Xanadu350

It's nearly impossible to find a loaded IS350 with Lux/Nav/ML/Spoiler in the U.S. unless you special order and wait 4 months. The ones that are available are always the wrong color combo and they are few and far between to pick from. I'm ready to buy now but in the past month of looking there have only been a few to pic from in the whole U.S. and it's usually got the wrong int color or ext color that I want.

I was told from my local dealer that basically the IS350 is a dead product and that Lexus is concentrating now on the 250 instead of the 350 so that is why it's hard to find a 350. In fact when I was at my dealer few weeks ago there were 10 x 250's to 1 x 350 on the lot. Is this because Lexus is still working out the bugs with this car, rattles etc.. so they are making fewer of them. Or is it that if a person is going to shell out $45k for a loaded IS than they will up it to a GS.

Now I am hesitant to order and may just wait and see what happens with the 350, is it not doing so well financially for Lexus? Why does it have to take 4 months to order, cant they just fax my order to Japan, make the car on the assembly line and have it shipped within 1.5 month. If there not making many loaded IS350's than why wouldn't the order be quicker unless Lexus is scaling back on production of the 350's in general.

Anyone shed some light?

Pwyll

The dealer is telling you a bunch of crap. Approximately one 350 is sold to every five 250s

Pickings are slim, yes, but it has nothing to do with the car being a "dead product". Additionally, the comment about Japan holding up production to work out kinks and rattles etc. is nonsense. The 250 is the same exact car, with the exception of the engine and suspension.

Lexus' regional allocation is mainly the problem in the U.S. for folks trying to find the car they want. I went through that issue when I bought my 350 last June. I almost had to special order, but was lucky that someone canceled their deal upon arrival at the port on the exact car I wanted.

Do your homework man and don't let a dealer fool you.

Wai

Have you been searching for the car thru your sales person database? Have you tried to call every single dealership within your driving distance (like 100 miles radius)?

If not, I'm almost 100% sure that your dealership is trying to "remove you from the market". By telling you such stories, they can keep you out of the market and when you are worn out, you would settle with something they have or even a different model.

When we purchased ours, our dealer also told us there's none around the area, or kept calling back with cars that didn't have the exact combo we wanted. We finally got fed up and started calling other dealerships. SURE ENOUGH, there was one with the exact combos we want about 30 miles away. They weren't willing to trade it off because they knew someone is looking to buy it. Why gave the profit away?

When your dealership called up another dealership for a particular car, the other dealership would know that someone is looking, and would not be willing to trade it off (no profit). They would wait for the buyer to come find it.

Good luck with your search.

iSuxeL

iTrader: (21)

I was lucky, I only wanted a 350 with NAV, but they had one coming in a week CW w/BLK interior, ML, NAV, LUX, sport package. Sorry I didnt mean to make that sound like I was rubbing it in.

Xanadu350

Pwyll, yes I've been doing my homework, actually been watching this car since it first came out but wanted to wait for the 07's before getting one, now I'm ready to buy but there is nothing available in a fully loaded 350.

Wai, you may be on to something, I've been only working with 1 dealer, I think you might be right, I'm glad you posted that. I may have to open my horizons and make some other calls. One just tends to believe what you are told that Lexus is scaling back on loaded 350's so maybe I need to call around and be the squeeky wheel. I'm not going to settle for something I don't want. I just can't understand why it seems that since I want these options that automatically makes it a special order. Here I am willing to spend $45k for a loaded 350 and I can't find one in the combo I want.

iSuxeL, no problem, I am happy for you, that is what it's all about, making sure your happy with your purchase.

LexFather

Your dealer is full of it. IS production is peaked out. The car is in high demand worldwide, Lexus cannot build enough.
From my understanding they changed production last year from 70/30 250 to 350 to 60/40 250 to 350.

Dabigman

If a dealer gave me a load of BS that big I wouldn't ever come back.

I bought mine from a Florida dealer, what dealer is this?

tris300

The dealer is full of BS. I went to several dealers here in So Cal last November looking for a specific model and color combination. Everyone wanted to sell me something other than what I wanted. I finally got with the internet sales manager at another dealership and we reviewed the allocation report for the western region. We found the color/package combo I was looking for and reserved it while it was on the boat. The car came in two weeks later and I got what I wanted.

rhsmd

it's all in the allocations for the region.
the sales managers get togethjer,( they met last week in portland) and decide what each region wants/needs.
having lived in South florida a few years ago, i wouldn't be surprised if the dealers there would prefer to stock up on 250's. they can sell them easier to a larger audience( the 250 being a more sedate car)..
as for your fully loaded is350 with nav ml,luxury with 18" and spoiler, i just got that car in tungsten pearl with sterling interior. got it last week.
there was an identical one on the lot looking for an owner.
Stevinson lexus in lakewood colorado. ask for sebastian
call em and come on out to git yer car.

