Lem144

I just called a couple of Lexus dealers in Colorado and the car does not exist there. Mike at Stevenson Lexus said it is NOT possible to order a car with a specific set of options. WTF! Doesn't anyone have a straight answer? This whole process is a f-ing nightmare. I feel like I should just special order a BMW and pick the sucker up at the factory. LOL.

TimboIS

I think this IS is the first car that's had such a high demand for non-standard configurations, that it's taken all the dealerships by surprise. Most have no clue how to place orders, as they've never had to do it with previous models. Many dealers won't take orders based on the fact that the lack of feedback during the process (to both the dealer and customer), will affect the satisfaction survey negatively. So the dealers chose not to take the risk, and say they can't/won't order. Maybe Lexus will make changes to the whole ordering system/process someday. The sad fact is, until then you just have to suck it up, or go with a German car (they have the ordering process down to a science).

BShears

A number of dealers I met with initially resisted special orders but when pushed said it was an option. They don't like special orders, they want to sell what they have. The dealer I finally went with had no problem with a special order and pinned the delveriy date to 3-5 months (30 days into it and counting). I negotiated $3K off MSRP for a 250 AWD, SGM, black interior, ML, Nav, Lux, parking assist.

Important: I got a copy of the order he placed, with all the car details and our negotiated price. I also have comfirmation that it has been accepted by Lexus. Without it I wouldn't know if he really placed the order.

P.S. I must tell you the time REALLY goes slowly when spring is here and your cool new car is still 2-4 months away.

Lem144

What does the acceptance letter look like? I have a call in to my dealer to see if they have a similar letter.

shaolin

iTrader: (2)

They can hide it. They hid their car on the list as soon as possible so the other dealer won't know if this dealer have the car or not. Sometime they hide it too late and they other dealer will call them up for trade.

get your money back and go to another dealer or wait for new one.

good luck to you.

TimboIS

Special orders don't show up on the allocation sheets. Only the other vehicles.

Looking back on previous allocation sheets, shows 29 DSM ISs (11 250 RWD AT, 1 250 AWD, 17 350).

There is no Acceptance sheet. There is a Vehicle Change Request. It shows the differences in options from a vehicle the dealer has coming to them, and the one they want. The key words on the sheet are "CHANGE REQUEST COMPLETE" and "A Special Request has been placed to fulfill your change request". That just means the order manager has submitted it into their system, nothing more (ie. no commitment to build if the factory chooses not to, build date, or VIN).

BShears

I have a copy of the retail purchase order and a confirming e-mail from the dealer saying the order was accepted and on what date.

Lem144

Where are these 29 vehicles for? Any particular region? I can ask what date the order was accepted, right? If 29 DSMs were made recently, then they were in fact manufacturing them. Why is it just now that he is telling me that NO DSMs were being made? Do you have a date for those 29 cars? Manufacturing dates? Part of me feels like maybe they are telling the truth, but another part feels like somehow I am being deceived. I just want the real truth.

TimboIS

These were January West Coast. Of the 29, none were 250 manuals, and all had Cashmere interiors.

Lem144

Ok, cool. This still agrees with what they are telling me. Maybe they did not manufacture any DSMs during the winter?

Rockville

and now RWD automatic production is on hold. The 6 speed manuals come only with the Premium package here in the East. Desert Sage, Breakwater, Mystic Gold and Glacier Frost are currently Special Order only in the manual shift. I know it's very confusing both to you and the dealers. We have placed more special orders this model year than the last six years put together and the system is overwhelmed.

We were just allocated a Smoky Granite Mica 6 Speed with Nav, Mark Levinson, Lux pkg and Park assist which was made available from a special order cancellation. PM me if you are interested.... It should arrive in early May.

Rock

Lem144

So here is another update for those following the drama...

I spoke with the inventory rep. at my dealership again today and he told me Lexus has had issues with their ordering system. I told him I might want to wait for the 07s to come out, but he said he knows there will be absolutely no changes in 07. No manual in the 250 AWD or in the 350. He said these were questions that were asked last week at the regional meeting in New Jersey.

He told me they would refund $1000 of my $1500 deposit and order my car for mid summer, and that if I needed a car in between I could borrow one from them for a couple of days at a time.

I am feeling a little better about the experience, but am still upset. He said he has heard that the ordering process at BMW, Volvo, Mini is better before, and that Lexus needs to work to improve their system.

Thanks for all of your comments. I will post the 07 information in another thread to keep this one focused.

storm

Keep in mind that SGM is not a popular color, and the manual IS250s are also a lot less common than automatics. In addition, you're trying to get ML/NAV which I think would be difficult.

I think you should wait for an '07, or otherwise pick something "close" to your car from incoming inventory, and make the dealership give you an amazing deal on it for screwing up your previous order.

Also, in your case, the dealership will be making a minimal amount of profit on the deal. I think it's wrong that they lead you on, but I can see the business justfication as to why you don't have a car yet.

Lem144

They said two other people are in the same position as I am, and he even gave me a name of one of the other cutomers. He said the regional office has had some problem and I believe this guy. Why is SGM not popular? Everyone here loves it. The color I want, DSM, is not popular.

storm

Sorry that was a type, I was thinking DSM, but typed SGM. I'd imagine fewer cars get made in DSM, and even fewer are manual, and then a real tiny (or even no cars at all) w/NAV + ML.