I will get the cashmere interior no matter what color I go for. It does, however, limit my choices on the exterior. I must say i did like the white/cashmere combo that I test drove. Very rich and crisp. It was not the UL package and I wonder how it will look with the panorama roof? Someone did post pictures of theirs but would really like to see in person. any thoughts????? has anyone in the forum purchased a black exterior? Just curious....
As it happens, I do leave my iPod in the car - out of sight, of course. (But you're right - that's not a smart thing to do.)
But some of the other posts that I've seen in this forum suggest that the car / iPod interface might not be as seamless as I'd like. It may turn out that MP3-encoded CDs are the better music-delivery solution for the new ES. If so, I'll manage. I've got all of my music on my PC, & blank CD-Rs have never been cheaper.
My last 3 lexus has had black Interior Including my 2007 ES350 with ultra lux pkg. My Friend has a ls with light Int and says he will never go light again.
Not about to get into a debate on American vs. Foreign, but I've owned GM's with the 3800 engine and 4 speed transmission and the engine and transmission have always performed flawlessly for me. However, I've read a lot of bad stuff about the responsiveness of Lexus's drive by wire transmissions in the past few years.
Now, I'll definitely agree the GM interiors are crap and even the best $50K+ Caddy interiors can't hold a candle to the Lexus or other foreign cars.
Glad to hear that the transmission issues seem to have been resolved with the ES350 though.
So it seems a lot of you posters out there have purchased the car - that's great, it's beautiful! I'm looking at it as well.
I've spoken to one dealer and they started at $500 off MSRP and quickly dropped it to $1500 off MSRP. Based on the invoice price from KBB - the price is still 10% over invoice (on average) - I still think there is room for more.
What's the best deal near invoice or below MSRP that you've been able to get? I know the car is new and the demand is semi-high currently. I just want to see how much more the price can be pushed down.
This quote is across the board on any ES350 model.
The dealer in Sarasota, Fl. discounted $2,470 off the sticker (MSRP $38,399)for ES350 with Premium Plus Package. The two dealerships here in the Tampa Bay area would only offer $500 off. I will drive the 1.5 hours to save the money.
I'm finally picking up my car this weekend. I have a couple of questions for the board:
1) Blue Tooth - Will my Samsung w/ T-moblile be compatible?
2) Lo Jack - What's the $ dealer charge for installing Lo jack? Do you have to have it installed at the dealer?
I ended up getting Grey Granite since my wife had her mind made up on the color. I don't have a problem with that color. It's just that I had to fork out extra $3 K for UL package or I would have had to wait about 3 months if I wanted to go with Prem + with rear sunshade package. I would have problem with Ruby red, though, since I'll be driving every-now-and-then
I got $3k discount. I'm satisified with the outcome. I dealt with fleet manager. We had agreed on the final price over the phone. When we got to the dealer, she said she doesn't remember quoting me that price and it was out of her range. She agreed to the final $ after talking to her mgr. I was ready to walk out.
so it wasn't all smooth, but it wasn't bad either.
Have a Razor V3 by Motorola through Verizon and have registered the phone in the car on the nav system. But everytime I start the car, it indicates that bluetooth is not recognized. What's up with that. I've gone through the formal process of registration, but it seems as though it's not staying. Anyone have an idea? zekeman1
I have the Motorola E815 and had the same issue at first. There is a setting on the phone for auto connect that needs to be changed. Since I changed to auto connect, it connects immediately every time.
I'm using a Motorola E815 also, and never had a problem connecting; it does it automatically every time I start the car with the phone inside. It doesn't let me download the address book, however, although the Lexus has such an option in its system settings; apparently that feature is not supported by this phone model.
I do keep an iPod in the car, but it's my old one whose battery has gone almost completely bad, so it's not very useful for portable use without a power source connected. It's still a 40 GB model, so it holds my whole music collection. I've got a newer iPod with video capability that I use for portable playing and don't leave in the car. Anyway, the center console provides a nice place to hide away the iPod where it's all connected up but not visible to thieves. I have to bring the iPod inside once in a while to sync it to my computer and update the music (as well as podcasts and stuff, which I often listen to in the car; that's where an iPod is useful, as I wouldn't want to have to keep burning the podcasts to CDs every time).
I don't think the problem is with "the phone model."
I'm pretty sure it's Verizon that doesn't enable this feature on any of it's Bluetooth equipped phones.