Wai

Yeah definitely call around. It's a very common tactic that the dealership uses to keep potential buyers under their "control", even they have to lie!

Back to our purchasing experience. We got the car from another dealership. We talked to the first dealership after we got the car, and confronted the sales person.
"I thought you said there isn't one available in our area. And you even said the closest one you could get is silver in Ohio. How come we could find a SGM only 30 miles away?"
Then he said,
"There really wasn't one available for us to trade with. Congrats on getting the car, too bad our hard work didn't get paid off, blah blah blah....."

So technically he didn't lie. He didn't say such car didn't exist, just that there's none that he could get (or trade). But we all know, he freaking LIED and tried to keep us away from searching around.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

ML is NOT available in your area.

Sucks, but that is the way they are built in your region. You may be able to find a special one in your area, but not likely. You will have to go out of your region to get the car you want, or you will have to special order. Here are the options in your area

Base Model $0.00
Base Model


Premium Package with Additional Options $3,082.00
Additional Options:
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- 18-in Alloy Wheels with Summer Tires
- Preferred Accessory Package (includes Cargo net, Trunk mat and Wheel locks)


Premium Package with Additional Options $3,437.00
Additional Options:
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- 18-in Alloy Wheels with Summer Tires
- Preferred Accessory Package (includes Cargo net, Trunk mat and Wheel locks)
- Rear spoiler


Premium Package with Additional Options $5,632.00
Additional Options:
- Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- 18-in Alloy Wheels with Summer Tires
- Preferred Accessory Package (includes Cargo net, Trunk mat and Wheel locks)


Premium Package with Additional Options $5,987.00
Additional Options:
- Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- 18-in Alloy Wheels with Summer Tires
- Preferred Accessory Package (includes Cargo net, Trunk mat and Wheel locks)
- Rear spoiler


Premium Package with Additional Options $6,276.00
Additional Options:
- Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- 18-in Alloy Wheels with Summer Tires
- XM® Satellite Radio
- Rear spoiler

GFerg

Wow so the Southeast is allocated with Premium Package IS350's only?? No wonder why youre having problems locating a fully loaded model.

Xanadu350

tqlla3k, You are exactly right on those options for my area. I just took it that So FL would get fully loaded 350's but now that I'm ready to buy I was wrong in my thinking. What a hassle that I have to go out of my region to get what I want. Lexus doesn't make it easy to get what you want unless you special order and with special order there is no discount and you have the dreaded 4 month or longer wait. It's hard to find salepeople that have your best interest in mind, someone who really know what you want and get's it for you.

I was floored when the dealer told me the 350 was a dead product and I sorted believed it since I can't locate a loaded 350 and that Lexus was paying more attention to the 250 instead and then when I saw more 250's on the lot than 350's I sorted believe it. But now I understand that it's allocation for regions and I will have to go outside my region to find what I'm looking for. Just seems like a hassle for the consumer to have to be the magician in all this.

My ideal car would be:
IS350
Glacier Frost/Black interior
Nav/ML
Lux Pkg
Rear Spoiler
Park Assist

I'm begining to think I might have to sacrifice on color to avoid special ordering.

PGSberg

It's simply an issue of economics - supply and demand. Like all businesses Lexus is in business to make money. Information on sales to include demands for color, accessories and options drive the production line. They do NOT like special orders, they want to move exisiting inventory. For example, in the eastern region, there is a high demand for Smokey Granite Gray IS 250s w/AWD and NAV. There isn't high demand for ML or the IS 350. When I took my IS in for service there were 12 IS's on the lot. Eight were 250s w/AWD, NAV in SGG w gray interior. There was 1 black 350 with the X package that had been on the lot for 2 weeks +. That was surprising. I was told that the manual 250s do not sell well, therefore the dealership doesn't order them. They also don't like to have 40+K Is's on the lot. Shoppers in that price range are too close to getting into a GS especially if they want to lease. As far as the sales reps handing out BS, put yourself in their shoes. They don't want you to special order, nor looking at other dealerships. They want their commisions now, not in 4 months. The only way for that to happen is to sell what is on the lot. Hell, they may not be there in 4 months. I really don't know if they have sales quotas to meet. Learn everything you can from the experiences we share in these postings. The information is much more accurate and up to date. Good luck in finding the right IS for you!
Greg

LexFather

SE gets some crappy Lexus.....We can't get AAAS on the GS 450h either...gotta order or go outta state