Lexus IS 300

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Comments

  • enigma32enigma32 Member Posts: 12
    laurasdada,

    Not a whole lot of IS300s floating around as of yet. Sales of about 2k a month don't come out to much.

    You should be able to get a deep discount by now. My dealer which for the first 2-3 months, supposedly did not discount IS300s at all, is now discounting them by $2K+ because of 20+ IS300s sitting on the lot.
  • markham51markham51 Member Posts: 4
    Re: Seattlesheila... Yes hers has the limited slip. Vlad A's comments( #352) is very appropriate. It's fine provided you don't mind a bit of fish-tailing. You get that with any car that doesn't have AWD or 4WD. I personally think driving in snow it is fun but my wife doesn't. She is used to driving 4WD vehicles in the winter...Subaru Outback/Navigator etc. and you just can't beat them on snow.
  • mrgamimrgami Member Posts: 3
    Hi, Everyone,
    I have decided to purchase an IS300 this weekend. How much would it be reasonable that I should pay over the invoice. I would be really appreciated if anyone can give me the suggestion. Thank you.

    Invoice Retail
    Base $26,757 $30,805
    Destination $ 545 $ 545
    LA Leather Pkg., Luxury $ 1,444 $ 1,805
    AR Moon Roof $ 800 $ 1,000
    ID Axle, Limited Slip $ 312 $ 390
    NH Heated Front Seats $ 352 $ 440
    AL Wheels, Polished Alloy $ 320 $ 440
    TOTAL $30,530 $35,385
  • enigma32enigma32 Member Posts: 12
    mrgami,

    You should be looking to pay about $2K over invoice price.
  • cdm2cdm2 Member Posts: 7
    I just got mine last weekend. I have a silver with black interior. Leather seats and sunroof.
    Out the door 35,900. If you need my sales person's name, let me know..Im in S. CA though..
  • osujimosujim Member Posts: 1
    On Saturday I bought the same car as listed in post #355 but without the silver wheels. $34,043.
    including Ohio's 5.25% tax ($1743). It's really amazing to me the difference in pricing throughout the US.
  • mvs1mvs1 Member Posts: 462
    Hello to all. I was debating on trading in my 99' RX300 for an IS300. Lexus was running the Dec. specials which brought me to my friendly Lexus dealer. To make a long story short my payment would have been $570 a month(lease,tax included) with $1400 total due at inception(includes first month,security waived as a previous Lexus owner) thats with my trade which they calculated as being upside down $3000. After reviewing many articles and postings at Edmunds I felt that 02' model with the rumored changes would be a better buy and would give me a little more time(I don't want to part with the RX only to regret it later, I enjoy driving a truck but hate the handling)Some other info: If I walked in with no trade-in quoted payment would be $490(tax included,$1400 down),I'm a resident of CT, current payment on RX300 is $545.Markham51 you let your son drive an IS,I thought I had it good being 25yrs and in my 2nd Lexus ready to get another.Tell him that he doesn't know how good he has it.
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    "$570 a month(lease,tax included)"

    How long was that for?

    Only reason I ask, is because my '01 GS3 Lease monthly payments are lower than that.

