ItalianLex

Ok so I went to JM Lexus last night to get pricing for an IS350. I left with a few ideas in my head in terms of what to do but I need your help in deciding. Here are my 2 scenarios....

1.) There is an '06 IS350 on the lot right now.... SGM with grey interior, all the usual features plus the Luxury package with 18's HID's and AFS, preforated heated and ventilated seats, wood interior, power steering wheels and memory seats. Illuminated scuff plates power sun shade, rain sensing wipers and head lamp washers. The Sticker price for the car was $40,539. The cost price for JM is $36,787. Basically they said I could walk out the door with the car for just under $40,000.

Good Deal??? How about #2

2.) Using Lexus.com I priced out what i would get as a special order vehicle.... Color choice still in the air, Black or grey interior, the usual features, plus Luxury package no 18's...with everything listed above and the Mark levinson stereo alone and that price comes out to $40,140, figure with dealer fees and what not I jump up to just under $45,000.


Basically I'm spending $5,000 to get the car exactly how I want. But I wanted to make sure of a few things first.....

1.) Mark Levinson alone comes with a screen to play the dvd's?
2.) My figures are approx. correct compared to others buyers out there?

Any help you guys could give me would be amazing! I hope to make a decision shortly so I can try and sell my current '02 Supercharged IS300. So let the opinions and comments roll! Thanks again everyone!

Miami IS

I was in a very similar situation and I went with an 06 with navi plus all the other options you mentioned minus the headlamp washers. Also, not sure what SMG is but mine is silver with silver and black interior. I drove out for about 42k then had XM installed for $600. By the way, I bought at Countyline froma guy named Manny who was great.

cajunboy

In ordera to play normal DVD, you need Mark Levinson and navigation.

RO87

I would go with the first option just because you need to be in park in order to play dvd's...but thats just me. Then again it also depends if you like the color of the first option, my opinion, for $5k its not worth getting something you wont like, if you want the ML get it and make the car how you want it because your spending $40+ on it

ItalianLex

Ok so if I would need navi to play the dvd's figure I would add the navi option in there.... That makes it $43,190, so just under $47,000 with fees and what not. You think I might be able to negotiate down towards $40,000???

I kind of like the special order route for a few reasons, 1.) I need sometime to either sell my car as is, or part the hell out of it. 2.) because I know I'm getting exactly what I want.

Man this is tough!

homer4598

1. What fees are costing you $4,000 ?

2. Why are you paying (or thinking of paying) MSRP for the car?

Configure the car you want (I'd use edmunds.com) and get the MSRP and the invoice price. Dealer's actual cost is less (2% hold back and a couple of other fees that the manufacturer pays the dealer for). Anyway, once you have those two numbers, shop around -- contact all the dealers within a couple hundred miles and see what kind of deal they will give you. I'll bet that you can get at least $2,000 off MSRP, regardless if the car is on the lot or if it is ordered.

ItalianLex

Ok I configured the car I would want on Edmunds.com and came out with an MSRP of $44,694 and an invoice price of $38,827.

Now where do I go from there? How do I go about contacting a dealership and getting a quote and what not. I've never really haggled for a price for a new car before and am looking for the best help i can get.

Thanks in advance for everything!

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

1) Why do they have an IS with Lux package and no Nav on the lot?

2) Why are the fee's+tax for option one only ~$3200, whereas option 2 has ~$4900 in fees + tax? The numbers need to be looked at again.

Get what you want if you can afford it and can wait 3-4 months.

ItalianLex

The IS on the lot was a special order that fell through. The guy wanted head lamp washers and that's about it. lol

As for the fee's...I was kind of just estimating numbers for the second option. I didn't get any official numbers from the dealer for that car but I did for option one.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

I would order one to get it with Navigation. $4000 off an 06 is a good deal though. But if you can get 3K off an 07 special order. Its worth it, to get what you want.

Do you really want the Lux package? Its got a lot of cool features, but I would seriously consider getting NAV before ordering the Lux package.

homer4598

Easy stuff. Go to the Lexus website. In the upper right hand corner, click on "Find a Dealer" -- DON'T put in a zip code. On the next screen, just select a state and you'll get all the ones in the state you select. Not sure where you live exactly, so you need to determine which ones are within driving range (maybe even to other states). Personally, I'll drive a few hundred miles if I'm going to save $500 or more. Farther if I have to.

Anyway, next to each of the dealers is a link "Contact dealer". That brings up a web form to send an E-mail to the dealership. Send them all the same info -- car you want, options you want, MSRP, the invoice price (I wish I had the one that I used because I included hold back information and various profit margins). Ask them what kind of deal they can give you. Verify the price that they give you includes the destination fee (I'm assuming that the MSRP you came up with includes that figure).

Let us know how it goes....

TorontoIS

I regretted not getting the car exactly as I wanted it the last time I bought my Acura TL. I didn't go for the Nav. unit and ended up trading in my car sooner than I would normally have. In the end it costs you more and you aren't as happy. Get the Nav and ML package.

trio

If you plan on keeping the car for a while, you'll be a bit better off with the 06. If you plan on getting rid of soon, you might end up losing a decent amount of money because of the residuals between the model production year. Just something to keep in mind.

SolaraToIS

Get it equipped the way you want it. Even if it cost more and means a wait.
I am so thankful I did. No regrets.

ItalianLex

haha I did what you said homer and there are 14 dealerships in the state...9 of which I could go to without much of a problem.

When I send them the email do I need to specifiy color? I'm still up in the air about the color because I have Gunmetal wheels and don't know which color to pair them up with. I like the Black Sapphire but don't know if it would flow well. Any suggestions? haha