Can I assume that the present inventory of 2017 models is all there will be, or will dealers continue receiving 2017 cars throughout the fall? I was just wondering when they would stop shipping 2017's and start with 2018's??

 

I'm not 100% confident in this answer, but I believe that the 2017 cars that dealers already have in their inventories are, for the most part, what they are going to get.

I base that on a conversation that I recently had with a sales manager at a Lexus dealership. He said that there are a few cars that he wanted for his inventory and that had to be special ordered because they have option combinations that would not have been built in normal production runs and that those few cars were still trickling in but that, other than those, he would not be adding to his 2017 inventory.

I would also think that by this point in the summer, the factories would be well into a transition period as they shut down the production lines for 2017 vehicles and set them up to be producing the 2018 models.

 

My experience is that the new 2018 models will start arriving at the dealers in the first two weeks of September.

 

Will there be any major changes for 2018 or just some cosmetics?

 

I'm always checking to see if anything is disclosed as far as major updates. I haven't seen or heard of any major changes to the 2018 Executive Sedan. Maybe a few software updates and cosmetic changes but no information out there regarding anything substantial. My best guess is that 2019 will be the new generation Lexus ES 350.
Just have to wait and see...

 

The 2018 ES is likely to be the last year for the Generation 6 ES. I expect that the 2018 ES will be virtually identical to the 2017 ES. There may be a few new color choices, or there might be minor changes in interior trim pieces. I expect, though, that any changes will be so minor that even owners of the vehicle will be unlikely to notice them.

 

Kinda what I figured. If I go the ES route, I want one with Ultra Luxury package and there are very few of them. I also only want a couple of colors. I don't want to wait too long for further discounting and miss out on the specific car that I want.

 

I bought my 2016 at the end of August last year and I think it was the sweet spot in terms of pricing, incentives, and availability of choices.

 

I would agree, that's usually when they need to clear out inventory.