Thoughts On My Buying Decision ...
03-26-05, 10:25 AM
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Thoughts On My Buying Decision ...
New to the Lexus board as a member, but I must say that I have been trolling for quite some time. In light of the recent write ups between Lexus, Infiniti, Audi, and others, I thought I might share some of the reasoning that went into my decision, and why I purchased an M35 Sport.
I recently purchased a Toyota Sienna XLE Limited for wife and two kids, so I no longer felt the need to continue driving my 2004 GMC Yukon XL Denali. Besides the fact that I was being robbed at the gas pump for $65 every 5-7 days.
I have been in an SUV or truck for at least the last ten years, so it is significant that I would even consider myself a candidate for a sedan. I looked at every luxury sedan on the market, everything from Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Acura, Lexus, and Cadillac. I even looked at the new Avalon, until I read something about it being the new choice for the "Buick generation". Being in a car tagged like that would be the equivalent of wearing velcro tennis shoes. Oddly enough, Infiniti never came to mind.
Bear in mind that I always "dress down" when I go car shopping, and park off-site, so the sharks swimming around the front door won't be able to size the ups on attire or current vehicle. As a premier Sales Professional, I love to seek out and conduct business other Sales Professionals.
BMW was off the list first, as I just do not like the 5 series. Audi was off the list next, as well as Mercedes, as I could not find a salesman that would wait on me, much less talk to me. Even went I went in the Mercedes showroom asking for help, I was asked if had an appointment. She said something else to me, but I could not hear what she said, as I was already driving away.
I really liked the Acura RL, so i drove and then we started talking. Book trade in on my Denali is $35k-$36k.. Acura offered me $32k, provided i purchase their car not only at sticker, but with a $1k "market adjustment" over sticker. The sales manager would not even come out of his cube to meet with me and talk face to face. The buy sheet had his "Final Offer ... Take It Or Leave It" in large red ink, so I wrote in large blue ink "I LEFT"
Lexus was next door, and I have gotten to know the GS fairly well. Drove the 430 for awhile, but encountered the same problems as experienced at Acura, only worse. The sales manager did meet with me, but in retrospect he should have stayed in his office. Not only did he insult my intelligence, he insulted my character. They low-balled my Denali, and said "I would pay sticker" for their GS. When I questioned as to why I have to pay sticker, and why he priced my trade under book value, he proceeded to become extremely irritated. Once he made the "you people" statement, coupled with a reference that I am "too cheap", I courteously ended our conversation, and thanked him for his time. He did not say a word.
I saw the new Infiniti dealership under construction, so I went to the current location, as I remember reading about a new model design, although I had no idea what it was. As soon as I walked onto the lot, I was greeted professionally, and we had an excellent "qualifying" discussion. I drove the 35 for awhile, and it really is a great car. I was sold almost as soon as i walked up to it.
My choice was almost made, but I wanted to give the GS another chance. Optioned out like I wanted, it was going to be more than the 35 Sport, but I went to the sales manager once again, but his tact was that the demand for his car was greater than the deman for my Denali, and with gas prices moving higher, I had better do the deal they offered before it's too late. I thanked him for his time once again, and left.
I went back to Infiniti, we located one vehicle in the entire US the way I wanted it, they picked up the tab for transporting it, and put me in a loaner so nothing would change on our trade.
I then went to the bank, and picked up a letter from the Area Bank President, withdrew $75k in cash, and went calling on the dealers. I went to the Sales Manager and/or the General Manager office, left them a copy of the letter, stacked the cash on their desk, and laid out my story.
I told Audi that "this could have been yours if a salesman would have waited on me".
I told Mercedes "this could have been yours, but you don't have an appointment".
I told Acura "this could have been yours, but I left".
I told Lexus "this could have been yours, if you had any courtesy, professionalism, or training".
