jdanon

As some of you know I've been trying to get my hands on a red IS350. The local dealer thought they had one last week, and I put my deposit down, signed the buy order, and so on, then this morning I get the dreaded phone call that the car they thought they had for me "had disappeared". So...it seems I can sit around and wait to see if one turns up somewhere or put in a special order. Here is what my very apologetic dealer told me today after completing a nationwide search for a vehicle to my liking:

1. Lexus is still delivering 2007 dealer allocations through June.
2. A special order right now would be a 2007. So those that have previously placed special orders would get a 2007, and not 2008 as we've been speculating. It seems that if you want a 2008 special order the earliest you would see it is October/November time frame which is what we thought: a 2008 special order wouldn't be out before the dealers had theirs or trump the dealer allocations.
3. 2008 special orders won't start until August.
4. Delivery time is up to 4 months though if you catch the production cycle just right (put your order in the day before they go to production) can be as low as 60-70 days. It sounds like there is one last production cycle for 2007 taking place right now. My guess would be that the last production cycle of the model year would be the fastest so as to clear the pipeline for the next model year (2008). Not sure if that's true, but I'd like to optimistically think that.

That said I just may pull the trigger on one and hope that the 2007 production cycle is just about to start keeping my wait time down. Anyone have any additional info or been told conflicting stories about this? I've been looking for a car for the last month or so, and am getting tired of waiting when I could have been 1/4 of the way through the wait for a car spec'd out exactly to my liking.

Julez

08s have been available for special order for a few weeks. In fact, almost every model is available for 08 special order right now except for the GS(which I know for sure, there could be others), but that is due to the 08 GS460 and minor facelifting it will be getting.

I can't believe 07s will stop being allocated to dealers in June, what are they suppost to do from June to late Aug when the 08s come out?

If you special ordered an 08 it wouldn't go into the system until the 08 queue is made. I special ordered my 07 in early June, and it wasn't produced until mid August.

Depending on what exact configuration you want, anything except for PCS or Radar should be easily allocated by your dealer, it's just a matter of them trying hard enough.

If you do end up special ordering, don't go too crazy waiting.

jdanon

Really? What dealer told you that? Seems like there is conflicting information out there. I am really surprised that every dealer isn't on the same page about stuff like this. Why is this so hard for them to get right? I mean I'm sure the exact dates of these things are set in stone months or maybe even years in advance.

Julez

Dealers always give people the reach arounds and lame excuses. I'm glad I went through Toyota for my special order and not a dealer. Every dealer is on a different page. But to be honest, there isn't much we can do to straighten dealers out. I'd just tell them to call you when they get the exact 07 you want, and in the mean time, email a few other dealers who are close to you(not sure the amount of Lexus dealers on the East Coast, probably not many) and see if they can help you out. Wouldn't hurt.

jdanon

Yeah other dealers have said the same thing. The red car is very hard if not impossible to find especially this late in the year. So that means a special order for me if I really want it. I just hate the hopeless feeling I have of everywhere I turn I get a different answer about anything involving Lexus. This whole thing about certains cars, options, and colors being available in certain parts of the country is a complete scam to begin with. Now if you're telling me in California the special order process is different I'll be even more pissed.

luder_lex

i cant believe i am reading this. i we thought you had it lock and finally getting "the car".

why dont u just special order it and wait.............. rather then go thru all this just to get urself frustrated.

good luck!

IS250 4 Me

I saw a matador red IS350 on the showroom floor of Sterling McCall Lexus in Houston about a week ago when I went to pick up my license plates. Call Ty Estes (internet sales) over there and see if they still have it.

The car was decked out with the chrome plated 18" wheels (not the stock kind, but a Lexus upgrade wheel - the one with multiple spokes), and window tinting.

Evitzee

If that is the same car I'm thinking about it has been in their stock for some time ..... it sat for the longest time on their covered forecourt. I guess they moved it inside. Don't know why it hasn't sold as they only have one or two 350's at most times. If I remember it doesn't have ML, but is well equipped otherwise, and with tint and upgraded wheels. Call Richard Joseph (Internet Sales Manager) at 713-894-2212, and give it a shot. The worst they can say is 'It's sold'.

Unfortunately I think it has a Cashmere interior which, as I remember, is a deal breaker for you.

jdanon

Luder_lex - you are reading right, unfortunately. It was a lock, until this morning. Like I said I had that feeling that something like this might happen over the long weekend when I couldn't get a status on where the car was.

IS250 - Thanks - I'll do that. I also checked with JM Lexus. They claim special order times of 30-90 days which is not bad and may be worth waiting for, plus they will ship the car without much hassle which is nice. Looks like I have some options and it's not all bleak.

jdanon

Thanks Evitzee. Thanks to everyone trying to help me. You all are too nice considering I'm just an internet stranger!

IS250 4 Me

No problem. The harsh reality is that the dealer doesn't always do a good job of finding the vehicle you want across the country. I would recommend doing it yourself, and it seems like you've already started down that path.

Longo Lexus in Cali also has a superb fleet manager that knows what is coming and going all the time. He was helpful when I was looking for an IS.

Good luck to you!

IS250 4 Me

I think you're correct, unless it is a similar one (not sure of when you saw it last). The one I saw had the tan/cashmere interior, and 25% tint like the tint on my car. The rims were stunning, though I'm not a fan of chrome.

It was on their covered forecourt when I was buying my car in April, and was in the showroom just last week! I'm not sure of why it isn't moving, but if I would have known it was going to sit there this long, I would have tried to make a deal on it.

It is definitely the same one that was on their covered forecourt when I saw it in April (I asked the concierge lady).

CoasterG

iTrader: (1)

I've heard previously that JM is the allocation dealer for the southern region so they'd probably have the line on special orders. Plus the volume they do is pretty impressive, bought my 06 IS350 there and I was impressed on how big the dealership is and the fact that they had about 10+ 350s at the time I picked mine up. They had just gotten a shipment in.

Good luck on your IS350 purchase, I hope you find the one you want quickly or settle in and wait for your special order.

knox_sport

My local dealer, Lexus of Knoxville, had 3 350's in stock last weekend and I think one of them may have been Matador Red. If you're willing to travel or get one out of state...