Hello,
I’ve scrolled through several messages on this group and found people
to be quite helpful. So, I thought I would take advantage of others’
kindness and ask a few questions here:
I live in Houston and my car got totalled by the recent flooding from
Tropical Storm Allison. So, I’m suddenly in the market for a new car
and was considering the RX300. My wife and I did quite a bit of
research online in terms of pricing (Edmunds.com is a great site),
quality (consumerreports.org), etc. We are considering buying a new
2001 model or a certified preowned 1999 or 2000 model.
We went to a Lexus dealership yesterday (there are quite a few in
Houston) and test drove the RX. It is a great little SUV! When we
started talking to the salesperson about the MSRP, the dealer’s
invoice price, etc., he said that there is basically not much room to
negotiate with a Lexus. He was really nice, but said that you can get
away with buying a Ford or Chevy for a few hundred dollars over
invoice, but forget about doing that with a Lexus.
First question: Is that true? Is there really not much room for
negotiation?
As mentioned above, we are also considering a certified preowned late
model RX. Our research shows that there is not that huge of a price
difference between a low mileage 1999 or 2000 model and a new 2001.
The prices start to differ by several thousand dollars only once you
reach mileages over 30 to 40,000.
Second question: Does that sound about right? And, if so, why is
that? If there is only going to be a 1 to 2,000 dollar difference,
why would one buy a preowned one instead of going for the new one?
Third question: I’m a bit wary of buying a certified preowned car.
Where exactly do these cars come from? Are they customer trade-ins?
Off-lease vehicles? Dealer demo cars? Dealer loaner cars?
Lastly, although I’m without a car right now, I live close to work and
can take the bus and borrow my brother’s car from time to time when
needed. So, I’m not in that much of a rush to purchase.
Fourth question: When are the 2002 models coming out? If they are
coming out soon, I may be able to wait until they do, so that the 2001
models will get discounted. If 2002 is not realeased until late
August or September, then I would definitely have to get something
sooner.
Oops, one more question: Do you think that dealers in this area are
going to be quite firm with their prices b/c they know people are
desperate for cars b/c of the flood damage? Am I better off waiting
another 4 to 6 weeks to see if they become a bit more flexible with
their prices?
Sorry, just thought of one more question: Has anybody had any
experience (good or bad) purchasing from Carmax? Several of the local
Houston locations have a few RX300s at around our budget ($30,000),
though they have a bit too many miles than we would prefer
(~30-40,000).
Thanks so much. If anybody replies, if she/he could please cc a copy
to my email at pink…@ev1.net, I would greatly appreciate it.
Pulin
From personal experience I can vouch for Certified Pre-Owned being as
pristine mechancial order as is possible in that they certify that all
maintenance was pulled and completed by Lexus. Look over a Lexus
maintenance plan and you pretty much end up with a new mechanically sound
vehicle even up towards 120k on the speedometer
"Pulin" <pink…@ev1.net> wrote in message
news:6088086c.0106170638.1a5e2798@posting.google.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> Hello,
> I’ve scrolled through several messages on this group and found people
> to be quite helpful. So, I thought I would take advantage of others’
> kindness and ask a few questions here:
> I live in Houston and my car got totalled by the recent flooding from
> Tropical Storm Allison. So, I’m suddenly in the market for a new car
> and was considering the RX300. My wife and I did quite a bit of
> research online in terms of pricing (Edmunds.com is a great site),
> quality (consumerreports.org), etc. We are considering buying a new
> 2001 model or a certified preowned 1999 or 2000 model.
> We went to a Lexus dealership yesterday (there are quite a few in
> Houston) and test drove the RX. It is a great little SUV! When we
> started talking to the salesperson about the MSRP, the dealer’s
> invoice price, etc., he said that there is basically not much room to
> negotiate with a Lexus. He was really nice, but said that you can get
> away with buying a Ford or Chevy for a few hundred dollars over
> invoice, but forget about doing that with a Lexus.
> First question: Is that true? Is there really not much room for
> negotiation?
> As mentioned above, we are also considering a certified preowned late
> model RX. Our research shows that there is not that huge of a price
> difference between a low mileage 1999 or 2000 model and a new 2001.
> The prices start to differ by several thousand dollars only once you
> reach mileages over 30 to 40,000.
> Second question: Does that sound about right? And, if so, why is
> that? If there is only going to be a 1 to 2,000 dollar difference,
> why would one buy a preowned one instead of going for the new one?
> Third question: I’m a bit wary of buying a certified preowned car.
> Where exactly do these cars come from? Are they customer trade-ins?
