Aron9000

You also pay out the nose for service at the Lexus dealer. Those complimentary courtesy cars, free shuttle, and fancy building are reflected in the price you pay.

Toys4RJill

Not sure how relevant this Lexus = superior service is anymore. Every car brand has made it a priority to offer good service. Just like any business, a Lexus dealer can offer poor service. My sister can attest to that.

Toys4RJill

I agree.

As for the shuttle, I cannot think of any brand that does not offer a shuttle at their dealer.

dseag2

Seriously? Yes, every brand has made superior service a priority, but only a few have perfected it. This may vary from dealership to dealership, but I can strongly attest to the fact that the service on my GS at Sewell Lexus was far superior to that of my A4 at Audi Dallas. Sewell greeted me and took me immediately to a service advisor. I had dents in the aluminum of my '13 GS F Sport and they replaced it without any questions at no charge.

On the flip side, Audi greeted me and had me sit in the waiting room until a service advisor was available (sometimes half an hour). I had a severe dent in my A4 and they insisted it needed to be repainted at their body shop. I later got it completely removed at a paintless dent removal shop.

And, sorry, I don't buy that Nissan is even at THAT LEVEL.

Re: the cost for the service, you pay for that in the higher price of the car, not necessarily in the maintenance costs. Actually, the ES maintenance costs should be lower due to reliability and fewer issues, so it all works out.

SW17LS

Overall, there's a distinct difference in service quality between luxury dealers and mainstream dealers. Even the best mainstream dealers aren't as snazzy as luxury dealers.

mmarshall

That's generally (but not totally) true. My brother's Kia dealership, for example, has a reputation for treating customers like kings. Of course, considering that the dealership's owner also represents that district in Congress (yes, the U.S. Congress)...there's obviously an element of image that has to be kept up LOL.

Toys4RJill

Actually the cost of service for a Lexus ES vs the comparable Toyota Avalon will be higher. Same thing for Land Cruiser vs LX. It's the same service but higher prices. Nissan Maxima service should it cost more than an Infiniti dealer. It's really up to the individual dealer to nail the service. Yes Lexus historically has done well, however any Toyota dealer can surpass a Lexus dealer of they want to. I get two of my cars serviced at one of the last remaining Lexus/Toyota dealers in Canada. The dealer is under the same roof and the Lexus service is side by side the Toyota service. Toyota is open for service till midnight, Lexus closes at 6pm. My dad takes his 4Runner to the Toyota side, has an incredible rapport with the same service advisor for 20 years. When he goes to the Lexus side, they act as though he does not exist, he can't stand the snobbery. They have made no effort to make it work on the Lexus side. With that being said, some could care less.

What I have always liked about Lexus and Toyota is that the host will ask you what you are doing there, then they won't bother you. Most American dealers I have been to (just to look at the cars) will watch you from the parking lot and will pounce on you the moment the doors open.

If you go back to the original Lexus brochures, they state the dealer service expectations. They even would state that a car salesperson will not bother you unless you specifically ask for one. Or something along those lines.

SW17LS

But the dealer experience is not "luxurious". Good service is good service, but you cannot say his Kia dealer is as well appointed as a Lexus dealer. The experience is different.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

some people like me don't care. sure it's nice to see the marble, granite, beautiful lighting, nicer coffee machines, etc., but bottom line is no matter how nice it is i don't want to be there AT ALL. it doesn't impress me. the g90 experience has it right - they'll come to me, get the car, give me a loaner, bring mine back wherever i want, and we swap.

mmarshall

Kia shops, I'll admit, can vary enormously from one to the other. I know you know the Northern Virginia area pretty well, as you're not very far away. Fairfax Kia, for example, is basically a dump....a many-decades-old, hole-in the-wall outfit crammed onto a street corner where there's barely enough room to park even my small Verano and get out. Just a few miles away, though, in Chantilly...well, I don't have to tell you what the huge and well-appointed dealerships are like in that complex (including the Kia shop there).....you've been there, and seen for yourself.

One thing that also might (?) also be a factor in my brother's shop (besides its Congressman owner) is that, besides Kia, it also handles Volvo, an upscale product. It is no co-incidence that, before the owner was in Congress, when he served as the state's Lieutenant Governor, the municipal Police Department (where the dealership is located) all drove Volvos LOL.

mmarshall

Agreed.....I'm the same way. That kind of stuff generally doesn't attract me, either...but perhaps because I'm single and/or don't have kids to look after. But, also being retired, and not having to get back to the office, it's also nice, if you are AT the dealership, to have time to browse around, check out a new model, and/or do a static-review or test-drive. For instance, at my Chevy/Buick/GMC shop, whenever I'm in for service (I haven't needed much in the way of actual repairs except for several tire-punctures), the guy who sold me my Verano will usually greet me, ask if there's anything I want to test-drive that day, and have a magnetic, stick-on dealer-plate handy. He's always so nice, if I have an extra bottle of Scratch-Out with me, I'll leave him one for his next new-car delivery customer.

Toys4RJill

This stuff matters to most people. There is a reason why luxury car dealers are nicer than mainstream dealers. They are designed to make you feel a certain way about a particular brand when you are in there. Will you spend more? Very likely as you are already paying a mark up for a luxury car.

Smart move on the part of Hyundai. Genesis buyers are kept completely out of the generic Hyundai showroom.

mmarshall

Back to the topic at hand (ES vs. Maxima), I think I'd take the ES, hands-down, even with the odd spindle-grille. Lexus reliability speaks for itself, while, according to Consumer Reports, Nissan ranks quite low in long-term reliability, though their vehicles seem to come from the plant at least fairly well screwed together at first. But I wasn't taken in much by the Maxima's styling (swoops too much, and with an odd roofline), and the ES, even though it is not as smooth as it once was, is still a nice car in the refinement department, which is important to me.

In fact, though I am not ready for a new ride just yet (probably within the next year)...the ES350 is currently in my Top Three consideration list, along with the Buick LaCrosse and Lincoln MKZ. I also want to wait and see what the new Opel-based 2018 Buick Regal will be like.....that may (?) be the last chance to get an Opel-based product in the U.S. before GM (foolishly, IMO) drops the Opel Division.

SW17LS

At this point it doesn't really matter to me either, but to new luxury buyers it does matter, and if you're somebody it does matter to the ES will have the edge there.

If you show me a Kia dealership that is as luxuriously appointed and amenity filled as a Lexus dealer I will buy you a Kia lol

mmarshall

The one in Chantilly is pretty impressive by Kia standards...whether it is as impressive as a typical Lexus shop is subjective. But, like I said earlier, it is not typical of other Kia shops. And not all Lexus shops seem to be the same in opulence either. For instance, I don't think Pohanka, for several reasons, is as nice as Silver Spring...or even Lindsay, for some things, though Lindsay is smaller in physical size.

And, Thank You for the offer, but I am well-off enough to pay for my own vehicles.