December to Remember GX Deals?
12-15-04, 07:42 PM
#31
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I paid $3,714 off MSRP for my 2005 GX
Here is my price breakdown:
MSRP $54,325
Paid $50,611
Taxes $3,036.66
Title, Tag, Warranty right fees $41
Total paid all inclusive $53,688.86
Here is my price breakdown:
MSRP $54,325
Paid $50,611
Taxes $3,036.66
Title, Tag, Warranty right fees $41
Total paid all inclusive $53,688.86
12-16-04, 12:36 PM
#32
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Re: Be Careful - Risk Return
Originally posted by water
A word of caution to the value shoppers on '04 GX470's.......................
I had been looking at the GX470 for the last 9 months. I waited to see what the '05's looked like before moving forward. The 35hp and blue tooth weren't enough relative to 3rd row and year end deals.
I started shopping in earnest in late November. Visited 4 dealers in the DC/VA/MD area and got a sense of current '04 inventory and those coming during December. I had all of my research, my financing in from my credit union in hand, no trade...simple straight forward and looking to get a great deal. I first started talking price at $500 over invoice as several posts referred to deals happening at that level. 2 sales people dropped to $2,000 under MSRP, tried to get me to value the third row that they weren't being charged for and after an hour of back and forth, essentially refused to continue negotiations. I left. The other 2, aware that I was serious with check book in hand, cut fairly quickly to a price of $4,500 under MSRP (about $2,200 over invoice) and effectively said take it or leave it. I left both dealers after trying to work them down. Neither called me back over a 10-day period.
In the mean time, I got more serious about my other options. I test drove the VW (small and cheap feeling...also dealership was dank) and the LR3 (tall and sloppy - interior was outstanding and the third row is best in class but hway drive was crazy). Discouraged....
....I stopped back into the 2 Lexus dealers that had me at $4,500 under MSRP and spoke with the salespeople. Not only had they both sold existing inventory (4 trucks each) during the 10-days, one only had 2 incoming trucks left and the other had 4. They both tried aggressively to start talking an '05 to me at $1,000 - $2,000 under MSRP so I was looking at over $5,000 price differential between '04 and '05 (3rd row seat, price increase and lower discount).
In talking with them (they were both good guys), they explained that they didn't need to mark the '04's down, they were selling themselves and the last year of tax breaks was a factor. They both independently told me that Lexus heavily discourages price undercutting amongst dealers in a region (it kills resale value). They stopped short of saying that the price fix was on but it was clear that the two had not independently reached the $4,500 under MSRP and stopped.
I tried getting each of them to even move down $500 more and they again let me walk out of the show room check book in hand. After a gut check of facing a spend of $5k more for the xtra HP and blue tooth, I sucked it up and visited the more accomodating of the two. He also had the truck closest to my choice (Ash Blue, Nav/ML, Spoiler, Preferred Package and Hitch). MSRP = $50,650 including destination/freight. I paid $46,150 all in (w/o taxes, license). I figured his cost was around $44k. So I ended up $4,500 under MSRP and about $2,200 over invoice.
Other Regions of the country may be different in terms of dealer motivation and inventory, but you run a risk trying to get the deals that are mentioned in this post. When 4 dealers let a qualifed buyer with check book in hand leave the show room (not once but several times), they are either crazy or don't need to sell at the price you are asking. In either case, time is ticking, there are buyers out there and stock is declining. These $500 over invoice deals may be out there in different parts of the country or may possibly be there on December 30th - but the risk is they might not be or you get stuck with an option package/color that doesn't excite you and who needs to spend $50k on a compromise?
Good luck. Oh, by the way - the GX470 - sweet ride. Tighter drive than I thought (especially in sport suspension mode) and extremely quiet. Better build overall than my X5 and much nicer cabin. Not quite as limber as the X5 but I also don't expect it to be in the shop as much.
A word of caution to the value shoppers on '04 GX470's.......................
