Just a few days ago you mentioned this:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=50

Isn't it nice to know there are dealers that know what they're talking about? Instead of the same bs most unexperienced salespeople will say..."No you can't do it."

 

I wouldn't exactly say they were knowledgeable, but at least they called corp and learned something.

I will feel much better once I have a build date and VIN number.

 

Is there any confirmation (other than verbal) once a special order is in the system. ie. build number, build date, VIN, etc? I'd like to get some kind of confirmation from my dealer, just because I'm still not 100% sure they did place the order. Call me paranoid, but a $4K deposit should warrant some assurance.

 

My dealer didnt give me confirmation either, but he did show me the print out from their computer system. There were 5 vehicles on the order; mine was the only IS. He went over each option code with me and showed me in the book to make sure it was correct. He said that I would unlikely hear anythying for 2 months or more.

He also said that, after they placed the order, they called the factory to make sure they had it, just to make sure it went through since the factory doesnt communicate with them until the car is done.

It would be nice if Lexus had a way to track orders. FedEx, UPS, NewEgg.com, Dell and others have been doing this for years. It would be a very good thing for the customer experience.

 

A good dealership will tell you this information as soon as they get it on their allocation sheet. Vin#, color and etc. If you're that uneasy about putting in your deposit, you went to the wrong dealership to put your order in. A $500 deposit is usually the minimum requirement...and is all you need to get your name on that list. $4k? Sounds like insecurity to me.

 

I assume they'll tell me the info when they get it, but how long until they get that info?

They wanted the same deposit as the RX400h. Insecurity?!? By whom, me or them? That's what they asked, that's what I gave. I have no problem with the deposit amount, as long as they do their job.

 

Just stay on top of em. $4k deposit? Not even a huge dealership like Longo asks you for that much.

 

Believe me I'll be on them. It was Putnam in RWC.

 

I've special ordered a Matrix before. At the end of the day Lexus is Toyota, and when it comes to getting a car from one of their plants, it works the same regardless of the badge on the car.

You CAN DO THIS. My advice:

1.) Do your homework. Research forums like this, checkout edmunds, and the lexus website. Really study every detail about what you want, down to those asterisks and exceptions in fine print!
BUT...don't put too much stock in the "build your own lexus" website. It often doesn't represent what is POSSIBLE. More often than not they allow you to "build" what the dealers in that region commonly order. You need to find out "what's possible" (see #2).

2.) Find a dealer, even if it's not in your area, who is willing to help you clarify what options can be ordered with others.
I knew what I wanted, but it took a dealer 500 miles away, who was unusually helpful, to help me learn what I could and couldn't special order. She faxed me the gridsheet that showed what option could be ordered with what, what couldn't be ordered without or with another options, etc.
From that I knew more than the local dealers. I told them what I wanted, and when their supposidly smart guy questioned an option I wanted, I told him I had a Toyota sheet showing it could be ordered that way, and to check with Toyota.

The car came the way I wanted. I had to wait 10 weeks. But I'm sure an IS will take longer since it comes by boat from Japan.

Finally, I don't understand all this who-ha about Lexus dealers who act like they don't know how to special order. From 2003-2005 every IS 300 Sportcross had to be special ordered either by the dealer who ordered one on spec, or by a customer who really wanted one (at least in the region I'm in). I can't believe these guys lost their brains in the last 6 months. I mean come on. It sounds like they just want to push what's on the lot. I mean, they may not be there in 3 months to get credit for the sale, so why not force you to buy today?

My 2cents worth...

 

Well said Knox.

 

Hey knox, I'm assuming your in Knoxville right? I'm up here in Kingsport, and am not at all impressed with our Lexus dealer. Was thinking about maybe driving to Knoxville to check out the IS, as my dealer doesn't seem to know (or care) when one might arrive here. How is the Knoxville dealership to talk with? I'm not ready to buy yet, but would like to get a look at the car in person and maybe speak to someone who actually knows a bit about the car.

Even if I don't buy an IS for another year, I will remember what dealers are willing to at least talk to a customer, and don't act like it's a chore that someone wants to talk about the car. Just like that commercial on tv, customer service is becoming non-existant in more and more areas of retail.

 

Hey TNGreg!

Yes, I'm in Knoxville. And funny you should ask. I emailed both the Kingsport and Chattanooga dealers about their upcoming allocations a week ago. I never heard back from Kingsport (I mean, if you give an email address, you'd better check it). But I've exchanged emails with Joe Craton in Chattanooga all week long and he seems like a really good guy (jcraton@lexusofchattanooga.net). I'd like to work with him further.

I've had mixed results with Lexus of Knoxville. I tried buying a pre-owned vehicle from them more than once and both times the experience boiled down to your used car lot/typical salesman approach. The last negotiation began by them printing out a kelly blue book sheet with retail resale price and placing it before me -- on a car they'd just taken in trade, needed tires badly, and when they hadn't even considered what to price it at yet. Better yet, they told me it would NEVER be certified b/c it had less than 20k miles. 5 weeks later the car was still in their lot, was $5,000 less, somehow was "certified" and had brand new tires.

Later, I was in a bind and had to sell a Sportcross I had acquired and got them to appraise it twice. Their used car manager (Don) treated me like a fly to be shoo'ed away. He gave me short curt responses and basically told me my car had devalued $11,000 from original value within a few months simply b/c the '05s had come out. I can understand them not wanting to buy it. After all, Sportcrosses were a hard sell to begin with. If he'd politely told me that, or that he had more than enough used IS's on his lot, I would have understood his reasoning. I didn't feel like I was treated like a Lexus customer should be. The worst part was Carmax gave me $2,000 more for the car than the Lexus dealer offered.

As far as buying, they don't seem any different than any other car dealership. On the flipside, their service department was great. First class.

I'll visit their lot and look at cars after hours. But as long as Don is there I'll never enter negotiations with them. I'll go wherever is necessary and give someone else my business and $$.

Let me know if you visit the dealership and how it goes. They have 2 new IS's now, a black 250 and light blue 350. Both are already on ebay, not sure why.

 

Actually you can do exactly that with BMW - right down to tracking the boat across the Atlantic.

 

Woa woa now... 4 month wait!? I special ordered my IS last week and they told me 2 months... then again my salesman was clueless about a lot of things, so now I'm left wondering if they lied to get me to make the purchase b/c I told them that I needed a car SOON. 2 months is pushing it, but 4 months is unacceptable! Anyone else hear what waiting times would be like for special orders?

 

This amazes me. This dealership didn't know about special ordering and had to speak to the district manager!? You mean to tell me that they've NEVER special ordered a car before you came in!? Don't misunderstand me, it's not that I don't believe you. I'm just completely amazed that nobody special ordered a car from that dealership before. They must have been able to convince a ton of customers that you only get a car from what's in stock or what's coming in the next allotment.