    However, you are putting a helluva lot less down than I did
  • mvs1mvs1 Member Posts: 462
    The term of the lease is 36 months leased through LFS the monthly payment is inflated due to the fact that my buy out is higher than the amount the offered for the trade in. The amount that I'm upside down is eating up the discount on the car and is also being rolled into the new car, that's why I did not find the deal on this car appealing. As far as money down I always go in with minimum money down, preferably just inception fees. Any dealer can get you the payment that you want when you put more $$$ down. If I wanted to put a sizable amount on a lease I would consider the option that Lexus and many other makes offer of one payment for the entire term (check Lexus web site for info). Now when I purchase as I did my 94' ES300 I have no problem putting down a sizable amount of $$$. In my opinion if you lease you should not have to come up with a large down payment(cap cost reduction) if any at all. That would defeat the purpose of leasing altogether.
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    Oh, I see!
  • seattlesheilaseattlesheila Member Posts: 68
    So, did you get one?
  • 00rxguy100rxguy1 Member Posts: 38
    I want to buy an IS but I would like to find out what is considered a good deal for the car. I know that there is a limited supply but will the dealer even budge a bit. I got quoted for $34106 with the leather/escaine pkg. that is the msrp for the car. Can anyone tell me what they paid for theirs. thank you.
  • seattlesheilaseattlesheila Member Posts: 68
    DO NOT pay full list. In this market that is unreasonable. Check out some of the deals the guys got on www.is300.net. They've been talking about it.
  • seattlesheilaseattlesheila Member Posts: 68
    The 2002 will be available in a 5 speed manual, (with a firmer suspension) and they've added the arm rest everyone was whining about...AND 18" wheels and an optional NAV system.
    Also: There's the new sportcross semi-wagon edition...(automatic only)
    So, who's gonna be shopping now?
  • annoying7annoying7 Member Posts: 1
    I am picking up my Leased IS300 on Tuesday. With 1st month, security, tax, title and bank fee ($2500) out of pocket, my lease is $419 per month, 39 months. This is with no cap cost reduction. I am in the NY area. I have selected black/black - Leather package (LS), Moonroof, Heated Seats, Limited Slip, 17" wheels. When negotiating my lease, I used an 8.75% rate as a guide. The present value of the lease I have at that rate is roughly $30,750, about $250 over invoice. I will let the leasing company play with their own rates to make it a profitable deal for them. I tested it in the snow with Limited slip -NY still had covered sideroads. It handled well, with the expected level of slippage. Consider that I used to drive a 350HP Chevelle several years ago. I can't wait to pick it up!
  • seattlesheilaseattlesheila Member Posts: 68
    Just make sure you have the appropriate tires. Driving on the stock summer tires can be treacherous in the snow/ice...if not impossible. (Even with LSD) I'm managing out here near Seattle because we rarely get snow...haven't seen any this year yet. But I'll be on the bus for a day or two if it DOES.
  • bblaisbblais Member Posts: 1
    Hartford area or Fairfield County area?
  • sacremonsacremon Member Posts: 1
    After bouncing back and forth between considering a Maxima SE and an IS300, I've settled on the latter. I can't afford above $30K, so I'm figuring that leather is right out. I have the following offer from a local dealer:

    Sunroof, wheel locks, cargo mat: $29,800.

    Does this sound like a reasonable deal? That puts it at $1631 over invoice.

    Thanks.
  • 00rxguy100rxguy1 Member Posts: 38
    I would like to purchase the IS300 within the next month or so and I want to get an idea of what people are paying for their IS's. This will be my second Lexus but I feel like I still have no experience when it comes to dealing with the dealer. I would like to get it with the Leather/escaine pkg + moonroof. I would be more confident going into the dealers knowing that I won't get jipped if you guys would help. Thanks a lot.
  • mvs1mvs1 Member Posts: 462
    New Haven area, McDermott Lexus to be exact although leased my RX from Lexus of Westport.
  • pimpblueispimpblueis Member Posts: 3
    I bought my IS in Texas, and you should pay significantly less than MSRP. My _opening_ offer, through one of stoneage.com's affiliates, was $32,300 on a $34,160. I eventually haggled it down to $30,500. My figures tagged the invoice to be around $29,800 or so - power/leather seats, moonroof, homelink, trunk mat and wheel locks.

    They will bargain. Make 'em sweat.
  • 00rxguy100rxguy1 Member Posts: 38
    Hey thanks pimpblueis, but I live here in Silicon Valley and the demand for these babies are pretty high. I don't know if the dealer is willin to budge. but at least now i have an idea of what i should be looking at. You got yours with the leather pkg for $30,500. That's great man.
  • kkramer25kkramer25 Member Posts: 6
    i am also in Texas, my wife is looking at the IS300 or BMW3 series. Where did you finaly get your good deal?
  • freeze1617freeze1617 Member Posts: 1
    I just pick up my IS 300 on 1/3/01. black/black. leather, heated seats, moon roof, cargo mat, wheel locks. home link for $30,269. So there are deals to be made
  • pimpblueispimpblueis Member Posts: 3
    00rxguy1, sorry to hear about demand in Silicon Valley. I've since driven my IS to SoCal, and I've seen about 7 of them in the last month (compared to 1 in Austin). When I explored deals out here, they didn't seem to move as much, but that's probably because of the price I asked for. I was looking for a better deal than even my quoted price in TX. BUT you should still try to make the dealers fight over you.

