JDR76

I really don't see no haggle pricing as what killed Scion or Saturn... I've owned both (2001 SL2 and a 2006 tC). I actually liked the pricing, but neither brand continued with the models needed for success, at least in my opinion.

coolsaber

True it was not the sole reason, but one of the reasons why Scion went down the toilet.

To elaborate, you had salesmen who were penalized on sales where the negotiated
Until the FR-S their product was basically the highest on the block. You had similar competitors doing much better in pricing.

If you kick both the customer and salesperson, AND expect sales to happen

semar

the no-haggle pricing will never work with Lexus in NorthAmerica.
Essential the carbusiness is a cut-throat business. Customers will go where they will spend the least $. With dealerships competing with each other the one with the deepest pockets will survive.
How times have changed:
Back in the early 60s I was in the carbusiness in Germany. Manufacturer prices were set by the manufacturer not the dealer. If you had a trade, an independent engineer would appraise your car and give you certificate valid for 14 days. With this certificate you could go into any dealership no matter what make. The car of your choice cost x$ minus the certificate amount.
Who do you think got the business? The dealership that had the best mechanics and best service. Mechanics who still could fix cars, not replace modems
Today? Nice car - how much? Let the haggling begin.

tex2670

Yup--owning a Lexus means you just should be giving your money away.

caha14

Exactly! Heck, even throw in a little extra above MSRP for their troubles (showing how a true BSD rolls)...

yakim

http://www.lexus.com/documents/broch...g-Brochure.pdf

chikoo

Car business is a cut throat business because they made it to be.
I still remember when I could haggle for the price of clothes and vegetables. Now? The price is on the tag. There is nobody in the store floor with the authority to engage in price negotiation, and hence we pay what is the sticker price.

SW17LS

And now you pay WAY more for clothes and vegetables than you did then.

This is not for the consumers benefit nor is it in the consumers interest, this is a bonus to Lexus and dealers.

yakim

Lexus Plus no-haggle pricing is very competitive yet higher than what you could get if you shopped around 5-6 places. How much higher? By roughly $500-1000. Is it worth to pay a bit extra for a true luxury car buying experience with no back and forth, no games , no low-balling on trade-ins and no gimmicks?

Absolutely! I am so happy Lexus is moving away from the tomfoolery that car business has become and into the new territory.

SW17LS

The pricing is that way now, because dealers that use this pricing still have to compete with what someone can get from another traditional dealer. If we get to a point where all Lexus dealers are no haggle, prices will go up significantly, and we will all be paying significantly more.

Open competition for our business is good for us as consumers. What this does is take control out of our hands, and put it in their hands. That is not a good thing for consumers.

coolsaber

Have you experienced the Lexus Plus experience or simply high off the brochure someone posted?

I had a recent experience with a quote offered up by a Lexus Plus dealership, and boy was that a horrible idea for a customer.

1) They straight out listed MSRP and then took off $1,500 off sticker.
2) The rest of the email details the Lexus Plus experience and explicitly states their no haggle policy.
3) Compared to the first quote received from other dealerships the Lexus plus experience basically pinned this new experience tax at $3500-5000 (meaning other dealerships were coming in on their first go with quotes much below invoice, and of course below the Plus experience).

If Lexus has their way, boy oh boy, majority of customers will hate this new experience. It will basically make you pay close to sticker all year around, throughout the entire model life.

yakim

If their prices become too high, then it will become an issue of price vs benefits and Lexus will be competing against everyone else in their respective segments. It will become a totally different ball game. I buy Lexus because of the favorable price/benefits ratio. I have no brand loyalty per se. If the price/value balance gets to be out of whack, there are 5 other brands to consider and choose from.

yakim

It was me who posted the brochure.

And yes, in fact I did. I got about $5k off on an in stock 2016 LX after I did my homework and presented them with my research. I am sure I could've squeezed an extra $500.00 if I traveled 185 miles. Or may be not. Lexus Plus, or not: smart dealers will not lose business. If they are dumb and rigid, they'll get what serves them right

SW17LS

$5k off of a $95,000 LX is not what I would consider a good deal at all.

Some people may consider it so, and some people don't even try to negotiate at all. For those of us who do negotiate though, this pricing is a very, very bad thing.

I mean...I got more than $5k off of my $60k GS, nearly $10k off of my $80k LS460. You can negotiate 10% off of a $49,000 ES...which results in savings of nearly $5k.

coolsaber

Depends though $5k on a $95k 16 LX is about invoice on a launch limited production vehicle. Of course I dont know what incentives and real world data are people posting but from what I have heard if you scored this deal say back when the 16s were just hitting the lot SCORE. I have heard its gotten much better but again have not real world #s to boot