Looking at 2013 RX 350, is this a good price??
08-29-16, 04:25 PM
#31
I'm looking for used RX too. My local dealer says the used car price is set in stone 
(but there cars look brand new, where as another lexus dealer about 20 minutes further away, the cpo cars did look used but slightly better prices)
Tried true car for new pricing, but nothing would come up. Does costco work. It seems like the lexus dealers in my area (socal Ventura) work together and do not comptete agaisnt each other, at least on the internet side.
Any tips to getting a better price. Any lexus loyalty discounts. Maybe the dealers will deal more at the end of the month?
(but there cars look brand new, where as another lexus dealer about 20 minutes further away, the cpo cars did look used but slightly better prices)Tried true car for new pricing, but nothing would come up. Does costco work. It seems like the lexus dealers in my area (socal Ventura) work together and do not comptete agaisnt each other, at least on the internet side.
Any tips to getting a better price. Any lexus loyalty discounts. Maybe the dealers will deal more at the end of the month?
08-29-16, 08:37 PM
#32
Driver School Candidate
I'm looking for used RX too. My local dealer says the used car price is set in stone (but there cars look brand new, where as another lexus dealer about 20 minutes further away, the cpo cars did look used but slightly better prices)
Tried true car for new pricing, but nothing would come up. Does costco work. It seems like the lexus dealers in my area (socal Ventura) work together and do not comptete agaisnt each other, at least on the internet side.
Any tips to getting a better price. Any lexus loyalty discounts. Maybe the dealers will deal more at the end of the month?
(but there cars look brand new, where as another lexus dealer about 20 minutes further away, the cpo cars did look used but slightly better prices)Tried true car for new pricing, but nothing would come up. Does costco work. It seems like the lexus dealers in my area (socal Ventura) work together and do not comptete agaisnt each other, at least on the internet side.
Any tips to getting a better price. Any lexus loyalty discounts. Maybe the dealers will deal more at the end of the month?
08-29-16, 09:08 PM
#33
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I'm looking for used RX too. My local dealer says the used car price is set in stone (but there cars look brand new, where as another lexus dealer about 20 minutes further away, the cpo cars did look used but slightly better prices)
Tried true car for new pricing, but nothing would come up. Does costco work. It seems like the lexus dealers in my area (socal Ventura) work together and do not comptete agaisnt each other, at least on the internet side.
Any tips to getting a better price. Any lexus loyalty discounts. Maybe the dealers will deal more at the end of the month?
(but there cars look brand new, where as another lexus dealer about 20 minutes further away, the cpo cars did look used but slightly better prices)Tried true car for new pricing, but nothing would come up. Does costco work. It seems like the lexus dealers in my area (socal Ventura) work together and do not comptete agaisnt each other, at least on the internet side.
Any tips to getting a better price. Any lexus loyalty discounts. Maybe the dealers will deal more at the end of the month?
So I bought the 2013 with 9k miles today for 31K (34L out the door) from a Subaru dealership in Ventura, where it came in as a trade-in two weeks ago. I had test driven it a few days after it came in. When I first saw the car, it cost 38k plus out the door, so I did get them down in price, but it took two weeks of haggling, with the dealership coming down a little each time, then refusing then the car not selling for another weekend, etc. Had it inspected by a Lexus dealership today and it's fine, though they did find a couple of things that gave me 300 dollars more off the price (so I really got it a bit under 31, when the stuff they have to repair is included). This was not a fun process getting the dealership to drop the price. But we looked at Lexus dealerships and found the prices much higher and the cars more beaten up. This one looks, feels and smells brand new. So maybe focus on non-Lexus dealerships where the incentive to get rid of cars not their brand is higher?
