Lexus ES 300/ES 330 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

fredvh · December 2004

Is it possible to purchase an ES without the 17" tires? It seems like they all come with packages that have the 17" tires.

bzm3j8 · December 2004

This site gave me great information on figuring out how much I should pay for a new car. The 90% of MSRP is a great rule of thumb!

I just bought a 2005 ES 330 and I'm ecstatic with it. I was looking for Navigation System, Smooth Ride, HID all in a nice package. Looked around a long time, sat in a Honda Accord, loved it, but hated it after the first 15 seconds of my test drive, extremely rough!

Still a little disappointed with the ES ride, for some reason, my Taurus SE (117k miles) seems to give me a smoother ride. But I've heard that the variable suspension on the ES has more problems over time than it's worth.

Now for the good stuff...
Loaded Option...Navigation System, Mark Levinson, 17" all season tires, heated and ventilated seats, HID, Power Sunshade, VSC, TC and Brake Assist.

MSRP: 38469
Got it down to: 35000
Qualified for a new grad discount: -750
Paid: 34,250!

Great Service from Lexus of Watertown, MA.

edabramson · December 2004

Purchased mine with 16" wheels because I value better and quieter ride more then the slightly improved handling the 17" tires provide. Dealer changed wheels for me. Ask your dealer, I bet he will do the same for you. No charge and deducted the cost of the 17" wheels ($64 cost). Incidentally, the change will not affect the drivability in any way as the 16" tires aspect ratio is higher, ergo, the diameter is essentially the same. Good luck.

fredvh · December 2004

Do you mean the ONLY difference between the ES with 16" wheels and 17" wheels is the rim and the tire size? There is no difference with the brakes, discs, etc? What alloy wheels do you get then? ( the same alloy wheels as the 2004 ES)?

fredvh · December 2004

What exactly is the Lexus "December Sale"?

Kirstie_H · December 2004

Hi fredvh - it's Lexus' December-to-Remember sales event. They are promoting it heavily through television advertising. Other members have been discussing it and asking questions in our Lease Questions and Rebates, Incentives & APRs discussions.

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

maxhonda99 · December 2004

If you opt for the 16" wheels on the 2005 ES330, they are the same wheels as those on the 2004 ES330. Also, the only change is the wheels/tires if you get the 17" wheel option in 2005. Brakes & suspension tuning remain the same.

bikegal · December 2004

Hi,

Is $32,500 good for a 2005 es 330? Has everything but the navigation/ml and chrome wheels, and vsc.

Am in Virginia, where it seems hard to beat this price.

dwarnacutt · December 2004

You can look at earlier posts to see the price ranges - from reading these posts I have found that the good deals are in the 87-91% of MSRP price range.

I am in the process of buying in Southern California with your options plus the chrome wheels. Will post my deal when it is complete.

Good luck to you.

bikegal · December 2004

Hi all,

Just purchased a 2005 ES 330 for $32,000 as part of the December to Remember sale. It has HID, leather/wood steering wheel, shifter, cool/heated seats, 6 disc cd changer, cargo net, mat, wheel locks, 17 inch tires and rear shade.

Could have done better if I had driven two hours to another dealer, but I feel good about it.

Especially since I almost bought a 2004 Lexus sports edition with 3,200 miles for $31,000!

Happy holidays.

fredvh · December 2004

I thought the "December To Remember" sale was just a special on leases. Did you get the impression that it was a sale on the cost of the vehicle too?

fredw · December 2004

Yes, Putnam Lexus is in California-the Bay Area to be specific. Putnam auto group has numerous makes under their name. Hope this helps!

fredw · December 2004

Buy one that is CPO has 35k miles for the price of $15,000??? Appears to be a superb price, several thousand less than other certified pre-owned. Need help from anyone about this topic. Thanks in advance!

bikegal · December 2004

Hi all,

Anyone have Toyo Proxes J33 (summer) tires on their new cars, or even old ones? I can't find any info about this tire. Is it any good?

My 2005 only has 192 miles, I put on 160 of them so they feel okay.

