Hello,

I just found this message board and have been researching the IS 300 now for quite some time. I was going to get an Acura RSX-S before I found out about this hot little ride. Now there is no turning back! This car is unreal!

I was wondering if you guys could help me out with your opinions on my offer. This is what I am going to fax to all of the dealers (8) in my state. The first one to accept will be the lucky one


Vehicle Description: 2002 Lexus IS 300 (5-Speed Manual)

Invoice Price: (Dealer's Cost) MSRP: (Retail Price)
$25,901.00 $29,435.00
Options:

Leather Package $1,684.00 $2,105.00

Moon Roof $400.00 $500.00

Axle (Limited Slip) $312.00 $390.00

Heated Seats $352.00 $440.00

Spoiler $325.00 $440.00

Total Of Options:
$3,073.00 $3,875.00

Total Base Vehicle & Option Price: $28,974.00 $33,310.00

Factory Holdback (Paid To Dealer By Factory After Car Is Sold) $666.20 $666.20


Dealer's Total Cost Of Vehicle = (Total Invoice - Holdback): $28,307.80

+5% Fair Profit Over Dealer's Cost (this is what I add in):
$1,415.39

Selling Price Of Vehicle:
$29,723.19

Destination Charge:
$545.00

Final Cost To Customer (Not Including Sales Tax):
$30,268.19



SO my offer is going to be $30,268.19. What do you guys think about this? I think it is very fair. I am giving them a 5% profit over their true cost of the car. This turns out to be a profit for them of $1,415.39. Plus when they sell the car Lexus gives them another $666.20 (Holdback). The total profit for them is $2081.59. I think that is very fair. So what does everyone here think?

Thanks for the opinions!


~mX

 

I would like that deal! I depends where you live. The 5 speed are still rare, but you should be able to get a decent deal. I am ordering mine with the LSD, suroof, leather/escaine, Heated power seats and NAV for 33.1. I think you should be able to get yours for about 31+, but not much less than that. If you go to the dealer with that offer, they will probably laugh, but I could be wrong, just depends on the area.

 

Yeah.. that price does seem too low.. But I agree it could happen depending on the dealer you get it from. Remember that dealers don't have unlimited supply of this car, they could probably sell more then what they actually get.. Some dealers want more for the 5spd then the E shift because 5 spd is more rare and now more demanding.
This is what the dealer said to me when I bought my car
"We could sell this car tomorrow sticker price if you don't buy this car right now"
well that is true.. because theres a lot of people out there who is willing to pay sticker price for the car (rich bastards)
anyways.. good luck in your purchase!!

 

I did exactly what you're doing. I e-mailed 9 dealers within a few hundred miles of where I live with an offer at 5% over cost. Unfortunately, in the area I live (Mississippi) Lexus dealerships are few and far between. The IS300 I configured is exactly like the one you show (btw, isn't invoice on the spoiler $352?). Virtually all the dealers responded (mostly, with "hi, hope we can help you, blah, blah...etc."), but only four actually made counteroffers. None of the dealers would meet my original offer of $30,296.54. The best offer I got was a dealer that simply added back the factory holdback to my offer and the second best offer was a couple hundred dollars above that.

I didn't bother playing the dealers off each other. I simply took the best deal that I thought was reasonable, which was still around $1k below Edmund's TMV. As of last week, I 've got an IBP 5-speed on order configured exactly like you listed. I had to order because the LSD option is apparently hard to come by in my area. It was extremely easy to negotiate a deal through e-mail. BTW, a couple other dealers I spoke to said the factory holdback is 2% of the base MSRP, not the base MSRP + options.

 

sounds good on paper (or pixels) but the issue you forgot is supply and demand... there aren't enough 5 spds to go around!

Also, there are 2 other IS300 specific sites...
http://www.is300.net (down temporarily)
http://www.is300forum.com

 

Thats exactly what I'm talking about

 

Here is a little info that you might find useful. I got my IS300 in the beginning of this year. It is an automatic transmission. I got it thru AAA (triple A). I got my car for $30,500. It doesn't have LSD and Navigation system. It does have moonroof, leather, etc. The good thing about it is I don't have to hassale with the dealer because AAA set the price for them to sell it at. You can't ask for it any lower. Just go to the AAA website and find the dealer that AAA partners with. I lived in Los Angeles and I went to Longo Lexus. The second lowest offer I got was $32,000. With AAA, you know that you are not getting rip off for what you are paying. I hope this info helps....

 

damn.. I wish I knew this before I bought my car..