08-29-16, 10:29 PM
#34
Driver School Candidate
So I bought the 2013 with 9k miles today for 31K (34L out the door) from a Subaru dealership in Ventura, where it came in as a trade-in two weeks ago. I had test driven it a few days after it came in. When I first saw the car, it cost 38k plus out the door, so I did get them down in price, but it took two weeks of haggling, with the dealership coming down a little each time, then refusing then the car not selling for another weekend, etc. Had it inspected by a Lexus dealership today and it's fine, though they did find a couple of things that gave me 300 dollars more off the price (so I really got it a bit under 31, when the stuff they have to repair is included). This was not a fun process getting the dealership to drop the price. But we looked at Lexus dealerships and found the prices much higher and the cars more beaten up. This one looks, feels and smells brand new. So maybe focus on non-Lexus dealerships where the incentive to get rid of cars not their brand is higher?
For us still in the hunt....how much did was your first start offer and then how much you raised your offer (eg $500 or $1000 etc) by to get to the 31K?
Did they let you take it to Lexus dealer before the sale for inspection?
08-30-16, 01:08 AM
#35
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gilrebel,
Dealers in CA are required by State law to allow you to take a used car you are considering purchasing to an independent mechanic to check it out.
I am not an expert on Lexus buying, and I don't even know if I got a good deal. Sticker was 35k before TTL. Salesman kept saying they wouldn't drop the price given the low miles, that it would sell fast, etc. He asked for my phone number; I gave him my email address instead and wrote on the back of the card that if he could sell the car for 34k out the door, to email me. He emailed me that 36-37k out the door was the very lowest as they could go. I said to let me know if/when he could sell the car for 34k out the door. He said the car would sell that weekend, but if it didn't he'd come back to me. The following Tuesday I emailed him to see if it had sold. He then dropped the price to 35.5 out the door, said it was their final price. I told him to email me if/when he could sell the car for 34k out the door. A few days later, he told me 34,990 out the door. I told him to email me if/when he could sell it for 34k out the door. Last Friday he told me their final price was 34.5 K out the door. I took my husband down on Saturday to test drive. Salesman told me this was their absolute final price-- any lower and he would be selling it below their cost and they'd make more money sending it to wholesale (which probably means auction?). My husband discovered the undercarriage heat shield rattle I mentioned earlier. Salesman said the mechanic would look at it. I emailed him later that evening asking if they'd been able to fix it. He said yes. I said okay, then we'd like to come down Monday and take it to a Lexus dealer for inspection. He told me they'd probably sell the car the following day, even if I was coming down to take it to Lexus for an inspection the day after. I said fine. This morning I called him--car had not sold. He called the used car sales manager at Lexus to arrange for their 161 point inspection ($130 well spent). We drove down and took the car to Lexus. They pulled the service record and it was clear that the 78 year old woman who'd owned it had taken good care of it. While the car was up on the rack, the mechanics showed us we had nothing to worry about. They gave us a bid to repair one minor item not under warranty. By this time we were at 34.2k out the door with Subaru ($300 in repairs to be taken off price). But they were missing the second smart key, which they could not find. Without the second smart key, I put my wallet back in my purse and started to walk out. At that point, they agreed (in writing) to provide the second smart key ($350). I was driving the car home when I realized they had used a razor to remove the sales stickers from the windshield. The windshield was tinted, so the razor cut through the tinted film and pulled it back slightly, destroying the tint job (a small but obvious 2-3 inch section). I drove back to the dealership. Earlier, upon returning from the Lexus inspection, I told them that Lexus said the windshield was illegally tinted and Subaru was legally responsible for removing it before selling. Subaru argued it was NOT illegal and refused to cover the price to fix it. Now that their guy had damaged the tint job, they argued that the tint job WAS illegal and we would need to strip it at our cost, therefore, so what if it was damaged now. I said no, they damaged it, they would need to strip it or repair it. They denied damaging it, saying the damage was likely already there but I couldn't see it because of the sticker. I said let's just go together to ask your car wash guy how he removes stickers. If he says with a razor then you owe me. At that point they admitted he'd probably removed it with a razor blade and agreed (in writing) to cover the cost. I was annoyed by that episode, but at least they agreed in the end to take care of it.
