SecPole14

Has anyone placed a factory order for a new GS recently? What's the lead time?

My dealer told me 6 months, but I think that was a lie because they either wanted to get me into something they had on the lot or because I told them I wasn't looking to buy just yet.

In order to keep it under $50K OTD I would get a base model with just Blind Spot Monitors and Park Assist, and with the color combo I want, factory order seems to be the only way.

I would think lead time would be about 6 weeks from order acceptance to production, then another 6-8 weeks transit time, so more like 3 months total. Let me know if you have different info/experiences??

yardie876

From what I've seen it seems to be around 3 months. But seeing how the 2014 model comes out late this year, I'm not sure how that would affect things.

puckhead85

Ordered mine in Mid January, got it middle of May... (I ordered a lot of options, so that might have affected things)

SW17LS

My guess is you can no longer factory order a 2013, it would have to be a 2014.

Personally? I would negotiate your best deal on a typical $55k premium package car right now. I bet with the incentives now you can get one for $50k OTD, and wind up with more equipment. There will be no incentives on the 2014s at first, and now its $2,500 ON TOP of your best deal. If you can get $4k off a $55k GS Premium which should be very achievable, then apply your incentive, thats $48,500.

LexusVet

i ordered mine in january, dealer told me 12 weeks, 12 weeks later they told me another 12 weeks so I canceled order and bought off another dealers lot

SecPole14

Wow, that is an EPIC fail on their part. Obviously they don't have their ish together.

Did they give you any updates at all during those first 12 weeks? Sounds like someone forgot about it and never submitted it in the first place. Cause I would expect 12 weeks would be about the total order-to-delivery time....

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Most likely the '14's will be made first for dealer inventories before any special orders.That's why it will be many months for a special order '14 delivery.

SecPole14

I take issue with this based on principle. Every other "Tier 1" luxury company Lexus competes with has a clear, straightforward factory order process. It's no big deal to them. But when people talk about factory ordering a Lexus, it's like an act of God. Maybe it screws up Toyota's precious little process, but I refuse to believe that the very company that revolutionized modern car production cannot handle special orders.

It should work like this:
Customer submits order to dealer, dealer submits order to zone rep, zone rep submits order to Lexus corporate in California, and then corporate submits it to Japan. This should be an electronic paperwork process that takes 2 weeks tops.
Next, the factory in Japan should confirm the order, schedule it for production, and produce the car. This should reasonable take about 6 weeks.
Then the car should be shipped and delivered, let's say another 8 weeks. S

So this should be a 4-month process, max. I mean what goes on, does each "special order" have to be vetted and scrutinized and rubber-stamped before it gets approved. There is no transparency.

I really am curious about the Lexus special order process. I mean it IS possible, even the Lexus website says so.

But it seems no one has any real insight as to how it works. European (and even American) car companies have a very straightforward factory order process. Lexus does not. In fact, with many other car companies, the "sold" special orders get priority over generic dealer stock.

If things go well for me over the next 6-8 weeks, I will start shopping my Lexus dealer hard in regard to special orders and will definitely provide all the details I can as I go through the process.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I don't know either but I believe the assembly line pumps out common dealer inventory option pkgs to stock dealers.
Don't get me started on how stupid the option pkg allotments are in certain regions.
Just about impossible to get a HUD or adaptive cruise control,lane departure etc in a in stock vehicle.

SecPole14

This is what I would expect, about 4 months. Did your dealer/Lexus provide you with status updates about your car's process? Like, order accepted, VIN assigned, car in production, car shipped, etc?

I don't think number of options has anything to do with it, a special order is a special order regardless of whether it's one option or 10. Unless there's a supply shortage on certain options due to another earthquake or something, it shouldn't be an issue.

I see what you're saying, but if I'm spending $50K either way, I want to get exactly what I want in terms of options and colors, even if it's not the best "value". The base car is great as-is, the only real options I want are Blind Spot Monitoring, Park Assist, and possibly Mark Levinson. No more, no less.

I agree, it would be a 2014 model at this point. I hope they don't change the pricing/options/colors....

SW17LS

They just don't want to do business that way. They will, begrudgingly, but they don't want to and they deliberately do not make the process straightforward to dissuade you from wanting to do that. Their production process is designed around packaging, not individual options.

They aren't going to change, so if you want a straightforward special ordering process, I would buy a different brand.

So you want to pay more and get less.

You can get, today, a car in the color combination you want (even on a special order they will not do a custom color combination), with the features you want (save the ML but its a maybe for you anyways) for the price that you want with additional features that you don't want now, but might as you get used to them (for instance, the car will look stupid on the 17" wheels, interior will lack the 12" screen, and good luck selling the only GS in the US without navigation or heated seats when it comes time to move on) and that will add value at trade in time, but you would rather wait multiple months and spend more for a car with less features because its "what you want"? Do you not see the lack of logic in that plan? I could see your point if you were paying for these things and don't want them, but you are essentially getting them for free. By ordering you would be paying more for less car...which is crazy.

SecPole14

Waiting 4 months for a car doesn't bother me, I'm certainly not going to buy a BMW.

And to each their own. I'm fine with 17" wheels. The whole reason I would even order a car optioned the way I stated was with the intention to keep it for 10+ years, and keep the purchase price at or under $50K, full stop. So I don't give a crap about resale. I'm supposed to compromise for someone else's benefit, because 10 years from now I may want to sell it to someone who wants a 10-year old NAVI and heated seats? In the south? Where's the logic in THAT? Apples to oranges. I don't look at it as paying "more for less". I look at it as spending $50k on exactly what I want. Not that hard to understand. Since you're so amped up about it and convinced that my approach is whack, here's a challenge: find me a GS350 RWD, Meteor Blue exterior/Flaxen interior, with Luxury Package, NAV, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Park Assist for an even $50k OTD, new. Bonus points if it has ML. See what I did there? If that's possible, then awesome. Otherwise, it's a $58k+ car that I have no interest in. Again, to each their own. I started this thread asking for input from people who had actually experience special-ordering a 4GS, not to get into a pissing contest about what options YOU like and trying to be aggressively shamed/convinced into buying something off the lot.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Go to autotrader.com and you'll find at least 130 '13 GS350 you can easily buy discounted for under $50K.Maybe some are near you.
If you want a '14,be prepared to get less of a discount and wait a long time.

praetor

I like to keep a car 10+ years also so I don't mind paying for the extra options. Vested over 10+ years, it's money well spent and it does help sell the car quicker when you do decide to sell it.

I do agree though, I wish we can order options ala cart. I would not pay for Enform, ever!

SW17LS

You take me the wrong way, I'm not amped up I'm just trying to help you...its your decision but I hate to see anybody waste their hard earned money or time for no purpose. I've been buying these cars for a long time...special ordering sucks...its a PITA, it never works out like you want it to, and it winds up costing you.

You're not going to find one with the luxury package (which has way more equipment you don't want) that you could get for $50k OTD, but I bet you can find one with the premium package that you can get for $50k out the door. You're in the south, so RWD makes that even easier because the premium car is less than $54k, that means with the incentive your price is $51,500 even if you paid MSRP...which obviously you aren't going to do.

Have you spoken to a dealer about trying to allocate a car in that color combo? I would look for you but Lexus' system of displaying inventory is not great...