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Lexus ES 300/ES 330 Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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I was looking at this ES 330 with Navigation (no ML), also comes with HID, Vent. Chair, Floor mat...etc (I forgot whether they have VSC or not). I know the MSRP for this car is $36894 and they gave me a total price out of the door is $37250 (includes tax, lic , doc fee) and I live in Orange County. Please tell me whether this is a good deal or not?
There is no guarantee that any buyer will get any price.
I am only saying that based on the posts on this thread, if I were buying a car today, I'd probably offer 89% (or walk out on more than 89%-90%) of MSRP if I did not want to negotiate. If you have multiple dealers in your area, you might want to walk out on a greater than 90% deal unless you are hard over on a specific vehicle combination. Rememeber that the 90% or less includes everything but govt. imposed taxes and fees. In other words, your price, including all the dealer BS fees should not amount to more than 90% MSRP if you want to get the same kind of prices that Edmund's posters have been getting.
Virtually none of the posters have received less than 87%. Some have received between 87-88% so if you are a hard core negotiator, you might want to try for 87%. You can see that the range of prices is pretty tight.
There have been debates about whether using invoice versus %MSRP is a better indicator. Everyone seem to agree that invoice would be better, except that it is not as straightforward to obtain. So on this board, folks have been reporting their prices and MSRPs.
MSRP 38,444 (Has Navi/ML and everything else)
Price Paid: 34,500.00
Tax: 2,076.00
Tire Fee: 7.50
Doc Fee: 211.00
Total: 35894.00
And a lot depends on your region, the competition, etc. All my numbers are ballparks on what others have recieved and it seems fairly constant across geographical regions.
In order to do an apples-to-apples comparison, all dealer fees need to be calculated into the offer price. Only govt. imposed fees, like license and tax, are excluded.
The reason for keeping out the fees for doing comparisons is to get around individual dealer BS fees in figuring how a price compares to what others ' are getting.
You need to add the fees to the 33,914 and then compare the resutling number to your MSRP to get a good comparison to others' deals.
Be aware that the time of year may also matter. We did a comprehensive comparison in December 2003, and the prices were all coming in at around 88-90% MSRP.
I have not done a comprehensive analysis lately like I did in December, but it may be doable by going back through the posts to see what folks have received lately. Prices may be higher now.
Based on my observation for the past couple of years, if I were buying a vehicle, I if I were not in a hurry, I'd look to December as a good month to buy a car.
How does this sound?
Only thing keeping me from doing it is the deal with the tires. There is a notice on the car that says the 17" tires may last substantially less than 20k miles....I drive about that each year. Lexus has got to fix that.
Perhaps August is a better car buying month than other months in your area.
2005s are new, so they may be running higher in your area.
One purchaser in Washington state had a vehicle shipped from Southern California because the prices differential made it worth his while.
On a 34000 vehicle each 1% of MSRP is worth about $340.
Southern California is a very competitive market, so you may be able to save some by either picking up a car there and driving back or by having it shipped.
You are not doing anything wrong.
Are you concerned about the short life of the tires on this car. I love the ES but I am reluctant to purchase a car that requires new tires about every 1.5 years.
I bought my 1995 ES 300 (also 4th year of a 5-year cycle) for $31,000 and it stickered for $35,800. My 2002 ES 300, on the other hand, was purchased closer to sticker because it was a brand-new model.
The first car is the 03, and the miles are extremely high at 45K. The car is in excellent shape for the miles (though not that old in time) and is certified. I'm really hesitant on the miles as I put on about 22K per year, so after the 3rd year, the car would be at 100K, and out of warrenty, with a year or two to pay on it. What advice would anyone give on buying a car this new with this many miles. The dealer is at $26500, and willing to go lower. Tomorrow being the end of the month, it may be a good time to deal. What I've found is:
Kelly Blue Book
Trade In $18545
Private Deal $21625
Dealer Retail $26600
Edmunds
Trade In $27014
Private Deal $28691
Dealer Retail $32087
Here I think Edmunds is very high. For $32.7 I could get into a 2004 with no miles, so I'll go with KBB. Also Carfax had no accident history on the car, so apparently very clean just driven lots. What would make this an offer too hard to pass up, at what price?
The second is an 04 ES330 that only has 2k miles and was driven by a service manager. Not sure if it is a demo or has ever been titled. The car is black, not a color I really wanted this time around, but has all the options. Again, I've found,
Invoice MSRP
Edmunds
Invoice $33041
MSRP $37660 **only had new prices on 04, too new to be under used
KBB
Trade In $28175
Private Party $31600
Dealer Retail $35125
Again, tomorrow being the end of the month, and this being a 2004, what would you consider a good price.
