peehole813

Once again, given the state of the economy...I would assume that purchasing a car wouldn't be on everyone's top priority list....as a result, I'd also assume that dealerships are experiencing a decline in sales, putting them in a "more desperate" position to make a sale.... does this mean that a dealership would give a larger-than-normal discount on a car..... because I think dealerships are critiqued on the "volume" of cars sold in a year as well no?

Are any of these thoughts valid? .... or are these just wishful thinkings considering the economy universally affects everyone?

The reason I ask is.... I was thinking about trading in a 250 for the 350..

For the recent buyers, how was your experience when acquiring the new car?

Fizzboy7

While much hype has been made about the economy, certain popular cars are still selling well. The best year for IS discounts was on the 2008's. With the refreshed '09's still relatively new in the model year, the huge discounting hasn't happened yet. Mind you, you should still be able to get one for under invoice. The companies who have the weaker models are the ones jumping through hoops to get you in. Lexus doesn't usually have this problem. For best results, check Edmunds.com to see what factory incentives are currently in place and then check out their "town square" where you can see what people's most recent deals are in your city. Or you can post an inquiry there and likely get some feedback (all free). Also check out your local newspaper for dealership classified ads on new cars. There should be some national programs going or loss leaders advertised. This gives you some idea of how low they are going in your area.

tex2670

This is generally true, but Fizzboy is right--new and/or popular cars may be tough to find discounts on.

My parents just bought a new '09 Honda CRV EX-L nav. They also have an '07, exactly the same except color. They said that they got the '09 for cheaper than they had originally purchased the '07. But--they didn't even consider a Venza (they would be eligible for "friends and family discount" through an in-law) because there's no deals to be had on it.

I also know someone in the F&I dept at a local Nissan dealer, who's having a tough time because they are selling lots of cars at or around invoice--so he's not getting very much in the way of commissions.

Fizzboy7

Another great way to get the best deal is to email all your local dealerships. Either ask them who will go the most under invoice or just spell out the exact deal you want (after doing your research) and see who will agree or beat it. When you pit several dealers against each other, you are forcing them to be as competitive as possible. Worked very well for me on my last purchase.

peehole813

hmm..... didn't think about making the dealerships compete with each other... .that's a clever one..

bwesley

iTrader: (3)

There are two Lexus dealerships in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I think they're seperately owned, but my dealership was willing to get the model that I wanted from the other dealership in the area to close the deal. Maybe that's a common practice, but it was news to me.

suicidesam

not trying to be sarcastic or anything but ask yourself can you live with paying for a little more gas also. we don't need another one of these threads Regular/Mid Gas users g/l on your new purchase if you pull the trigger

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

if you really want to get a deal, go there towards the end of the month....

I got my IS throught carsdirect -- go to the dealer, test drive, sign the paper. Done.

Good luck

vdubturbo

I bought my '08 at the very end of 2008 (like 12/28 I think) and my experience was HORRID. They tried every cliche' trick in the book. I went to another local dealer and had my car within hours. Very disgraceful experience... but I suppose the price was pretty good.

mvlbr

Just remember one thing.. If you plan on trading in your current car they will lowball you big time especially if you're trying to lowball them on their car.

IS-SV

Negotiate pricing over the phone/email with internet salesperson.

peehole813

well, this will be the third car I buy from this gentleman. He's the internet sales manager and doesn't work off commission, so I'm just hoping that he'll be a nice guy lol.

Anyways, I looked up the dealer invoice and it shows 32,578 for the '09 350. The things that I want in the car are the following:

Nav (non ML)
18" wheels of course
HID+AFS

and that's basically it. I was thinking that the best deal I can get would be 39k? Can I do better? I'm in So.Flo.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

I'd encourage you to consider the Lux or Sport packages... they'll only be about $1500 more than adding 18s and HIDs as standalone options and include both those things plus a TON more content. (sport being the best deal IMHO)

But for the options you list the invoice would be $36,551... so I certainly wouldn't pay much more than that.

Even 12-18 months ago 350s weren't selling here for more than $900 over invoice for anybody walking in off the street, they should be even closer to invoice now...especially being your third purchase from the dealership.




Oh- and NEVER mention you have a trade in until -after- you have a final price on the vehicle you want.

suicidesam

+102380218309213

peehole813

well.... again, this would be the third purchase from this guy...... so he obviously knows im trading in lol .... like i said...i just hope he's nice about it lol