Mike V

What am I missing here for dealer invoice pricing? Does this seem correct?


IS350 $31,420.
LT package $3,373.
ML Stereo $752.
Spoiler $300.
Delivery $720.
_________________________
$36,565.

By the way.. I called Lexus and they told me you can get the "ML" without ordering the NAV system.

Mike V

Technique

There's a small advertising fee, like $300-$400 or so... Just ask the dealer to show you the invoice sheet and you'll see it... Other than that you look good...

BTW, you should get the ML+NAV, that's when you really get the benefits of the ML system... Plus the interior looks so much nicer with the nav screen... Just my 2 cents...

AM1

iTrader: (6)

good luck getting ML without nav. you can get it doesnt mean lexus makes many of them. the dealers can show you what their invoice price is. The price on edmunds.com with zip code entered is usually the right invoice price.

Evitzee

I'd really think about getting the NAV/ML combo if you are ordering the car unless you are on are a real tight budget, in which case why are you buying a Lexus? The NAV makes for a much more pleasant experience in operating the audio system, plus the benefit of the NAV system. Today, NAV is becoming an expected item in any luxury vehicle.

b737dog

I just bought an IS350 and did not want nav. It is not an expected item by all. I have mapquest, a brain and a map. I actually think the interior looks better without it. The only reason I see a need for nav. would be if someone is in sales and has a large territory they serve.

socalJD

This is true if you intend to be the only owner and drive the car into the ground. If you were to trade in or sell your car in the next 4 years, you may have difficulty in selling or getting top value on a trade . . .

TimboIS

Zoinks!

danis

If Nav is a necessity for resale why does the blue book etc. w/ nav only add $700 to the price which is not near the invoice price of the Nav unit? How am I miss reading the market?

Evitzee

Of course you don't NEED Navigation to enjoy the car. But once you start using a navigation system, especially in a strange environment, it's hard to give it up. My wife and I were travelling to Dallas a few months ago and we wanted a particular small chain of restaurant for lunch. Dallas has five locations. When we were 150 miles out we let it direct us to the closest one. I would have had to do the Mapquest thing before I left home, but how would I know what I would want for lunch when I left at 6am? And a brain and a map would have proved insufficient as I would have had no clue where the nearest restaurant would be. I guess I could have stopped and asked for directions ..... well, not really. Sure, it sounds like a silly use for a navigation system, but working out simple, real world problems is what we pay for in many luxury items. The other advantage is in the use of the audio system, especially with satellite radio. The screen makes using the audio system easier, and with XM you can see the name of each 18 preset stations (in groups of six), and the song and artist is displayed as each song plays. I find that a very useful and enjoyable feature. Again, the Nav system is not needed to enjoy the car, but I think most people who have it would be hard pressed to give it up, I know I would not want to lose it. Whether the interior looks better with or without the screen is a personal opinion. But again, each is free to choose what they like.

You'll never get invoice price for a used product. That's unrealistic. We all know the car depreciates to less than invoice price as soon as you drive it off the lot. After all, it's now a used product. What's invoice on the Nav unit, two grand? So $700 value sounds about right, all things considered. Don't get too hung up on blue book though. What really matters is when you want to sell the vehicle down the road. What is the expectation going to be then of the market place? Navigation will be an almost standard item then, and those with Nav will be easier to sell, and at commensurately higher price, imo. Same thing happened to air conditioning. At one time it was seen as a luxury, then it became an expectation. Those that had cars with no a/c found them hard to sell.

Mike V

I don't want a debate over NAV... thanks, I think I can find a better way to spend $2,500. on my wifes grocery getter! Does this price look correct?

Technique

Yup, I already said it looks good

Technique

It's part of market value... REAL market value, not edmunds/kbb stuff...

It's the same like moonroofs... Try selling a used mercedes-benz WITHOUT a moonroof... You'll get about $3000-$4000 BELOW bluebook...

socalJD

History has a tendency to repeat itself. Just 10 yrs ago, CD players were a 'luxury', everyone was fine with just a cassette player - fast forward to today, the IS has a 6 disc changer STANDARD, and NO cassette player. I'm sure MP3/ipod adapters will follow this same path.

Real world scenario, my Dad was selling his mint condition '98 LS400 (non Nav) to trade up to a newer LS. 9 out of 10 potential buyers would politely back off when told that it didn't have Nav. Dad ended up trading it in and got creamed on the trade in value . . .

Mike V

I have a '92 SC400 with a Nakamichi system. I searched hi and low to find one, but now with 205K miles no one gives a big dump what is has in it!! I drive them till they fall apart... And YES Lexus DO FINALLY fall APART!! The plastic pieces finally start failing, rubber boots start falling apart etc.

Mike V