Here's a direct quote from the Verizon Wireless website:
>>>The RAZR V3c supports the Wireless Headset & Handsfree Bluetooth Profiles. It does not support Bluetooth object transfer (OBEX) profiles. Accessories sold separately. See Bluetooth for details.<<<
It is Verizon. They want to control bluetooth by limiting the use of any bluetooth that is not theirs. I had to switch to T mobel to get service that would take full advantage of Lexus bluetooth.
I had thought your problem was that the ES350 would not recognize the phone at all. It is true that some of the features such as phonebook transfer have been disabled by Verizon and you cannot use those. Unless you unlock the phone. There are a lot of instructions on various websites on how to do this.
I got Premium plus/Nav. It took me a while to negotiate with the three dealers I mentioned previously, and Silver Spring and Rockville took $2400 and $2300 off MSRP respectively. Finally I convinced Pohanka to offer me the same deal. But they told me the price for 2007 ES 350 will be going up very soon. Not sure if it is true. If you really want to buy ES350, suggest you to negotiate with all the dealers nearby. Let them compete against one another. Good luck.
I concur w/you ctl, I think johnw6 has a bad case of the blues or something knowing that his beloved ES330 has been sent out to pasture. I had an 05 ES330 and it doesn't come close to the styling, comfort and don't even mention performance of the ES350. So johnw6 get over it and stop nick-picking the the future, change is good....
We have three Cingular phones in the family and each of them connect/sync fine. Only problem...they do not all sync at the same time, only the one that was in the car last seems to "connect".
So if my wife was the last in the car (for example), it's only her phone that the car recognizes. My son and I have to sync separately, but we can;t seem to get the car to recognize all of them together.
This hasn't been too much of a problem because we are usually not all in the car at the same time. My wife and I are though, and it's frustrating that we both cannot use the Bluetooth at the same time.
Does anyone know if there is an override to allow both to be used together?
Also......when I first picked up the car (while still at the dealer setting it up), I was able to sync my address book with the Bluetooth to download 3-4 family members. It worked beautifully! I have a Motorolla MPX220 smart phone. However, I have not been able to get it to sync/downlaod any others in my phone's contact list. I must be doing something wrong, cause it worked at the dealer. It would sure be nice to not have to enter each of the contacts in separately!
Just returned from my dealer & discussing the ridiciously high price of after-purchase XM ($895)...we've come to a compromise on the price and I plan to purchase shortly and have them install. I also learned that Lexus is coming out with an after-market add-on which will make ALL bluetooth phones compatible with the Lexus...dealer told me that it too, will run in the high $800 price range, but will fix the incompatiblity that exists with all of the bluetooths. He wasn't able to give me any of the details since apparently it has just been announced. Suggest you contact your local dealer and make inquiries. zekeman1
For those who have the DVD Navigations, how do you find the supplied Map data base.
I live in Vancouver, BC Canada. I tried to input my home address (a 13 year old matured neighborhood) in a 2003 ES300, the NAV said no such house number exist. Today I tried to enter the same address in a 2007 ES350, same problem. I complained to the sales manager who admitted this is a very common problem for Lexus Nav system. He said that they have conveyed such complains to Lexus. But Lexus does not seem to do anything about it. On the contrary, Honda and Acura NAV find all the address I inputed.
What is the experience you have with your ES350 NAV, is the map data up-to-date? is the touch screen sensitive enough?
I plugged an address from a neighborhood only 4 years old today and it found it...so far, very accurate. Have had the car 3 days now and love every feature of it.
...which seems ridiculous on the part of Verizon. Since when is my address book their intellectual property subject to their control of how I can transfer it? They seem to have developed methods of uploading/downloading address book data on their phones; when I bought the new phone at the Verizon store, they transferred the address info from my old phone. They just don't want to let ordinary users do this.
"I got Premium plus/Nav. It took me a while to negotiate with the three dealers I mentioned previously, and Silver Spring and Rockville took $2400 and $2300 off MSRP respectively. Finally I convinced Pohanka to offer me the same deal. But they told me the price for 2007 ES 350 will be going up very soon. Not sure if it is true. If you really want to buy ES350, suggest you to negotiate with all the dealers nearby. Let them compete against one another. Good luck. "
vja... thanks for the information. This is very helpful! Since I don't plan to buy for another 5-6 months... this is extremely encouraging to know the price has already dropped in the DC/MD/VA area. Since you got deal below MSRP.. with a $2300-$2400 below MSRP, this is leaning me to go with the Premium Plus w/ NAV as well.