Trying to figure out why my car has them. In other words was I ripped off?

fredw · December 2004

try this tire buying and info site: www.tirerack.com and the other one will come to me later. If tirerack.com doesn't have what you want go to any "newsstand" and go through the car magazines(Car&Driver) looking for tire and wheel ads--take a pen and paper(to write down websites as I always forget them too) and just buy what you need from the internet....much cheaper....believe me. Let me know if this helps?? -Spooky

Kirstie_H · December 2004

Good advice! We also have a representative from The Tire Rack who answers questions in this discussion:

Ask Connor at The Tire Rack

He'll be able to recommend the best tire for your vehicle (and budget!).

kirstie_h

Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

dwarnacutt · December 2004

I just got my 2005 black/black ES330 on Saturday, equipped with the following:

HID headlights, power rear sunshade, heated/vented seats, 6 disc CD changer, wood steering wheel/shift knob, preferred accessory pk, 17" chrome wheels w/ all season tires, gold package. Price = $32,876

Ext warranty: 7 yr/100,000 mi - $1,350

Doc fee/Calif tax/license/tire: $2,704.77

OTD price = $36,930.77

MSRP - $37,515

32876/37515 = 87.6%

By the way, one dealer (not the one I purchased from) sent me a copy of his invoice. It has the following info:

Dealer holdback: $639.00

Wholesale financial reserve: 319.00

TDA: $400

I negotiated everything through emails and telephone calls. Made an appointment to pick up the car and was in and out of the dealership in 45 minutes! Best experience I ever had.

This board was incredibly helpful in negotiating my transaction. Thanks to everyone who shared their deal information and their knowledge, especially atoews, carman, and wc.

kl_432 · December 2004

Thank you for your posting. Information and suggestions posted on this board has been invaluable. Could you (or anyone else) please explain:

(1) What the wholesale financial reserve ($319) amount is?

(2) TDA of $400

I am considering purchasing an 05 ES330 with an MSRP of $35709 (so with HID premium pkg but w/o navigation or Mark Levinson. I am told Invoice is $31828. Would this imply the true cost of the vehicle to the dealer is closer to ~$30,900 (31828-639-319)? Dealers who've provided quotes claim that they need a minimum margin of $3-500 above cost, but I'm having trouble determining what "cost" is.

Anyone have any recent purchase information available for deals in Connecticut, New York or Massachusetts?

dwarnacutt · December 2004

TDA is an advertising charge. The dealer recoups this cost from Lexus, so you should not pay it (although dealers still try). I do not know what the wholesale financial reserve is, but I believe it is also a charge that you should not pay as the buyer.

I bought the car in Southern California (a very competitive market). Have you tried looking at earlier posts to see if anyone else has bought in your area?

Rather than looking at dealer cost to determine the price to pay, I used % of MSRP. People seem to be paying in the range of 87-91% (again, look at the geographic area).

The car you are looking for is a standard package (same as mine except I got the chrome wheels, all season tires and the gold package) so it should be readily available off the lot.

Good luck and happy holidays.

kl_432 · December 2004

thanks you very much for the info and suggestions.

happy holidays.

lexusct · December 2004

Which dealership in CT did you get this deal from? I am guessing you may even get a better deal under the "December to Remember" sale event. Please let me know which dealer as I am interested in a lease with similar attributes.

billod · December 2004

The dealer I used was Lexus of Greenwich. I was going to buy in late November but was advised to wait till December to take advantage of the Dec promo. So, yes, the December to Remember promo lowered the rate even more. Hope this helps.

kgd36580 · December 2004

Has anyone made a purchase from a dealer in AL, MS or LA lately. I sent emails to six different dealers with specs on the ES330 I wanted and was surprised at the lack of interest shown. I visited the Lexus dealer's lot in Mobile, AL and again was surprised at the lack of inventory and the very slim selection of colors available (3). I had intended to buy before Dec.31 for tax purposes but may look at a different auto. I made my last auto purchase (Toyota Camry) over the internet and had plenty of interest.

vabuyer1 · December 2004

Hi,

I am living in VA too. Can you tell me the dealership and the sales person which you bought the car? I want to go take a look. The car you bought have MSRP $35919, $32000 + tax and tag is the final deal, am I right?

Thank you and Happy Holidays.

bikegal · December 2004

Yes, 32 k plus tax and tag. Actually I e-mailed all the Lexus dealers in va. They all met the price and I could have also received a $500 option if I had driven to northern va. But sometimes time is money.

I got car at the Richmond dealer. My mrsp was 35,200.

