Hi everyone! I am a newbie here and am shopping for my first Lexus after years of admiring them. This is also the first brand new car that I will buy and I have to admit it has been quite the experience. Although, for the most part, things were going well until I got to the finance manager. First they tried to get me to finance through Lexus but I explained I wanted to go with my credit union which will match their interest rate. I spent roughly 10 min with the finance mgr and ultimately ended up letting them know I needed to reevaluate leasing vs purchasing, and said I would like to do a little more research and will contact them the next day.

Well, I decided to stick with the original plan and purchase with a decent down payment, but emailed the sales manager and asked about an $1890 accessories charge and $30 other charge because the sticker doesn't mention anything about it (I am getting the ES premium package). I realize 12/31 is one of their busiest days of the year but four hours later they never responded. I ended up texting my sales person and asked if they knew what the charge was for and they later wrote back, "The accessories on the car covers the paint, interior trim and as well as rim and tire." That sounds odd to me because all of that should be covered by the premium package. Am I wrong? I should note that my otherwise kind and friendly sales person has suddenly become aloof which is really disappointing. Thank you in advance for any insight you can provide.

 

I’ll not address any content as I was a cash buyer and am no expert at those issues.
Be aware the wonderful and very reliable 7 Gen ES 350 is expected to be re-designed for MY 2025. The Generation 8 is expected. This may have various ramifications, all of which are the subject of much speculation and debate. The car may be modernized (4 cyl. turbo) for better or worse, depending on your preferences, etc. The “left over” 2024’s could be available for good prices, maybe even rebates or they become scarce and available only in limited colors and quantities. Don’t know. Just be aware of all this and make it all a part of your equation when developing your buying strategy.
We may even get A.S.S. in MY 2025, which is actually a deal breaker for some of us , me included.

 

Thank you for the tip. I will keep that in mind and try and get caught up on conversations about the redesign.

 

Sounds like BS extra profit.

 

That's exactly what I thought. Thank you.

 

For those that don't know what this means, could you please? Definitely not for me, as I know what it is, but for other people.

 

A.S.S. = Automatic Start/Stop
Pretty common knowledge by now, especially for those interested in cars.

 

Based on your description, it sounds like it's a dealership warranty that they throw in. That's a pretty big chunk of change, so I'd argue to get that cost removed and the "extra coverage" that's provided within this accessories package.

Noticed your username, if you don't mind, could you share which dealership you went to? In March 2022, I was in talks with various dealerships around the Bay Area, past Sacramento, and down to SoCal. Some I turned down due to their poor communication and broke deals with 2 of them.

 

"The accessories on the car covers the paint, interior trim and as well as rim and tire." That sounds odd to me because all of that should be covered by the premium package. Am I wrong?”

Sounds like they’re trying to sell you the ceramic coating, interior protectant, and the wheel and tire insurance. The finance person always tries to sell these things to customers, and they get a kick back from it.

And the premium package is an option package for the base ES. It doesn’t “cover” anything.

 

Agree with last two comments. Sounds like they’re selling extra “protection packages” which will add some insurance coverage on glass paint and interior and wheels.

I opted not to get any of this.

 

Based on your quoted text "accessories" description it doesn't sound like what's covered is really accessory accessories; instead, it sounds like the list of strictly optional dealer add-on "packages" for things like interior leather protection treatment, limited wheel repair plan, no damaged paint minor dent repair plan, some sort of limited coverage tire damage plan, and some kind of relatively cheap paint "protection" coating (not ceramic coating or paint protection film). It been 4 years since I purchase my ES so my memory is a little fuzzy on the exact details of the "extras" the dealer's paperwork closers were offering up. Fortunately, my local area California Lexus dealer's pitch was a pretty soft sell approach - just described and let me read over the written details of each "extra" and just asked if I wanted it check the box and sign on the signature line. I didn't want any and that was the end of the "extras" sales pitch.

There's quite a few Lexus dealers scattered around in California with base plus Premium package ESs on the new car lot. Search the inventory of the dealers within reasonable driving range for an ES that comes close to or matches the one you're trying to buy and see what their sales offer is. You aren't necessarily going to purchase one from another dealer but it will give you negotiating leverage to get the "$1890 accessories charge and $30 other charge" removed - "Take them off or I buy from your competitor". No matter how strenuously the sales person asks there's no reason to tell the him/her anything specific about the competitor or the competitor's offer - just that offers exist without those charges.

In case you aren't aware of it, on the CA DMV web site there's a New Vehicle Fees Calculator where you input a few vehicle details, purchase price, purchase date, your county, city, and ZIP code of your residence and it will calculate the sales tax and registration (licensing) fee. While a reputable dealer won't try to screw you over on the CA taxes and fees, it's best to have that cost available to check the dealer's figures.

 

Hi! Thank you for the great tip about getting a few nearby competitor quotes. I will give it a try and see how it works.
And, I was not familiar with the feature on the DMV website and appreciate it as well. Their quote for tax and registration is pretty close.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has provided input so far.

 

I just wanted to give you all a quick update to my OP. I reached out to the salesperson I was working with for more clarification on the $1890 accessories charge and they came back later saying it was for Perma Plate coverage. I told them I wasn't comfortable paying nearly $2,000 for an add-on I am not interested in, and asked if they could check and see if they will remove it. He came back later and said no. I thanked him and said this is where I have to back away from the offer.

Thank you to everyone who chimed-in. I really appreciate it.

 

Good for you! There’ll be plenty of FAIR deals available down the road. Wait for the car you want on YOUR terms. It’ll happen.My dealer has 142 2024 ES 350’s! There’s an abundance of merchandise out there. Just gotta’ be in the right place at the right time.

 

I had an excellent experience with a professionally applied ceramic coating (CQuartz) on my RC350. It takes the detail shop 2 to 3 days to prepare the car and apply the coating, and it costs between one and two thousand dollars (closer to two).
I was interested in purchasing a '24 ES350 UL off the showroom floor when I inquired about a dealer charge for about $900.00 for some kind of "coating." They mentioned "ceramic" and said "we always do all cars," etc. Upon further inquiry they told me the coating is applied in their shop and takes about an hour. At this point, I knew it was no good.
I told them what I wanted my detail shop to do, and that I would not pay for whatever their coating was - I even used the D-word ("dealbreaker"). They grouped for one of those I-need-to-talk-to-my-manager huddles, and agreed to take off the charge and not apply whatever it is they apply.
Had it already been done, it would have been removed when my detailer prepped the car for a real ceramic coating, and there might have been more resistance to removing the charge, but they probably would have done it anyway, as I doubt they have over $100.00 in costs for this money-maker.
This sounds pretty much like the "Perma Plate" deal the OP faced, and he did the right thing in walking away from the deal, which is what I would have done.
My free advice: never accept a paint protection option from a dealership; it's surely not a quality ceramic coating and surely not applied correctly. If you want a coating like this, have a reputable detailer do the job. You'll get a better product and a better warranty. If the dealership insists, just walk. There are a lot of cars out there waiting to be bought.