> Off-lease vehicles? Dealer demo cars? Dealer loaner cars?
> Lastly, although I’m without a car right now, I live close to work and
> can take the bus and borrow my brother’s car from time to time when
> needed. So, I’m not in that much of a rush to purchase.
> Fourth question: When are the 2002 models coming out? If they are
> coming out soon, I may be able to wait until they do, so that the 2001
> models will get discounted. If 2002 is not realeased until late
> August or September, then I would definitely have to get something
> sooner.
> Oops, one more question: Do you think that dealers in this area are
> going to be quite firm with their prices b/c they know people are
> desperate for cars b/c of the flood damage? Am I better off waiting
> another 4 to 6 weeks to see if they become a bit more flexible with
> their prices?
> Sorry, just thought of one more question: Has anybody had any
> experience (good or bad) purchasing from Carmax? Several of the local
> Houston locations have a few RX300s at around our budget ($30,000),
> though they have a bit too many miles than we would prefer
> (~30-40,000).
> Thanks so much. If anybody replies, if she/he could please cc a copy
> to my email at pink…@ev1.net, I would greatly appreciate it.
> Pulin
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
Pulin wrote…
> I’ve scrolled through several messages on this group and found people
> to be quite helpful. So, I thought I would take advantage of others’
> kindness and ask a few questions here:
I’d suggest checking this site for more RX300 info: http://www.clublexus.com.
As far as them not willing to negotiate, there is priceline.com or
autobytel.com. Hope this helps.
—
SM
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
We negotiated our 2001 Lexus RX300 to 5% over invoice. The RX300 is not in
as high a demand as other Lexus cars, and the dealer here had quite a few.
The price we got from the dealer actually beat the prices we found online,
although the negotiating was awful. My last car was a Saturn, so this was
my first time in the negotiations. I strongly suggest reading
http://www.carbuytingtips.com The guy who wrote it bought a Lexus. We heard every
line that the web sites lists from salesman use within the first 10 minutes,
but we wound up getting a good deal after walking out and coming back!
Hope this helps!
Maddux
"new owner" <wdg@[204.52.135.1]> wrote in message
news:ccmpitsgeajgjtfv4b1c55b2v8i5bktc74@4ax.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> In article <6088086c.0106170638.1a5e2…@posting.google.com>
> pink…@ev1.net (Pulin) writes:
> [snip]
> >I live in Houston and my car got totalled by the recent flooding from
> >Tropical Storm Allison.
> Only you and about 4,000 others ;^)
> >So, I’m suddenly in the market for a new car
> >and was considering the RX300. My wife and I did quite a bit of
> >research online in terms of pricing (Edmunds.com is a great site),
> >quality (consumerreports.org), etc. We are considering buying a new
> >2001 model or a certified preowned 1999 or 2000 model.
> For what little difference you’re going to pay between new and a 99/2000
> "certified" pre-owned, I think if it were me (and if I could afford the
> new one), the new one is all that I would consider. Spend your children’s
> inheritance now. They won’t appreciate the handout after you’re gone
> nearly as much as you’ll appreciate that fine new buggy today.
> >We went to a Lexus dealership yesterday (there are quite a few in
> >Houston) and test drove the RX. It is a great little SUV! When we
> >started talking to the salesperson about the MSRP, the dealer’s
> >invoice price, etc., he said that there is basically not much room to
> >negotiate with a Lexus. He was really nice, but said that you can get
> >away with buying a Ford or Chevy for a few hundred dollars over
> >invoice, but forget about doing that with a Lexus.
> That’s pretty much true unless you purchase one over the internet. Lexus
> cars and SUVs are in high demand. They can and do get full sticker price
> for the new ones. If you want it, the price you see is pretty much going
> to be the price you pay. I understand where you’re coming from, because I
> couldn’t afford new either, but if there’s any way you can swing a new
> Lexus then quibbling over the last few nickels and dimes impresses no one
> and certainly isn’t going to make much difference in your car note. You
> don’t haggle over prices at Neiman Marcus or Gucci, and you don’t haggle
> at the Lexus store. For used yes, but not for new. The dealer makes less
> profit on the new ones.
> >As mentioned above, we are also considering a certified preowned late
> >model RX. Our research shows that there is not that huge of a price
> >difference between a low mileage 1999 or 2000 model and a new 2001.