I was definitely going to get quotes from Pohanka, Silver Spring, and Rockville. I might also try to get a couple more quotes from Lindsay and Sheehy as well. Depends if they make it more worthwhile for me to buy. I don't mind going out a bit further if I can save some $$. At least now I have a good baseline to where to start my negotiations. Who knows... by the end of the year... we might be closer to $3,000 off MSRP. Wishful thinking!
Thanks again!
Btw, what exterior and interior color did you go with. Did they have a lot of colors for you to choose from?
If you don't mind me asking... what kind of deal were you offering at Pohanda Lexus? I'm looking to buy and Pohanka would be the preferred dealer... since it's so close by. Also, what package and color did you buy?
If you dont mind could you mention the dealer's name? Also what options does that price include? I checked with Ray Catena, Lawrence Lexus and Lexus of Freehold and none of them would budge from the MSRP given that this a fairly new car and they dont have that many in stock. I'm looking for the premium pkg or premium plus with NAV Thanks
ES 350, premium plus, nav, parking assist, HID, mats, wheel locks etc. Price was $1,200 off sticker. I thought that was a pretty good deal, since I went to another dealer who was claiming the car was not available and would not be discounted when it was available.
I don't know how someone else got $2,400 off. What do you think?
Go to Lexus website, (Lexus.com) Click on second package listed( They should label each "ABC etc.") You will come up with MSRP of $37424. Dealer is PRESTIGE on Route 17.Read the NY TIMES Saturday edition CARS section. Look under Lexus.Welcome to the real world. See it pays to go onto Edmunds
I am in the Los Angeles area and this afternoon I just bought the Premium Plus with Navigation. I called and e-mailed around to several of the dealers and had three offers over $2500 off of MSRP. Longo Lexus had the best offer, taking $2750 off MSRP and threw in 9-months of XM satellite subscription at no charge. My understanding is that there is the Toyota May Challenge which affects the allocation of cars that dealers get, so there is a lot of pressure to get sales up before the end of the month, making the dealerships more willing to deal. It wasn't too difficult to get the $2750 off, so maybe if I had pushed harder, I could have gotten more? Given the invoice prices listed on KBB and MSN, there is still a lot of room there, but I am satisfied with the price I paid for the great car I got. For anyone in L.A., the whole experience with Longo was top notch . . . nothing negative to say at all. The drive home was sweet!
I did call Longo first before I contacted other dealers in LA area. I was quoted $1,500 off MSRP. I felt ridiculed when I asked him if he could do better. That was it for me with Longo. They will never get my business. I thought, since they are the biggest in size and close to my home, I'd give'em a chance first.
I didn't get the impression he wanted to deal.
So what did I do? Bought it from their competitor. Got gray granite(very hard to get this color) w/ black int.. Some of you might have to wait for months if you want this color with Nav and Premium+ package. Mine has everything in it. Nav, ultra pkg, rear sun-shade, spoiler. Wifee absolutely loved it. Got $3 K off MSRP. My finance manager was surprised how good of a deal I got. Picked it last night. It turned out to be great experience overall.
Not being a believer of extended warrantee, I walked away with 5 yr/70,000, Lojack device, armor coating(both exterior and interior) for 5 years, and platinum oil change service for 2 yr/25,000 miles. Everything under $1,900! Here's the kicker. If I didn't use my extended warantee after 5 years, I will get my money back!
Normally they sell extended warantee alone $2,100 for ES and $2,400 for GS. So, I was quite pleased with the entire deal. Got to the dealer @5:30 pm and left @ 7:15 pm.
We have to get used to the size of the car (still a little big) My other car is SUV. So no regret what-so-ever. Very fuel efficient. City avg gives about 25-26. Better on the freeway. I also learned that you don't have to use 91 octane. 89 should be just fine.
A lot of features. Very smooth ride, agile, luxurious, roomy, great Mark levenson sound system(didn't know you can watch DVD!), great fuel efficiency, seat-extender is a nice little feature as well. Great service.
Sounds like you got a great deal. Too bad you had a bad experience with Longo. . . I went through their internet sales department and basically just e-mailed them to ask them to beat $2700 off MSRP that another dealer quoted (but who did not have the color/options I wanted - but of course I didn't tell Longo that). Congrats on your new ES too!
