Nospinzone

Well I can't confirm these options are still available, but a call or email to Lexus corporate will confirm it. There is no doubt in my mind that the salesman is lying to you. It strains credulity to think Lexus has stopped offering all those options, they're all safety items. I can only speculate what the real story is, but you are not getting the truth. I know it is a great inconvenience to you, but I would not accept the car.

A couple years ago I had a Lexus salesman flat out lie to me. I was thinking of moving to an AWD LS, but I had to have the radar cruise control. This meant ordering the car and as was mentioned dealerships hate to do that. Well this salesman told me that Lexus discontinued cc. I told him to go check with Lexus because I found it incredulous that Lexus would do that. He came back and told me it was discontinued. I confirmed this was false in an email with Lexus corporate and forwarded to the dealership GM. Well the dirtbag is still a salesman there and that was the last dealings I had with them. Fortunately I have the luxury of two other nearby dealerships.

wanderer99

You've done the right thing here in ordering the car exactly the way you wanted it. You opted for the top line package with all the safety features that you wanted on your new car. The Lexus website has this listed on the 460L as the $19,836 "Ultimate Luxury Package with Additional Options" and it's the only package available with the active pedestrian detection, PCS with all speed radar cruise, low speed front accident avoidance, lane keep assist and driver attention monitor. This is basically the most expensive 460L you can buy and it's a custom order. The dealer placed the order, the Lexus system took the order and you should now be ready to have your new car delivered after waiting 3 months.

The dealer now explains to you that there has been a mistake and sorry - you can no longer have what you ordered and what they promised. That's not acceptable. You ordered something explicitly and it's not going to be delivered. The dealer is trying to explain this away using excuses and that's not OK. You wanted the advanced safety features and you're not getting them. Bottom line - do not accept this car.

I'd honestly talk calmly and directly to the sales or dealership manager and find out clearly from them what went wrong. Let them know that after that discussion you'll be calling Lexus Corporate and relaying that information as you are really disappointed that you can't order and buy your $99K+ 460L the way you want it and you may have to walk away from them as a result. At this point you'll likely find out that someone did screw up and that you can indeed have the car the way you want it. If you proceed to order the car again, I'd be asking for a big discount or other compensation for choosing to stick with Lexus. For compensation I'm thinking a loaner for 3 months while you wait, Platinum extended warranty to 8 years, all the paint and other protection for free, etc. These are items that don't cost the dealer or Lexus much as they all have high markups on them.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

charlesatl

Thank you we will be contacting Lexus HQ,,,we double checked our paperwork and yes we did order the desired options which they state are no longer available but strangely were available when we ordered the car.

caha14

I have to concur with everyone else here. Having just concluded a search that lasted a few months, I agree that there are many people out there who make the car salesman stereotype proud, and some who take it to a whole new level (in a bad way, like the folks at a certain Lexus dealer I visited on Long Island, but I digress).

That said, there are also good ones, like the folks I purchased my car from, but many - like your current salesman - could not care less about getting you what you want. It's about selling you what they can sell you as quickly as possible. Sad, but true. If they cannot get you what you ordered, someone else will. Good luck!

charlesatl

Wow..we just called Lexus HQ and they were of NO help..they said they cannot get involved due to federal trade laws and each dealership is independently owned. However they did say that the Ultra Luxury Package is still available and the car was manufactured in July of 2014 but mysteriously without those options. They then claimed that sometimes since they are changing model years these options may not be available but according to the website they are. So now we are waiting for a manager to "help" us in a dialog with the dealership...it would seem that I could ask for things like a discount and insurance and car detailing to make up for my problem or cancel the order but again that begs the question will another dealership treat us fairly or we will end with the same non-car three months from now.

greg3852

If the manager is from Lexus corporate, that is who will get it squared away. The person you talked to probably isn't able to do anything.

When I called, I spoke to someone who was useless, then the manager or whatever they are called, returned my call and worked on things with me.