One strategy might be to use the usual sites (autotrader or truecar) to identify low-mileage, fairly-priced trade-ins at non-Lexus dealers within 75 miles of you. Open by asking if they can sell you the car for x (x = asking price, but "out the door"--that's the formula I used). In California that automatically knocks about 3k off the price. And gives you room to come up $500 or so at the end to make the deal work. Dealer will act like you're being unreasonable. They will give you final prices that aren't final. Stick to your price. Follow up every 3 days or so. Stay firm on your price down to the last 500 dollars, then be flexible, taking car for a Lexus inspection while insisting dealer pays for anything they really should pay for. Is this a good strategy? I don't even know. It worked for me, but that's just one car. I am sure it also depends on how much the dealer gave the original owner on that trade-in, and what time of month it is, etc. End of the quarter right now and end of month, so incentives are in place no doubt. But do any of these incentives apply to used cars? I have no idea, but our salesman said he had just one more car to sell by the end of Aug 31st to win every incentive prize his dealership offered. Did that include our Lexus as well as the Subarus? I gathered so, but I am not sure.
Dealers in CA are required by State law to allow you to take a used car you are considering purchasing to an independent mechanic to check it out.
I am not an expert on Lexus buying, and I don't even know if I got a good deal. Sticker was 35k before TTL. Salesman kept saying they wouldn't drop the price given the low miles, that it would sell fast, etc. He asked for my phone number; I gave him my email address instead and wrote on the back of the card that if he could sell the car for 34k out the door, to email me. He emailed me that 36-37k out the door was the very lowest as they could go. I said to let me know if/when he could sell the car for 34k out the door. He said the car would sell that weekend, but if it didn't he'd come back to me. The following Tuesday I emailed him to see if it had sold. He then dropped the price to 35.5 out the door, said it was their final price. I told him to email me if/when he could sell the car for 34k out the door. A few days later, he told me 34,990 out the door. I told him to email me if/when he could sell it for 34k out the door. Last Friday he told me their final price was 34.5 K out the door. I took my husband down on Saturday to test drive. Salesman told me this was their absolute final price-- any lower and he would be selling it below their cost and they'd make more money sending it to wholesale (which probably means auction?). My husband discovered the undercarriage heat shield rattle I mentioned earlier. Salesman said the mechanic would look at it. I emailed him later that evening asking if they'd been able to fix it. He said yes. I said okay, then we'd like to come down Monday and take it to a Lexus dealer for inspection. He told me they'd probably sell the car the following day, even if I was coming down to take it to Lexus for an inspection the day after. I said fine. This morning I called him--car had not sold. He called the used car sales manager at Lexus to arrange for their 161 point inspection ($130 well spent). We drove down and took the car to Lexus. They pulled the service record and it was clear that the 78 year old woman who'd owned it had taken good care of it. While the car was up on the rack, the mechanics showed us we had nothing to worry about. They gave us a bid to repair one minor item not under warranty. By this time we were at 34.2k out the door with Subaru ($300 in repairs to be taken off price). But they were missing the second smart key, which they could not find. Without the second smart key, I put my wallet back in my purse and started to walk out. At that point, they agreed (in writing) to provide the second smart key ($350). I was driving the car home when I realized they had used a razor to remove the sales stickers from the windshield. The windshield was tinted, so the razor cut through the tinted film and pulled it back slightly, destroying the tint job (a small but obvious 2-3 inch section). I drove back to the dealership. Earlier, upon returning from the Lexus inspection, I told them that Lexus said the windshield was illegally tinted and Subaru was legally responsible for removing it before selling. Subaru argued it was NOT illegal and refused to cover the price to fix it. Now that their guy had damaged the tint job, they argued that the tint job WAS illegal and we would need to strip it at our cost, therefore, so what if it was damaged now. I said no, they damaged it, they would need to strip it or repair it. They denied damaging it, saying the damage was likely already there but I couldn't see it because of the sticker. I said let's just go together to ask your car wash guy how he removes stickers. If he says with a razor then you owe me. At that point they admitted he'd probably removed it with a razor blade and agreed (in writing) to cover the cost. I was annoyed by that episode, but at least they agreed in the end to take care of it.
