flipside909

There's a reason why Lexus and other manufacturers market their vehicles w/a starting price. It's not false advertising because yes you can order it granted you wait for that custom order. Most regions will order the popular option combos. It's very seldom you see a base model car for the base model price. The reason why? Because the average consumer doesn't want that car, they want something with more options. It wouldn't be worth Lexus' time to manufacture base model cars for the .0005% of the consumer market that wants the bare bones minimum base model car. Of course the car is brand new and has everyone anxious to get one, Lexus isn't going to manufacture vehicles that have no options. They will be packaged the way the market demand goes. And the region decides which option packages will be tailored for their particular market.

I understand your frustration akber, but you need to see this in a broad range, from a consumer standpoint and a sellers standpoint. You can't just make these accusations like that. You are the one that wants the car now, and you want a certain model, but you're not willing to wait for it. You can have one or the other, but with your built up excitement, it seems you want it in your driveway now. I don't blame you for having that anticipation, but you can't blame Lexus for "false advertising" because really it isn't. If you really want that base model car, why even brag about being one of the first in line to get an 06 GS300 at a price you really had no intention of paying for?

spwolf

i dont get it, according to your posts, you already ordered the car several times now... whats the deal? Figure out that base price is 46k and voila...

akbergq

No u understood me wrong... Yes i do want it now..yes i want it in my drieway right now and dont want to wait....yes i did go in initially to get the base rwd....when i found out that premium pkg is really the base car i would have to settle for as of RIGHT NOW with regards to price....i went with that....the fact the salesman im working with is going to try and throw in the ML/NAV for me is just something extra im getting or may get with the premium pkg withouth being charged..If it is goign to end up costing me extra...i will not dish out for it..and just get the premium pkg car. But this is not the point anyway.

Yes, i do understand your point about how manufacturers build according to demand. All of what you said is true with respect to market demand and the most profitable decisions that car companies make are thus yielded from what customers are looking for. I couldn't agree with you more.

Yet the basic question arises is this? If out of 100 ppl 98 want a car that has some options in it rather than no options in it, like you say...which i agree with you as well.. FINE. Advertise the dam car that has those "some options" in it because that is really what the base cars starting price is. This is what i am basically arguing. DONT put a starting price of a vehicle if in fact you know that 1 percent of the segment is goign to buy that and therefore your production ont hat vehicle is goign to be miniscule. Because in fact - WHAT IF you do have a person lookign for that like i stated in my prior post? Yes there is a minute population who will be like this and walk in to find that base car...after all - FINE the vehicle is a brand new 06 redesigned car...and the market will definitely demand for some options in it versus the pathetic amount that want that totally base car...when you came out with the pricing - make sure your pricing equates to your beliefs 100%...NOT 98% . After all - the company put the pricing in there...make it reflective of what the overall market WILL BE ABLE TO BUY. You can't justify to those one or two people who do walk in about that base vehicle that market demands yield production decisions for manufacturers and therefore you wont be able to have that particular car till these demand patterns are not as high. Those people are goign to cuss and walk out.


Im not trying to start an argument with you flip..im a rookie on CL anyway lol

akbergq

spwolf: i dont get it, according to your posts, you already ordered the car several times now... whats the deal? Figure out that base price is 46k and voila...



Yes i already have the car ordered and already know what i have to pay to drive it out of the dealership. My premises for bringing this pricing issue up was just my TWO CENTS in general about the whole thing. Thats all.

akbergq

And if you can order it granted you wait for that custom order... why dont you say so when you advertise your price? Why not say this....

2006 RWD GS Starting at 42,900 *





* Special order vehicle. Contact dealer for details.



or somethign similar

flipside909

They sometimes do. Starting at $$$$$...Nicely Equipped or Model Shown @ $$$$$.

jrock65

Don't forget the $650 destination charge, so the actual base price is $43,550..

The thing that is really different about Lexus is that the options are different for different regions in the U.S. No other luxury maker does this. For example, I hear that the Mark Levinson is not even available in some central region markets.

Check the very first post of this thread. Those are the prices from a dealer in Ohio. Notice no ML in the GS300. I guess Marketing Research determined that Ohians who buy V6 GS's don't care for such things.

rmarcoot

Re: Central Region. Also no Intuitive Parking Assist available - at least in Central Illinois

JHStrange

I would expect that content is a negotiated thing between Lexus & the dealers or regions. I'm sure their goal is to maximize sales and consideration is given to what sells best in a given area. By bundling certain options it's probably less expensive to build and track during the whole process.

Can any one enlighten us on the process that Lexus and the dealers go through? There's been a lot of discussion on Lexus mandating content but it must be an agreement with all parties based on history.

AsianGirl007

iTrader: (1)

No it doesn't. We only have it on the Ultra Luxury LS430 right now.

AsianGirl007

iTrader: (1)

Who determines production builds? You do.
Dealer principles attend dealer meetings. They tell the factory what sells and what doesn't. In the high-line segment, people don't want to buy a cloth, no moonroof, base car. The last time Lexus pre-made base cars was in the 1999 RX300. We would get them one at a time. Most dealerships would refuse them. They would sit around for months collecting dust. All the comments on how it's "false advertising" is ridiculous. I would rather have a inventory full of "nicely equipped" that I can sell right away, than a strippy model that can't find a driveway to go home to. Every day a car sits in dealership inventory, it costs money. It's called "flooring expenses". And really, if you are going to spend $45k plus, does a few thousand extra matter so much on things that will benefit you? I'd pay the difference for park assist alone, what a bumper saver.

rmarcoot

I completely agree. That is why I am somewhat disappointed that IPA is not availble in my area.

biker

I have a feeling Infiniti will not have any problems selling as many 39.9K M35 "base" models as the factory can churn out.

LexFather

It is very early. If demand changes or becomes huge for certain options or in certain areas, Lexus will ramp up production for those items. As of now, they are speculating on what they "think" people want in our country's respective areas.

For instance say for some reason, AWD becomes a hot seller in the south. Lexus will start bringing more GSs down here. And if parking assist becomes an option people want and either it is requested or sold with that option, Lexus will make it more available.

rmarcoot

I'm sure that is true, Lexus will provide what the customer wants. However, I've been anticipating the new GS for such a long time, that I'm not willing to wait either for a factory order or for the production to change. The IPA isn't that big of a deal to me, but I would have gladly paid the $500 if it were included.

On the other hand, I'm somewhat amibivalent about the ML sound system. I would have paid the price if it was included in my area but, given a choice either way I'm not sure what I would have chosen.

Regardless, I'm hoping to have my new GS soon and believe I will be COMPLETELY happy with it and the way it is equipped.