All in all, I purchased the best car that suits my needs. Fun driving, dependability, good styling, features, electronics, etc. Plus my M35 has a video screen for the boys in the back seat. More importantly, they genuinely wanted my business. Sure Infiniti might not have the status that a Lexus has, but I don't need the "snoot" factor as exhibited by the Lexus Sales Manager. The positive write up's of late only verified my purchase decision, they did not make the decision for me.
I only wish I had a video recorder when the Lexus man saw those stacks of hundreds on his desk, and then read the letter from my bank.
I recently purchased a Toyota Sienna XLE Limited for wife and two kids, so I no longer felt the need to continue driving my 2004 GMC Yukon XL Denali. Besides the fact that I was being robbed at the gas pump for $65 every 5-7 days.
I have been in an SUV or truck for at least the last ten years, so it is significant that I would even consider myself a candidate for a sedan. I looked at every luxury sedan on the market, everything from Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Acura, Lexus, and Cadillac. I even looked at the new Avalon, until I read something about it being the new choice for the "Buick generation". Being in a car tagged like that would be the equivalent of wearing velcro tennis shoes. Oddly enough, Infiniti never came to mind.
Bear in mind that I always "dress down" when I go car shopping, and park off-site, so the sharks swimming around the front door won't be able to size the ups on attire or current vehicle. As a premier Sales Professional, I love to seek out and conduct business other Sales Professionals.
BMW was off the list first, as I just do not like the 5 series. Audi was off the list next, as well as Mercedes, as I could not find a salesman that would wait on me, much less talk to me. Even went I went in the Mercedes showroom asking for help, I was asked if had an appointment. She said something else to me, but I could not hear what she said, as I was already driving away.
I really liked the Acura RL, so i drove and then we started talking. Book trade in on my Denali is $35k-$36k.. Acura offered me $32k, provided i purchase their car not only at sticker, but with a $1k "market adjustment" over sticker. The sales manager would not even come out of his cube to meet with me and talk face to face. The buy sheet had his "Final Offer ... Take It Or Leave It" in large red ink, so I wrote in large blue ink "I LEFT"
Lexus was next door, and I have gotten to know the GS fairly well. Drove the 430 for awhile, but encountered the same problems as experienced at Acura, only worse. The sales manager did meet with me, but in retrospect he should have stayed in his office. Not only did he insult my intelligence, he insulted my character. They low-balled my Denali, and said "I would pay sticker" for their GS. When I questioned as to why I have to pay sticker, and why he priced my trade under book value, he proceeded to become extremely irritated. Once he made the "you people" statement, coupled with a reference that I am "too cheap", I courteously ended our conversation, and thanked him for his time. He did not say a word.
I saw the new Infiniti dealership under construction, so I went to the current location, as I remember reading about a new model design, although I had no idea what it was. As soon as I walked onto the lot, I was greeted professionally, and we had an excellent "qualifying" discussion. I drove the 35 for awhile, and it really is a great car. I was sold almost as soon as i walked up to it.
My choice was almost made, but I wanted to give the GS another chance. Optioned out like I wanted, it was going to be more than the 35 Sport, but I went to the sales manager once again, but his tact was that the demand for his car was greater than the deman for my Denali, and with gas prices moving higher, I had better do the deal they offered before it's too late. I thanked him for his time once again, and left.
I went back to Infiniti, we located one vehicle in the entire US the way I wanted it, they picked up the tab for transporting it, and put me in a loaner so nothing would change on our trade.
I then went to the bank, and picked up a letter from the Area Bank President, withdrew $75k in cash, and went calling on the dealers. I went to the Sales Manager and/or the General Manager office, left them a copy of the letter, stacked the cash on their desk, and laid out my story.
I told Audi that "this could have been yours if a salesman would have waited on me".
I told Mercedes "this could have been yours, but you don't have an appointment".
I told Acura "this could have been yours, but I left".
I told Lexus "this could have been yours, if you had any courtesy, professionalism, or training".