One strategy might be to use the usual sites (autotrader or truecar) to identify low-mileage, fairly-priced trade-ins at non-Lexus dealers within 75 miles of you. Open by asking if they can sell you the car for x (x = asking price, but "out the door"--that's the formula I used). In California that automatically knocks about 3k off the price. And gives you room to come up $500 or so at the end to make the deal work. Dealer will act like you're being unreasonable. They will give you final prices that aren't final. Stick to your price. Follow up every 3 days or so. Stay firm on your price down to the last 500 dollars, then be flexible, taking car for a Lexus inspection while insisting dealer pays for anything they really should pay for. Is this a good strategy? I don't even know. It worked for me, but that's just one car. I am sure it also depends on how much the dealer gave the original owner on that trade-in, and what time of month it is, etc. End of the quarter right now and end of month, so incentives are in place no doubt. But do any of these incentives apply to used cars? I have no idea, but our salesman said he had just one more car to sell by the end of Aug 31st to win every incentive prize his dealership offered. Did that include our Lexus as well as the Subarus? I gathered so, but I am not sure.
Last edited by Chimney; 08-30-16 at 05:11 AM.
08-30-16, 01:18 AM
#36
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[QUOTE=Chimney;9601974]gilrebel,
There seem to be a LOT of these 2013 RX350s on the market now, just coming out of 3-year leases. I imagine that bodes well for better deals if you're persistent.
There seem to be a LOT of these 2013 RX350s on the market now, just coming out of 3-year leases. I imagine that bodes well for better deals if you're persistent.
08-30-16, 06:26 AM
#37
You are at their mercy w/ a CPO
Fortunately, there are a lot of nice, used RX out there, lots to choose from. If you want to buy within 10 miles of where you live, you will be at the mercy of the local price structure. If you want to save money, cast a larger net. Seriously, how much trouble would it be for you to check out listings in the L.A. area, select ten vehicles you like, find out more about them, then go look at 3 or 4 in one day? True Car is sucking a lot of people to their site, but I have yet to hear anyone who really thought it had any validity. I would try to find some private sellers on CL or cargurus.com, in the L.A. area. They are often more motivated than dealers are, and you can check the history on AutoTrader/Carfax to get a somewhat accurate picture of the car.
Also, although apparently not an option for you, car auctions sometimes have great vehicles for great prices...My cousin went out to an auction (cash in pocket!!!) and located a 2014 Volvo C90 for an excellent price and condition! (he bought it and it is a nice car!!) This was a case where he knew a lot about Volvos, took a Volvo mechanic with him, and had the cash ready! He was also patient and had been looking for quite a while.
Nice thing about auctions is that they usually are attended by dealers that want to enhance their inventory at wholesale prices...Private parties have the price advantage here
Other high end dealers ie: Volvo, BMW, and the like, sometimes have used RXs that they have taken in on trade, but also get big $$. I have noticed while searching around on the net, that prices and mileage way better outside of Reno where they have it their way. Costco pricing did not apply on a used vehicle (so my dealer told me)..checked and he was right, and CL is really reaching on a RX
Last edited by Buzzer777; 08-30-16 at 06:58 AM.
08-30-16, 07:49 AM
#38
Driver School Candidate
Certainly will use some of your methods on my hunt.Best Wishes on your new ride.
08-30-16, 09:04 AM
#39
Outstanding deal on the '13 with only 9K miles. I'm seeing tons of '13's here in the southeast, and they're selling for much more. In fact, there are a a lot of '11's and '12's where the starting prices are in the low-to-mid 30's, but these typicallly have 30K+ miles on them, too!
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