JWS3

I've got a few questions for those who have factory ordered a Lexus. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who wants a specific vehicle which (of course) is hard to find thus necessitating a factory order. Although I have ordered a GX and not an RX, I'd imagine the process is the same which is why I'd like to hear from people here who have ordered their cars.
I didn't know a factory order was even possible, but am told that it can be done for those who are patient.

- How long did the whole process take? I was told up to 3 months.

- Any suggestions/experiences/insight/stories?

Thanks to all in advance-

Jim

cantsleepnk

We did this in May of 2003 right after the introduction of the RX330. My wife totaled our 99 RX300 and we HAD to order one since we couldn't find an AWD model in the south region at the time. We ordered a blk/blk AWD with Nav /ML w/o RSES. Our dealer said it should take 60-90 days and the car took a little bit longer than 90 days. When we got the car I found out right before I signed the paperwork that Lexus left out the towing package even though the sales manager showed me that he had ordered it. Clearly after waiting for more than three months I was really upset . I ended up picking up the car with the understanding that someone was going to fix the mistake. Sure enough a month later we got a phone call from our salesman that Lexus had brought us another car with the towing package and RSES thrown in for free.

Obviously we were happy that Lexus corrected their mistake but short of a ferrari or a bentley I would never order another car again. In our situation we had to order because of the accident otherwise I would have preferred to wait for supply to catch up and pick one right off the lot.
The worst part was the wait especially the last couple of weeks.It absolutelly killed me and I wouldn't want to go throught it again.
Unless you have patience and cool nerves I would stongly recommend just finding your vehicle at the dealer and bypassing the ordering process.
Hope this helps.

billy44bo

We order ours at the end of October 04. The car will be in black forest pearl, with Navigation System/Mark Levinson package, without the back seat DVD system. So you can see they had to build it just for us. No dealers would order one like this for his floor. Pick up the car First weekend in March. IT was a very long time to wate be in the end you get what you want.
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rxdriver

Mine wasn't exactly a special order. Like cantsleepnk, I wanted an RX330 shortly after they hit the market in 2003. Nav was almost impossible to find on the lot, and I was also picky about the exterior color. I wanted what Lexus considered a "standard build" for the dealers in my region, but I just couldn't find one in stock. I wound up putting money down at the end of May, and I didn't get a car until mid-August.

Although I'm really glad I got what I wanted, there were two things about the experience that really bugged me (and still do, obviously.)

1. For 11 of the 13 weeks I waited, I never had a VIN number or any other sign that somewhere, either a real or a not-yet-bulit car had my name on it. In today's modern manufacturing world with things like just-in-time inventory, there's no way you can tell me that Lexus had no idea what they were building and when. I even called the Lexus regional sales office and Lexus Headquarters in the U.S., and neither was willing to help give me status or explain the process. I didn't hear anything definitive until the car got unloaded at the seaport in the U.S.

In contrast, my dad special-ordered a Dodge RAM 1500 pickup truck in 2001, and not only did we get status updates from the dealer, but the truck arrived with his name printed on the window sticker!

2. In true form for a car dealer, once the car finally arrived, they tried to screw me on the trade-in value of my 2002 RX 300. Now, I'll give them credit for honoring the original discount they quoted on the new RX 330, which was pretty good at the time given the demand. But, they tried to make it up and then some on the trade-in. After the RX arrived at the dealer, I spent a really stressful 3 days running around to get trade-in appraisals from several dealers, including other Lexus dealers. I didn't close on the deal until I got them to meet the highest offer I received, which was $5000 more than what they offered me 3 days earlier.

Also in contrast, my dad's experience at the Dodge dealer was that the price of the new truck AND the price of the trade-in were set at the time the truck was ordered. Of course, we agreed up front what the mileage would be on the trade-in 8 weeks later, which was the expected build time. We also agreed that the deal was off if the condition of the trade-in was materially different that it was at the time the order was placed. Everybody lived up to their end of the deal, and it was a very pleasant experience.

Although point # 1 was aggravating, my advice would be to nail down the financials in # 2 in advance. If the dealer won't commit to something in writing - either the sale price or the trade-in - then expect it to change later.

You'll have to let us know if the process improved at all.