All in all, I purchased the best car that suits my needs. Fun driving, dependability, good styling, features, electronics, etc. Plus my M35 has a video screen for the boys in the back seat. More importantly, they genuinely wanted my business. Sure Infiniti might not have the status that a Lexus has, but I don't need the "snoot" factor as exhibited by the Lexus Sales Manager. The positive write up's of late only verified my purchase decision, they did not make the decision for me.
I only wish I had a video recorder when the Lexus man saw those stacks of hundreds on his desk, and then read the letter from my bank.
03-26-05, 10:47 AM
#2
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Sorry you had a not so great experience at your local Lexus dealer. It's unfortunate that all Lexus dealership experiences aren't exactly alike, but regardless congrats your purchase. 
03-26-05, 11:01 AM
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I've had to go through that when a friend of mine and I were just going to learn more about Lexus for a school project. There was this guy who quickly approched me and my friend and asked us, "what are you doing here?" We had to explain that we had a school project and he was just like, "Oh." and told us to come in. We waited for 15 minutes for someone to come and talk, but no one came. This was when i felt like this: 
so we just left to go and talk to someone on the certified used car side. The person there was very appologetic and told us that we should've never been treated that way and he allowed us to ask him all the questions we wanted to ask. So it reli depends on the sales person, some are genuinly nice and others are looking for status. I think that if you reli wanted to get that Lexus, you should've gone to a different sales person. No sense going and getting a car, which you just purchased because of a nice sales person. It's great that you got the M, but if you had truly wanted to get the GS you should've just went to see another person and purchase it from him/her. Then that way the other sales person could've seen that stack of cash and the letter from the bank.
so we just left to go and talk to someone on the certified used car side. The person there was very appologetic and told us that we should've never been treated that way and he allowed us to ask him all the questions we wanted to ask. So it reli depends on the sales person, some are genuinly nice and others are looking for status. I think that if you reli wanted to get that Lexus, you should've gone to a different sales person. No sense going and getting a car, which you just purchased because of a nice sales person. It's great that you got the M, but if you had truly wanted to get the GS you should've just went to see another person and purchase it from him/her. Then that way the other sales person could've seen that stack of cash and the letter from the bank.
Last edited by Kyosuke86; 03-26-05 at 11:07 AM.
03-26-05, 11:08 AM
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not to beat this point in the ground ... but I went to the boss. This person was over the floor manager who was over the salesmen. I honestly thought he was going to get violently ill.
I sincerely think it has a great deal to do with the increasing "Mega Dealerships". It used to be that Bud Davis of Bud Davis Cadillac lived in your hometown. In this day and age, your local dealership is owned by an investment group from Miami, who happen to also own about forty other dealerships.
Regardless, when you have a good experience somewhere, you will tell a few people about it. When you have a bad experience, you want to tell everybody.
I sincerely think it has a great deal to do with the increasing "Mega Dealerships". It used to be that Bud Davis of Bud Davis Cadillac lived in your hometown. In this day and age, your local dealership is owned by an investment group from Miami, who happen to also own about forty other dealerships.
Regardless, when you have a good experience somewhere, you will tell a few people about it. When you have a bad experience, you want to tell everybody.
03-26-05, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by spwolf
call me crazy, but clublexus.com? 
I don't put much stock in the stories, outside of safety, crash testing, etc. I have to see and feel for myself. Judging some of the posts, folks are reacting too quickly.
I only brought this up in response to the posts regarding the USA Today and Car and Driver write ups. Lexus makes a good car, and like I said in my post Infiniti never even entered the process until very late in the game. They brand had no "top of mind awareness" as we call it.
People buying a car in this segment need a whole lot more information than a magazine write up.
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03-26-05, 01:22 PM
#9
Congrats on your purchase. If you really wanted the GS, maybe you should have tried another dealership. Not all Lexus dealerships are the same caliber, unfortunately. I've been to "bad" Lexus dealerships too and it made me feel ashamed. On the other hand, there are good dealerships and you just learn to go to those. I am sure come of the members here would have had feedback on the different ones in your area.
