Am I wrong for thinking this is a win/win solution?
Having just purchased my slightly used 2019 ES and having it parked until this recall has a fix (3-6 months) it makes total sense to me that Lexus would take my 2019 in as a trade and offer a significant incentive for me to purchase a brand new 2020. Consider the $45.00 per day rental for the next several months they are paying. Instead of shelling out to Enterprise, they can use those dollars for another unit sold. The dealer gets the sale, the customer is really happy, it's a win/win. So, I have called Lexus CS and two dealers. The dealers are offering me ridiculous (pathetic) trade-in value for my U/L ES with 3800 mi. and no incentive to purchase a new one other than current offers. Am I wrong in thinking this is a no brainer?

 

Look at marketing And operation perspective, 2019 ES at its first year trade in, you are looking at 20 to 25% of depreciation value. Dealer is not going to offer you anything that they can not make profit for BOTH new and tradin-in. You can simply calculate for what they were offering should be able to see that. Forget the $45 daily rental cost, it is reimbursed from corporate, plus the dealer actually cost set with enterprise under some kind of corp agreement and actual costs will be much lesser. Add to the whole recall associated costs, labors & materials are all from corp, none of those will impact the dealer bottom line in terms of costs and/or profit, there is no incentive to make you a good deal by cutting into their profit margins. So, there is no “win/win” situation here.

 

Hi Hzhao,
Understood. I am looking at it all and appreciate all the points you made., Corporate rates for rentals, marketing & operations. I had done some digging to see who was paying out for the rentals knowing it wasn't coming from the dealer, it comes from Lexus/Toyota Finance. My thought was that they would issue the incentive, not the dealer. Whatever their "corporate agreement is" it's still money going to Enterprise. Hey, I'm not looking to get the car for free but any incentive towards a new purchase would be a smart marketing move in my opinion. I do suspect though, if they did it for one, they'd have to do it for all and that could start a whole new set of problems. As far as my trade, I just bought it used, so I'm thinking the original owner took the big hit, We are talking trade-in offers in the low to mid 30s? Really? on a 53K MSRP just a year ago? I get they want a profit on the trade, I am seeing these low mileage (3,800) ES350 U/L selling anywhere from 39-52k. Let's not forget the dealer fees, etc. they make on top. Hey, at the end of the day, I took a shot at it. I will continue to drive my 2019 Caddy rental for the next 3-6 months on Lexus and when the fix comes, drive the car I actually bought and enjoy it!

 

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/202...0V012-2668.pdf

 

Mine came back as needing this work performed as part of the recall so I will keep my eyes on this once things settle down and bit with this pandemic we are all dealing with. As of right now I have no need to drive the GX...

 

Just got the recall notice in the mail today and spoke to dealer, sine parts are still on order and no ETA yet, under the safety recall reason, Lexus has contracted Enterprise Rental to provide long term rental on monthly basis if customer chooses not to drive the GX until recall got completed. It is customer’s decision if you want to store the car in the dealer or at own place while waiting for the parts. With that been said, I am going to pickup the rental at dealership tomorrow. Dealer will request a comparable SUV, and will see what they provide. Either way, since wont be using the car a lot under current “stay at home” condition, that arrangement might just work out the best.

 

What vehicle did they end up putting you in?

 

They gave me the choice of Chevy Suburban, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Seiara, which were available at the time. I took the Nissan since I had one before and it is well equipped as well. Don’t want to drive a school bus (Suburban) or want to see myself in a mini van for extended time as well. Of cause I still has my GX at home until they received part, but don’t expecting anytime soon. The current rental is set for 30 days.

 

Ok, I'm scheduled to pickup a rental tomorrow from Enterprise but at most its a midsize suv I was told. (usually that means a Ford Edge)

 

I got a brand new 2020 Ford Explorer Limited.

I told them I needed three row seats Like the gx460.

i was also offered Nissan Pathfinder with three row seats but hard to resist a brand new explorer with 4 miles.

 

it is very much regional inventory dependent and what’s available at the one has contracted with your dealer.

 

Just reporting back that they ended up putting me in a Tahoe..

 

Mine is on the recall list and good to know you can get a rental until they fix it. I got no mail stating recall yet.

 

You don’t have to waiting for the mail, can simply call the dealer service department to ask for the rental until the service is completed regardless how long it might take for dealer to obtain the part for the recall. Because it is related to secondary fuel pump and it has been deemed “unsafe” to drive, that is what the rental program for. It goes on monthly contract. If the recall can not be performed before the rental contract expires, just call the dealer that they will renew it.

 

It has been a month with Enterprise Rental and still waiting for the parts for the recall. Since the original rental was set for a month, called Lexus for renew, I was told the rental was actually set for 120 days. I guess it will be for awhile before this recall could take place. Adding current situation, it could be even longer. The Enterprise Agent contracted with Lexus has been very proactive and nice. The guy contacted me and asked about rental experiences, also offered me to another car due to the one I had will be due for oil change soon. Now, I am in a new loaded 2020 Mazda CX-5.