dev1n5

Looking to purchase an IS500 in the near future and was hoping to get some insight on the purchasing process.

I understand the IS500 is a special vehicle and availability is limited. I’ve seen the dealer allocation sheet, but noticed there hasn’t really been any new ones added recently. Has production stopped for 2024?

Also is there a waiting list that I have to be on to purchase the car or can I just show up and purchase inventory on the lot? I’m flexible with color and am hoping to get one priced at or below MSRP. Are there any dealers or salespeople in Southern California that you would recommend working with? Thanks!

Soyuz350

As someone going through this right now, both looking at used and new - Make sure you have something in writing stating the price you're willing to pay, and make sure no additional fees are tacked on at the last second. I've had 3 new vehicles suddenly have a 2-4k "market adjustment markup" added when I went in to sign the paperwork, and I've walked on all 3. Most dealers have used the "this vehicle is going fast" line, and I believe this is one of those cases where it's marginally true, I'm not seeing the cars listed near MSRP sit for long at all.

Some dealers around me (south florida) have 3-4 on the lot at any point in time, all within 2-3k of MSRP, and any that are Lexus corporate dealers should be able to help you find vehicles available at other networked dealers.

It may end up being cheaper to buy a new vehicle out of state, and have it shipped to you, if you can't find any local dealers willing to sell at/near MSRP. I paid right around 1500 for open trailer cross country transport from San Francisco area to Miami area for another vehicle purchase about 2 months ago, though your mileage may vary.

mastershibe

When I looked at used prices, used prices were a joke. No point to pay MSRP for a used car with 8k miles on it.

The dealer allocation tracker used a loophole into Toyota's system that has either been plugged, or the person updating it has received attention from Toyota's law firms (Reddit legal has wiped the links)
Unfortunately this makes it a lot harder to find the car you want. (I used it to find a dealer a few states away that had the color I want, and it was in transport, and not yet spoken for, which I put a 1k deposit on and flew out to drive back).

The bad news is you are going to have to cave somewhere if you are flying out to pick up a car you have a deposit on. Get the sell sheet before you make plans and agree on the out the door price. My dealer kept MSRP but added on tint/ceramic coat which were grossly inflated in price. Since I didn't want to risk losing the car I sucked it up.

Edit: One last thing - assume that the dealer web search is always out of date. You should call each dealer with a car on the way and confirm the status as well as when they expect to receive it. Twice, I called a dealer with a car in transit and was told it was already "pre-sold".

all9

I cannot stress this enough, but you shouldnt limit your search to only Southern Cali area if you're actually serious about buying one. There are still decent deals to be had when you open up a multistate search (that's what I did when I bought my '23 from TN to WI). Paid 56k from a dealer with 5k miles for the exact spec I wanted & the 18 hour drive was plenty worth it.

good luck.

macmaster

It's not difficult to get this car anymore, especially for under MSRP, especially in Southern CA - literally the car mecca of the world. Y'all are gaslighting OP. My advice would just be to keep checking dealer listings every day. Make lots of phone calls. It's like looking for a job but less stressful and way easier. Most people aren't jumping all over to purchase $60k+ cars. Most who are rich enough are either buying TTV8s from German luxury brands or overpriced EV appliances. And true car enthusiasts are buying a Supra, GR86, M2 or m340i. My point is the IS500 is an easy car to find at a good price now.

all9

...totally sounds like something someone from Cali would say lol

it also depends on what OP is looking for... 0 mile 2024 example? then its gonna be a bit harder to find sub MSRP in your back yard (which seems to be what OP is in search of)... used can be had for less obviously, but theres not this plethora of examples available for way under 60 if that's the potential threshold/budget of OP... they would need to give us more information before we assume gaslighting

Soyuz350

Did you by any chance get it in black on black in the past 3-4 months?

Soyuz350

As someone who bought a Mk V Supra as a stop gap vehicle, it was much easier to find a lightly (<10k mi) used one at a good price than a used IS500 at a good price. The IS500's are sitting on lots but every dealer seems to have a "I know what I got" mentality, I feel like I'm trying to buy a Corvette from a private sale. In addition, the number of Lexus dealers I've worked with who flat out refuse to sell a car out of their local area, or who have sold a car I've already put a deposit on WHILE I AM FLYING TO PICK UP THE CAR is absurd.

all9

Something similar almost happened to me as well... the dealer i ended up buying from wouldnt even let me put a deposit down which i thought was fishy right off the bat. It felt slimy throughout nearly the entire process until it was the day of pickup & even then i wasnt 100% confident they weren't gonna pull the rug out once I physically showed up to the dealer. They also played the "out of state card" but felt like they changed tones once they realized i wasnt a tire kicker. Still baffling they handled the sale that way but I'm happy everything eventually worked out

I'm a bit surprised to see others here having issues securing these cars with out of state dealers... feels like this is a new tactic or something because the dealers i've worked for years ago didnt do this kind of stuff, seems very counter productive to moving product unless manufacturers are putting limitations on dealers which i highly doubt?

no, white on black for mine

Soyuz350

Lexus of Knoxville?

all9

no, it was a Honda dealer out of Nashville (they took the 500 in on trade allegedly)

Soyuz350

Sounds like most dealers in TN are just up to no good, then. I've had 2 nice vacations in Knoxville and Nashville that started as me going to pick up a car and ended with me having to pay for a last second flight home and having no car.

all9

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that... That's pretty much worst case scenario to me & I was very much afraid that was a potential to happen with my situation too. Did you end up finding one yet or are you still on the search? there's a sales guy based out of southern FL that's on a couple of the IS500 Facebook groups that seems to be highly recommended in securing 500's for buyers for whats its worth

Soyuz350

I have not found one yet, currently talking to the singular dealer in the US who has one available, albeit at over MSRP for a 5k mile car. I've screwed myself by fixating on a black/black, so the search has been arduous. I've got great relations with my local dealers because of my purchase history with them, but unfortunately blk/blk is a rather niche spec, and they just don't show up for trade in, and if they do, they're normally spoken for by someone who has no hesitation at putting down far more money than I'm willing to pay. It's a great car, and I'm more than happy to wiggle over a few grand, but these cars are used, and are not worth over MSRP, especially when there are less desirable specs sitting on lots for 2+ months in the mid 50's.

I'll be paying cash (not the duffle bag kind, but not financing), and a lot of dealers stop returning my calls + emails or suddenly tell me they've made a pricing error once I get to the deposit/payment phase. I'm looking for used, as I will reap absolutely 0 benefits of buying new, and I'd rather save 10k on the front end to spend on transport from wherever I end up finding it, ceramic coat, new tires, etc. down the line.

moo_juice

You guys looking for cars should join the two IS500 facebook groups. There are a few owners selling fairly low mileage cars