> Your research is correct. Again, assuming I could afford ‘new’ the only
> reason I can think of to look at ‘used’ is to find a particular color or
> model that’s otherwise hard to find. Mileage is the most important
> consideration. For preowned accept absolutely no more than 15,000 miles a
> year at the max. Last year my son-in-law got screwed into paying $19.5k
> for a 95 LS400 with a whopping 103k miles on it from a dealer. Compare
> that to two weeks ago when I bought a ’97 LS400 from the widow of a long
> time friend with only 43k miles on it and paid $21.5k including the
> 7yr/100k mile "extra care" warranty! That is typical of how much spread
> there is between dealer retail and private party sales. A dealer would
> have wanted easily $36-$38k for that car. I’d say try looking in the
> paper, but with private party sales you really need to KNOW who you’re
> buying from, expecially a week after a major flood. High-end Executive
> driven cars are seldom sold through newspaper ads.
> >The prices start to differ by several thousand dollars only once you
> >reach mileages over 30 to 40,000.
> I’m not familiar with the RX, but a 5-year old "certified" LS400 with only
> 40k miles on it will still fetch somewhere in the high $30′s retail, a
> mere $20k under what it sold for new. That should tell you something.
> You’re apt not to save much on a used one unless it’s several years old
> with a bazillion miles on it. By purchasing "new" your odometer is at zero
> from day one and you will be in control of your own destiny in what it’s
> worth 3-5 years from now.
> >Second question: Does that sound about right? And, if so, why is
> >that? If there is only going to be a 1 to 2,000 dollar difference,
> >why would one buy a preowned one instead of going for the new one?
> Supply & demand perhaps. But there’s also some wiggle room in the price on
> the preowned ones. The dealers can only sell the used ones for what the
> traffic will bear. With a Lexus that number is high.
> >Third question: I’m a bit wary of buying a certified preowned car.
> That’s normal. I’m afraid of any preowned car where I didn’t know the
> previous owner personally. However, by getting one that’s "certified" you
> know that the previous owner kept up the maintenance on it and more
> importantly, the dealer is going to back it up.
> >Where exactly do these cars come from? Are they customer trade-ins?
> most are, that and lease returns.
> >Lastly, although I’m without a car right now, I live close to work and
> >can take the bus and borrow my brother’s car from time to time when
> >needed. So, I’m not in that much of a rush to purchase.
> I haven’t seen any mention of a release date for the new RX. Maybe you
> should go to <http://www.rexclassic.com/raffle2001.html> and for $100 you
> can buy a raffle ticket on a 2002 RX300. :)
> >Oops, one more question: Do you think that dealers in this area are
> >going to be quite firm with their prices b/c they know people are
> >desperate for cars b/c of the flood damage? Am I better off waiting
> >another 4 to 6 weeks to see if they become a bit more flexible with
> >their prices?
> I don’t think the flood has anything to do with it. You seem to be really
> fixating on this price thing. Chill out man. If you’re in a position to
> afford the brass ring, reach for it. If you’re not, then stop mentioning
> new and focus instead on used. Just remember how little difference there
> is between 1-2 yr olds vs new. Spread across a 5 yr note that difference
> is less than $100 a month. If you just can’t swing a new one, you’re also
> likely to be financially strapped paying for one that’s a year or two old.
> >Sorry, just thought of one more question: Has anybody had any
> >experience (good or bad) purchasing from Carmax? Several of the local
> >Houston locations have a few RX300s at around our budget ($30,000),
> >though they have a bit too many miles than we would prefer
> >(~30-40,000).
> Judas Priest, if as you say you’re a little leery about purchasing a
> "certified" preowned one from a Lexus dealer then why in heaven’s name are
> you asking about Carmax? Good God almighty man, look around at the
> clientele that frequent that place. Do YOU fit in with those people? Stay
> out of that place. In my opinion it’s the "Rick’s Furniture" of used cars.
> If you want a Lexus, either purchase straight out from a private party
> (someone you know) or else go to the Lexus dealer. There are no cream
> puffs at Carmax.
> As you consider preowned, remember to factor in that there are certain
> mileage "thresholds" at which major costly service is due (and required to
> maintain warranty). Figure on spending $300-$500 at 15,000 mile intervals
> and $750 or so every 30k mile interval. At 60k (or maybe it’s 90k) there’s
> a big one involving a timing belt replacement that is going to run you
> over $1000. When they have to tear that bad boy that far apart, that’s the
> time you also want to be replacing other "wear items" that are hard to get
> to such as the water pump, serpentine belt tensioner, etc.
> [posted and mailed]
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
> The RX300 is not in as high a demand as other Lexus cars, and the dealer
here had quite a few.
