Is every dealer visit a clown show ?
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Is every dealer visit a clown show ?
Went to a local Lexus dealer to check out a Lexus . They have the car listed on the internet , went in and they said its non-negotiable and then added on a ton of dealer fees, Dealer paper fee, prep fee, etc almost $2000 in fees alone ! then they said they vin etched the windows which is an extra $500 . i told them i was willing to pay the internet Price of the car plus Tax, title and DMV fees nothing more . They let me walk. Im starting to hate this dealer clown show. Anyone else with this kind of experience or is it just me ?
#6
That’s the mindset i go in with...
#7
Intermediate
I hear ya! I've delt with some clowns at Newport Lexus and most recently Longo.
Its almost as if they don't want to sell these things.
Its almost as if they don't want to sell these things.
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#8
Pit Crew
I ran into the same crap when I bought my ISF from a Lexus dealership two years ago. They were a bunch of dicks and this was my third Lexus purchased through them. The experience was so bad, we went elsewhere for my wife's NX. I only stuck it out, because it was a 2012 with low miles that I just had to get.
I passed on a few GSFs they had for sale and picked mine up from an Audi dealer 100 miles away just to avoid the dealer near me. My credit is near flawless (840 FICO) and I wasn't being unreasonable. Hell the Lamborghini dealership was more friendly when I brought the kids to see an Aventador they had on the lot and we were obviously not buying.
I still go to the local asswipes for oil changes and tell them how Audi treated me better buying a Lexus than Lexus sales ever treated me. I don't get it.
I passed on a few GSFs they had for sale and picked mine up from an Audi dealer 100 miles away just to avoid the dealer near me. My credit is near flawless (840 FICO) and I wasn't being unreasonable. Hell the Lamborghini dealership was more friendly when I brought the kids to see an Aventador they had on the lot and we were obviously not buying.
I still go to the local asswipes for oil changes and tell them how Audi treated me better buying a Lexus than Lexus sales ever treated me. I don't get it.
#9
You will also have to watch your back when bringing in the car for service.
I brought one of my GSF's in for some tire work and the advisor tried to sell me some brake work. He stated that my pads have 1mil left and he has new ones that don't squeak. He quoted $1600 for them.
I believe the GSF has brake wear warning sensors, and I have never seen them activated in my car.
A CL member recently posted that Lexus Canada issued a TSB for squeaking brakes, and would replace them for free.
I politely declined the proposed brake job, and will not use the same advisor again.
I brought one of my GSF's in for some tire work and the advisor tried to sell me some brake work. He stated that my pads have 1mil left and he has new ones that don't squeak. He quoted $1600 for them.
I believe the GSF has brake wear warning sensors, and I have never seen them activated in my car.
A CL member recently posted that Lexus Canada issued a TSB for squeaking brakes, and would replace them for free.
I politely declined the proposed brake job, and will not use the same advisor again.
#11
Pole Position
We bought my wife's CPO CT200h from Lexus Glendale. Yes it is a clown show. Non-negotiable pricing. Longo Lexus was actually more willing to negotiate, but despite them being a huge dealership they didn't have the trim/color we wanted.
My favorite part was when they tried to sell us the extended warranty. Literally 10 minutes after they sing praises about the car to get you to buy, they're next telling you there's a good chance it will fall apart. Clown show, as you said.
They're lucky Lexus makes great cars otherwise I wouldn't put up with this ****.
My favorite part was when they tried to sell us the extended warranty. Literally 10 minutes after they sing praises about the car to get you to buy, they're next telling you there's a good chance it will fall apart. Clown show, as you said.
They're lucky Lexus makes great cars otherwise I wouldn't put up with this ****.
#12
Pole Position
i drove 2 hours to a dealer to pick up a RX350, we talked about the price and everything on the phone, i get there doing the paper work i see about 2500$ of added fees. - apart from doc fee that was extra. So i asked what is this for, they are like this is car recondition fee that we add to every use car. i said ok please show me a itemized list of work you guys did on this car, i was hoping new brakes / fluids etc. Couldnt show- nothing. even the tires were not great. i think the dealer was a Nissan or Mitsubishi dealer i cant remember.
That was the LAST time i went to NYC area for any car, or in NY for that matter. I feel like they are all crooks, seems like a normal practice in the NY area.
That was the LAST time i went to NYC area for any car, or in NY for that matter. I feel like they are all crooks, seems like a normal practice in the NY area.
#13
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (2)
Most Lexus dealers I have dealt with have a "no negotiating" policy when it comes to price. I thought it was just my dealer, but when I bought a replacement GS, the 4 other dealers I talks to across New York had the same policy. Typically they'd only negotiate on trade ins or they offered to at most to go off $500
#14
Pit Crew
Yep, I experienced very similar situation with my Lexus/Toyota experience. I could take up 5 pages on this thread on what I went thru but I won't. I am in maine and we have 1 Lexus dealer in maine, granted there are Lexus dealers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts , but they are not much better. I can tell you flat out that due to the fact that Berlin Lexus in portland, maine is the only Lexus dealer in the state they are $ 5000.00 to as much as $ 10,000.00 above other dealers prices in the united states because they think maine people are stupid. And yes there is no negotiating . It is a miserable experience.
