I apologize if this info has been posted - but I could not locate. I did a quote inquiry here in NoCal about purchasing an 07 AWD GS350 and here is the response I got:

Lexus is not offering GS350 AWD for the Western Area for the month of Sept, Oct.It would have to be special order and it will take 4 to 6 months.

Is this correct? That seems insane

 

I got the exact opposite in the Midwest, I can only get AWDs and no RWD 350s. I had a local dealer here say if I wanted RWD get the 450h.

 

Sounds like you should contact a midwest dealer and get one shipped to you, i'd pay to ship one from the midwest before i'd wait 4-6 months on a special order.

Maybe get you CA dealer to work out a trade with a midwest dealer.

 

This might make my decision between the GS and M35x a lot easier. Unless of course Funky and I switch purchase requests and then meet in Utah to trade keys.

I have to say that is horrible planning on Lexus' part

 

That's what my dealer told me, too. With winter approaching, all the first allocation AWD's were being sent East, and there would be none available in California. I was planning to get an RWD anyway, but I thought that was rather surprising. It does snow on the Grapevine every so often.

 

Not as insane as it seems. I'm 99.99% sure Lexus looked at the
percentage of AWD's sold per geographic area and allocated
accordingly

 

Well this does bring up an interesting point. We have Funky in a snow region who seems to want RWD. Me in a non-snow region who wants AWD. That's two in a few posts in a few hours. I wonder how many people are in the same boat? It seems that there are many people in the M35 forums in sunny areas who have AWD.

Plus (and CA drivers please don't take this the wrong way) when we do hit our "winter" out here where it pours, I think I see more accidents here then when I used to live back east and it would snow.

 

Actually I'd settle for AWD if it had Nav and ML within 500+ miles and wasn't BSP, SGM, CSM, or Obsidian...the salt around here for every upcoming winter storm that turns out to be nothing makes it impossible to even tell what color the car is when it's darker.

 

Utah, are you kidding?!? You've obviously never driven I-70 through Kansas before to Denver...quite possibly the WORST 850 miles of nothing ever....

Look corn...look more corn...look cow...moooooo...more corn.

OMG I'm out!

 

A family friend works for the Chicago Region for Lexus, and I was trying to get him to help me get ahold of an AWD 350 (my AZ dealer gave me the same 4-6 month order window). He found one with the interior/exterior color combo and NAV, but told me that they don't package stock units with NAV and ML.

I ended up with a rear-wheel drive 4 days later. Questionable packaging, but I probably don't need AWD anyway.