I looked through all the other forum sections and wasn't sure where to put this and I am looking to purchase a 4th Gen so....I put it here. Again, new to the forums so still finding my way, I'm happy to move the post or have it moved.

I've been working with a dealer out of state - about 3-3.5 hours away. They've had a few cars posted that I was EXTREMELY interested in. I got insurance quotes and preapproved at the credit union for over the amount they were asking (just in case something else came up while I was there).

I called almost a week ahead - neither car had really had anything done to it. They rushed to get all the certifications, detail, etc... and by late in the week it was completely ready.

In the first case every indication was that they were holding the car but I'll admit - I never DIRECTLY asked them to hold it. That's on me.
In the second case I new their policy and chose to take a bit of a risk.

In both cases the cars sold literally at 8pm the night before I was about to head over.

Supposedly the only way the dealer will hold a car is if you wire them the full purchase amount. They want that immediately and won't hold it until it actually goes through. It's refundable but it takes them a number of days to get it back to you. That's why on the second one I took the risk.

I've had other dealers hold cars for small deposits or no deposit. This same company has dealerships all over the US and when I bought a car over a decade ago they held it until I could get there in three days. but the dealer has grown and expanded.

I also found two very similar discussions in DealerRater about the dealer (different actual dealership - but all were Lexus dealers). In one case guy was literally on the plane with a one way ticket, and got a message the car had sold so he got there to pick it up and it was gone so he had a weekend in a strange town, no ticket home since he was driving the car back, etc... In the second instance someone had worked out a deal at the end of the month on a Saturday. They said they'd cancel plans and drive over first thing Sunday to drop off a check and do everything. Dealer ship opened at 10, they got there at noon and the car was gone.

Another curious thing - they called me on 1/10 to tell me the car had sold - when I went to the car fax link they sent the car fax had updated itself and showed that it sold/was registered with the DMV on 1/6.

So - my question is - is this sort of thing normal now with lexus dealers? I've purchased a couple luxury cars and I've never had an experience that felt this horrible. Add to that there aren't many other dealers near by so if I want that 4th Gen GS (hopefully certified) there aren't a lot of choices unless I want to start buying plane tickets all over.

Second question - does anyone know how accurate those sale dates are on a car fax. Other things I could see being a bit out of line but I would think the registration stuff would be spot on.

 

When I flew out to buy my GS a $500 deposit is all they wanted to hold the car.

 

Car dealers and sales people's number one priority is moving cars out the door. Without a deposit, they will sell a car to the first person that shows them the money. This wouldn't be unique to Lexus. I'd have to imagine the number of folks following through with long-distance or out of state purchases is relatively low. The other item that might be an issue for you is where are you going to take it to get services? If the dealer is that far away it's going to be a nuisance to make a warranty claim.

 

I imagine he'll just take it to his local Lexus dealer like everybody else. Where you buy it from is irrelevant to the warranty service.

 

Typically any Lexus dealer locally will service your car as long as its under warranty or under an extended warranty/CPO.

@LexusGSboy the dealer will not hold the car until you leave a deposit. I've left a deposit on multiple Lexus cars and it was not made available to anyone else. I do remember going to check out an IS250 a few years back and although the shouldn't have, the dealer let me test drive it even though another customer already left a deposit.

Usually you can just leave the deposit on a credit card which also gives you some protection if any issues that come up with refunds. I've never heard of a dealer requiring the full amount before "holding" the car for you - unless they feel like you're not a serious buyer which you have no control over.

Don't let it bother you too much or deter you from your search. Just let them know other dealers have been willing to let you leave a good faith deposit on the car as a hold until you're able to get there and confirm the purchase - if they can't honor a smaller deposit to hold, then go elsewhere. Although the GS is not exactly a high volume seller, there are a lot of options when it comes to sellers (even places like on-line only sales like carvana or vroom which you may also consider).

 

I would be completely fine with a deposit of some sort $500, $1000, maybe even $2000, even if it only held the car for a day or so. I was close to doing the full wire transfer when I hit the point that it just seemed a bit much from what I was hearing from a few folks, I just wanted to make sure this wasn't the new "norm"

I would be torn on the letting someone drive it if I had left a deposit. I have to admit, if I driven 3 hours to look at one, saw another one that someone had placed a deposit on that I liked too, I would be thrilled that they let me drive it but I would also expect to be second in line. At the same time I realize I might be affecting that person's deal (as in the dealer knows they have another person that's interested and less likely to deal at all). On the flip side, if I was the person who left the deposit I might also be a little pissed but I would also partially understand. I mean, I've only given them a fraction of the cars price as a deposit and I'm wanting that refunded if I find something I don't like so I may need to let them have others test drive it.