I would still cancel the order, and try a different dealership. If you are paying that amount of money, get the car you want.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

My experience exactly with Lexus corporate - pity. Always try to buy a car out of dealer inventory or local inventory. Try another dealer (you can call them to find out their inventory and tell them what you're looking for). Can't be any worse than the clowns you have already dealt with!

Nospinzone

Incredibly poor response from corporate, but as others said you made need to escalate it up the food chain. All you are asking for is explanation. Corporate can clearly contact the dealer without violating federal trade laws, good grief what crap.

If you were just leasing a car for two years I'd say negotiate a better deal and take the car. However it sounds like you will be keeping this car for many years. If that is the case I can guarantee you will regret accepting this car every year you own it, no matter how the dealer tries to sweeten the deal.

Get your deposit back, walk away, and try another dealership. If that dealership doesn't happen to be a Lexus one, well then it is their deserved loss. MB makes an incredible S550 with all those features and more. The only issue in the long haul for you is reliability, get an extended warranty.

Good luck and please keep us posted. No one here would blame you if you ended up with another brand due to the way you were treated.

peteybabes

This is so sad. . .

and i'm trying to make it through the book: "Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit" (Chester Dawson) which is so convincing until i read stories like these.

I have to say, Nospinzones suggestion to try MB is valid as you will get at least as much.

charlesatl

Well corporate called yesterday and it was a cluster. The rep listened but did NOT want us to forward the email where the dealer stated they could not add the luxury package per Lexus, admitted that she had driven a 460 with those options and then stated she would contact the web designed to see why they put on a luxury package on the web site that may not exist...WTF..she would not state that we could add the ultra package and avoided that question entirely...she is supposed to call back so if I get the same BS should I continue up the food chain..we could go to another dealer but again on one hand thats another 3-4 months and at this point we are not sure we would be treated any different...the other problem is that my wife is severely disabled and the ONLY car with a smooth enough ride for her to take even a short ride is the 460 so we are kinda stuck in the brand (yes we have driven all of the other brands_.

caha14

FWIW, I will say that I have seen many examples of problems with Lexus websites showing outdated or misleading information, their CPO website showing cars for the first time right after they sold, etc. However, this all reeks of pure and utter BS and cover-up.

Why would she not want you to forward the email? If a dealer said what they said, they should stand by their words. Similarly, what's with the avoidance of the question? I am with you, if you get nowhere, I would continue up the food chain to the extent that you can (and have the patience). I would expect you to eventually find someone who is forthright and cares enough to resolve the issue. Just stay on it and do not lose your cool. Be polite but firm. It is so disappointing to see this...

mbarron37

You need to do what's best for you, but if I was in your shoes I would walk away from that car. You ordered a specific car and they did not deliver, too bad for the dealership. As stated before I would call or email as many dealerships as you can to see if you can get that same exact car. Slight chance another dealership has that identical car on their lot.

If you are still considering the LS that was ordered incorrectly I would demand dealer cost - no more. Pisses me off with the amount of incompetence that is acceptable over at Lexus corporate. I have dealt with them in the past and just hung up on them as they are less than useless. Worst case, find another car and be in your merry way. I would not use that dealership any more. Good luck and please don't settle.

patgilm

I agree with with everyone else, total BS and I would never go back to that dealer. How could you ever trust them after this? Where I live there are a ton of Lexus dealers so if one does something like this I would just go to a different one. Hopefully you have other Lexus dealers reasonably close to you.

greg3852

Does lexus not have some sort of PR rep who visits and frequents various websites, forums, etc? I know many companies do this. Too bad Lexus doesn't. It would be great to have someone we could go directly to.

hfahmy

About smoothness, have you tried the 2014 S550? It is way smoother than the 460. I own a 600 and 460 myself but if I get treated that way for ~$100K new car transaction from a manufacturer, I would certainly walk away from the deal and go buy their competitor's car that is according to all sources has way more luxurious ride. Trust me I tried it myself!