Well I have decided to take the plunge and go with the ES350 ultra luxury model. I live in CA and there is no dealer within 200 miles that even has an ultra luxury model. Is there an issue with supply of this vehicle? I am near Longo Lexus but they want $500 just to preorder the configuration I want and will not even commit to what the price will be until they have received the car at the dealership. I do not like the ethics of that process. Any recommendations on how to acquire one of these or are they just extremely rare and overpriced?

 

Lexus of Valencia<----Try this.

 

Have you tested drive these and are familiar with all of the specs?

If yes, look for some volume dealers in TX, GA or FL and have them shipped to you. Avoiding dealers in highly populated and rich cities, such as Chicago, NY City, any where in California etc. ES350 is not that rare, UL or not, should be 6%- 10% off MSRP, ~$500+ shipping fee to your door, screw your local Lexus, but be cool and use them for services later ...

Dealers are having hard time to move cars, especially regular trims, it's not 2020 - 2022 anymore they must be the only dealer in the region to have that kind of attitude.

What options and colors you are looking for, give us few and we'll give you links to contact.

 

I just bought my 2024 ES 350 ultra luxury this weekend. I wanted the sunlit green exterior and the upgraded sound system which forced me into the UL trim. I live in Georgia and my options were to either travel to NC or get my local dealership to find one and get it delivered. The NC dealership didn’t even want to work with me over the phone “because I wasn’t local” and my local dealership wasn’t going to budge from MSRP, plus an additional $900 delivery fee. I ended up working with a smaller dealer who has connections to a Lexus distributor to get my car from Virginia and still paid essentially MSRP. If you aren’t picky over the color like I am (there’s only a handful of the green I like in the whole country for sale) maybe you can get a lower price but the ultra luxury is definitely not going for much under MSRP right now. I will say I absolutely love my new car and it feels worth the splurge. Your dealer can order it for you if you ask but I understand not getting to test drive it sucks.

 

I know my reply is late, but I had the exact same problem in Northern California when I bought my 2020 ES350 UL. There were no UL versions even close and even the dealers who did have them in Southern California had a very limited supply and not with the colors and options I wanted. I ended up doing a search using cars.com that had filters to narrow down exactly what I wanted. I found 3 dealers in Texas who all had the same car. I played all 3 against each other and ended up buying from Sewell Lexus in Dallas. The car I wanted was scheduled to be delivered to them from the factory in like a week and I had them ship it to me on a car carrier. I feel I got a better deal with them than I would have received in any Lexus dealer in California.

 

Who are you aware of that is offering a discount like this on the Ultra Luxury?

 

After seeing this thread, I checked and there are 18 ES350 UL's within 50 miles of me. This hasn't been the case for a long time. Usually there might be 1 or 2 but more often none. It makes me wish that I was in the market.

 

Carsareus: Thanks for your response. I did see some in Texas but I am in no rush. I was able to find a dealer where I live (California) who agreed to order one for me for 1800 below MSRP. Every other dealer wanted MSRP for any orders. I will have to wait 3-4 months but it should be worth it to get what I wanted.

 

I'm debating as to a new car next year at this time but figured on first getting to see and hopefully test drive the new 2025 re-styled model. May I ask if you thought about waiting to see the new 8th Gen model in maybe less than a year from now before buying at this time.

 

When I ordered mine (Late 2019) for 2020 model I tried going that route with my local Lexus dealer. The dealer was telling me it could be up to a year to get the car and what I was hearing from others they were correct. Good luck and hopefully you will get it sooner. It took about a week for my car to be delivered from Texas. The car arrived in perfect condition.

 

Well, the dealer indicated anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 months depending if they could modify an existing order or submit a brand new order. Perhaps the supplies are better now. Not sure but several dealers said about the same time frame. Glad you received your car quickly and have enjoyed it.

 

Well the main reason I have decided to purchase the 2024 is that I am certain the new generation will not have the V6, which gets very reasonable mileage (22 city and 32 hwy), runs on regular, is very smooth and reliable, and has no need of turbo forced induction which adds complexity. The V6 is a gem and I really want a vehicle with that engine. They will go to a four and likely forced induction for some additional performance in the next generation. Given the overall drive quality of the current model, I don't imagine that there will be a significant upgrade in drive quality with the next generation. And if they add forced induction, it will require premium fuel as all their other models with turbos do...look at the 275 horsepower 2.4L engine in the 2023-2024 RX350. Plus I believe there are some additional maintenance requirements with the turbo models. Lexus recommends premium in the new RX hybrid, but it is not required. I am not looking for a hybrid but that will also be another engine available in the next generation. So that was why I decided to make the plunge on a 2024. On a related note, I have some experience with a lower horsepower version of the V6 in an older Camry (2007) and that engine has 170,000 and still purrs like a kitten. Thanks for asking. Gary

 

Sound reasoning to crank into my equation. Thank you. I agree with all you say, except that I want to see what the 2025 looks like first. If the 2025 styling knocks my sox off, I’d then have to reconsider buying one of the last 2024’s. I’m in complete agreement with all you say though, plus the fact that a Gen 7, which they’ve been making for so long, would be more likely to be mechanically wrinkle free than a 2025, being a brand new and very much changed model.

 

If you look at the 2025 Camry compared to the 2024, there is not alot of difference. The exterior changes are fairly benign. I would expect that the ES350 changes would be of similar magnitude as well although I don't know for a fact. Definitely no huge platform changes as far as I have been able to gleen. Glad I could add some food for thought.

 

Some mock ups of the projected 2025 are posted on You Tube by those able to make an educated guess. Most of them are unrealistic but the several good ones show a car with significant styling changes, although an ES is still an ES. Much like so many other cars (e.g. Miata, Mustang, Volvo S60, etc.) which, from generation to generation, nevertheless retain their essential looks and personalities regardless of the generational jump. That's probably what will happen with the ES but I, like you, will not be happy about the expected mechanical changes. My 2021 (13,000 mi.). is automotive paradise to drive and I very much hesitate to buy any new car that deviates from its essential mechanical layout and attributes (just as you've said).