Let's clear up a couple of things here.....

Q45th did not say the new Q would blow the LS out of the water - he posted an article by someone that said it.

Wood steering wheels suck -but if you MUST have it, then the Q's is the way to go

The old GS300/GS430 never beat the M in a comparo - by old I'm assuming we mean "2nd Gen" - in fact, I'm not even sure they were ever in a comparo with the M.

The M and GS sales are very close and the GS sales have never been "crippled" Talk as you want about the GS430 being special order, but just stop by any dealer and they have them. They GS430 may be special order, but they are available - its just that people don't want them right now (like the current Q).

 

It does not matter either way who said it. Simply put, if anyone believe that the new Q will "blow away" the new LS, then they are only fooling themselves, and will be quite dissapointed.

When I said GS300/GS430, I mean current 3rd gen. Reason why may be called "old", is because GS300 has already been replaced by GS350, and the dated GS430 (dated as in it's engine, among other things) will soon be replaced by GS460.

Nobody said dealers were out of GS430's. Yes, demand for them is quite low, especially with GS450h on sale, but production of the GS430 has stopped. It may have started up again, I do not know for sure. If anyone has seen 2007 GS430's on dealer lots, that means production is running again at a low pace. But fact remains, production *was* stopped for several months, and this is why it was special order. Special order means, they would not be producing any GS430's unless a customer ordered one. Tahara's flexibility allows for that. I think Toyota did this for several reasons; partly due to low demand for the GS430, but also to prepare for GS460, and to allow Tahara to produce other models like new LS.

Some dealers do not have GS430s. You say go to any dealer, but that it impossible for you to prove, as you cannot go to *every* single dealer. I have been to make local dealer and they did not have any. It was only available through special order. If the dealership does not have any, or is in limited supply of GS430, chances are many customers will go for GS450h ... problem is, that is extremely supply limited, and there are waiting lists for it. Alternatively, many customers could go for GS350, since it is just as fast as GS430.

 

Actually making that comment is as foolish as the person who made the original comment about the Q blowing away the LS. You don't know what the Q has in store - so it might blow away the new LS and it might not. We will see.

Correct, there may be some dealers out of stock - but they seem to be in the papers here and that tells me that if you go to ANY dealer they can swap out another car for the GS430. So while production may have ended - it probably ended because they had enough cars to last them until March of next year (That would be about 1,350 based on current selling rates).

 

It might blow away the LS, or it might not ... sure anything is possible ... pigs *might* fly someday . Let's be realistic, chances are, the new Q WILL NOT blow the LS away. We need to keep things within reason and reality.

If they had enough GS430s to last till next March, then we'd be seeing, on average, each Lexus dealership with dozens of GS430 sedans, and that simply isn't the case.

 

Just wanted to clarify that point Doug

 

Im talking about monthly sales. And oh wow...1000 sale difference. That isnt much considering lexus should have more prestige and should sell along the lines of bmw and mercedes. But it doesnt. Engine power shouldnt be a factor if people want a lexus right?

 

Price difference and lease deals. This works to Infniti's advantage for sales. It is commendable how well this car is doing as Infiniti has never seen this many sales for a car in this price range.

 

Just cause they are not making them any more (rumor has it) - doesn't mean they have shipped them all to the dealers.