been bantering around w dealer for weeks...something about the 18-20th of month when they "might" be able to order one. Very confusing to me..if I do get "chosen" then it $5K down and wait. new/used car I want is impossible to find, been looking over 6 months.

 

Toyoda/Lexus has a very weird “ordering” process. In the U.S., dealers do not really get to order a specific trim + color combo. What Toyoda/Lexus does is that they will build cars based on what they believe people/dealers would want. It is then up to the individual dealers to call dibs/trade with each other to get a particular trim/color combo.

For example, if you wanted a Flare Yellow LC500 with the Dynamic Handling Package with a Carmel Toasted interior, HUD, Mark Levinson, you might be waiting a very long time for Toyoda/Lexus to finally “build” that car and hope that your local dealership can see that one is in production and “claim” it for you.

As for the 18th/20th, that is usually the time of the month where the dealers can put in their request (i.e. what they want from Toyoda/Lexus). If you wanted an LC500, they can then tell Toyoda/Lexus Japan that there’s a dealer in the U.S. interested in this trim/color combo. Then if one shows up for production within the parameters you want the dealer can get it for you.

This was the process back in 2021-2023. Pretty sure it is the same now. Someone with more experience can chime in.



It is different if you go with the Bespoke option where you can customize your LC500 and order almost exactly what you want. The verdict is still out there if the Dynamic Handling Package is something you can or cannot get on the Bespoke option. https://www.lexus.com/models/LC?link

 

do dealers have limit to how many LCs they can request.also noticing the dealers have Alot of convertibles(im wanting a coupe) that arent moving.

 

It took me 8 months and four dealers to get my 2024 caviar black with dark rose interior convertible. I tried to get the Bespoke package and that was even harder.
You have to have patience's and luck. Good luck and I hope you get what you are looking for.

 

There are two separate processes for how Lexus dealerships get cars, it's important to understand the difference.

1. 99% of Lexus vehicles being sent to dealerships are "allocated" by Lexus corporate and the dealer has no choice in what they're getting. Lexus corporate looks at different parts of the country, what cars are selling in those areas, their supply chain etc and corporate decides how many of each model to build, what colors to select etc. Then they "allocate" those cars to different dealerships based on what they've been selling. The dealers know their allocations months in advance, and are able to trade with other dealers for a car that a specific customer wants. But for the most part, Lexus decides what to build and where to send it.

2. The last ~1% (it's likely less) are "bespoke" LC500's that a customer orders, their Lexus dealer submits to Lexus corporate, Lexus decides whether or not to accept the order and when to build it (based on supply chain / production schedules etc). Then that car is sent to the dealership that requested it and sold to the owner who ordered it.

Understand that #1 is how most Lexus cars have been sourced / sold for ~3 decades. #2 is new for LC coupes in the last couple of years, and new for LC convertibles for this year. Most dealerships haven't done #2 even once. An argument could be made that they don't want to do #2. It's a lot more work than just asking your wife "what color RX do you want?".

I had to ask three different dealerships in the Denver area about a bespoke LC before one of them even knew what I was talking about. The ordering process took two hours, with the sales manager trying different option codes in the computer to see what codes could overlap and what was rejected. I'm getting my car in the next couple of weeks (it's already at port in California). But Lexus did not make the process easy.

So long story short: you have two options.

1. Try to find an allocation car that your dealer can trade for that is close enough to what you want. Any Lexus dealer you talk to will know how to do this.
2. Try to find a dealer who understands the bespoke process, ideally has done one or more, that is willing to sell you one. Then you sit down, pick codes, and they submit to corporate. Then you wait on the corporate gods to decide if/when you get the car.

I wanted blacked-out trim and the inspiration edition wheels, Lexus only puts those on inspiration edition or bespoke cars. If your build is pretty plain-jane -- what options do you want? interior / exterior color? -- then #1 above is probably your best bet.

