Hi All,
New to the forum and new to Lexus. I'm interested in getting a IS500 in the next few months as my existing MB lease is coming to an end in September. I've never purchased/leased a Lexus before. If I want a specific car can a dealer order it for me or do they, like most German cars, need to have an allocation or they are SOL? I'm interested in a Premium model but everyone I've found in Texas, I live in the Austin area, has the optional 19 in split seven spoke forged allow BBS wheels for $2450 and I really don't want to spend that on wheels I don't need. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Generally, I have heard that the dealers only have so many allocations for IS 500s, and special-ordering them is not the norm. However, some folks have reported special-ordering a car. For example: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...l#post11509641

They call it a "factory order".

You could also simply call your preferred dealership and see if this is an option for you. Since the BBS wheels are a popular option, I agree it may be harder to find one without them than with. But, it is nice to know they're forged. Depends on how much you care about things like that... I didn't want them either, but the car was in the color I wanted, so I could forgive it.

 

Where in Texas are you located? Do you have a preferred dealer for Lexus? I'd be happy to give you my contact at Westside Lexus in Houston if you like.

 

Thanks for the response and info. Yeah, I guess if you have everything lined up for you with exterior/interior colors and other specs one can forgive the optional wheels. I'll check out the link you provided above, thanks. The first thing I need to do is go test drive the car. There are none in my immediate area, I need to drive about 100 miles to get to two dealers who each have one. Once I drive it and love it, I'll start talking to dealers.

What are the three things you love about your car and three you're not too charmed about?

 

Hey there. I am in Round Rock, just North of Austin. There are two Lexus dealers in the Austin area but neither have an IS500. There are two in San Antonio which would be the nearest for me. Did the person you work with give you a good deal or at least not be a typical scum bag sales person?

 

I am also in Round Rock, have you seen an infrared IS 500 driving around, it was probably me.

My guy was great and will give you the straight story. They never did over msrp stuff either at this dealer. I'm on my third Lexus through this dealer.

They list two in their stock. No way of knowing if they are sold already or not, Steve can tell you.
https://www.westsidelexus.com/new-vehicles/is-500/

Contact Steve Machann, his email and phone number are here. Tell him Gary Bechtold sent you...
https://www.westsidelexus.com/about-us/staff/

 

Cool, a fellow Round Rocker No, I've not seen you driving around or I'd probably have followed you LOL! Thanks for the info above, I'll be sure to reach out.

 

I've got a whole thread on my car ownership experiences, and here's where the IS 500 things really start - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...l#post11475434

If I had to pick top three and bottom three things, here goes.

Top 3

1. The engine, duh! Not only is it a V-8, it's this particular 2UR-GSE. The engine is just a peach. It is torquey, smooth, and revs quickly. Of course, it also sounds great, even stock it's not bad. It isn't the best on fuel around town, but it'll do 30 on the highway if you're diligent.
2. The seats. They are supportive, yet comfortable. I went on a 4-hour road trip recently, and had no issues. I also went up to the mountains, and they held me in nicely there, too. They're not the most adjustable, but it hardly matters to me when they're already nearly perfect.
3. The style. Both inside and out, I like the aggressive, yet elegant looks. This car gets a lot of attention. I almost picked the Mark Levinson sound system over this, but if I am being honest, this car just steals the show a lot of the time.

Bottom 3

1. The transmission is a bit clunky when the car is cold. Sometimes, I even experience a little rev flare between shifts on my first acceleration out of my neighborhood. Once the transmission is warmed-up, everything is smooth, but it's something I experience pretty much every time I drive the car.
2. There's not a great place to put my phone when I am using Android Auto. If I put it in the cupholder, it bounces around while I am driving. I put it in the center console storage, but that means I have to ask my passenger, should I have one, to move their arm so that I can open the armrest compartment. Wireless Android Auto or CarPlay would have solved this, or a different center stack layout. (There are aftermarket solutions for this problem, but I just don't like the looks of them.)
3. Finally, I'd say the quality of the panoramic view monitor and rearview cameras are pretty poor for a luxury-brand car. It's a minor thing, but next to my wife's 2023 X3, the cameras look very potato-esque in the IS.

Honorable mention for the Top 3 goes to the sound system. Mark Levinson systems in Lexus cars are usually fantastic, and this one is, too. It's crisp and can hit pretty hard if turned up.

 

Thanks for the info, I definitely need to drive one before purchase and that might be as challenging as finding one

 

I reached out to Steve, he said the two coming in are spoken for so not available. He said he'll look at inventory for me and said he might be selling his IS500, it has 2400 miles on it and is the same color as yours.

 

I'm going to have a few words with Steve.

Ask him if he know of any new colors for 2024.

 

Steve told me there will be no 2024 IS500's and I found a document on Lexus site that showed pricing for 2024 and there was no pricing info for the IS500 for 2024. Could Steve be right?

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-is-500-a.html

The info in this thread seems to suggest there will be a 2024.

 

Hopefully they are right on the thread or I better get my @ss in gear and start finding cars no matter how far away they are. My current MB E450 wagon I bought in Akron Ohio and drove it home to get the great deal and features I wanted. I would do it again for this car if needed.

 

He could be right and he could be wrong. The info suggests there will be one but they have not told the dealers anything yet from what he can see. So we are in the wait and see part of the game. July is usually when the turnover to the next model year begins so 2024's would theoretically start producing soon. As of this moment he has not seen any color or any other info yet. I also asked him since I picked up my car February if Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 had ever come to Westside since then. It had not. USB appears to be the hardest color to come by this year it seems.