Still, the Ms are nice cars and I would not have a problem owning one. Congrats again. Hopefully, one day you will give Lexus a shot at your business again since they really do make nice vehicles. Please check here first, though, for a better dealership to approach.
Still, the Ms are nice cars and I would not have a problem owning one. Congrats again. Hopefully, one day you will give Lexus a shot at your business again since they really do make nice vehicles. Please check here first, though, for a better dealership to approach.
03-26-05, 01:28 PM
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Congrats on the new M, 
you can't go wrong with it & I can only imagine how it's like to be carrying $75K of cash around
you can't go wrong with it & I can only imagine how it's like to be carrying $75K of cash around
Last edited by Gojirra99; 03-26-05 at 01:33 PM.
03-26-05, 01:56 PM
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[QUOTE=Neo]Congrats on your purchase. If you really wanted the GS, maybe you should have tried another dealership. Not all Lexus dealerships are the same caliber, unfortunately. I've been to "bad" Lexus dealerships too and it made me feel ashamed. On the other hand, there are good dealerships and you just learn to go to those. I am sure come of the members here would have had feedback on the different ones in your area.
I totally agree, but unfortunately I am in a one Lexus, one Infiniti town. The next dealer for each brand is well over two hundred miles away, plus I can't utilize the "we need to keep our business local" statement.
Besides, I still believe "People Buy From People", and "Service Beyond The Sale".
IMO, Acura is by far the worst off. Charging $1K over sticker price, and at last count I saw 13 RL's on the lot, for two weeks now ...
I totally agree, but unfortunately I am in a one Lexus, one Infiniti town. The next dealer for each brand is well over two hundred miles away, plus I can't utilize the "we need to keep our business local" statement.
Besides, I still believe "People Buy From People", and "Service Beyond The Sale".
IMO, Acura is by far the worst off. Charging $1K over sticker price, and at last count I saw 13 RL's on the lot, for two weeks now ...
03-26-05, 02:38 PM
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Hi Donomat!
What car would You have bought if service at Infiniti would have been the same as in Lexus dealership? If all luxury brand dealership experiences would have been equally bad? It seems that the car itself isn't really important to you, major players in your decision seem to be salesperson attitude and trade in value of your old car. But still, good choice
What car would You have bought if service at Infiniti would have been the same as in Lexus dealership? If all luxury brand dealership experiences would have been equally bad? It seems that the car itself isn't really important to you, major players in your decision seem to be salesperson attitude and trade in value of your old car. But still, good choice
03-26-05, 03:11 PM
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I'm happy you got a good experience with your local Infiniti dealer. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good experience. In fact, I was so upset I wrote the following letter to Infiniti NA and the dealer's manager:
Dear Sir/Madam
I’d like to tell you about my experience this past Saturday at your dealership. This past week, I received an invitation letter from your dealership to test drive the new M35/M45. After having driven various Mercedes-Benz and BMW models, I felt it was time to try something different.
I arrived at 2:00 in the afternoon, and the dealership was not exceptionally busy. I and my girlfriend walked towards the silver M35 in the showroom and started to sit in it and inspect it. I had been in/around the car for 20 minutes until I was finally greeted by a sales associate. His name was Jim Callager. I inquired about test driving an M35/M45 and he said they were unavailable for a test drive. His excuse was the “owner’s son was messing around with the Bluetooth system on the car.”
Just as he finished talking, an Umbria Grey M45 sport model pulled into the dealership. I told him that was the car I wanted to drive. He told me to come back during the week for a test drive. I hope your dealership understands that most people who buy these types of cars are very busy during week and only have time during the weekends.
Since my company does consulting for Nissan Motor Corporation, I was eligible for VPP pricing. I inquired about it and Jim flat out told me they would consider selling the car for above sticker. Nissan/Infiniti makes very fine cars but my condolences to anybody paying above sticker for a Nissan Fuga (Japan Domestic Market). I understand the law of supply and demand, but to tell a potential customer that this dealership is not above selling cars above MSRP is a big turnoff. With that said Jim quickly turned his back on me and walked away. The exchange lasted less than five minutes.