INRE to service, I've been a bit torn there. I come from a family who has always owned businesses, I own my own business, and I believe in service and doing what's right for the customer. When a company doesn't really live up to that, I do take my business elsewhere. I would likely take the car to the local dealer for service while it was under warranty. Once it was out of warranty I would likely take it to the Toyota dealer who's great (there's been a few threads on here about that option), I'd take it to my mechanic I've known for a long time, or I'd take it to the Lexus dealer 90 minutes the other direction.

I did finally have a discussion with the dealer 90 minutes away (vs. 3 hours the other way) because they never seem to have GSs. With where they are, they just don't tend to sell. They do get them once in a while and I've made sure they know I'm interested. They're still family owned and much more reasonable about holds.

Thanks for the feedback - I'm just glad to know that expecting a dealer to hold a car with a small deposit even for a few hours so I can literally get there isn't totally unreasonable. I've been looking around the US and I don't want to waste my time if they're not going to hold it with a deposit while I fly in to pick it up.

 

Same here. It's absurd for a dealer to ask for a full price deposit. It's not like it's a rare Ford GT they're holding onto.

 

So this is my story of how I got my Lexus:

Initially I saw a 2016 GS350 F-Sport with 40k+ miles in Nevada (I live in Georgia) for 30k, I called and they said they still have it. So, like an idiot, I book a flight over and told them I'll stop by the next day to look over the vehicle and potentially purchase it. Once landed I got an email from them telling me that they have someone had come in and put a deposit on the vehicle. I was crushed!!! But, as it turns out, everything happened for a reason. That night in Vegas I was searching for some vehicle and plan on driving to California to look at a couple since that was my backup plan anyhow, and right next to the Lexus Dealership that had sold the 2016 GS was a Hyundai dealership, and they had a 2018 GS 350 FSport with only 10k miles for 37k. It is a bit more than what I was looking for, but it check all the boxs that I wanted. I stop by the next morning and the car was virtually Brand-new. The previous owner took extremely great care of it and it was like love at first sight. The dealership mention that the car is a curse for them for some reason, they cannot get rids of it for the past 4 months. Now I am a proud owner of a 2018 GS with no regrets Don't stress out, relax and the car that meant for you will show up

 

knbnguyen - I have to admit - I don't think I'd buy a ticket without knowing it would be held for me but I can totally agree with you about the love at first site and that the car that is meant for me will show up. That's how it happened with my Infiniti - but now that I've been test driving a lot I really just want to get one now!

 

Same here. I'd never travel to get a car unless I knew for sure it was mine if I wanted it. I did that very thing a couple of months ago, going about 900 miles one way to get my 2016 AWD Luxury that I own now. I gave them a $1000 deposit and they held it for me for 3 days until I could get there. They were really great, because they had 3 other deposits that people put down if I fell through. They could have sold it to the first guy out, but they held it for me instead. That was a Chevy dealer. So there are dealers out there that will hold cars and honor their word. I just wouldn't travel without a guarantee though.

 

I have been looking for a car for some time now.

Confirm with the dealer that deposit is refundable. One dealer told me it can be used against another car at the dealership but it is not refundable. Didn't know this could even be the case but was glad to find out beforehand. Obviously I declined to put deposit and took a risk to go check it out. It was only 200 mile drive so no plane tickets and such. Everything happens for good. Car tires were bald and don't know what other problems it might have.

I put a deposit after doing enough research with a good confidence that I might buy the car. Also, use credit card, preferably Amex.

 

I believe an important first step is to establish a relationship with a salesperson. In my area cars priced aggressively get sold fast. And if not sold they get transferred. A good salesperson can let you know what is going on based on what he or she knows. If you find a GS meeting your needs and wants don’t wait.

 

Well this may make some of you crazy. I never have driven in or stepped foot into a Lexus dealership in my life up until May 19. I was an Acura guy and was fooling around looking at RLX Hybrid when for some reason a 2015 Black Fsport 450h popped up on cars.com in April 19 for like $35k no CPO at the Lexus dealership right by my work. I researched the car somewhat, but living in Florida, black not a good color. It was sold in days. Then another 450h pops up at the same dealership a week or two later. Did I mention I literally can walk to it in 5 minutes, it is that close. The car sat there for about three weeks and I did some more research. They dropped the asking price and I said what they heck, on my lunch hour, I took myself over there unannounced, took a test drive, and was hooked. So I tell people I bought the car during my lunch break. Well, I agreed to come back after I thought about it since they met my offer price during my lunch visit. I ended up finalizing the deal that evening. Commute to and from the dealership twice was like 10 minutes. So yes, sometimes the car finds you.

 

Dealers are just liars and scumbags in my opinion regardless of the caliber of car until you get over $100K mark, and then no guarantees....
G

 

Although mostly true - there are some exceptions. However, all salespeople tend to be this way because they have quotas to reach or are wrongly motivated. With that said, it should come as no surprise that companies that sell cars exclusively online without a salesman are thriving.

Finding a good, trustworthy dealership is like finding a seat on the train during the morning rush hour in NYC.