I will just give you a short summary of my misery. First off I had bought a 2015 1794 tundra from Berlin toyota and I was LEASING a 2016 Lexus GSF. I did the one time pay all the money up front on the 3 year lease, saved me about $ 4000.00. No problem. In 2017 I decided that I might be interested in a LX 570 new or maybe used. The pricing was so out of whack that I held off. Then I purchased and traded in my 1794 tundra for a 2017 ford raptor. Really love the raptor, but I still had a interest in the LX 570 in 2018. Summer of 2018 rolls around and as much as I love the GSF, I decided that I was not driving it enough, due to the activities I was involved with at the time, a lot of hunting and off pavement related activities. So in June of 2018 I had the dealership give me a quote to buy the vehicle back from me, the price was $ 9500.00 in June. I paid $ 26,000.00 lump sum all up front in October of 2016 for a 3 year lease. After doing my homework on GSF values in June They were sticking me for about $ 2000.00. Finally in September I decided that it was time to let the GSF go. Guess what the buy back price was in September ? $ 4800.00 ! Their excuse was, " we are coming into fall months and we can not sell it" . I presented them with actual values on other GSF'S in the market to show them how far off they where, but they did not care and would not even acknowledge the actual facts I was putting in front of them.
Fast forward to October and I am a gluten for punishment. I demo a slighty used 2018 LX 570 for 3 days. To be honest I loved the LX 570. But I told them that I wanted to think about it. In the meantime they have my GSF parked on their lot because we can not come to a agreement, and we are both fine with that. Fast forward to December. I try out another LX 570 and I finally decide to buy it. Now they increase the price on me by $ 3500.00 after trade in and they want to charge me $ 4000.00 for having to refurbish the brakes and rotors on the GSF because they let the GSF sit outside from Labor Day weekend to early December and NEVER took the time to check the condition of it ! I was going to be writing them a check for $ 70,000.00 for the trade on the LX 570 and I was going to buy out the lease on the 2016 GSF, but not with them going up on the LX by $ 3500.00 and charging me $ 4000.00 for there negligence. I told them from day 1, it was either LX 570/GSF PACKAGE OR FORD RAPTOR/GT 350 PACKAGE. Guess what ? I went with the ford raptor and the GT 350 and couldn't be happier.
In closing I thought my terrible Lexus dealership experience was due to them being the only Lexus dealer in maine and thinking that I was cornered, but it sounds like this is a continuous theme with Lexus dealerships. To bad they are so arrogant, because Lexus does make some great products, although over priced. And it surprises me that the dealerships are so *******s to deal with because the Japanese people are very nice people and this is not how they treat people in general, but this rotten take it or leave it attitude has to be coming from the top. Lexus was not like this 10 years ago.
Word of caution, stay away from Berlin Lexus in portland, maine.
I will just give you a short summary of my misery. First off I had bought a 2015 1794 tundra from Berlin toyota and I was LEASING a 2016 Lexus GSF. I did the one time pay all the money up front on the 3 year lease, saved me about $ 4000.00. No problem. In 2017 I decided that I might be interested in a LX 570 new or maybe used. The pricing was so out of whack that I held off. Then I purchased and traded in my 1794 tundra for a 2017 ford raptor. Really love the raptor, but I still had a interest in the LX 570 in 2018. Summer of 2018 rolls around and as much as I love the GSF, I decided that I was not driving it enough, due to the activities I was involved with at the time, a lot of hunting and off pavement related activities. So in June of 2018 I had the dealership give me a quote to buy the vehicle back from me, the price was $ 9500.00 in June. I paid $ 26,000.00 lump sum all up front in October of 2016 for a 3 year lease. After doing my homework on GSF values in June They were sticking me for about $ 2000.00. Finally in September I decided that it was time to let the GSF go. Guess what the buy back price was in September ? $ 4800.00 ! Their excuse was, " we are coming into fall months and we can not sell it" . I presented them with actual values on other GSF'S in the market to show them how far off they where, but they did not care and would not even acknowledge the actual facts I was putting in front of them.
Fast forward to October and I am a gluten for punishment. I demo a slighty used 2018 LX 570 for 3 days. To be honest I loved the LX 570. But I told them that I wanted to think about it. In the meantime they have my GSF parked on their lot because we can not come to a agreement, and we are both fine with that. Fast forward to December. I try out another LX 570 and I finally decide to buy it. Now they increase the price on me by $ 3500.00 after trade in and they want to charge me $ 4000.00 for having to refurbish the brakes and rotors on the GSF because they let the GSF sit outside from Labor Day weekend to early December and NEVER took the time to check the condition of it ! I was going to be writing them a check for $ 70,000.00 for the trade on the LX 570 and I was going to buy out the lease on the 2016 GSF, but not with them going up on the LX by $ 3500.00 and charging me $ 4000.00 for there negligence. I told them from day 1, it was either LX 570/GSF PACKAGE OR FORD RAPTOR/GT 350 PACKAGE. Guess what ? I went with the ford raptor and the GT 350 and couldn't be happier.
In closing I thought my terrible Lexus dealership experience was due to them being the only Lexus dealer in maine and thinking that I was cornered, but it sounds like this is a continuous theme with Lexus dealerships. To bad they are so arrogant, because Lexus does make some great products, although over priced. And it surprises me that the dealerships are so *******s to deal with because the Japanese people are very nice people and this is not how they treat people in general, but this rotten take it or leave it attitude has to be coming from the top. Lexus was not like this 10 years ago.
Word of caution, stay away from Berlin Lexus in portland, maine.
Last edited by Ftcgsf; 05-06-19 at 08:52 AM.
#15
The Lexus dealers here in Sacramento seem good and the one new Lexus deal I did was very smooth.
The Local Toyota Dealers were so Bad, I worked with several, I went to buy a Tundra TRD Pro and much like the post above I am driving a Ford F150. They lied when the truth would do. They were so bad it was insane. They treated me like I was brain dead.
The Local Toyota Dealers were so Bad, I worked with several, I went to buy a Tundra TRD Pro and much like the post above I am driving a Ford F150. They lied when the truth would do. They were so bad it was insane. They treated me like I was brain dead.