Oh by the way, red on grey exists somewhere at Lexus. The 2007 IS brochure I got from the dealership that told me the color combo doesn't exist shows it as being available. Red exterior is available with cashmere (tan), sterling (grey), or black interior according to the chart.

 

Every so often someone will opine how great it would be to order direct from Lexus and cut out the middleman. Well, that will NEVER, EVER happen. The dealers are way too strong and integrated into the system to ever let go of their position. It is the way they make money. Don't even think about it happening. There is a reason why you cannot buy a car over the internet. You can get all kinds of information, but the actual transaction takes place offline. It is designed that way and is not about to change.

Negotiate a special order the same way you would any car. Some dealers don't want to hassle with a special order (lazy and/or stupid) and will charge you full MSRP for the priviledge. Other, more savvy dealers might give it to you for a reasonable price over invoice. Shop, shop, shop.

 

that dealer who wants 5k non refundable is all about the cheddah

down payments and trade ins are front end money that goes straight to the bank and means big smiles for the managers and owner.

the total price you pay - cost of car = car sale profit. that is also front end money and from that is what the salesmen get commission.

I totally agree that the 5k is ridiculous.

I paid $500 for mine and I got it back =P

 

They exist in that the dealer can special order them, but in their regular allocations to the dealers, Lexus won't make them. I was looking for a 350 w/ Black Sapphire Pearl and a black interior and the dealer said I would have to special order it. Also, it wasn't just one dealer, it 5 or 6 dealers in my area. I even went as far as to send an e-mail to Lexus dealers in Nor Cal.

 

Yeah the black leather seems quite popular. Anyone know why the bulk of the cars seem to have been made with that color interior? If it wasn't for the black interior, I'd probably have my car. I know I'm being picky....but doesn't black get really really hot in the sun? I know I've burned myself on the grey interior and can't imagine black being better. Also, doesn't the black make the car look really dark on the inside? On the plus side it's probably easier to keep it clean looking. If special order times are in the fall or later then I may have to start reconsidering my position and chalk it up to being unlucky enough to live in the tri-state region where selection sucks.

 

Good tint and a sunshield help a lot with black leather.

 

i love the black interior. i've always had cars with tan and gray interiors, but something about the all black interior of the IS. i think it feels more moody and plush than the other colors. i plan on doing a 45% tint, which will add even more to the calming affect of an all black interior.

 

Perfect - thanks for clearing that up for me. I wonder why that is not listed on the lexus website.

 

Black is always popular. It wears well, it is easy to clean and doesn't show dirt like tan or grey. If your windows are tinted it isn't measurably hotter than tan or grey, and I live in TX where summers are brutal. Plus you have the ventilated seats that help some. It is easy maintenance. I have black interior and if given a choice I would not change it for another color. One thing I don't like with the IS's tan or grey interiors is there is too much residual black used (the dash is black no matter what color interior you get). It is too much contrast in my opinion, although it doesn't bother most people. Don't ignore the elegance of the black interior. With a nice tint you'd be very happy with it I think.

All the packages are priced and described on the Lexus website, including the Sport Package. It is under the IS 'Pricing and Options' tab.

 

Thank you for that, i finally found it. I dont know why they havce it listed on there but when you click on "build your is" the options are listed in a completley different manner, and in the case of the sport package, not listed at all.

 

Wait, so how CAN one find out what the lowest APR offered by Lexus is at any given time WITHOUT having to call anyone at a dealership?

 

Just to clarify, the salesman told me that color combo wasn't available w/the sports pkg (i wanted sports). it may be available now as i'm sure they've made changes in 07 models but at the time that I bought mine (special ordered 11/05), the IS was more rare than dinosaurs. LOL

 

Wow you actually got a special order car? How long did that take if you don't mind me asking? I was quoted minimum 4 months from now, mostly likely closer to half a year. Someone else on here placed their order in March and hasn't heard anything yet.

 

4 months is about right. I ordered mine in 11/05 and took delivery 03/06. I know the wait is excrutiating but it'll pay off in the end.

 

I was just quoted 190 days for a special order from yet another dealer. Each one tells me something different but they're all in the ballpark of 4-6 months. No one has said less than 120 days yet. Of course they could just be telling me that so that I'd buy a car today, but that's not happening unless I find a red IS350, which I'm also told only two were made available in all of the Northeast sales region that covers VA to ME. Apparently 350s are mostly sold "down South" because of the AWD issue which really is starting to bug me. Why is Lexus concerned about AWD on a car that was never designed to go tooling around in the snow and ice?

For those interested, I was also told by Westport CT Lexus that 2008s would be available in September which seems to be the concensus, and they don't expect any change from the 2007 models. They also have a waiting list for the IS-F with four people on it already which they expect to sell over list price.