Good luck. Let us know how you make out.

vabuyer1 · December 2004

Thanks for your info. Bought a Black Garnet with Tan inside from Chantilly dealer in Northern VA for $32250 + tax + tag with MSRP $35894.

Includes Option:

-- 17" Alloy Wheels with all season tires

-- Heated and ventilated front seats

-- HID with Rain Sensing Wipes

-- Power Rear Sun Shade

-- VSC

-- Wood and Leather Steering Wheel & shift Knob

-- 6-Disc In dash CD changer

-- Trunk Mat, Cargo Net, and wheel Locks

Thanks every body who posted message. This board is great. Happy New Year!

markze · January 2005

VaBuyer, sounds like you've worked out a pretty good deal. Does anyone have any buying experience in the New York City/Long Island area? I'm looking for pretty much the same ES330 package listed by Vabuyer (message #776). The only dealer I have so far talked to gave me a price of $33,000, which also includes window tinting. I hope to do better. Would appreciate any input. Thanks and Happy New Year!

lexushunter · January 2005

I just bought an ES330, MSRP $35269 for $32250. I probably could have saved another $500 by driving 2-3 hours but it wasn't worth the time and hassle.

I asked my salesman several times about the December to Remeber sale. He told me that the incentives for that sale were basically limited to finance rates on leases.

The 60-month purchase rate they had advertised was 5.75. I shopped and found a 60-month rate of 4.69 which the dealer matched.

Now I see on MSN and Edmunds that the rate for December to Remember is 3.75. Based on the amount I financed, this means about $10 a month - not really a budget breaker.

I know this is probably a case of 'buyer beware', but I'm wondering - should I bring this up to the salesman and/or dealership as I think they should have informed me of this?

Thanks.

philly2 · January 2005

In September I purchased the 2005 Lexus ES330. Last week I heard that there is a recall for seat belts front buckle assembly part and that dealers will replace the front passenger seatbelt buckle status switch. The recall began on December 20, 2004. Has anyone received a notice on this recall?

Thanks.

Kirstie_H · January 2005

You'll get a better response if you re-post in our regular Lexus ES 300/ES 330 discussion, since this one is reserved for pricing & purchase information.

kirstie_h

Roving Host

Host, Smart Shopper & Future Vehicles discussions

wasabi911 · January 2005

i just bought the same exact model from Ray Catena Lexus in Larchmont for about the same price as VaBuyer. I just submitted for a quote thru their website and that was the quote i got.

carbeku · January 2005

Got a 2005 ES 330 fm a Boston area dealer (walpole/norwood) for 31050 in the dec to rem scheme. msrp is 35709. i was initially miffed with the customer service at these guys and almost took my biz to another dealer. finally, they offered me a good price and we agreed. good service the second time around.

plastix · January 2005

Out of curiosity, why does everyone on this thread compare their pricing (either quotes or actual price paid) to MSRP? Then you all seem to rationalize the purchase as a percentage of MSRP (where the ballpark figure is around 88-91% for this car). Is that some sort of Lexus phenomenon? It seems like every other discussion I've ever heard about new car pricing (at least from the buyer's perspective) originates from the invoice price (or even more specifically from the dealer price). MSRP is a totally arbitrary figure (albeit set by the factory), while invoice (or dealer price) are actual monetary values. Maybe it's just an issue of perspective, but why not work UP from the lowest price, as opposed to working down from a higher one?

atoews · January 2005

We've had discussions on using MSRP versus invoice and we agreed that invoice would be better to use for comparison. The problem is that invoice is more difficult to obtain. You have to add the invoice price of all the options to get the total invoice. During several periods of time, many folks were posting their deals as percentage of MSRP and this seemed to be very helpful to others looking for the definition of a reasonable deal.

Even if MSRP is a shaky number, it is a CONSISTENT number, which is what is important when doing price comparisons among vehicles with varying options and from various geographical regions.

During any time period, it is amazing how close the deals are to one another, usually varying by no more than a percentage point or two from MSRP.

If a potential buyer sees 10 posters getting 90% MSRP, this buyer is going to press a dealer for a better price than 100% MSRP.

So, the answer to your question is if you want to get lots of folks to post their deals such that it is easy to do and such that the readers can get lots of info for comparision, using MSRP seemed to be a good way to do it.

