OR is tax based on capcost only?
Regards,
Ryan
Check out the lease deal I got in Penn. listed just above.
I believe 55% is the standard residual. My tax in PA is 9% and I had the modern luxury package plus smart key.
I've been curious about what this "laminated glass" really means. I always assumed it meant one more layer of glass over the original, in order to make it thicker, so I did a google search and this website explains laminated v.s. tempered glass:
http://www.auto-law.com/CM/PracticeAreaDescriptions/PracticeAreaDescriptions58.asp
I really don't think Lexus' laminated glass is any different from the type in this article. Lexus probably bangs their drum about it so we feel better about the price of the car. I truly do not think Lexus Laminated Glass means rain-repellent. I have not noticed any difference in our '05 LS windshield from any other car we've driven, either, until I put a coat of Rain-X on it.
The Lexus dealer tried to sell me all those nice add-on aftermarket packages (you know, undercoat, dent repair, wheel/rim insurance, etc., "ka-ching"...) and one was a special coating on the windshield that would last 3 - 5 years, the equivalent of Rain-X, for a few hundred dollars.
I passed on that "opportunity," as I did all the others, since over the next 3 - 5 years I would only spend $15 on Rain-X.
A similarly equipped GS 430 will cost you just under $58,000.
Even though I liked the driveability of the GS, I would go with the LS because I would be getting better value.
No wonder the first Lexus salesman tried very hard to convince me that the LS was not for me and the GS 430 was. He even lied to me and told me they stopped making euro-tuned LS's in 2002. Yet I drove a 2004 euro-tuned LS a few days later at another dealership!
The list on the LS is $62,700 for the Modern Luxury package. I paid $55K due to being a repeat buyer and time of year. Usually they settle around $56.5. Also keep in mind this is a fairly old car now. (Sept 2000) Discounts are more generous now than they would be with a new GS model. Give it 18 months and you'll be able to get a GS for less. Also keep in mind the LS is the flagship and built to a higher standard than the GS.
The LS has a permanent water repellant coated glass winshield, at least on the Mid grade model. My 2002 with ML/Nav had it. The Ultra has it everywhere.
SV
Given the selling prices of the LS 430 vs the GS 430, I would have to call the LS a screaming buy at this point in time.
I most definately agree with that!!
So, is the LS430 on your short list to purchase now?
The only reason I felt I got a good deal is because I was also trading a car in..Normally you get a better deal with no trade. The other dealers were willing to let me walk at $20,500 differential between my '02 and the new car. To get full Kelley value for my car (which had been repainted, fender and bumper replaced) was a good deal. I "paid" 55K based on the $37K trade in value for my car. I paid 55.5K for my 2002 which listed at $61,700.
Normally you don't get 12% off a Lexus car, at least not in my 13 years of buying them. They normally will go up to 10% especially here in the Boston area. Their attitude is that they can sell it to someone else. I don't know how price aggressive they are elsewhere.
SV
Modern luxury plus smart key for $738 per month(including 6% tax) leased for 3 years, 36,000 miles.
you don't need Rainex on the LS430...A similar treatment is already IN the glass.
I've used it for 15+ years on cars and not had a problem with it. The glass has to be really clean before applying it. It does wear off with time. My car is garaged 95% of the time, so one coat lasts a long time.
kirstie_h
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Again, thanks to this excellent discusssion group for getting my head turned from just focusing on the GS series..
The better value and extra bells/whistles were just a bonus to the cavernous room inside and the trunk.
I keep saying it but how can the Lexus website say there is more headroom in the 2006GS than the 2005LS?!!!