    I think I did it somewhat by accident, but I had three different dealers fighting over me. That's gotta be the best way to do it. Find a starting offer from a dealer, and work from there. If you start at $32,5, tell another dealer you got it at $32, and ask them to beat it. Make sure you speak to the fleet sales manager. EVERY SINGLE TIME they told me they couldn't do any better. Then they'd call me back 30 minutes later and tell me their new "best price". Rinse and repeat.

    In about a day of shuttling between dealerships on the phone, I arrived at my price. You don't even have to go to the dealership.

    KKramer25, I had Austin, San Antonio, and one of the Dallas dealerships fighting over me. Austin finally won (it was local to me and they also threw in metal tint for an extra $100). Ironically, I think San Antonio and Dallas were trying to sell me the same car.

    Every person will get different deals - I think I got lucky. I paid about $2700 less than someone else at the same dealership! That kind of money was worth my time haggling on the phone.

    Happy hunting!
  • pimpblueispimpblueis Member Posts: 3
    I was just at Lexus Santa Monica, and he mentioned that they're selling similar configs to mine around $31,800.
  • jamest_corveljamest_corvel Member Posts: 2
    I currently shopping for the IS300 w/ sun roof, chrome wheels, Leather Escain, Spoiler. Westminster Lexus (CA, Orange County) fleet manager is offering me $1000 over invoice which comes out to $32000+TTL. Is this a good prices ?
  • jamest_corveljamest_corvel Member Posts: 2
    I looked @ the brush aluminum dash kit installed by the dealer. It looks awesome. The only problem is they wants $600-$800 for it. You can get the exact kit after market for $191. I installed a similar kit on my 2000 Expedition for the first time and it was very easy. Here is the link

    http://www.woodtrim.com/catalog_detail.cfm?prod=2962
  • duvernoisduvernois Member Posts: 6
    I was looking at the wagon at the Detroit auto show. They wouldn't let me sit in it though. Anyone know any details about it? Where does it fall price-wise with the BMW 3 series wagons?
  • 00rxguy100rxguy1 Member Posts: 38
    Thank for your info on the Pricing. now, I feel more confident when I go to the dealer next month to buy it. I will let you know how it goes.
  • btoybtoy Member Posts: 4
    i was wondering if anybody could help me out. I am very close to buying an IS. The dealer offered me: leather/escaine, mnroof, wood trim, heated seats, limited slip diff, and spoiler for $36.5k out the door.
    He also offered me: leather/escaine, mnroof for $32.1k --> $35.3k out the door.

    I thought these were good deals (for being after New Years) but after reading your comments, it seems that the deals really arent that good. The dealer said that invoice was about $30K. Whats a good price to pay? I have no idea.
  • raprorapro Member Posts: 30
    I think I am going to enrage a few people but here it goes. IS300 is such a colorless characterless car that it's mindboggling. A car with so much potential on paper and it drives not much better than an Accord. I must admit I drove it only on straight roads and highways so I couldn't test the handling much, but still. The car feels light, I grant it that much, but otherwise it's lifeless. It's not particularly fast, Acura CL-S feels much faster, there is a slight hesitation when the gas pedal is floored, the sound of the engine is not that pleasing coming from an in-line 6. The brakes sometimes feel very strong sometimes fade quickly, the wind noise is quite intrusive at highway speeds. I have to say that overall Passat 1.8T manual (to say nothing about V6) felt like a better driving car. On the other hand I had a feeling like there was something lurking underneath it just needed a manual to be freed. I certainly hope so because it's really a shame that the car promises so much, but doesn't feel like it delivers a lot, certainly not as much as it does on paper. On the positive side it has superb built quality, comfortable seats, probably excellent reliability. If it only drove half as good as it looked or at least cost 5 grand less.
  • tarunntarunn Member Posts: 8
    Despite the much hyped balance of the car, I still feel the engine was unbalancing the car to the front. Then I read somewhere that the IS still uses a steel block instead of an alloy block like the 330. Is this true? If so, is Lexus going to fix this?
  • denniswadedenniswade Member Posts: 362
    I've driven the IS quickly, on a road course, and it was everything I expected it to be. Every review of the car I've read admits that it gives BMW a real run for its money, and they all say it has a spunkier personality than the BMW. It doesn't have the 260 hp of the Acura or the 6spd of the BMW (it will, next year), but all in all, the car's been a runaway hit in Japan, Europe and the US.

