bostonsnow

I'm trying to figure out when may be the best time for maximum incentives/possible discount on 2016 ES 300h , but before inventories are depleted too much that selection of options gets limited (i.e. when the 2017s are out in full force and inventory if 2016s is very low)....

Dave Mac

I would think August-September with almost no changes other than maybe a color or two. So if you can get a deal on a year end model you won't be giving much up. I think you need to be saving $3K or so to make a year old model a deal and they often aren't discounted that much more than the new year model will be by December.

Dave Mac

bostonsnow

thanks . Good points.

Although I'm wondering if there are potential non - monetary advantages to the 2016 vs 2017: i.e.:

1) 2016s are still made in Japan. I'm not sure if the 1017's ES300h are going to start being assembled in the U.S. plant?
2) The Michelin Primacy's are still around on some 2016 cars but are a discontinued tire. Who knows what the stock tires may be on 2017s....

ES350mark

I would think the 2017 ES350 will not have any dramatic cosmetic changes since the 2016 was freshened up front (grill, lights) and rear (lights). Chances are Lexus will start looking to make some items standard, like BSM, rear parking assist, adaptive cruise control, infotainment, etc. since entry level Honda's (Civic/Accord) Hyundai (Elantra/Sonata) are now including these items. After reading the thread and the overall consensus on NAV it seems that it is not a mandatory option on new cars with Smart Phone technology so look for options that sync with I phones but also Droid as well. The comment regarding the Michelin tires was excellent and I look forward to what Lexus will consider since my ES350 came with Bridgestone's with only 20K miles. They seem fine, but I am sure the Michelins will last much longer, so value could also play into the 2017 Lexus ES350. Wonder if this was brought up at the NY, Chicago and Detroit Auto Show?

lesz

Regardless of the complaints that people might have about in-car navigation systems, those in-car navigation systems still remain at or near the top of the list of options that both new and used car buyers want, and that is especially true for a car like a Lexus.

While I'm sure that there is big price mark up for navigation systems, navigation systems are among the options that return the highest percentage of their original cost at trade-in or re-sale time. If you check the used cars on a Lexus lot, you will find that an ES with navigation is likely to move off the lot very quickly, but one without navigation is likely to sit on that lot much longer, and it is also much more likely to sit there until there is a significant reduction in its price. Because used car managers know that an ES with navigation is likely to move off of the lot quickly, that is why they are willing to pay a significant premium for trade-ins with navigation, and, because they know that ones without navigation can well sit on the lot for an extended period of time, that is why what is offered for a trade-in of an ES without navigation is significantly discounted.

pab12

I have to think that the reason for that is that having a Nav unit represents a quick short-hand check that the car has most of the options that were available. That is, if it has Nav it has ...

When a buyer sees a car like an ES 350 and it doesn't have the Nav they immediately begin to wonder what else it doesn't have.

Whether or not it gets used, it has it, and everybody sitting in it will know that the car is not "stripped" but is "loaded".

I think that makes a big difference at purchase time.
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My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2

rld14

Exactly!

I VERY rarely buy ESs without Nav. Truthfully, I really only like to stock Luxury Package cars with Navi.

No Nav? Very tough sale unless the car has ridiculously low mileage and I can lease it cheaply and even then it's tough. I had an 8K mile 2014 without Navi that I had a hard time selling, CPO'd, for $28900

lesz

Adding to what I said above, it is my impression that the people who most frequently complain about the value of in-vehicle navigation systems are the people who bought cars without a navigation system and who are trying to convince themselves that they made the right decision.

Also, as far as the functionality of the Lexus navigation systems, my experience has been that, since the update to Enform last summer gave the ability to use the navigation system through Enform, the functionality of the navigation systems has been greatly enhanced. Not only does it allow you to use voice commands to enter destinations and to do so while driving, but, since Enform is using the internet, the data base for destinations and routes is much more current and much like what you would expect with a smart phone app or a Garmin system. Further, the voice commands work much better than those built into the navigation system, and they are much more straight forward and less cumbersome to use. I highly recommend that those who haven't used the Enform app with the navigation system give it a try.

rld14

Part of it is that when you get to Luxury Vehicles it's a matter of "Would Sir like to save $1800 on his $50,000 purchase?" Usually the answer is no.

lesz

And what you are saying is probably at least and possibly more true for used car buyers than it is for new car buyers.

When a used car buyer realizes that he/she can buy a brand new Ford, Chevy, or Mazda with a navigation system (and lots of other goodies) for the same money or less than what it would cost to buy a 2 year old ES without a navigation system or other goodies, I would guess that, as often as not, that used car buyer is going to choose to buy the Ford , Chevy, or Mazda.

Because used car buyers expect a Lexus to have things like a navigation system, that is why a used Lexus without a navigation system is not particularly desirable to used car buyers or to used car managers at dealerships.

Freds430

Lexus if you read this forum please take note. We have a RX450h and an ES300h both with parchment interior. Colors are a personal touch but we both would never own a dark color interior. The floor shows every bit of lint. The lighter color interior looks larger and feels cooler again in our opinion. We had a 2016 ES300h loaner yesterday with the parchment seats. The floor was a horrible looking (again our opinion) brown. The doors were half parchment and the bottom half this dark brown. The back of the front seats were the dark brown. Lexus please go back to making an interior either a light color as in the parchment or light gray or a dark color. The two tone look looks terrible. Will definitely not buy a 2016 or newer if Lexus continues with this trend.

jollick

I feel the same way regarding the 2 tone interior.

lesz

Until I saw the last couple of posts, I was thinking that I was the only one who felt that way.

I especially dislike the flaxen color interior. While I would be fine with either the lighter flaxen color or the darker brown, by itself. the combination of the two together reminds me too much of the colors that I might expect to see in a toilet bowl.

I do like the more elaborate stitching on the 2016 seats, but, for me, Lexus missed the mark with regard to the color combinations.

Freds430

[QUOTE=lesz;9474127]the combination of the two together reminds me too much of the colors that I might expect to see in a toilet bow].

A true LOL. We were in the loaner trying to come up with a description for that color brown and that is exactly how we described it.

imrankh24

i myself have a 2016 with the parchment interior and i love the two tone brown. i hated the whole parchment in 13-15 thank god they changed now it looks way more classier!!