Shopping for IS350
07-12-07, 07:34 PM
#16
Lead Lap
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
$32,800 + TTL. Free window tinting and Exact Mats. I did call Price Leblanc back when I changed my mind, and decided to buy an IS250 instead. Price Leblanc and Lexus of New Orleans wanted $34K for the same car.
If I still lived in Baton Rouge, I would make the 4 hour trip to Houston to buy a Lexus. Gas is expensive, but it wouldn't cost me $1200 to make the trip.
EDIT: This price is obviously before my trade in, and I also paid for the vehicle in full on the purchase date, so no financing involved.
If I still lived in Baton Rouge, I would make the 4 hour trip to Houston to buy a Lexus. Gas is expensive, but it wouldn't cost me $1200 to make the trip.
EDIT: This price is obviously before my trade in, and I also paid for the vehicle in full on the purchase date, so no financing involved.
Last edited by IS250 4 Me; 07-12-07 at 07:39 PM.
07-12-07, 07:44 PM
#18
Lead Lap
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I took the quotes I got from California dealers to Sterling McCall Lexus, and told them that I expect them to match or I make the trip to California. Lexus of Glendale in California actually offered to fly me in, and told me that they could give me a special temp tag to drive the vehicle back to Texas.
Sterling McCall didn't match the price, but got close enough to earn my business, and save me the hassle of driving back 1700 miles.
07-12-07, 07:59 PM
#19
Yeah, I hear you. Why pay more when you can make the drive for the same vehicle at a much lower price? What turned me off about Price Leblanc is that they didn't even call me back when I explained what I was looking for.
I actually called them about a smokey granite mica IS350 with nav and the X-package that they had sitting on the front lot. The salesman said that he will check the lot and call me back. I told him the car is still there, as I was on the lot the night before after the dealership closed (I called the next morning as soon as they opened).
I never got a phone call back.
I called about an IS250 later on, and the quote was $1K higher than Texas. They had 25 of them on the lot at Price Leblanc, but wouldn't budge on price.
By the way, I am actually permanently banned from Price Leblanc Toyota because I raked them over the coals when I bought a 2005 Toyota Sienna XLE minivan for my wife. They lost money on that deal, and the old guy came to see me to tell me that he couldn't sell the vehicle for the price we negotiated. He told me that the salesman didn't know what he was doing, and made a deal without consulting the managers.
The salesman didn't know anything about minivans, and it showed.
I actually called them about a smokey granite mica IS350 with nav and the X-package that they had sitting on the front lot. The salesman said that he will check the lot and call me back. I told him the car is still there, as I was on the lot the night before after the dealership closed (I called the next morning as soon as they opened).
I never got a phone call back.
I called about an IS250 later on, and the quote was $1K higher than Texas. They had 25 of them on the lot at Price Leblanc, but wouldn't budge on price.
By the way, I am actually permanently banned from Price Leblanc Toyota because I raked them over the coals when I bought a 2005 Toyota Sienna XLE minivan for my wife. They lost money on that deal, and the old guy came to see me to tell me that he couldn't sell the vehicle for the price we negotiated. He told me that the salesman didn't know what he was doing, and made a deal without consulting the managers.
The salesman didn't know anything about minivans, and it showed.
Let's just say there's apparently something wrong with their phone lines.Javier
07-12-07, 08:00 PM
#20
Driver
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So no nav or other goodies? What the dealer faxed you looks pretty vanilla. But then again you are probably buying the car just for the engine? But if I were you and dropping close to 40k I would want more luxury options in my new car.
07-12-07, 08:09 PM
#21
Lead Lap
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
). The loyalty that the locals have to Price Leblanc is sickening. Some of them get treated like crap, and yet they still go back there for another vehicle.I told them that I have a check in hand and can pay for the vehicle in cash if they can make me a deal. They said, "Uh, sir, we are not a volume dealership."
07-12-07, 09:08 PM
#22
Lexus Champion
It sounds like their business model is 'lower volume at a higher unit price'. If it works for them who is to say it is wrong. The number of Lexus buyers who beat the bushes for the last nickel is small.
Last edited by Evitzee; 07-12-07 at 09:12 PM.
07-13-07, 01:09 PM
#23
Lead Lap
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Most of the time they prefer a finance transaction (another source of revenue for them). A cash deal does nothing for them unless they have a cash flow problem, which if they are managing their business properly should not be a concern.
It sounds like their business model is 'lower volume at a higher unit price'. If it works for them who is to say it is wrong. The number of Lexus buyers who beat the bushes for the last nickel is small.
It sounds like their business model is 'lower volume at a higher unit price'. If it works for them who is to say it is wrong. The number of Lexus buyers who beat the bushes for the last nickel is small.
Most Lexus owners that I know do beat the bushes, but hardly for the last nickel. As an example, the previously mentioned dealer wanted almost $2500 extra for an LS460L versus Sterling McCall (my dad's car). I wouldn't call that a nickel, though it does seem relatively small compared to the $80K+ sticker price.
My dad informed them that the price was too high, and the dealer basically laughed and said, '"Find it cheaper elsewhere, and we'll throw in some free service for you when you bring it here." He later took the car and his papers to Price Leblanc, showing the price, and they threw in free oil changes through 25K miles. At least they stood by their word (though they probably regret it).
Basically, they are isolated from larger markets, and assume that local customers won't go through the hassle of looking elsewhere. The internet is a powerful tool, and I think some car dealers forget how powerful it really is.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post