CAK 500

I'm in the process of hunting for a new RX350 for the wife, and was hoping to get some input on pricing strategy.

The facts:
Vehicle MSRP: $49,533

Invoice: $44,476 ($41,976 after incentives below)
Edmunds TMV: $45,638 ($43,138 after incentives)
TRUECar best local price: $46,389 ($43,889 after incentives)

Lexus Cust Loyalty Incentive: $1,000
Lexus Cust Loyalty Certificate: $1,500

Dealer asking: $45,582 (including incentives, excluding TTL)

Based on my research on Edmunds and TRUECar, I'm thinking that $43,000 after incentives, before TTL, is a reasonable price for this vehicle, but would like a reality check. Am I missing anything?

enio45

Is the Lexus Loyalty amounts in the 45K?

CAK 500

doh ... I mean't $43.

corrected.

UCSB

In the end, this is a transaction between you and a dealer. It is just what you can negotiate. I don't think that there is any magic number because price fluctuates with the economy and other conditions (time of year, availability, manufacturer incentives to dealer, etc.). I purchased two cars in the past year and having a few dealers quoting you and trying to get your business can be very helpful in getting a good price. I haven't shopped the RX since I purchased mine last September, but $43k would be a very good deal.

cookie123

I've heard about customer Loyalty program. What is Lexus Cust Loyalty Certificate?

CAK 500

Lexus issued these to certain 3rd gen GS owners as a courtesy after a recall campaign for potentially defective valve springs.

Right now, in my region, there are very few in the colors/options combo that I'm looking for. I'm expecting that this will limit my bargaining power. If it does, I might just wait for new shipments to come in.

I'll know soon, and will share my experience.

xfirechief

I need tires on my '09 RX but was hoping to wait till the '12's are out. Will I get a higher value on my trade with new tires? Or should I take a chance & wait till Oct/Nov with my 55K tires?

kitlz

I'm sure you will get more especially if you put OE tires on. I did that with my 330 and basically got my money back in the trade amount. They sold it CPO, 6+ years old with 50K miles. It amounted to maybe $2K over non-CPO.

xfirechief

Thanks, I am getting worried about the tires and the low treads on them. I was thinking the same but wanted to see if others have had any experience with this problem.

Anyone else?

cafpaf

There has been much discussion on this forum regarding price. Here is my story. We live in Pittsburgh and there are two Lexus dealerships. On in the south and one in the north. Both are owned by the same people. We purchased our new RX on April 6th. It had and invoice price of $41,099 and an MSRP of $45,112. We purchased the RX for $42,215 or approximately 2.72% over invoice. On top of that we received the $1,000 Lexus loyalty discount. So our price out the door was $41,215 less trade and plus tax, license, and registration. The entire process included one e-mail to the General Manager and less than thirty minutes in the showroom the following day. I liked that! I don't know if it is a great deal or not, but it seemed reasonable to us and we were happy with our trade allowance.

rgaetano

I think that 42k is a good price right now....if you can use the 1k Lexus loyalty plus the 60 months @ 1.9 percent....even better

We love our new RX with nav...star fire pearl with parchment....

CAK 500

Finally pulled the trigger on a Starfire Pearl/Parchment yesterday. Gorgeous vehicle, and the wife is thrilled.

I appreciate the comments on this thread and elsewhere on CL. After consulting TrueCar.com, Edmunds.com and negotiating with several dealerships in the southeast, I feel very confident that I walked away with the best price I could at my local dealership. That said, I probably could have done better if I was willing to compromise on colors, options and delivery timing, but I wasn't.

MSRP was $48,894, invoice was $44,664 and dealer cost $43,883. Negotiated price on the car was $44.500 out the door. This included a $1,500 Lexus customer loyalty certificate (I received after my '07 GS350 was recalled for valve spring replacement) and $1,405 TTL.

Delivery will be in a couple of weeks, giving me plenty of time to comb through the forums for mod ideas.

kitlz

Congrats CAK Your wife will love the RX.