Thanks for any and all replies.
Lexus of Cerritos - boasts a large inventory, plus I believe they are the Sam's Club dealer in So Cal.
Jim Falk of Beverly Hills - Some posters have been happy with them.
Also try Motor City Lexus in Bakersfield - they compete in southern california, but their local market is smaller as they are out of the way. Their services tend to be cheaper than in the LA area, so maybe their cars are, too.
Also, you may want to try Sam's Club or Costco. Their auto deal departments may give you a "scoop" on what kind of pricing you can expect.
Thanks,
MikeS.
Were I to do it for August/Sept, I might find that generally there is a premium for purchasing at that time.
I noticed that for two consecutive Decembers, prices seemed to have dropped.
I'd like to encourage all posters who purchase vehicles to post their %MSRPs on deals they receive. Please post as follows:
MSRP price
price paid excluding license and tax
geographical region.
optional: specify the options.
I am interested in the data for the next time I purchase a vehicle.
I am thinking that based on what I know now, I might plan to buy a body style in its second year, in the November/December time frame.
So, even if nowadays you pay a greater % MSRP than in the past, the MSRP may be lower, which means you are getting a comparable price to other shoppers.
2010? By then, there will be a new model style completely and then some cycle will start over.
I should have been cornering recent posters to get their prices - but I am not buying a car now, so my energy level and interest is not as high as if I were in the market.
As for Lexus of Cerritos...I honestly don't think that they are the cheapest place in town. All other dealers that I have contacted gave me a much lower initial price of the exact same car. It is a good idea to shop around and compare. I think this year they have lots sales pressure so it is better for our consumers to look around more before you pay.
I will post my transaction after I am done buying the car. Thank you all for ur advices.
Thanks
Can you tell us what dealership sold you this car? Your early post #596 (price: 34.6) informs us that you had a serious problem with one of the dealership. Do you have the car or did you have to place an order for your car? What color?
I looked briefly at the car and drove it a few days ago, and I'm going back for an extensivelook and drive tomorrow. On one hand, $7k sounds like a lot of damage, on the other hand, a practically new 330 for $10K less than new sounds tempting.
Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated. I am being pushed a bit by the dealer. They just detailed the car today, and if I pass tomorrow it goes on the lot for sale (has not been as of yet, they just got back in on trade after the wreck). So, I have to make a relatively quick decision or chance someone else buying it.
Good luck!
He said the issue right now is "supply and demand". There is more demand than supply at this time. He stated that this may change over the next couple months, in which case the price may be $200-500 lower.
I may go with the '04 Acura TL...lots of supply around here and I suspect I can get it for invoice or even slightly below.
Where are you at? If I were you I will definitely NOT consider to buy from there. Going to buy my car tomorrow. Will post the followup within 24 hrs.
Here is his info:
Purchase Date: 8/11/2004
MSRP: $37,424
Price excluding license and tax: $34,000
Geographical Region: Dallas, Texas
% MSRP = 34000/37424 = 90.8%
Options include Nav/ML
MSRP $38,444.00
Price Paid: $35,000
Alabaster Mettalic/Ash
Wilkie Lexus in Haverford, PA (near Philly)
Did you notice of the posted transmission hesitation issues? I'm looking to buy a new 2005 ES330 soon. Just waiting a month or two after release. They won't negotiate much just after the introduction.
When I went to Wilkie Lexus to test drive the '05 Lexus ES330 and order my car I drove a alabaster mettalic/ash car. Did you purchase the demo or did they order your car? They tell me my car should be in by the middle of September. I am a little surprise that you purchased a car from Wilkie because your earlier post states that you had problems with the dealership - what developed?
In regards to lower offer from Ray Catena, actually the difference (out of door price) was only about $200. Ray Catena charges $200 doc fee and you have to get PA emmission and state inspection done on your own (another $70-80). I think it is worth to pay little bit more to get from the local dealer. In addition I felt Wilkie was more honest and professional than Ray Catena.
You are right by saying Wilkie is not a honest dealership because you just purchased the demo. That is the car that I test drove and that is the only car that they had in stock. Did you ever think how it got 100 miles on it already? You may want to go back and talk to the dealership.
When you're talking thousand(s), you're talking demo.
Your quote from post #591 -
"The dealer in Philly area (Wilkie Lexus) has backed out since. Not a very honest dealership."