    The engine is the same as in the GS, and as such can easily be twin-turbocharged to provide well upwards of 300 hp if that's all you need to make you happy. (The Japan-spec GS300 is available with a twin-turbo VVT-i engine option.)
  • aliinct1aliinct1 Member Posts: 1
    MVS1..I am also from the CT area and interested in buying an IS300. Any information you can give me regarding your shopping experience (dealers, other cars, price etc.) would be greatly appreciated.
  • menace2umenace2u Member Posts: 7
    denniswade et al - know of any specific aftermarket engine upgrades to boost the IS300s overall HP? You mentioned that evailability of the twi-turbo charger add-on to the GS300 which has the same engine as the IS300 so I was wondering if you knew where I could get specs and pricing on such an option.

    Also - I heard (read) that Lexus is coming out with L-tuned options to some of their cars including the IS300 that equated to a factory or dealer installed option boosting engine output and handling. The delaer I visited today didn't know much about this (what a surprise) so I don't know when it may be available and if it can be retro-fitted to old models. Anyone have any info on this?
  • mvs1mvs1 Member Posts: 462
    I've purchased/ leased from two dealers in CT., McDermott and Westport. Both are quality dealers in my opinion. I still get my RX serviced at McDermott even though I got it from Westport. Back in August I looked into an IS300 both dealers quoted me $520 a month 39 months(lease)with just inception fees down (approxamatly $1400 total). In December I again went down to the dealer (McDermott) Lexus was running a Dec. sales event I was then quoted $480 a month same terms as above. In my opinion the price didn't warrant the purchase. The car is getting additional upgrades next year. If you are still interested e-mail me directed (check my bio) I'll give you the names of the individuals I know at each dealer.
  • denniswadedenniswade Member Posts: 362
    I'd try Rod Millen first -- he specializes in Lexus performance and has in fact developed several prototypes for Toyota, including the Ultimate Celica and the Lexus Hot Rod. His URL is http://www.rodmillen.com.


    If no luck there, try Toysport. They already have a GS300 in their shop with the Japan-spec TT-VVTi producing around 450 hp. I'll send you a couple of pix of the car if you email me at my personal address.

  • pita2000pita2000 Member Posts: 12
    I bought the car with the power seats/moon roof/leather package/chrome wheels/wheel locks/carpet in the rear/homelink. Does anyone think I got a good deal on this car? By the way this car can fly!!!
  • btoybtoy Member Posts: 4
    Im going to get an IS300 w/ leather, mnroof, limited slip dif, heated seats, wood out the door for 34.9. Does anybody think this is good? If no objections, Ill probably get it this weekend.
  • raprorapro Member Posts: 30
    You're right in that most reviews (in fact all that I've read) say that IS300 is quite close to 3-series. That's the good news, the bad news is that not one of them said that Lex was a better car. The only personality, spunky or otherwise, this car has is in its exterior styling and when a Lex character and personality is in its styling you know there is something not right with the car. I don't doubt that the car has a high level of performance on track, but it's a performance without much satisfaction. It's like screwing a hooker. Sure she has a better technique than one's wife, but it's all without a feeling. CL-S is a much more satisfactory car to drive even though it's inferior to Lex on paper in many respects, but it's got character. I never thought I would one day say that an Acura has a character but CL-S does.