1sttimelexus · January 2005

I am about to place an order for an '05 ES330; have been driving a Volvo 740 for 10+yrs, so I tend to drive cars forever & enjoy no payments. I'm pondering whether to get an X'ed Wty. Is it worth the extra $1000-1200 or so to get the 6yr/70k, or maybe the $1400-1700 for the 7/100k? What are your experiences w/ out of warranty repairs? I suspect that I'll drive this for at least 4-5years @ 15-20K miles/yr before checking out the new technology in whatever is available then. Thoughts?

atoews · January 2005

I am reposting lexuscts deal minus the reference to the salesperson dealt with. Referring to a specific sales person is against Edmund's policy and the Edmund's host will delete lexuscts message 786 if he/she sees the dealer reference. I'd prefer not to lose lexusct's data.

================================

Negotiated a 3yr lease on a 2005 ES 330 with Navi and all options.



3 yr / 15,000 miles

MSRP $38,469

Cap Cost $34,800

Money Factor 0.0014

Residual % / $: 54%/$20,773

Monthly Payment: $489 includes all taxes, fees, etc



"0" down payment and $1700 due at signing for 1st month and all other leasing related fees.



Very happy with this deal from Lexus of Westport in Connecticut. I did it all via fax and then went in to do the paper work.

buff8156 · February 2005

Bought at Putnam Lexus. Redwood City, CA.

Wanted a Tier 3 ES330 2005 car - with ML Audio and Nav, and Auto. List is $39,089. Purchased with 2 minutes of discussion at $35,100. 89.8% of MSRP. About $400 over invoice - from what I could tell. The key to this is to get prices from internet managers from the 4 other South Bay/East bay dealers over the phone. I was very knowledgeable - giving him names and prices from other dealerships. I bet I could have gotten a better deal by a few hundred dollars - but I did not have the patience to hang around and argue with sales managers.

beardie · February 2005

Would you be good enough to let me know when(date) you got your ES330. I spoke to Norwood, and they deny that they would ever have sold a car at that price. I'm looking for a 36mo lease, but the selling price does affect that too.

jchan2 · February 2005

I'm trying to decide between the I35 and the ES330, and I've driven the I35, and its not a bad car. But what's the difference between the I35 and the ES330?

And what's the average transaction price on an ES330? Is it closer to MSRP or invoice?

bondey007 · February 2005

Can anyone tell me the price for following ES330 in Virginia state,

Lexus ES330

VSC- Vehicle Skid Control

HH- Heated Ventilated Seats

HID

Wood & leather steering

6 CD Changer

Also can anyone tell me what & how useful is VSC?

thanks in advance,

Bondey

bikegal · February 2005

Hi,

My 2005 with 10 miles on it cost $32,000. Has all season 17 inch tires, HID with auto sensing wipers, heated/cooled seats, 6 disc CD changer, wood wheel/shifter, rear shade, cargo net and mats, wheel locks but no VSC.

You can also get the car with all of the above and VSC for same price. Shop around.

Good luck.

bondey007 · February 2005

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Can you please tell me one more thing... how much of tax, title, tag, processing fee you paid on top of this? The tax (3.2%) is on top of Base price or price with all the options?

Bondey

bikegal · February 2005

Total cost was about $33,100.

dna2511 · February 2005

Hello,

I made a deal today for a 2005 ES330. It is loaded.

Options include:

-Navigation

-Mark Lev

-Wood wheel and knob

-Heated and cooled seats

-Power sunshade

-Power pedals

-HID headlamps w/ rain wipers

-6 disc changer

-preffered accessory package

-summer tires

-Also added xm sat radio

MSRP is 38904.00

Paid turn key 36k

This works out to be around 88.5% of MSRP before tax,tag, and fees

My local dealer would not work with me on price so I called a dealer 100 miles away and they worked out the deal I wanted. The local dealer was working with me but did not have the car I wanted. He said they would get the car from port in three weeks for me. I thought they would deal with me because they would be selling a car before they had it. The company I bought the car from dealt better with me and they are going to deliver the car to me on Monday. They just seemed to bend over backwards to make me happy.

The dealer I dealt with is Johnson Lexus in Raliegh NC

rroyce10 · February 2005

.... I'm not to good in the math department, but I think thats like 92.5% of MSRP .. anyway, great vehicle and a good price ...

