Hi Everyone -

First of all, thanks for providing hours of useful and fun reading. I am seriously considering a GS F-sport, but want to make sure I understand the proper way of getting into one, for the best possible price.

My ideal GS will be a Starfire Pearl with Cabernet interior, DRS, ML, Nav, BSM, HUD, IPA. I understand getting one like this almost certainly would require a special order. I am willing to compromise on the exterior color (just dont want Obsidian to avoid the upkeep), and to some extent the interior (will go with Flaxen if really necessary). I must have the ML and Nav. DRS I am not so sure about because I haven't driven one with it. I will probably be ok without it, but will probably end up wondering later if I should have gotten it.

On to my questions:
1. I would like the car by May 10th. I'm in SoCal, so if ordering, when is the latest I should place the order?
2. Is the best way to start the process to get quotes via sites like Costco, CarWoo, TrueCar (any others?)? Do I go with one of these, or go through all? Do I submit the request with my ideal options and then do the dealers respond with quotes irrespective of whether the car needs to be ordered or not?
3. Once I have quotes, do I then contact them individually to further drive down the price? Seems like invoice may be possible on special orders (via Longo Lexus for example in this area) and below invoice on picking up something on the lot somewhere.
4. Do the quotes usually include all fees, so that I can look at the whole picture and make sure there aren't any bogus fees?
5. Do I put a deposit with the final dealer that I decide to work with, and do they at that point try and find the car that I want, or tell me that they need to order? Just not clear on the timing of when I find out that the car needs to be ordered vs. settling on a deal vs. when to put a deposit (I'm assuming this is refundable?)

Is there a process flow somewhere for dummies that depicts the best way to get into the GS that you want for the best possible price?

Thanks!

 

I would not trust most of the outside quotes to be honest. Just know your invoice for the car you are interested in and shop the Lexus dealers for the best price. You tell them you want the car for invoice plus certain amount of money above it. Its a hot car and don't expect to get cheap deals like the ES or RX ever. If you are interested in leasing, check out www.ridewithg.com to get the lease payments (residual, money factor, etc) for the month. Go to www.truecar.com to get the GS F-sport customized and find the invoice and what people are paying in the area then aim for the price in the "Best" region.

 

I know in our area those options are a special order only, I had the same issue and I made the mistake of getting the one on the lot. Now I wish I got those options so I would say go for it, I'm pretty sure that will be a special order though. DRS is worth every penny, I've driven one and if I didn't live in the East Coast I would def have that. Like Rexus300 said know your invoice price and work from there, good luck.

 

thank you both. one of the things I still need to figure out is whether I should buy or lease. I've never leased before, so the link above will definitely help. I also need to go through leaseguide.com. Given the expected changes for next year (8 speed, maybe more power, etc), I would guess resale value down the road will suffer if I purchase. But I would really need to convince my wife if leasing because she's totally against the idea.

Others, feel free to answer some of my other specific questions. you can pick and choose the ones you can help me with. Any input will help!

 

If you are speaking about resale value on a lease it doesn't matter as the value is calculated when you purchase the car so what they say the car is worth is the resale value. I'm not really sure on leasing but I have heard its pretty good for people who wish to have new cars every couple years and basically pay a lower payment vs financing. Some others will be able to help you with numbers on a lease once you get the pricing.

 

I know for a fact that Cerritos Lexus wil be getting an obsidian / cabernet without DRS and HUD in the next few weeks (It was reserved for me, but I decided to get those two options instead.) A similarly equipped starfire pearl one will be follwing that one about two weeks later. Both are F-Sports. You should give them a call.

 

Thanks! Do you mind sharing who you worked with and what was the deal? Do you know if the starfire pearl will have the cab interior also?

 

I meant resale value if I purchase. Guessing it will suffer if Lexus does indeed put in a 8-spd transmission in the next couple of years and if it has other significant changes.

 

Actually, in my experience you can get a much better deal on a GS than an ES right now. I got 10% off of my GS, couldn't even do 5% on an ES.

 

Your configurations will likely require a special order. And if you want it by May, you probably should have ordered a couple weeks ago to be sure. They usually take no more than 90 days to come in from what I hear.

I wouldn't rely too much on those websites. I went that route initially and they basically just hook you up with a dealership. They don't care if you came from costco, truecar, etc. They just use those avenues to get you in the door. True negotiations will occur when you're actually there (some will allow discussion over the phone) and a "good deal" is really a matter of your own perspective. So do the research and decide what you would be happy to pay. And yes, deposits are refundable.

 

I have just recently been through the special order process myself, I did not want a poorly equiped car off of the lot (sorry if I offended anyone), HUD and ML was a must for me so I special ordered last month. Things maybe a little different here on east coast but the special orders go in on the 20th of every month so if you place your order on the 21st you have to wait another month before your order goes in. Depending on how big your dealership is plays a role in your wait time The special orders from larger dealers get fulfilled first. The wait in anywhere from 8-16 weeks.

2- have an idea of what invoice is for the car you want and negotiate from there you can look at truecar or edmunds. Once you know what you want email local dealers and wait to see their response. If you want your car by May special order becaus eth window will close soon on 2013 special orders You will not find a car that well optioned on a lot unless its someone elses special order that turned it down. You will by far get a better price purchasing a car on the lot but you will have to make sacrifices.

3 once you have your quotes than you can try playing hardball but most dealers do not budge on special orders, 1 dealer told me they require a 10k non refundable deposit and I would have to pay MSRP I walked right out.

4- quotes are just based on invoice and usually do not include destination fee and other misc doc fees etc
5- you will have to put down a deposit when you order the vehicle my dealer wanted a 2500 non refundable i negotiated down to 1500

I would buy and not lease but thats just me.

good luck

 

You should probably lease if ur worried about resell.

 

That's difficult to say 100%. GS's also have more of a margin to play with than the ES.

 

The person I worked with was Eddy Lin. Sorry, not sure what the starfire's interior was ... I had my heart set on obsidian/cabernet.

 

Thanks!

Thanks much for the detailed response! I think I am leaning towards just picking something up on the lot to make it easier and more cost-efficient. This probably means I may have to give up on HUD, which should be fine because its something I've never had so nothing to miss, and on DRS, which will be a bit more painful, but I know it will still be fun without it for daily driving. I just need to make sure I never ever try one with DRS!

Ya, hopefully I can find something in the next couple of months without ordering.