I am in the VA/DC/MD area. I bought the ES350 yesterday. I got the Premium plus/Nav from Lindsay Lexus $2800 below MSRP. They were really courteous and I did not have to haggle much. I was in touch with the sales person via email for couple of weeks, and she knew I was going to buy the car and maybe that is why the process was smooth. I had gone to Pohanka Lexus initially as they were closer, but they were not ready to come down below $1200. Moreover they did not have that many colors. I got the smoky granite, difficult color to find. I get my car sometime this week as it is in transit. Lindsay is getting several cars next week and so other interested buyers should try their luck.
Where in the Los Angeles area did you haggle such a sweet deal? I've been going through the internet sales guys at a couple of dealers and all I'm getting is $1500 off MSRP.
Let me know which dealership and if you went through a specific route - i.e. internet, walk-in, etc.
Two questions for those who are getting $2,500 or more off of sticker. 1) Were you actually able to purchase the car at that price and 2) did you pay cash, finance or lease your purchase through the dealer?
Comments
But some of the other posts that I've seen in this forum suggest that the car / iPod interface might not be as seamless as I'd like. It may turn out that MP3-encoded CDs are the better music-delivery solution for the new ES. If so, I'll manage. I've got all of my music on my PC, & blank CD-Rs have never been cheaper.
Now, I'll definitely agree the GM interiors are crap and even the best $50K+ Caddy interiors can't hold a candle to the Lexus or other foreign cars.
Glad to hear that the transmission issues seem to have been resolved with the ES350 though.
I've spoken to one dealer and they started at $500 off MSRP and quickly dropped it to $1500 off MSRP. Based on the invoice price from KBB - the price is still 10% over invoice (on average) - I still think there is room for more.
What's the best deal near invoice or below MSRP that you've been able to get? I know the car is new and the demand is semi-high currently. I just want to see how much more the price can be pushed down.
This quote is across the board on any ES350 model.
I'm interested in either the Premium Package or the Premium Plus Package w/ standard Nav. Which ever better deal I can get... I'll evaluate.
Thanks
1) Blue Tooth - Will my Samsung w/ T-moblile be compatible?
2) Lo Jack - What's the $ dealer charge for installing Lo jack? Do you have to have it installed at the dealer?
I ended up getting Grey Granite since my wife had her mind made up on the color. I don't have a problem with that color. It's just that I had to fork out extra $3 K for UL package or I would have had to wait about 3 months if I wanted to go with Prem + with rear sunshade package. I would have problem with Ruby red, though, since I'll be driving every-now-and-then
I got $3k discount. I'm satisified with the outcome. I dealt with fleet manager. We had agreed on the final price over the phone. When we got to the dealer, she said she doesn't remember quoting me that price and it was out of her range. She agreed to the final $ after talking to her mgr. I was ready to walk out.
so it wasn't all smooth, but it wasn't bad either.
zekeman1
I'm pretty sure it's Verizon that doesn't enable this feature on any of it's Bluetooth equipped phones.
Here's a direct quote from the Verizon Wireless website:
>>>The RAZR V3c supports the Wireless Headset & Handsfree Bluetooth Profiles. It does not support Bluetooth object transfer (OBEX) profiles. Accessories sold separately. See Bluetooth for details.<<<
not theirs. I had to switch to T mobel to get service that would take full advantage of Lexus
bluetooth.
it's not clear to me why this is in the brochure if one cannot order it.
So if my wife was the last in the car (for example), it's only her phone that the car recognizes. My son and I have to sync separately, but we can;t seem to get the car to recognize all of them together.
This hasn't been too much of a problem because we are usually not all in the car at the same time. My wife and I are though, and it's frustrating that we both cannot use the Bluetooth at the same time.
Does anyone know if there is an override to allow both to be used together?
Also......when I first picked up the car (while still at the dealer setting it up), I was able to sync my address book with the Bluetooth to download 3-4 family members. It worked beautifully! I have a Motorolla MPX220 smart phone. However, I have not been able to get it to sync/downlaod any others in my phone's contact list. I must be doing something wrong, cause it worked at the dealer. It would sure be nice to not have to enter each of the contacts in separately!
I also learned that Lexus is coming out with an after-market add-on which will make ALL bluetooth phones compatible with the Lexus...dealer told me that it too, will run in the high $800 price range, but will fix the incompatiblity that exists with all of the bluetooths. He wasn't able to give me any of the details since apparently it has just been announced. Suggest you contact your local dealer and make inquiries.
zekeman1
I live in Vancouver, BC Canada. I tried to input my home address (a 13 year old matured neighborhood) in a 2003 ES300, the NAV said no such house number exist. Today I tried to enter the same address in a 2007 ES350, same problem. I complained to the sales manager who admitted this is a very common problem for Lexus Nav system. He said that they have conveyed such complains to Lexus. But Lexus does not seem to do anything about it. On the contrary, Honda and Acura NAV find all the address I inputed.
