DavidScavo

When I go to Lexus.com, I see several option packages available for the RX450h:
Nav package
Nav package plus rear seat Entertainment package
Premium package

However, when I go to view dealer inventories of 3 dealers near me (north Atlanta suburbs), all only have 1 "made up" package available. The package appears to be premium + navigation + comfort + parking assist + wood trimmed wheel.

Of course, this package is like $8,000 more than how I would configure my 450h.

Is this normal behavior for Lexus dealers ????

BertL

Yes, is very normal to not find huge variation in "on the lot" cars, and for whatever reason, different geos seem to have a different set of "standard options". It's why some of us end up going the special order route. Check out the other string going on the last few days here with the title of 450h with LED Lights... Pretty good description and examples there that may be of help. Also, we're just about to start the transition to 2013 models, so that could influence what you do and don't see as well the next few weeks.

DavidScavo

I understand having only a few, but ONE seems a little heavy-handed.

I don't mind waiting for the car I want, but I have never paid sticker price for a car and don't intend to start now....

Is there any way to search dealer stock across a region online, or am I going to have to go into the dealer for that ?????

Thanks.

BertL

There are variations in options as one looks across the nation -- people on this forum have confirmed such in recent threads. I won't try to justify or speculate what Lexus does in this regard as I don't see a lot of rhyme nor reason to it. I do believe the fact the new 2013s were revealed in Geneva a couple weeks ago, but no official availability date is yet established, adds complexity to the current situation just as when any MY changeover occurs.

As to price, you are free to negotiate with an individual dealer for something on the lot, an unsold vehicle from another US dealer, or special ordered (my special order for example is less than MSRP, but I have no personal expectation it would be as large as if a dealer was trying to move dozens of vehicles on their lot) ...such is the negotiation game. There will be pros and cons to each scenario from both points of view. Each dealer in the end sets their price. You of course can choose to take it or not.

Regarding inventory visibility, you need to go to the dealer. Not all dealers list new inventory on their websites (e.g. mine don't here in SoCal). If the dealer you're working with does not have the configuration you want, they can search nationwide inventory of vehicles on the lots as well as "unsold" units in transit to a dealer. If they don't find a hit, that is when you can discuss placing a special order with them. Note in the thread I referenced earlier, that some options and packages seem to have pre-reqs/co-reqs that are not obvious when looking at the brochure and/or website. Given the ordering experiences I've been through, this isn't a dealer trying to play games, but appears to me to be either Lexus NA or Japan who sets such limitations in the configurator used by US dealers for unknown reasons.

Good luck with your search.

DavidScavo

Thanks for the info. Greatly appreciated.

billy44bo

They are going to put on the lot what they can sale off the lot the fastest. The dealer loves to have the car on the floor plan they shorts amount of time after all they have overhead and this is a easy way to control it. Now if you want a 450h that is 8K less than the basic car that they put on the lot then you will have to order it. However when you want to seal it you might have to give up alot on the resale to unload the car because all the others will have so much more in them. Its like a house with only one beadroom nice but not a big market for it. Just like when I sell my 450h I put a lot more in it than most so it might sell fast but I might not get all the cash back out of it for that fast sell.

UCSB

David ... The dealers have a good understanding of the car. The configuration that you are seeing is a great configuration. I would just go with the standard configuration. Stripping all of the content out of the car is probably a bad idea. Especially on a 450h.

When I purchased my 450h, I thought that my dealer had gotten a little carried away on the options list. But after owning the car for a while, I realize that the options have been very useful and a pleasure to own.

There are some nice SUV's that are very economical. I have a Subaru Outback 2.5 CVT. It cost about half what the 450h cost and I can get about 33 MPG on the highway (better than the 450h). The limited version of the Outback, which is what I have, has a nice leather interior; it is very pleasant. The cost of ownership is very low. I own it because since I am retired, I wanted a fun car that I can take on my adventures. I put about twice as many miles on it as the Lexus.