GX4704ME

We should start a thread, perhaps this one, to discuss things perspective buyers should know about your Lexus dealership. This IS NOT a flaming thread but instead that one piece of information that may prove useful to a perspective buyer of a 4G.

Okay I will go first.

What you should know about Lexus of Fife

They add "extras" to all of their 4Gs thus adding to the overall price. I walked the lot on Saturday and could not find one 4G without a bunch of "extras". Even the F Sport that I purchased last week had Trim and LoJack ALREADY added to the price. It took me 2 hours past closing to get the dollar amount of the LoJack removed.

Here is their price list and as you can see the price can inflate rather quickly.

Tint - $495
Lojack - $795
Door Trim - $495
Chip protection - Not sure of the price
Clear Bra - Not sure of the price
Paint Protector - Not sure of price
etc.
etc.

Your turn......

PTmobile

Sometimes dealers pre-load vehicles as soon as they come off the truck. Usually they do not load the clear bras... maybe just the hood, fenders, and mirrors... but not the full setup. The tint is WAY high... and the door trim is entirely too much. Chip protection is the same as a clear bra so no need for that. And the paint protector is usually a sealant that is way overpriced. I would order the vehicle next time and tell them not to load anything on it or you will take your business elsewhere. I install clear bras and tint for a lot of dealerships and can tell you that there is a lot of markup there. Its better to go directly with a shop for the work.

faifai83

Lexus of Serramonte

Requiring the running of credit check "to ensure that the personal check will clear."
- Can't we just call the bank to verify funds on the bank account?!?

Installation of the "Phantom Invisible Footprint" stickers to ensure that "parts from the vehicle can be tracked if it was stolen."
- Isn't that what insurance and Safety Connect GPS Locator is for?!?

sydtoosic

YES SIR, that's what the SC and GPS locator is for. dealerships are going to clean up because so many people want this car. i don't think lexus anticipated this car selling so well. and now that they know..............

GX4704ME

That's a good one! Hopefully more people will participate so we can inform and educate other perspective buyers on our experience both good and bad but not so bad that we turn the thread into a flaming portal.

plmeeker

at dealers they arent alowed to mark up the price of a car, so the dealer puts on a lot of extras at an inflated price because they know if you want the car you will pay.. if you wait till the car has been out for awile then you can tell them you dont want all that stuff... i know because i worked at the dealer for 18yrs... just my input.....

I8ABMR

typical dealer BS. Also dont believe that this is the car of the century like they will try to make you feel. Its all hype in the beginning and all you get is a higher payment and more "teething" issues since your car is a first year model. I bought an 07 3GS brand new and it still had a ton of rattles and other issues.

faifai83

Sweet! Any additional insider tips from working at the dealership?

I8ABMR

cool. Thanks for the tip, but this is why people hate car sales people. I would rather them to tell me I need to pay full sticker than to play all of the stupid games

qualityday

Every dealer I spoke with said it's hard to get and stock is limited blah blah.

I sent a fax to all dealers on the west coast and found a half dozen the way I wanted it.

Wunko

I've heard before though in the Pacific forum (or 2IS forum, can't remember) that Lexus of Fife likes to put Lojacks on their cars. It doesn't surprise me they throw on all these extras so they can charge you more. I'm sure they jacked up the price on the rock chip protection too. I personally haven't bought a car from Lexus of Fife because when I was looking for a specific IS package not normally available in the region, they weren't too eager to order it for me so I left.

GX4704ME

What's interesting about Lexus of Fife is that I did not have a bad experience nor did I have an experience that would make me give a glowing endorsement. To sum it up I am neutral!

Ryoma111

I also did not have glowing reviews for Lexus of Fife. They couldn't find/fix all the issues I had with my RX had to argue with them that the issues still exist. I went to Lexus of Bellevue and they fixed it no questions asked. "it s a common problem we see all the time." Special ordered my 2IS and they still gave me a discount. Never going back to Fife!

mehran888

I had a similar issue with a dealership in my area (Erin Park Lexus in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada). There was a transmission programming error on my 2001 IS300. I took it in saying it drove funny - nothing. They drove it around the block and told me it was fine.

Then it came up in a Car and Driver magazine in the spring of 2002 (18 months after taking ownership). Took it in, mentioned it again. They said nothing and they'd never heard of it.

I brought the magazine in - where it was clearly stated that all 2001 IS300s were affected. Nothing. At this point, I was relatively young (early 20s), and I was getting no respect. Luckily, there was an older guy there who heard my plight and said "Come on guys. You know the issue - it's covered under warranty. You fixed mine 2 months ago. Why aren't you listening to him?"

They took my car and fixed it. I have no idea why the dealership would refuse me warranty work, which they get paid for from head office.

LexusNN

iTrader: (5)

Our dealership doesnt add anything to our cars. They are all the same as they were when they came off of the truck. We used to do an occassional pin striping but those sat on the lot forever. Sometimes we get a random car with the gold package but those are DX'd in from another store.