Actually, Toyota/Lexus are having difficutly in supplying enough RX300s to
satisfy the demand. At about 75000 units per year in North America alone,
the RX is far and away the best selling Lexus. There is a new plant being
constructed in Ontario Canada to begin production of the next generation RX
in 2003/2004, this will also be the first Lexus factory outside Japan.
Toyota/Lexus are hopeful the new factory will enable them to produce enough
RXs in about 2 years time to meet the high demand.
Even so, there are deals to be made depending where you are. Here in Ottawa
Canada there are two Lexus dealers fairly close to one another and they tend
to compete against each other, hence I was able to get an RX at a fair
discount. In cities with a single dealer however, this might be harder to
come by.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> The price we got from the dealer actually beat the prices we found online,
> although the negotiating was awful. My last car was a Saturn, so this was
> my first time in the negotiations. I strongly suggest reading
> http://www.carbuytingtips.com The guy who wrote it bought a Lexus. We heard
every
> line that the web sites lists from salesman use within the first 10
minutes,
> but we wound up getting a good deal after walking out and coming back!
> Hope this helps!
> Maddux
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
Bill,
We have a single dealer…the nearest one is about 60 miles away. Our
dealer was willing to come down to sell the car. I disagree, Lexus is
having a much harder time than they want to admit selling the RX300 in the
face of new competition. It may be the best selling Lexus, but it is the
only one they try to sell in high volume…with the possible exception of
the IS300.
All you really need to do is threaten to go down to Infiniti or Acura, both
of which are digging into Lexus sales, especially the new Acura.
Don’t pay any more than 5% profit to the dealer.
"Bill" <bga…@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:SUsX6.14897$VB5.756049@weber.videotron.net…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> > The RX300 is not in as high a demand as other Lexus cars, and the dealer
> here had quite a few.
> Actually, Toyota/Lexus are having difficutly in supplying enough RX300s to
> satisfy the demand. At about 75000 units per year in North America alone,
> the RX is far and away the best selling Lexus. There is a new plant being
> constructed in Ontario Canada to begin production of the next generation
RX
> in 2003/2004, this will also be the first Lexus factory outside Japan.
> Toyota/Lexus are hopeful the new factory will enable them to produce
enough
> RXs in about 2 years time to meet the high demand.
> Even so, there are deals to be made depending where you are. Here in
Ottawa
> Canada there are two Lexus dealers fairly close to one another and they
tend
> to compete against each other, hence I was able to get an RX at a fair
> discount. In cities with a single dealer however, this might be harder to
> come by.
> > The price we got from the dealer actually beat the prices we found
online,
> > although the negotiating was awful. My last car was a Saturn, so this
was
> > my first time in the negotiations. I strongly suggest reading
> > http://www.carbuytingtips.com The guy who wrote it bought a Lexus. We heard
> every
> > line that the web sites lists from salesman use within the first 10
> minutes,
> > but we wound up getting a good deal after walking out and coming back!
> > Hope this helps!
> > Maddux
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
Actually, in the 2000 calendar year Lexus became the highest-selling luxury
nameplate in the North American market, surpassing BMW and DiamlerChrysler
combined. From the figures I have seen for first quarter 2001, it appears
the sales of the Lexus line are still increasing, although I am unsure what
proportion of these sales are made up of RX300s.
The Infinity QX4 doesn’t even register on Lexus’ radar quite frankly, Nissan
doing all they can to sell 10,000 annually. The Acura MDX is admittedly a
strong competitor however we will have to wait until a full model year has
gone by to compare sales figures. Traditionally, Lexus outsells its Acura
competitors by a factor of 2 to 3 depending on the model level. It’s a lot
worse for Infinity, take the example of the LS400 outselling the Q45 by a
factor of about 5 to 1.
The previous volume champ in the Lexus lineup was the ES300, which topped
out at about 60,000 cars last year, second only to the RX. The IS300
figures are unknown as yet, but for 2000 total Lexus sales in North America
totalled about 215,000 vehicles of all types.
"Maddux" <do…@sendtothisaddress.com> wrote in message
news:XjvX6.20018$_T2.3842556@typhoon.tampabay.rr.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> Bill,
> We have a single dealer…the nearest one is about 60 miles away. Our
> dealer was willing to come down to sell the car. I disagree, Lexus is
> having a much harder time than they want to admit selling the RX300 in the
> face of new competition. It may be the best selling Lexus, but it is the
> only one they try to sell in high volume…with the possible exception of
> the IS300.
> All you really need to do is threaten to go down to Infiniti or Acura,
both
> of which are digging into Lexus sales, especially the new Acura.
> Don’t pay any more than 5% profit to the dealer.
Comment by admin — October 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm