I did the test drive for the Visa card yesterday. Arrive at a dealership at 18:15 EST, and no sales people are available--it was busy. Receptionist told me to please get yourself something to drink in the lounge and I will find someone for you. After about 10 min. nobody, so a gentleman approaches and asked me to step into his office. He was the GM, explained I got the Visa mailer, talked about Citi Field event, etc. He did the test drive and product demo himself since nobody else was available.

The interesting thing was everytime someone saw me, they asked if I had been helped, even though they were in the middle of something (obvious as some had license plates in their hands).

When this was all said and done, there was zero attempt to make a sale, they asked me what I would like to do. So I said nothing lol Another gentleman filled out my card with a code, and gave me a LS brochure. Imagine, at Chevy they gave me a fake code (I was furious they would be that low), and Jaguar claimed nobody can do that! lol that was for a free Odyssey White Ice putter I got it in the end.

From soup to nuts, stellar customer service. Now they just need to build some exciting and correctly priced cars (RX-L for 57k minus a 5k discount still imho is way overpriced).

Also, from conversation not related to my test drive, it seems the LS500 is not selling well, and they have way too many RX-L's, so they are willing to deal them. I was told it's supposed to be 35% L's, and they are over 50% because they are not moving....

Great customer service, Lexus!

 

Unfortunately, it depends on the dealer. I've been in plenty of lousy Lexus dealers, and unfortunately the good ones aren't nearly as good as they used to be.

Curious as to why you think that. When you look at other 3 row crossover vehicles, the RX-L is competitively priced.

I think the reason they have a hard time moving RX-Ls is that the vehicle is poorly designed, and the addition of the third row ruins legroom for the second row and doesn't provide ANY utility for use of the third row. If they had a 3 row crossover that had been well engineered and had legroom in all three rows, I think Lexus would sell a TON at $57k. I'd buy one, but I would not even consider an RX-L.

Lexus really phoned in the RX-L and it shows. $57k isn't a lot anymore, hell my loaded Pacifica was $50k. A loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee is over $60k, a loaded Explorer is about $55k...but those vehicles are well engineered and offer the utility buyers expect out of each of them for their vehicle type. The RX-L doesn't.

 

Admittedly, this dealer is close to my house and over the phone, the parts guy said I had to come in, pay, and come back, just for touch up paint. That didn't make sense--he even threw in that too often people request it, and never come back to get it, and we're stuck with it. lol (this was last year)

But I did feel the customer service yesterday, was over the top. It was as if I felt guilty standing there waiting for the GM to get the plates, 3 people asked me if I were being helped (even though they could not help me, they were doing something else). This is imho what's missing from the restaurant industry except at the high end.

Well, to me 57k is a lot of money, even with 5k off on top of that. For me, the RX-L sure smelled good, but it didn't seem to me as if it would be worth it, especially given the way it drove. The back seat wasn't bad, 4" does more than one would think. This one had the split bench. I was told when the LS500 launched, they sold 15 off the bat, but now, seems like only 5/mo. are moving--that's not good!

I am very curious, what if GM sent a bunch of spies to the Lexus dealership, would they learn anything, or would they say that's not any way we would want to treat our customers!

 

 

Interesting perspective--browsing at cars, is a waste of the dealer's time. Nice! Imagine a world, where there is a 100% success rate in sales. What a sweet world it would be!

#don'tgounlessyou'rereadytosign

hahahahahaha

p.s. I have bought 4 cars over $2k in my life, 3 were brand new, 1 was used.

edit since I did the research, maybe somebody out there is trying to buy a RX-L. If the vehicle lists for 57,xxx, and you have a pulse of at least 55, they're going to go right to 5k off list. How much more, you can find out. Based on the personnel being very nice, I don't see that much back and forth or drama where you get up and walk out, like you would at GM or BMW. Ask the dealership how many L's they have v. non L's. The ratio is supposed to be 35/65, but I was told the L's are not moving and so the ratio was 50/50, so they need to get rid of some. Very straightforward!

 

I'm not surprised the new LS isn't selling. Dealer inventory is full of top end models priced higher than S-class Mercs and 7-series BMWs.

The starting price of the LS is competitive but it loses it's value proposition very quickly.

Plus, i'm not a fan of the way it looks. Sure it's a nice looking car, but it does not look like a luxury flagship sedan. It does not look substantial in any way. Too sleek and A7/6GC like rather than stately.

The pre-refresh versions of the outgoing LS were what a Lexus sedan should be. What a beauty especially in black.

 

I probably have similar tastes in that the way a A8 looks plain, I like it. The more plain, the more I like.

The interesting thing yesterday is the GM told me you seem familiar, you buy your LS here? I said no, and he reiterated you still seem familiar (the only thing I have ever done was to buy 3 cowl clips from the parts dept.). The thing they understand, as does BMW, is that you already have their product, a part of the battle is already won. The other zero sales pressure I have experienced was at Porsche. Nicky M. on YouTube he may take that a little too far! He does play the back and forth and wait, to his advantage...

Again, Lexus has customer service honed, top notch. But there are products that are not moving, at the same time. That's business.

 

Yea the RXL engineering was awful. I still vividly remembering crawling into the 3rd row of the RXL at the NY auto show and got stuck. Good thing the other half of the 3rd row was folded down and I was able to crawl out from the back of the car. It was a genius move on my part, if a little inelegant.

 

Well it's not fair to say he wasted the dealer's time. He was invited by Lexus with no obligation to buy. So he went. Blame lexus for being open ended and so generous.

 

A good business person knows that it takes money to make money. You have to spend money to invest into the business, and part of investing in the business is how you treat your existing customers and potential customers.

Have you never gone into a business to get something serviced (like a computer) or looking for something small (like a guitar pick), asked what the service or item cost -- being willing to pay if only for the time the attendant spent with you -- and being told "it's on the house"? Does that not make you feel good and that much more willing to return there to do business again?

 

My local Lexus dealer provides good service, especially if you buy your Lexus from them. An example is a friend of mine totaled his LX570 and his daughter happened to total her F150 pickup truck around the same time. Since he was a long time customer, the dealer gave him and his daughter, who didn't even have a Lexus, a couple Lexus loaners for a month until the insurance stuff was resolved. I thought that was great customer service and a reason why he hasn't left the brand. He ended up getting a LS500 instead of another LX570 and loves the new LS.

 

Like Bit said, you aren't a consumer for the car. $57k is not a lot for a luxury crossover today, and if you haven't driven any others to compare how would you know how it compares?

I don't see how you could feel this way. With the second row set with any kind of legroom for those passengers there is NO legroom for third row passengers. None.

5/mo for one dealer is about right. Remember, the sales goal is 1,000 units a month nationwide, there are like 270 dealers, 1000/270 is is 4 per month per dealer. Obviously some dealers in certain areas will sell more than others. If they are selling 5 per month where you live I think thats great.

Wouldn't matter. Dealers are independent businesses, Lexus doesn't have a lot of control over them.

Browsing and driving cars you have no intention of buying is definitely a waste of the dealer's time. Of course there is no 100% success rate in sales, but you're driving and looking at cars that by your very admission you would NEVER consider buying. So with you they have 0% chance of a sale, waste of their time.

 

Depends on the circumstances. I do a lot of reviews and test-drives at dealerships, where I sometimes know the salespeople involved and sometimes not. I often (but not always) do them by request, either from CL members, members on other forums, or from other people in my own life. If I don't buy the vehicle (or one like it), the person interested in it might....and sometimes does.

Also, when I test-drove the Lincoln MKZ, Genesis G80 (AWD), Kia Cadenza, Toyota Avalon, Lexus ES350, and Chevy Impala, that was certainly not a waste of time. If GM drops the Lacrosse for any reason, all five of those sedans will be very high on my list as a possible replacement.

.............(Which reminds me, BTW....I'm going to have to go check out the all-new ES350, as soon as it becomes available. I just hope they don't try to turn it into too much of a sport-sedan, even wth the FWD).

 

Driving cars and doing reviews you have no intention of buying wastes the salesperson's time. Now, I do that too from time to time, I make sure to do it when the dealer isn't busy and I'm upfront with people that I'm not in the market, but I am wasting the salespersons time.

 

......even if and when it results in a sale from someone else? I'm not sure I can agree on that....although yes, I do agree that it won't help the salesperson any if the vehicle is actually bought at another dealership.

Ford and Lincoln, for example, know that some test-drives do waste the salesperson's time, but that enough of them result in sales or potential sales that they are willing to give people, at the big auto shows, $50-75 each, in gift-cards or contributions, to do just that....visit a dealer and test-drive the vehicle of their choice.