Dadikins

When did Lexus (at least in the New England area) start using yourlexusdealer.com when viewing their new vehicle inventory?

I understand that some people may shop on-line & be interested in just one particular dealer & would have the vehicle that is within a certain radius be delivered to them. But, it would be nice if there was the option to see what a particular dealer had on the lot for new vehicles.

I'm considering purchasing a new RX - If I see a particular color / option combination that is on someone's lot, I would like to be able to go to that dealer to take a look at it - especially if I don't have an allegiance to a particular dealership (there are at least 4 within a 50-mile radius of me). It is on the proper lot, no more transporting, etc.

While I do like the idea of being able to see what is available at multiple dealerships, you should still be able to view what is on the dealer's actual lot...

FamilyRX

I have found out from the dealers and Lexus customer service that the yourlexusdealer.com does not accurately reflect what is available to the dealers. In fact, most of the time it is wrong. I have been looking for a specific color combination for five months. When one pops up on yourlexusdealer, I call the dealer to confirm the availablity. Each time, the dealer (in different parts of the country) says that combination does not show up in their region. When I called Lexus customer support they confirmed what the dealer said.

CincyBrad

I noticed it to when I was shopping, and I hate it. I like to be able to see actual dealer inventory on the website, if the car I am looking for is there, then I can go see it. They probably do it thinking that it forces people to actually go into the dealership, when in reality it just pisses people off. Lexus really dropped the ball there, all the other high end brands offer real time inventory by dealer.

desmo907

I agree with the frustration. I am shopping most likely for the RX459h in CT and the dealer sites to 'view inventory' are all the same. One told me probably on purpose to get you in there.

BTW - what is a decent dicsount?

I have to trade my older car and they said they would give me the 450h at invoice (after a bit of back and forth). But the trade-in price for my car was ~20% lower (~$2k) lower than another dealer offered me (though i was interested in a different car there). Seems they all use different evaluation techniques (one used the AutoTrader tool, etc.).

Whitigir

Use this website to know where you should be negotiating for.

Www.carsdirect.com

Also, 8-10% discount before 1500 lexus finance rebate is good. Or more than 1750 off invoice before rebate is good. Remember to ask for the invoice.

desmo907

Thanks. I had used TrueCars but the options for the 450h did not match exactly what the dealer had listed so I could not get an accurate quote and the dealers were ~120 miles away.

How does carsdirect work?

I did get the same MSRP for the same vehicle and options and they show the invoice as lower than what the dealer told me. I also have a trade in.
So what happens when I complete the form with my name, etc?
Do they forward me to local dealer and how would a trade work?

Seems my cash offer with what they offered on my trade was close to the invoice but they let me walk...

Thx

Dadikins

Lexus really needs to fix several things on their website - the two most annoying to me are the lack of viewing dealer-specific inventory, as well as vehicle customization (ie. when trying to build a 450h, there is no option for HUD - and when building a 350, there is no "F-Sport" option).

I hope that they don't tick off too many more people...

As far as what the best price is, I agree with Whitigir on what a good price is - heck, if you search in the 3rd gen forum, some people have gotten really great deals!

If the dealer let you walk & you give him/her your info, I wouldn't be surprised if you're contacted towards the end of the month...

bruce van

I agree 110% that the inventory list is infuriating!!! I went down to the dealer to finalize an agreed price only to find that the dealer didn't have the car. To my surprise, the "inventory" listed from yourlexusdealer is complete BS.

The salesman says it lists the packages available/offered and that people can't find out what the actual inventory is unless they speak directly with the dealership.

Lexus has a lot of work to do in this department. It really is creating a lot of confusion. It does state their disclaimer at the top, but it's completely misleading. Boo on Lexus.

pbm317

Lack of customization of building a vehicle doesn't have to do with a website, but in how the vehicles are available in your area and how they build the pre-spec'ed vehicles.

Similarly, options are generally bundled. You would see a bundle for the GS350 that is "F-Sport Package with additional options"

Custom orders are available, but Lexus usually doesn't encourage these as much as BMW and the germans might.

desmo907

Curious why the base price for the same car would be different at 2 different dealers?

The 2 I got the paperwork on are nearly identical but one is absent the Blind Spot Monitor but that is part of the Premium package so that option package is $500 less. But the base price for the same car is also $400 less but seems to have the same Standard features.

Could it be when they got the car in?

bruce van

Desmo907, you have to click on the accessories link. Sometimes 2 identical cars with the same package, but one car has some misc. accessories like wheel locks and trunk liners. That's probably where the extra $500 is.

desmo907

I got papers on each car from different dealers.
The base price had a difference of $400 but as I exmained line by line, it seemed they had the same features. They were not in the same order so maybe i missed something.


The lack of the Blind Spot monitor in the Premium Package accounted for the $500 difference for that package only.

Thx

mmarshall

Lexus has done that for years, despite customer-complaints. They have never had a reliable system where you could check a dealer-new-car inventory on-line before either physically going to the dealership or calling in advance on the phone. It was that way in 2001, when I bought my Lexus IS300, and is still generally that way today. Lexus probably feels that it is an added customer-service on their part (having the people at the dealership, who are paid for it, do your hunting-work for you)...but I agree with DanDevoe that it probably irks as many potential customers as it pleases.

BTW, www.everycarlisted.com, for some auto-makes, can be a tool for helping to find new-car inventory, but it gives only limited information on Lexus vehicles, and some of that doesn't seem reliable or up to date.

gengar

Also agree. Unfortunately, it probably irks more people than it pleases in this tech-oriented age. Among people I know who have shopped Lexus, this is by far the number one complaint I hear.

Fly4u

During the discovery phase of the new-car search, this inventory search-engine was of help in determining the typical packages and options groupings available in my locale. The ES300h was not initially on my radar; that vehicles precisely matching my ideal were plentiful piqued my interest. The local Lexus dealer is a convenient 15 minute drive, and once on the property the salesman gave a great synopsis of what was available.