NEEDanIS

Once lexus announces the MSRP pricing for the new IS, will the consumers have any wiggle room in the price of this car or are we all going to get slapped around? Is it also possible that some dealers might even charge over the msrp based on the expected high demand for such a fine piece of machinery? Two more questions, if I am not on, "the list," do I have any hope of getting into a new IS before the new year? Also if you put a deposit down, how would you ever have any hope at negotiating with the dealer?

sorry about all the questions put into one bit pile but this information has added lots of stress in my life and I'm trying to figure out what it will take to put me in this stallion.(Man I hope I get to lock my keys in the trunk of this car someday)

Need an IS, my 89 boat just ain't cutting it anymore.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

1) in the beginning months, there will be NO negotiation, it's either msrp or no car. demand is too high. that's always the case
2) they can't just charge over msrp. that's called mark up and that's against lexus corp rules. if you report then the dealership is in big trouble. however, dealer can put on tint and charge it as a $1000 option
3) it depends on who you are. i think getting a car by the end of the yr is definitely doable
4) like i said, no negotiation. and the deposit is always refundable, so after couple of months you can always negotiate

and welcome to the forum, no need to worry, just ask!

LeslieRC

I agree with all that "rominl" states. I would add that if you are ready now to buy the new IS, you will probably be able to find one. Length of wait-time may be predicated on preferences for colors and options. Just be prepared to pay the sticker for the next three months or so. Lexus has done a masterful job of leveraging the anticipation for the IS in its marketing scheme for the car. Consequently, it will probably be several months (my guess is March `06) before the pendulum begins to swing back in the direction of the consumer in terms of bargaining strength for this car. Of course, the other side of the coin is that Lexus will be selling this version of the IS for 3 to 4 years; so, there's plenty of time to wait to get a good deal.

biker

Perhaps so with the IS350 but not with the IS250. Look for an IS300 within two years.

cressler

I can promise that there will be dealers willing to negotiate at launch of the car. I already have such a situation. I have NEVER paid sticker price for a car and never will. Assuming that you have to pay sticker price means you are falling into the exact mindset the dealer wants you to.

Now whether or not you are willing to do what is needed to get a better deal is different story. In some cases that may mean driving 200 miles to a dealer that is willing to negotiate (but in my mind 200 miles is nothing to save $2000) but there will always be dealers out there that are willing to negotitate from the start on a mass produced vehicle.

spwolf

indeed... for an car that will sell in 40,000 per year, you can be sure that there will be some discounts, somewhere... Main reason for this is that your Lexus dealer makes nice money on the car as well, so dont worry, while you think you did an great job driving around the state (or out of state), and sniffing some measly discount, you just made us more money... haha! :-).

Sorry, but some buyers are such hasslers that I want to throw them out of dealerships sometimes, while still keep nice smiley face...!

:-).

isdsms

I see that you are located in Pennsylvania. Located in NJ, I have found 1 dealer who indicated that they will discount, but only $500. Who do you know who might discount more?(Hopefully you live in E. PA!) Thanks

cressler

I worked at an Audi Dealership for 18 months and understand the business inside and out. I have not EVER had to be a ***** in attempting to get a deal. Nor have I had to really go out of a region that I am comfortable driving to. Far too many people go into a car deal not properly armed with MSRP and invoice information for the car they are looking at, or approach the dealer in an agressive manner that puts the salesmen/manager on the defensive. Every deal I have gotten has been simply because I am professional and understand that the transaction is a business arrangement.

A dealer that is unwilling to budge on the MSRP is one that is not going to recieve my business nor the continued business of my service calls, accessory purchases or the numerous people I assist in buying cars per year. When I bought the Acura TSX for my wife I paid $200 above invoice without having to negotiate and the dealer has, since that sale, sold an additional 3 units because of my recommendations.

Business is business and being a professional is the key to being succesful in dealing with a luxury auto dealer.

cressler

At this point I have not discussed with the dealer the issue of publishing their information for other people. It is a matter of respect for them that I will not broadcast who they are and what we have discussed thus far. I will speak with them and see what their preferences are in regard to this and let you know from there. As far as location goes I am in Central PA.

lexuslover

it ultimately comes down to the dealer and possibly your relationship with them. for instance, i bought my RX and GS at launch (even before the "official" launch date on the RX). i used a small san diego dealer for the RX, paid full MSRP, no breaks other than getting chrome wheels at cost. then i used a huge LA dealer for the GS where i got the SC and got 1200+ off and black floormats. the LA dealer does a lot of volume, so they have more wiggle room. and no i didn't twist their arm, i just simply asked.

so depending on supply and demand in your area, you might be able to get something within the first few weeks. with the GS, the discounts started coming pretty quick, in So Cal within 1 month or so.

same goes w/ the wait list - you would be surprised how quickly you can get it. i put my deposit down on the GS in february and had the car in march. partially because i happened to be the only one on the list for that particular color combo. so again, it comes down to supply and demand, including the demand for various colors and options.

the good news is that the longer you are on the list and waiting, the more negotiating power you will have later on. it's a tradeoff of course. you have to decide whether you think it's worth the money (e.g., the GS is now being discounted 4-5k off MSRP within 6 months) i would've waited longer, but to my surprise the dealer called in feb to tell me she already had my car scheduled for arrival. i was fine getting it early and paying more; it is exciting to have something new on the road.

spwolf

indeed, your original post did made me feel you were one of the aggressive ones... There are quite few of aggressive discount searching customers around which do annoy all of the dealers...

LeslieRC

Interesting that your tone on this topic has become so conservative and reserved. Previously, you were suggesting that as much as $2K could be saved through a dealer with whom you were acquainted. Because this ($2K under sticker) is great deal at this time for this car, perhaps this is something that is being structured exclusively for you.

cressler

I had not intended it to appear that I had recieved specifically a 2k discount. That was just numbers illustrating distance, etc. I apologize for it appearing that I was referring to a specific deal I had obtained. At this point my own deal is somewhat fluid because actual pricing (including MSRP and dealer invoice) has not been announced and that is a big factor in the deal itself. Should Lexus be extremely agressive with prices and give the dealers only a $2500 margain on the car (I very seriously doubt this) then getting $2k off at launch would be difficult, however if my assumption of margains are close to accurate there will be significant room for the dealer to be able to negotiate without cutting themselves to the bone.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Because of high demand, people will try to get the cars without a discount. If you are lucky enough to haggle a few hundred dollars off the sticker price, that's great. Otherwise, I think that someone will most likely go to the dealership and pay sticker without haggling.

Most people will likely try to haggle on other things beyond the sticker price such as extended warranties, pre-paid maintenance services, various insurance offers, security tags, etc. You may also ask for discounts on accessories. Realize that no matter what, it's their service and parts departments that make the big bucks. The dealerships do not make the most money out of sales, so they will try to sell the car at MSRP.

cressler

Being willing to bring your car to the dealership for service is one of the reasons you are typically able to get a discount at sale time. As I said before, it is basically about creating a business relationship between you and the dealer. If the dealer views you as a reasonable professional that is simply looking for a fair deal and vice versa for your view typically you will be able to arrive at a negotiated price that will satisfy both. I was on the pre-order list for both an RX-8 and an Acura TL and did not pay anywhere close to sticker price for either because I had created a good rapport with the dealer and we understood each other as a business deal not an antagonistic relationship.