Hi!
I'm going to order a new car and curios what of 3 dealership among:
1) Lexus of Seattle
2) Lexus of Bellevue
3) Lexus of Tacoma
is the best?
In particular I'm interested:
1) No dealer addons/hidden fees
2) Match KBB/Carmax/etc trade-in value and not lower it significantly
3) Less hassle

Thank you in advance!

 

Welcome to ClubLexus!
1) Lexus of Seattle gets my vote - No dealer add-ons that I didn't want, and if any are on there, you can negotiate the price to have the add-ons removed from the sale price. I've purchased 2 vehicles from there and it was pretty painless and easy to negotiate via email/phone. I didn't have a trade in both times. PM me if you want a salesperson contact.
2) Lexus of Bellevue - No negotiating, lexus Plus program in effect at this dealership but if you like the price..go for it. Dealer add-ons. It's a nice looking dealership. I was going to buy from here, but wasn't able to negotiate, Lexus of Seattle was able to sell me the same vehicle for less.
3) Lexus of Tacoma/Fife - Used to be (maybe still is) owned by the same company as Lexus of Bellevue, so same type of useless dealer add-ons for a premium price, but you can negotiate a little bit here. They won't fight for your business because they'll tell you they don't have to due to their location being the most south located Lexus dealer in WA state.

In any case, ask about Costco member pricing if you can. My experience was all pre-covid so not sure how nutty these places and willingness to deal has gotten.

edit: to gauge your trade price, use Carvana (or similar) online quote to buy your car.

Good luck!

 

Thank you!

Interestingly for the model of my choice (GX 460) Lexus of Seattle answered they install "mandatory dealer addons" in addition to only MSRP price and Lexus of Bellevue answered - we do not install any dealer addons - only MSRP.
So currently I'm inclined towards Lexus of Bellevue. However I have expensive car to trade in and now I want to understand of how to not fail here.

Got it!

No Costco price in this craziness...

I already did it. But how do I ensure the dealer honors this price?
They can answer - "you are saving via tax credit so we buy your car few thousand less than Carvana". How do I protect myself?
Current lead time is 3 months for a car...

Thank you for thorough answer!

 

You're welcome, as i mentioned...my experience was pre-covid/crazy car market. Add-ons are never mandatory, it's a dealer strategy to get your money and I've always negotiated those prices..but I can see where they have leverage in this crazy market.
There is really no way to ensure anything before the deal, just make sure the numbers are correct for your trade, including tax credit and negotiations for any add ons are done (and looked over very carefully) before signing anything.
3 months isn't bad in these times, i think we waited 2 month back in 2015 when we bought our GX460.

 

I started the Carvana purchase for

2018 ES350
a IS 300.
the experience from the start was questionable with due dates faster than funding institution could respond, then once they verified funds and contract was signed they set a delivery date.
they messaged a week before delivery with a demand to sign new contracts because they couldn't deliver the car by the promised date.
I read reviews that verified my biggest fears.
Canceled immediately!
Called David at Bellevue Lexus and he had a car I might like so I test drove it and purchased it.
It did take 3 hours but that was expected.
I enjoyed the experience and the staff was focused on their job and friendly to work with.
No complaints so far.

 

So, I've bought my car at Lexus@Bellevue - very good experience. Asked to remove all dealer's addons, no prob, done. Bought at MSRP - no any mark-ups. Got also very decent trade-in value. Can definitely recommend them.

 

i wasn't able to remove dealer addons but negotiated addon prices.

 

For Seattle area in general my experiences for 2023/2024 as follows..
1). Bellevue
Worst experience Lexus Seattle/Lynnwood.
Seems of recent Lexus dealerships have changed adding on "extras dealership options" to increase cash flow so be prepared.