chubbymike

Hi guys,
Need some verification from you guys. I talked to the internet sales manager here in North. Cal (Steven's Creek Lexus) and she told me that Lexus is not making the IS 250 AWD anymore. well, she said "they're not making AWD any longer ..." And it's the "..." that troubles me? i personally am not looking for an AWD (but getting a 350 soon), but my brother's friend was and that's why I asked her. Is this true? have you guys heard anything?

Kipperm13

I don't think they will stop making them but I think they will cut back. The Winter Season is almost over and most people won't be thinking awd anymore. I think you will see a change of people moving to the 350. They have been selling so many awd at least up here in NY that i don't think they will stop. Every IS i see is a 250awd

TheRupp

That's true for here as well. It also holds true for the GS300... every GS I see is a 300 AWD, including mine.

Sounds like you're being fed BS... We would've heard something by now about a "discontinuation" of a model. Plus, that's Lexus's hottest selling IS right now, so why would they stop? They aren't limited production. Your best bet is to call another dealer and ask them... that's what I do every time I hear something that I just can't really believe.

SkyIS

I don't think so,too. It is just like My salesperson told me that Lexus is not makeing white IS with black interior. I do not care at the time, since I think gray is also a good choice. Anyone can confirm this? hehe.

mike714

I don't believe anything car salesmen tell me. Just today, I stopped by Cerritos Lexus to see if they had any sport or luxury IS350's in stock as I'd only seen the premium package so far. He said he hadn't seen any, wasn't expecting any, and that the web site is only a guide to what *may* be produced. Then he said all the 350's they get are fully loaded. Whatever that means.

socaljoe

I don't think it's true, I was also at the Cerritos Lexus test driving the IS250, the saleswoman who was helping me said that they're expecting some AWD in the next two weeks. She also told me that all IS250 and 350 in california already comes with premium package including 18" wheels. I'm waiting for her to call me back for the AWD which is what I'm wanting to get.

TheRupp

I mean the only thing I can think of is if there aren't any being allocated to that dealer, but that's it. To say that they aren't producing them is another thing though.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

yea since winter is ending they might ramp the production down a little, produce more 350s please!

carlmock

I cant imagine a car salesman lying or just making stuff up.. they all seem so honest

Robnbill

I suspect the sales person was just misleading you. They are probably not getting any more AWDs in during the summer months in their standard orders.

When we were shopping for our IS 250 awd, I had done my research. I knew what I wanted and that I would be special ordering to get the configuration. However, when I was questioning one salesman about the ML option, he said it wasn't available in the IS. When I asked about the luxury package on the 250, he blurted out "You're not listening to me, you can't get it!"

Currently I have a new IS 250 AWD with Nav+ML+Lux sitting in my garage. You can get it. The dealer was not getting any in their normal orders and it became very obvious, that the sales force, was geared to pushing those regardless of what was available should you special order.

Needless to say, when we got back from the test drive, we asked for another salesman and told the dealer we were appalled at the guy arguing with us. I told the new salesman what we wanted and he said of course. We just need $500 down and we can special order the car for you. Which we did. The previous hot head salesman just wanted to convince us that we really did not want what we were asking for and rather would settle for what they had.

You can get anything listed in the IS brochures. However, the dealers are only getting in fixed configurations. If you like one of these, fantastic, you can probably even negotiate some dollars off the price. However, if you want to get a configuration that is different from the ones on the lot, then you will have to order it.

LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

I doubt they would discontinue the IS 250 AWD but rather decrease production because it would probably be in less demand because it's not winter anymore, almost all of the IS 250s and including GS 300 I see in NYC are AWD. Maybe they are making room for the IS 350?

Gojirra99

That's BALONEY

Turkoman

Since you mentioned the above, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I can sell you for a decent price.

Seriously, you did not believe that yourself, did you? The 250 is selling like a dream for any car manufacturer and Toyota like other car companies is in this for money. While most here are 350 owners, the 250 is the best seller for Lexus. No company discontinues a best seller, and one that has a waiting list for it.

socaljoe

I just got a reply from a salesperson at Mission Viejo Lexus stating that the factory has discontinued the AWD due to transmission problems. A sales manager at Longo Lexus told me earlier today that they don't have any available but it can be ordered from Japan

mike714

If they're having problems with the tranny, I can see them suspending production until they retool for a fix. But discontinuing it totally 6 months into a 5 year run? No way. It sounds like some of the salespeople are getting confused between a temporary shortage and a discontinuation.