Terry.

dna2511 · February 2005

rroyce,

you are correct. My math was off a little bit. I thought we were using the negotiated price before tax,tags,and fees. This amount for me was 34430.00. final price off the lot was 36k. That is where I got the total of 88.5% from. Sorry. Happy car shopping everyone.

dna2511 · February 2005

rroyce,

you are correct. My math was off a little bit. I thought we were using the negotiated price before tax,tags,and fees. This amount for me was 34430.00. final price off the lot was 36k. That is where I got the total of 88.5% from. Sorry. Happy car shopping everyone.

gbjerke · February 2005

I posted some time back (11-04?) when I bought my '05 but I am amazed at how much dealers differ in selling their cars.

I tried to shop locally and when my wifes car was about to sell privately, I got real serious. Locally, they said we will beat any deal out there...OK, that sounds good so I shopped Chicago dealers via the internet and eventually had a quote of $500 over invoice from two suburban dealerships. Went to local and the salesman EVENTUALLY said he would "try" to get 1k over and asked if I would go for that. Since the sales tax difference would have been about $200 less locally and the fact that I could get a wash every Saturday I thought why not? I agreed to 1k over...did not hear back from the salesman! No biggy, I went 70 miles away and bought from the same salesman that sold me my '02 SC400, back in '02. Flawlwss delivery and about a week later, the local salesman called me asking, "I assume you bought by now", to which I responded "YES". He then told me he could not get the sales mgr. to even go for the 1k over and wanted to get whatever info from me on my purchase. It appeared evident that this is not the first sale he has lost.

My point with him is why the hell would a dealership give up a profit sale? 1k over invoice, another 1,500 holdback so the dealer gets 2,500 on a clean sale....no trade...I drive in, write a check and drive out.

Ya know, it seems too simple to me...do a sale, pocket 2,500...think I'd do that all day, every day of the week.

We are however in a small town as such---150,000 and I suspect a lot of people pay more for their cars and are happy campers. I have no problem with those that don't shop hard for their cars...I do, and still cannot figure out why a store would give up an easy 2,500 on a clean deal.

Go figure I guess....anyone else have an explanation for such an attitude?

rroyce10 · February 2005

..... **1k over invoice, another 1,500 holdback so the dealer gets 2,500 on a clean sale.... no trade ...I drive in, write a check and drive out** ..

              You just answered your own question and didn't know it ...

              First of all, it's not a $2,500 deal .. approximately it's a $1,600 deal with the 2% holdback - (2% of base MSRP only = $660) plus the $1,000 ..

                Not knowing all of the details of that particular store, but they have to pay the salesman at least $25% of the "over invoice" money .. so lets say $250, now it becomes a $1,350 deal .. depending on the dealer, his rolling inventory, color, options, plus the floorplan has probably eaten up $500 of the $660, it now dwindles down to "around" $850, and thats why holdback is not a profit center .... not much money there to pay the mortgage, lights, heat, service and parts area after that ....

                  $2,500 of a clean deal.? more like, they just did a pass and you did better somewhere else - that said, the dealer you bought from probably just sold 3 ES's at $2,700 over invoice and they could afford a skinny deal on the 4th one ... see, it's more of a timing thing than a dealer thing ..

                               Terry.

gbjerke · February 2005

My math was off on the holdback, although I think yours is also. My info is that it is 3% of sticker excluding shipping. This was told to me by a friend who was with a BMW store here, went to Lexus and then back to BMW as sales mgr.---he also said the store got a quarterly "bonus" from Lexus depending on the number of units they sold.

I should have stated 1k in holdback. That plus 1k over invoice still is 2k. OK, take the commission out of it....so what, it's still a profit, be it 1,000 to 1,500. It's not like these cars are so rare that you get on a waiting list and pay "market adjusted price".

I had quotes from 1,800 over to several (like 5 of them)at 1k over and two at 500 over.

My point is that if I were a dealer and could make even 1k on a clean deal, what is the reason to turn this down. I don't care how many deals a store can make at 2-3k over...why turn down 1k or so in a no trade deal?

I could certainly understand such a position IF it were a supply/demand issue...i.e. demand exceeds supply---that ain't here....lots of supply, and moderate demand=excess inventory.

My mantra would be, "move em out boys" as long as one could turn a nickel or three.

Lexus ES 300/ES 330 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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