Another thing to note: as soon as the convertibles came out, they began outselling the coupes by (rumored) 3 to 1. My local dealer has 4 LC convertibles in inventory (including mine) and not a single coupe. So if you're wanting a coupe, that's an extra challenge because they're building a lot more convertibles these days.

Good luck!

 

Dammn this is difficult., Im used to Porsche dealers--just hand them ur wallet, and U get ur car..

 

The challenge with Lexus is finding the right salesperson at the right dealership to do exactly this. If you can find the right salesperson who will handle all the hassles for you, you're set.

If you're anywhere near Denver, you can call Scott Vye at Stevinson Lexus in Lakewood. I'm sure there are salespeople who have done this closer to where you live, but Scott has done a couple of bespoke LC500's now and is getting pretty good at it.

 

No wonder Lexus has a tough time moving LCs. They need to understand at this price point, buyers of Porsches, Bentleys, Astons, Ferraris, etc are used to customizing every aspect of their orders. If Lexus wants to really succeed in this segment they need to alter their approach. One could argue it's actually more profitable for them to make the custom ordering process easier as well. This is why the other luxury OEMS heavily happily embraced it

 

This has been a huge issue with Lexus for as long as it has existed.

All the Luxury Brands allow you to custom order the car and also offer a true delivery experience. Even enthusiast cars like the Mustang and Corvette have amazing ordering process where you submit your exact spec and track it online or app. Porsche sends you Pictures while the car is being built.

Lexus is truly in stone age when it comes to custom ordering and it really hurts them with enthusiast cars or high end luxury buyers that are used to getting exactly what they want when paying over $100k.

 

^^^^What you are all are saying is very true. But, how many people compare the LC to an AM vantage? The Vantage stickers at $170K+ the LC $110K+. Personally I'd rather have the $60K than an "amazing ordering process"

 

BarncoBob - what exactly are you looking for? If you let us know perhaps one of us will see it at our local dealer and we can alert you.

LOL - same here. Most people barely even notice Aston Martins - see funny old Doug Demuro vid below. I was at the Clearwater Cars & Coffee yesterday and walked right by a silver Aston Martin as did everyone else - they all look the same to me so I have no idea what model it was.

Meanwhile my LC was getting lots of attention - the MC made a comment on the loudspeaker about “hey if you can’t find a parking spot for that Lexus I’ll get you one up front” when I rolled by him. I watched from a distance as people were taking pics of the car, the wheels, the interior, even the engine bay - see below When I was near it they were asking me “what year is it?”, “how fast is it?”, “how much hp does it have?”, “how much did it cost?”, etc.

 

great background shot ya got there, pard !

 

There are buyers who care less about price and who care more about buying what they like regardless of the price. The Aston price comparison can be made with cars costing less as well such as a BMW M4 for $80k.

Fundamentally, this is all about Lexus setting the wrong expectations.

Happiness = reality minus expectations. If reality is better than one's expectations, then one will be happy. However, Lexus sets the expectations with their online configurator and "send build to dealer" or even "bespoke" builds that you can order an LC just like you can with any other OEM. But that's simply not the case or at least far more complicated of a process... hence potential buyers are disappointed and frustrated.

If I didn't already have a LC and knew that I wanted another one more than any other car, then Lexus would have lost me as a buyer on waiting on a new LC a long time ago. And even so I've had my LC deposit on both a bespoke and a "regular" order for more than 5 months now and still don't have any semblance that my order will even be accepted - which is likely to cause me to start looking at other cars soon.

The sad part is that many LCs are simply sitting on lots - why not allocate build spots to people who want to pre-order? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Bad Demuro. Bad, bad, bad Demuro putting that garbage Speedway gas in an AM.
Bruce in Fl

 

A $40k Mustang or any BMW can be custom ordered to the smallest of details like seatbelt and caliper colors.

People expect personal customization for luxury and / or enthusiast cars. It’s one of the best aspects of buying new, which is to get your dream spec.