Yes I will next time. Upset because I trusted my 27 year relationship with this dealer. And they violated it. Fool me once...

 

Unfortunately you've learned what I've said repeatedly, a long relationship with a dealership means nothing when it comes to getting a fair deal.

 

You are sadly very correct

 

Maybe he fooled you more than once in your 27 years with him? Did you think of that. You trusted a car dealer = BAD.

 

I don't totally agree. Just because daryll may have gotten a questionable deal frorm this one shop near Pittsburgh doesn't mean that every shop (or even most shops) is going to try and screw their long-time customers. In fact, from what I've seen, most of them (or a clear majority) don't.....they know where their business comes from, and know better than to bite hands that feed them.

 

My guess is Daryll's issue came from the new dealership GM and their shift to Lexus Plus pricing. The salesman was the same, but the dealer's whole way of doing business was totally different. Salesman actually has very little control.

The GM has a huge impact on the personality of the dealer.

 

Yeah.....I remember when I bought my IS300, some years ago, the GM was the one factor at the dealership that soured things for me. I actually liked the sales rep....he was a sharp guy, and treated me quite well. (that ex-sales rep is now a GM himself, BTW, at a Ford/Lincoln shop).

 

In what sense does it make easier to purchase the vehicle?

In addition who determines this local market price?

What transnational data are they using to determine the average, and where is this data being generated?

Just some food for thought

 

That is exactly correct

 

I had an experience with this exact dealership and this is absolutely correct. The salesman was kind and apologetic - saying essentially he understood that we could get the car for 4k less, that he didn't blame us but that his hands were tied. The GM or Sales Manager then came in and was condescending and patronizing to my wife. She said there were other customers in the showroom and he was loud on purpose to make his point that "everyone gets the same price" and that was much more fair to everyone. Basically, using her to set an example. That'd be fine if the price was actually you know fair. Crazy to pay near sticker for a GX these days. Great car - don't get me wrong. We love it. But at 58k it's a very different proposition that 54k. While some of this is certainly on the dealership, Lexus should be ashamed as well for not controlling this better. Upfront pricing should not be used by dealers who hold monopolies to extract above-market prices. There are plenty of articles discussing how dealers are refusing to adopt the program and telling Lexus that resale pricing on cars they dealers own is none of their business.

 

One-price never works out. It's partially what soured dealers and the public to the Scion brand, it killed Saturn, and luckily, Lexus has made it optional for their dealers. A lot of lower-volume guys are picking up on this pricing strategy but the higher-volume guys understand that the average consumer is smarter than that. This is a phase. Toyota and Lexus have historically regulated dealers for a better client experience, I wouldn't expect anything else in the future. They are just responding to TrueCar and the like it sounds like.

 

Here's what I don't understand: why is Lexus meddling with retail pricing anyway? Dealers buy the cars from Lexus, they own them outright and are free to sell that for as little or as high as possible. I suppose Lexus could condition their franchise agreements on fixed pricing but that gets complicated. Who fixes the price? How do you accommodate pricing in different markets with different levels of competition? The fact is there is no efficient mechanism for fixed pricing to work. Best to let the market decide.

 

I live in Nebraska and we have 2 Lexus dealerships, both are owned by the same company and they are both LexusPlus. I do NOT like their pricing scheme. They have like 2-5% off the MRSP price and the price is non-negotiable. The closest Lexus dealer for me is about 3 hours away so very much they play the monopoly game here. ...but BMW, Merc, and Caddy stores are just 200 yards away...

While their price is Non-Negotiable, Sales Managers have Coupons, Lexus calls it Certificates, in which you can have another $1000 off on the listed price. Try that next time you are encountered with LexusPlus store to see if you can lower the price a little. It worked for me.

 

No. It did NOT kill Saturn.......and I did not kill Scion, either. In fact, the pricing strategy was one of the things that customers DID like about both brands. Saturn died because of horrible management from parent GM after 2000....dumping the successful S-series plastic-body cars and selling rebadged Opels and generic GM products. Scion died because their no-dicker pricing strategy DID attract customers, but most of their products, under the skin, did not. They were essentially the same as smaller Toyotas, which offered a wide choice. In addition, the brand's funk-image, while attempting to appeal to younger people, also failed somewhat in that regard. But many buyers liked the no-dicker pricing system.

 

I don't understand why you are upset? Just go somewhere else. If someone owns both dealers, well they paid for it, they can do what they want.