What is the experience you have with your ES350 NAV, is the map data up-to-date? is the touch screen sensitive enough?
Thanks in advance for your responses
This is the Lexus sponsored website that recommends specifis cellphones for use with their cars.
http://wsf1.letstalk.com/brands/lexus/mlh_splash2.htm?metaCode=989375845
Pick any other 2006 model, they all use the same systems.
vja... thanks for the information. This is very helpful! Since I don't plan to buy for another 5-6 months... this is extremely encouraging to know the price has already dropped in the DC/MD/VA area. Since you got deal below MSRP.. with a $2300-$2400 below MSRP, this is leaning me to go with the Premium Plus w/ NAV as well.
I was definitely going to get quotes from Pohanka, Silver Spring, and Rockville. I might also try to get a couple more quotes from Lindsay and Sheehy as well. Depends if they make it more worthwhile for me to buy. I don't mind going out a bit further if I can save some $$. At least now I have a good baseline to where to start my negotiations. Who knows... by the end of the year... we might be closer to $3,000 off MSRP. Wishful thinking!
Thanks again!
Btw, what exterior and interior color did you go with. Did they have a lot of colors for you to choose from?
If you don't mind me asking... what kind of deal were you offering at Pohanda Lexus? I'm looking to buy and Pohanka would be the preferred dealer... since it's so close by. Also, what package and color did you buy?
thanks
Also what options does that price include?
I checked with Ray Catena, Lawrence Lexus and Lexus of Freehold and none of them would budge from the MSRP given that this a fairly new car and they dont have that many in stock.
I'm looking for the premium pkg or premium plus with NAV
Thanks
ES 350, premium plus, nav, parking assist, HID, mats, wheel locks etc. Price was $1,200 off sticker. I thought that was a pretty good deal, since I went to another dealer who was claiming the car was not available and would not be discounted when it was available.
I don't know how someone else got $2,400 off. What do you think?
I did call Longo first before I contacted other dealers in LA area. I was quoted $1,500 off MSRP. I felt ridiculed when I asked him if he could do better. That was it for me with Longo. They will never get my business. I thought, since they are the biggest in size and close to my home, I'd give'em a chance first.
I didn't get the impression he wanted to deal.
So what did I do? Bought it from their competitor. Got gray granite(very hard to get this color) w/ black int.. Some of you might have to wait for months if you want this color with Nav and Premium+ package. Mine has everything in it. Nav, ultra pkg, rear sun-shade, spoiler. Wifee absolutely loved it. Got $3 K off MSRP. My finance manager was surprised how good of a deal I got. Picked it last night. It turned out to be great experience overall.
Not being a believer of extended warrantee, I walked away with 5 yr/70,000, Lojack device, armor coating(both exterior and interior) for 5 years, and platinum oil change service for 2 yr/25,000 miles. Everything under $1,900! Here's the kicker. If I didn't use my extended warantee after 5 years, I will get my money back!
Normally they sell extended warantee alone $2,100 for ES and $2,400 for GS. So, I was quite pleased with the entire deal. Got to the dealer @5:30 pm and left @ 7:15 pm.
We have to get used to the size of the car (still a little big) My other car is SUV. So no regret what-so-ever. Very fuel efficient. City avg gives about 25-26. Better on the freeway. I also learned that you don't have to use 91 octane. 89 should be just fine.
A lot of features. Very smooth ride, agile, luxurious, roomy, great Mark levenson sound system(didn't know you can watch DVD!), great fuel efficiency, seat-extender is a nice little feature as well. Great service.
Will go back to that dealer for my next Lexus.
Where in the Los Angeles area did you haggle such a sweet deal? I've been going through the internet sales guys at a couple of dealers and all I'm getting is $1500 off MSRP.
Let me know which dealership and if you went through a specific route - i.e. internet, walk-in, etc.
http://www.inphonic.com/specialoffer.aspx?referringdomain=pricespecials&oflag=sp- ecialoffer&zipcode=98001&refcode1=N&refcode2=&eid=tm&agent=&carrierid=59&phoneid- =23938