Orbit9

I am thinking of trade in my 03 ES300 for the new ES350 soon (in about a month). So I am wondering if anyone out there has done anything similar and what are the trade in values that you got. I checked KBB and see that it varies (for trade-in) from about $14000 to $17000 depend on the car's condition. Also, how's the price of the ES350 (UL or non-UL but with Navi)? How much can you roughly get below MSRP? Are dealers willing to lower the price now?

I live in LA,CA area and planning to visit Longo Lexus soon.

Thanks a bunch....

love_lexus

I highly suggest that you sell it by yourself with kbb trade-in or private value, it can make happier. You can save couple of thousands.

RobF350

I know my dealer offered me squat on my trade compared to what I could sell it for.


I can also tell you that I feel if I had 10 of my old ES I could have sold all 10 of them.

Ended up selling it to a friend of my wife's, but I did put an ad one night just to see what kind of response I would get, I was surprised at all the responses- the car can just about sell itself.

As for negotiating the price of the new car- play hardball and remember its a car you can get anywhere, not like that dealer is going to have something so special that another one wont.
A good tactic is when you dont HAVE to get the car, tell them your just thinking about it and will buy the new one if the price is right.

Orbit9

ok, so trade-in won't get you too much for the new car. Now, what about the price of the new ES350. How much lower than MSRP can you get now? I think since Lexus makes more ES350 the dealer should be more willing to lower the price, right?

garsarno

They are in la la land - they think their car is perfect. Start talking up the potential problems (trans, knock, etc from these forums) and that you are taking a big chance in even considering buying one. Tell the salesman you are also considering Infinity, BMW 5 series because of the lack of problems. Also ask if he can get you a good deal on a buyback ES350. That will either put him on the defensive (which is what you want) or he may tell you to "bug" off.

love_lexus

I think you need tell the sales person you also like BMW and Infinity because they are better looking.

Orbit9

Well, I will tell them that I will also consider G35 and 335 so the ES is not my first choice. Also, I am not in a hurry to change car so if the dealer won't give me a good deal then I will seriously go for another brand. I have a long commute to work so I really want a nice ride for the road.

Now, if I want the UL package then the price will be around $33,000 or $34,000 MSRP. Will I be also to cut around $3000 from that?

Orbit9

Ooops, sorry, I mean UL for $43k to $44k MSRP....

love_lexus

I think cutting $3K off is possible (I got this off, and I'm living in Seattle, WA)
But I think the most important thing is to talk nicely and respected to sales person, honoring and respecting can give you unexpected good result.
Good luck.

PsychDoc

About a year ago I got $16,500 for my trade-in ES300 and I took a lease based on a purchase price of $42,000 on a UL. But that was a year ago so I doubt your ES300 will get that now, at least not on a trade-in.

On the plus side, discounts on the ES350 are a bit more available now than when the car was brand new so you might get another thousand or two off the sale price.

I'm paying $664 on a 36 month lease with nothing down at pick up (only paid $800 total at time of delivery....first month of lease and license fees essentially).

Orbit9

Wow, thanks to everyone for the info, I have more hope now to get a good deal on this car. Any other info is appreciated also.

Also, anyone knows anything about any changes for the 2008 model ES350? I hope it won't be too much. I heard that Lexus might add real-time traffic info for the navi and that's about it.... No horsepower bump yet, right?

Thanks

garsarno

They need to get the bump out of the transmission first, then they should be able to get the bump in horsepower. But..... new transmision has performed perfectly after 3,000+ miles.

LexBob2

IMO, I doubt if you'll see a bump in hp for the ES anytime soon. The car is just 1 year old and the current 272 hp is competitive with the ES's main competitors. Also, Lexus will need to keep a gap in hp between ES and IS/GS 350's.

amf1932

If Lexus continues the way they've done in the past when a new generation of vehicles is continued after 1 year, then the only thing that will be done is slight refreshing of the interior/exterior, but definitey NO increase in HP, or transmission changes. This is the way it's been since 1989.

jeffofla

Quite frankly, I think that HP and Torque for the 2007 ES is - finally - just right. I always had an issue with my 2002 ES in this regards, but I am completely satisfied with the 2007's power. For the type of car it is, I really can't see a justification for increasing it. And if you look at the progression of power within the Lexus models, you'll see they got it right too.