I had been looking at the GX470 for the last 9 months. I waited to see what the '05's looked like before moving forward. The 35hp and blue tooth weren't enough relative to 3rd row and year end deals.
I started shopping in earnest in late November. Visited 4 dealers in the DC/VA/MD area and got a sense of current '04 inventory and those coming during December. I had all of my research, my financing in from my credit union in hand, no trade...simple straight forward and looking to get a great deal. I first started talking price at $500 over invoice as several posts referred to deals happening at that level. 2 sales people dropped to $2,000 under MSRP, tried to get me to value the third row that they weren't being charged for and after an hour of back and forth, essentially refused to continue negotiations. I left. The other 2, aware that I was serious with check book in hand, cut fairly quickly to a price of $4,500 under MSRP (about $2,200 over invoice) and effectively said take it or leave it. I left both dealers after trying to work them down. Neither called me back over a 10-day period.
In the mean time, I got more serious about my other options. I test drove the VW (small and cheap feeling...also dealership was dank) and the LR3 (tall and sloppy - interior was outstanding and the third row is best in class but hway drive was crazy). Discouraged....
....I stopped back into the 2 Lexus dealers that had me at $4,500 under MSRP and spoke with the salespeople. Not only had they both sold existing inventory (4 trucks each) during the 10-days, one only had 2 incoming trucks left and the other had 4. They both tried aggressively to start talking an '05 to me at $1,000 - $2,000 under MSRP so I was looking at over $5,000 price differential between '04 and '05 (3rd row seat, price increase and lower discount).
In talking with them (they were both good guys), they explained that they didn't need to mark the '04's down, they were selling themselves and the last year of tax breaks was a factor. They both independently told me that Lexus heavily discourages price undercutting amongst dealers in a region (it kills resale value). They stopped short of saying that the price fix was on but it was clear that the two had not independently reached the $4,500 under MSRP and stopped.
I tried getting each of them to even move down $500 more and they again let me walk out of the show room check book in hand. After a gut check of facing a spend of $5k more for the xtra HP and blue tooth, I sucked it up and visited the more accomodating of the two. He also had the truck closest to my choice (Ash Blue, Nav/ML, Spoiler, Preferred Package and Hitch). MSRP = $50,650 including destination/freight. I paid $46,150 all in (w/o taxes, license). I figured his cost was around $44k. So I ended up $4,500 under MSRP and about $2,200 over invoice.
Other Regions of the country may be different in terms of dealer motivation and inventory, but you run a risk trying to get the deals that are mentioned in this post. When 4 dealers let a qualifed buyer with check book in hand leave the show room (not once but several times), they are either crazy or don't need to sell at the price you are asking. In either case, time is ticking, there are buyers out there and stock is declining. These $500 over invoice deals may be out there in different parts of the country or may possibly be there on December 30th - but the risk is they might not be or you get stuck with an option package/color that doesn't excite you and who needs to spend $50k on a compromise?
Good luck. Oh, by the way - the GX470 - sweet ride. Tighter drive than I thought (especially in sport suspension mode) and extremely quiet. Better build overall than my X5 and much nicer cabin. Not quite as limber as the X5 but I also don't expect it to be in the shop as much.
Hi Water:
Congratulations! You did your homework and clearly you did your best in the area.
It is still a good deal at $4,500 below MSRP.
Enjoy.
Westwood
12-16-04, 12:38 PM
#33
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Location: California
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Congratulations!
Originally posted by orclex
I paid $3,714 off MSRP for my 2005 GX
Here is my price breakdown:
MSRP $54,325
Paid $50,611
Taxes $3,036.66
Title, Tag, Warranty right fees $41
Total paid all inclusive $53,688.86
I paid $3,714 off MSRP for my 2005 GX
Here is my price breakdown:
MSRP $54,325
Paid $50,611
Taxes $3,036.66
Title, Tag, Warranty right fees $41
Total paid all inclusive $53,688.86
Congratulations! That sounds like a very reasonable price for a 2005 GX at this time.
Enjoy.
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