    The only way Lex comes close to bimmer is that the bimmer has lost a lot of its personality from the previous generation. It used to be sports car with four seats now it's a sporty luxury car. The funny thing is that the bimmer metamorphosed into this mutant by imitating Lex. And now Lex is imitating dimmer. One day perhaps they'll be alike neither one much fun to drive and each one overpriced.
  • djcunnindjcunnin Member Posts: 8
    but I don't feel like going through all the old posts. There's a company in Miami called Toyomoto. They've put together a twin turbo IS300, and they've done many SC300 and GS's...there's also Swift-Racing Technologies who have an intake-ecu upgrade and are working on a whole assortment of performance parts. There's also a website dedicated to the IS...it's www.IS300.net check it out if you want
  • menace2umenace2u Member Posts: 7
    btoy - the price you've been quoted for that car looks very much like the MSRP or list price (unless out the door means taxes are included). No one pays list, right?. I did some quick checking (since I am looking to buy the same car) and it looks like the dealer invoice (the maximum they pay for that car not including any special factory to dealer rebates, incentives, end of month promotions, volume rebates, etc..) is around $30,561 including destination fees but no taxes. Add taxes for your state and see what that total price is compared to your offer of $34.9K.
    As a general rule, when dealers ask me what I would pay for that car, I ask them how much profit they think is reasonable to make on selling m that car. If you work up from the invoice price (knowing they probably paid less than that anyway for the car based on rebates you don't know about) it is reasonable that a dealer make 3-6%. On the invoice price of $30,561, that means you should be able to buy it for about $31,800 before taxes. If you add say 6% tax (where I live), that works out to about $33,690 total.
    Hard-core care buyer/negotiators will argue the 3-6% profit margin is too high and they are right. I don't want to open up that debate. I've bought cars under dealer invoice and this is common for many mass market cars where inventory is high and they can make up a small profits/vehicle by selling in volume. It all depends how eager you are to buy and how eager the dealer is to sell.
  • btoybtoy Member Posts: 4
    menace2u-thanks for your advice, I appreciate it.
    But when I said $34.9, I meant including taxes (8% LA) and licensing. Is that still a bad deal?
    The invoice is $30661 and im getting it for $1200 over that --> $31860.
    It seems to land in your 3-6% range, which is very helpful.
    Please confirm my calculations.
    thanks
  • menace2umenace2u Member Posts: 7
    btoy - $34.9K divided by 1.08 = $32.3K which is the price you are paying for the car before your local taxes are applied. That means the dealer is making about $1600 on your car or roughly 5% (again assuming no other rebates apply that lower the dealer's cost on the car). I would think you could talk them down another $300-$600 dollars if you think its worth your grief. You can help yourself in this last-round negotiation by bringing in the Edmunds Invoice/MSRP print-out for the IS300 (available at this site) which shows dealer cost for the base car and all options. They will know you have done your homework and you're negotiating from fact (alteast as much as us consumes can know without insider info) rather than conjecture. Good luck.
  • btoybtoy Member Posts: 4
    menace2u- The $34.9 also includes licensing as well. Does the dealer make money off of licensing?
  • denniswadedenniswade Member Posts: 362
    I'm sorry, but your comment ("The only personality, spunky or otherwise, this car has is in its exterior styling and when a Lex character and personality is in its styling you know there is something not right with the car") is mistaken. The latest review I read -- I believe it was a comparison test in Car and Driver between it, the BMW and the CL-S -- said quite clearly that, although the Bimmer won, lack of a manual in the Lexus was the deciding factor. They also said that the Lexus was the one that seemed the most eager and playful. I've driven the car several times, and I assure you, it is light years away from being boring. Steering response has been judged by every magazine I've read to be the sharpest in class, as are the brakes. Everyone has their own taste, and it would be a miracle if ANYBODY knocked BMW off its perch the first time out. But let's give credit where it's due, okay?
  • menace2umenace2u Member Posts: 7
    btoy - licensing should be around $150-200 or so. The dealer does charge for its procesing time but they don't make much on this expense.. I didn't add this in my numbers as licensing costs (unless they charge you much more) are in the noise.
  • eblueeblue Member Posts: 3
    I saw IS300 Sportcross at the LA Auto Show. It seems to fit all my needs. The release-time is sometime in Aug. Does any one know the likely price of the new model? Thanks.
  • raprorapro Member Posts: 30
    You misunderstand what I am saying. I've read at least 15-20 different reviews, American, Canadian, British all of them praised IS 300 for it's formidable first effort, but none of them was overtly enthusiastic about the car. I think this is a telling reflection about the true nature of the car. It's very competent, it just doesn't evoke strong emotions, at least not when driven, only when looked at (from the outside or inside). If only something of that 'love it or hate' attitude was triggered by the driving characteristics rather than the design. I've read somewhere that IS 300 was supposed to be more like a previous generation 3-series, less sophisticated and more sporty and fun. That car was a blast, the gas pedal was like a magnet pulling on the right foot. A lot of that is lost in the new generation of 3-series, but there is none of it in IS 300. Nada. I believe all the performance claims (except for the 0-60 time) I just don't care about the figures derived by professional drivers at Nurburgring, all I care about is whether the car puts a smile on my face when I drive it and this one didn't not even for a moment.
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