The above is an email in response to a question where I asked what their (1 of 2 local dealers) GS430 stock looked like. I want to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and assume he mean 'the dealership HE works for' and not dealerships in general.

I have to admit thought there are only about 4 2002 GS430's I can spot on autotrader within 250 miles of my zip.

I ordered my last car (Chrysler 300M) in 99 and man! I HATED waiting.

There is a 2001 Silver/Black in the show room at the OTHER (there are only two in St. Louis) dealership but I dunno if I want last year's ride

What do you guys think? Whats the wait time on something like this? I'm almost tempted to see what kinda $$ ordering one would run since I'm not really interested in spending a grand or so on the upgraded chrome wheels this other car sports (gunna buy a new set of 18's pretty much immediately)

 

Since the introduction and success of the SC430 and the LS430 Lexus has siphoned the 4.3 liter V8s away from the older and less profitable GS430 in favor of the newer models. And the U.S. Lexus regional marketing companies aren't ordering many GS430s for stock (even when they can) since they also want more of the hotter selling cars. As you've seen there are very few '02 GS430s on dealer lots.

On the other hand ordering the car from Japan will allow you to get the exact car you want. For example, I ordered mine and got the leather steering wheel (rather than the wood/leather combo) and the ML stereo without the NAV or a spoiler or chrome 17s. Otherwise I would have had to spend thousands more and be stuck with features I didn't want. Yeah, the 3-month wait sucked, but when it was over I got the exact car I wanted.

But, There is a 2001 Silver/Black in the show room at the OTHER (there are only two in St. Louis) dealership but I dunno if I want last year's ride

You'll find no difference between the '02 and the '01 other than the model year. If they're willing to give you a price that reflects your decreased resale value it's not a bad idea if the features on the car are to your liking.

 

I posted an article today which stated Lexus sold only 191 GS430s last month, compared to over 1,400 SC 430s. Marty is right on.

 

Yes, this is true. What do you mean by "decreased resale value"?
About the only thing I really don't wanna waste my $$ on is the wheels/tires (and was looking to put an aftermarket wing on the back). Maybe they can swap something like the wheels/tires out with a cheaper model.

191 in the whole damn US? wow.

So guys, If I order one, shouldn't I beable to get a REALLY good deal? I mean all they have to do is order the damn thing right? I've noticed that markup on the GS series is around ~15.5%. Am I crazy to think I might beable to get that cut down to 5 or 6% for an ordered vehicle?

 

Hey Hohlraum heres a link to a good site with alot of tips about ordering the car, dealing with Salesman and so on

www.carbuyingtips.com

as far as ordering the GS, it wont over price it, but I highly doubt you will get more than a thousand dollar, 2 if your a smooth talker. See if you can work out a deal with them, to search all the other lexus Dealers and tell them you'll pay the shipping charge, I got mine like that because I was gonna order my GS, but I got lucky and they found one about 100miles away, in Toledo, so try ur luck and if all else fails just order one..

ShOwGS

 

Hohlraum, allow me to say "ditto" to RealMarty's post, since I did the same thing (and the two of us have amost identical cars for the same reason).

As far as the 17" wheel/tire combo: get it. It's a $232 option for 5 wheels and tires, which (since you want to go aftermarket anyway) you can then sell for considerably MORE than your $232 cost. I haven't priced a replacement Lexus 17" wheel, but if it's less than $700 per wheel (no tire yet!!) I'll eat it. So you should be able to clear at least a thousand to put towards replacement wheels and aftermarket spoiler. Several CL members have done just that.

 

I mean that the resale value for the '01 will be less than the '02 for equal cars with the same equipment simply because the '02 is a later model year and thus a "newer" car.

P.S. - I paid about $1k over invoice for the GS I ordered.

 

I was in the same situation. I knew exactly what I wanted, 430, white, 17" chrome with Nav/Lev. After I worked the deal, I found that there were no cars like mine anywhere nearby. The dealer kept asking me if I would settle for a different color, no Nav, etc. For what I was paying, I wanted what I wanted. They told me they would have to order one. Next thing you know, I get a call and they found my car. They ended up shipping it from Houston to Clearwater. Love the car.

Bob
2002 GS430, Ivory Pearl, 17" chrome, Nav/Lev

 

haha Bbailey, Exact same thing they were telling me, They were like... " The chances of us finding the car you want is very slim. But if you want to order it and wait 90 days then we can do that to" I was actually gonna end up doing that, But The next day, Got a call saying they found it and i'll be getting it in a few days. I was so happy words can't explain it. Congratulations on such a beautiful car Bob

ShOwGS