After that exchange, I stepped outside your showroom and inspected the said M45 for another 15 minutes. It was unlocked and there was nobody else around the car but us. At that point I felt it wasn’t a matter of “we can’t let you test drive it” but rather “we don’t want you to test drive it.”
Bottom line was I was ready to test drive an M45. If I liked it enough I would have placed and order and deposit and even considered paying MSRP. Don’t worry though. I’m sure the other three Houston-Area Infiniti dealers would rather have my business.
In the future, please do not send me any invitations for test drives if this is the treatment I am to expect.
The manager did write me back, but it was too late.
In contrast, Westside Lexus (Houston) gave me such great service (I was in t-shirt and shorts, at the dealer), I'm going with them.
The GS and M may be comparable cars, but Lexus and Infiniti service aren't.
Dear Sir/Madam
I’d like to tell you about my experience this past Saturday at your dealership. This past week, I received an invitation letter from your dealership to test drive the new M35/M45. After having driven various Mercedes-Benz and BMW models, I felt it was time to try something different.
I arrived at 2:00 in the afternoon, and the dealership was not exceptionally busy. I and my girlfriend walked towards the silver M35 in the showroom and started to sit in it and inspect it. I had been in/around the car for 20 minutes until I was finally greeted by a sales associate. His name was Jim Callager. I inquired about test driving an M35/M45 and he said they were unavailable for a test drive. His excuse was the “owner’s son was messing around with the Bluetooth system on the car.”
Just as he finished talking, an Umbria Grey M45 sport model pulled into the dealership. I told him that was the car I wanted to drive. He told me to come back during the week for a test drive. I hope your dealership understands that most people who buy these types of cars are very busy during week and only have time during the weekends.
Since my company does consulting for Nissan Motor Corporation, I was eligible for VPP pricing. I inquired about it and Jim flat out told me they would consider selling the car for above sticker. Nissan/Infiniti makes very fine cars but my condolences to anybody paying above sticker for a Nissan Fuga (Japan Domestic Market). I understand the law of supply and demand, but to tell a potential customer that this dealership is not above selling cars above MSRP is a big turnoff. With that said Jim quickly turned his back on me and walked away. The exchange lasted less than five minutes.
After that exchange, I stepped outside your showroom and inspected the said M45 for another 15 minutes. It was unlocked and there was nobody else around the car but us. At that point I felt it wasn’t a matter of “we can’t let you test drive it” but rather “we don’t want you to test drive it.”
Bottom line was I was ready to test drive an M45. If I liked it enough I would have placed and order and deposit and even considered paying MSRP. Don’t worry though. I’m sure the other three Houston-Area Infiniti dealers would rather have my business.
In the future, please do not send me any invitations for test drives if this is the treatment I am to expect.
The manager did write me back, but it was too late.
In contrast, Westside Lexus (Houston) gave me such great service (I was in t-shirt and shorts, at the dealer), I'm going with them.
The GS and M may be comparable cars, but Lexus and Infiniti service aren't.
03-26-05, 03:20 PM
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lol call me crazy but i dont get the part about getting 75K of cash and leaving it cold on someones desk? I dont udnerstand what that was for or why someone would leave cash like that lying around anywhere especially if it a LOAN.
Im lost about that whole part..lol I think im really slow today - HELP!
Im lost about that whole part..lol I think im really slow today - HELP!
03-26-05, 03:44 PM
#15
Originally Posted by GS3rdwow
lol call me crazy but i dont get the part about getting 75K of cash and leaving it cold on someones desk? I dont udnerstand what that was for or why someone would leave cash like that lying around anywhere especially if it a LOAN.
Im lost about that whole part..lol I think im really slow today - HELP!
Im lost about that whole part..lol I think im really slow today - HELP!
