I was hoping someone could give me some perspective on a buy back experience. If they have agreed to take back the car - is it typical that the dealer will provide the same package or an upgrade? In this case - I have an ES - looking at IS - but to get bluetooth need Nav - so it's more... do i have to cover difference?

Other discussion is around another ES - worried that if I get another ES - same problem - Logic would say the ES on resale is worth less due to the transmission issues out there - make case for add on's to raise value??? like plus package or nav unit..

Anything I should be asking for like 100k warrantee??

or am I just barking up the wrong tree and go get a TL??

Any suggestions on how to approach this appreciated

 

yes, if you want more equipment or more car you pay the difference

 

J.J. So many people are talking about buy backs and issues with the ES. Was wondering what the word is behind the scenes at the dealerships. Have there been memos from Lexus about the tranny issue? Other issues? How are sales? Does everything seem to be normal with the ES? Was just wondering how things are going in the eyes of the dealer.

Thanks in advance.

 

That only makes sense. But, do you know if Lexus offers support to the customer or dealer to help minimize that difference?

 

The question about support is what I am asking.. Dont want to take advantage of situation, but feel like it is the responsibility of Lexus to make this work.. I have been driving a loaner more than my own car at this point - and I have had it since december..

Has anyone done any research on the value impact of the transmission issue on the resale of these cars??

 

jj's response will certainly be better and more accurate than mine, but I noticed the Jan and Feb sales of the new ES were about 5,300 each month which was a 50%-60% increase vs. the previous year with the outgoing ES330. I also saw on another thread (maybe Car Chat) that according to JD Power, the 350 had an average stay of only 16 days on dealers lots which was the 3rd shortest of the listed cars. So I would think that sales are good. Also, if you look at consumer reviews on Yahoo, Edmunds and MSN overall, they're quite favorable. So in the big picture things seem to be OK with the car, IMO. I hope I'm correct, as I own one too!

 

the only time i hear about how bad the es350 is is on this forum. i havent had a single issue in my service dept. es350 sales have never been better, i could use a few truckloads right now. not worried in the least.

 

Yeah - and I am trying to decide if I want to own another noe - I sure like the car except for the tranmission

 

you get the difference at cost

 

mjm,



Our data here is not much different than elsewhere and more detailed Ibelieve because we are an actual Lexus owners site rather than a generic site.

I looked at transmission on Yahoo because that is my main concern as is yours for a repeat experience, but did casually notice many mentions of wind noise and engine noise as well just as you see our members report here.

20 percent of yahoo members report a hosed up transmission, closely approaching that reported by our own members on our problems with poll.
http://autos.yahoo.com/lexus_es_350-...rt=61&show=atl


Good luck with your buyback, you should request whatever would make you feel right given your experiences, the transmission is a serious item to consider when making your decision.

 

your situation is like mine.

I've been driving a loaner more than my own car.

From what I see, the ES sales are red hot.
I'd be confident to say that 90% of buyers are not as informed as people who visit this forum. So the ES is still selling like hotcakes.

I was just talking to a local salesman recently, and he said he'll give a 10% discount just like that. They have 12.x% margin to work with.

 

I agree that this forum might draw a more informed and concerned buyer/shopper, but when you look at the consumer reviews from the various sources, it looks like there is definitely a large percentage of satisfied owners out there. Averages for all consumer reviews = Edmunds 9.2 points out of 10, MSN 8.5 out of 10, Yahoo 3.5 out of 5 and Car & Driver 8.5 out of 10.

 

no way is that close to accurate - thats 1 in 5. i would have seen at least a dozen and probably more if that were the case. i think this is a case of the unhappy being more vocal than others.

 

mj: since I went through ES350 buyback, going into GS cost me only a difference in the final selling price and taxes on that difference. If you want a piece of mind, stay away from another ES350. I know exactly what you are going through. Paranoia of watching you tachometer spike up will not go away even with a perfect ES.

Regarding ES350 sales and other bla bla ba. Sales numbers doesn't speak for product quality. According to sales report, GS sales are dropping significantly. While, at least here on East Coast, you can hardly get any GS without waiting (stock is extremely limited), and their lease prices are ridiculously expensive due to Lexus dropping the residual value of the car.

Lexus already dropped to #5 in CR customer satisfaction thanks to dashboard rattles. Current rating by websites/magazines mentioned above based on a new car purchase. When I got my ES350 survey, I put every single high mark. If I would get it 3 month after my purchase, it would of been different. We just going to wait and see CR rating for Lexus drop even farther (playing a catch up with MB) and will read more about ES350 tranny issues (with close to 1,000 buybacks and thousands of replaced trannies to date).

 

My Consumer Report Annual Car issue arrived at the house today. It gave a fantastic rating to the new ES350. It will be intersting to see next year's issue when they rate the 07 as used and base their data on the owner survey.

On another note, I do get new cars every 2 years/45K miles and I hope this ES holds its value for me. I don't need negative press causing resale values to drop.