syswei

Perhaps "not all that affected" but rather "somewhat" impacted. Have you seen the sales figures lately for the LS460 and S550?

The economy matters. How many realtors are buying high-end vehicles these days?

If someone's home has dropped 20% or 30% in value in the last 2 years, is he less likely to buy a high end vehicle than before? Or if his investment portfolio is down by 15% or 20% in the last 9 months, is he less likely to buy a high end vehicle than before?

The places that still have LX waiting lists would have longer waiting lists if the economy were in better shape, and gas prices lower. My LX470 sometimes costs $100 for a fillup, btw....I may consider an Escalade hybrid rather than the LX570.

GatorGreg

With the exception of the newly redesigned LX, sales of all Lexus models are way down this year ( http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases...T2008070177210 ). So yes, even wealthy people are impacted by the economy. While it's true that wealthy people have a lower "elasticity of demand" then poor people, it's still elastic.

ggebhardt

You are correct but there is alot more going on here than a housing problem. The cost of gas and loss of job or people just being scared or not confident in the future has the most to do with it.

Just hold on, you have not seen the worst of it yet!

And if Obama is elected, you will see the stock market and business pull way back.

syswei

Here's another sign of how the market is developing. When I inquired with my local CT dealer about a test drive in May, there were no LXs available as to demo. When I inquired more recently, they have one to demo.

pagemaster

So they no LX570s on the lot but they have a demo model. I highly doubt with Lexus having a demo model on the lot has anything to do with the economy. Most LX owners purchase their LX brand new and keep them for a very long time.

There is a Lexus dealer near me in Ontario that has told me that its a 2 month wait for new Lexus which will have to be a 2009 model or I can get the base, boring dark silver 2008 very early built LX570 that has about 8000 km on it.

syswei

I'm not sure quite what you're saying. Are you of the opinion that because it is a great vehicle from a great company, there are waiting lists at every dealer, and that the economy doesn't matter and waiting lists are going to be a fact of life indefinitely?

heykev

Hi all,

I just returned from JM Lexus after dropping off my car for repair work and while I was there, I walked into the showroom. They had 2 LXs on the floor, 1 white, and 1 gold, and they also had 2 outside with sold tags on them, a white one and a silver one. There doesn't appear to be a waiting list at the moment, unless there is a wait for a specific color.

Lexus_girl

The two you saw outside with the sold signs were purchased by a local couple. LOL Must be nice to have that kind of dough! I think the hardest one to get is black. Other colors may be more available.

tigmd99

Common reaction to anyone reading pagemaster's posts...he is the local forum idiot.

pagemaster

IMO the Land Cruiser and LX570 are in a rare class just above mainstream large SUV's such as the Escalade, QX, Armada, Sequoia, Navigator etc. The Land Cruiser has just as much brand identity and loyalty as a Camry/Corolla etc. The 200 series Land Cruiser is sold in more than 120 countries and really only has the Range Rover/Nissan Patrol as real competition worldwide. Also the price is a little out of reach of most middle class so if you have to have the money to really get one. As for the LX it really competes with the Range Rover.

Combined the LX and Land Cruiser are currently selling at the same volume levels as the early 90's 80 series Land Cruisers. Of course the Land Cruiser and LX will never sell near the levels of the SUV in the late 90's but no SUV will sell at those levels.

There is a small breed of Land Cruiser that have been buying them forever and the LX has a very high satisfaction rate which tells me that it will continue selling well.


Eventually demand will go down and the 200 series will be sitting on dealer lots a little longer but if you want a specific colour will take a little longer to get. Waiting list won't be indefinite but the LX will also sell well.

Eventually I think Toyota will offer the 4.5 diesel in Land Cruiser trim. I think the diesel Land Cruiser will sell extremely well. As for the LX..I am not sure what else you can really do.

tigmd99

At this time, the LX and TLC are selling relatively well because the small niche market is still buying them...and production is limited. Once this niche fills up (which will be soon), you will have more LX and TLC sitting on lots day after day. I predict that after 6-8 months after release, there will no longer be a waiting list. This same trend applied when the FJ Cruiser was release...it should be no different with TLC/LX.

However, in all likelihood, Toyota will keep production low on both TLC and LX. In the past, TLC sales were poor, but you still can't find many on the lots because production was quite low. So, judging sales by looking on how many on the lots may NOT be an accurate way to determine sale volume.

Poor economy and rising gas prices affect everyone, rich to poor. For me, it has definitely changed my outlook on my priorities. And i am one of those who own a vehicle in the same price range as LX. If anyone denies that economy and gas prices affect them, then they are either dumb, arrogant, and/or in denial. My guess is dumb and arrogant.

Diesel vehicles, although great, are still struggling because:
1. Diesel prices are still much higher than premium...this still puzzles me!
2. Most current diesel engines have poor smog-forming nitrogen oxides emissions...and thus, have not been popular in certain states...Honda, VW, and Mercedes diesel will be more compliant in the near future...note that VW and Mercedes upcoming diesels have higher regular maintenance (urea injection every 15k miles or so) to get within emission standards...Honda claims that their upcoming diesel is maintenance free
3. Diesel have never been popular with the American public due to past image
4. Mercedes diesel vehicles are selling relatively well because it is a relatively small engine (3.2L) and gets good mpgs...i wonder what the 4.5L Toyota diesel gets?? Big truck diesels are NOT selling well.
5. Although today's diesel are much better, they are still not as smooth or luxurious as a good gas engine...in other words, a Lexus engineer may blow out his ears if he listens to the engine with a stethoscope!

pagemaster

No waiting list and if you get the right dealer they would probably locate one if there was one available. I am sure if you just want an LX they are easy to find but if you want one with specific options or and or colours then becomes a little more difficult.

One thing is for sure. You can down to the local Toyota dealer and find pretty much any type of Sequioa you may be looking for with specific option etc..but good luck with LC or LX

tigmd99

My local dealer has 2 TLCs...sitting on the lot with the Sequoias...been there a while....

pagemaster

I think GM just recently release pricing info on the Escalade hybrid. It looks like the MSRP of the hybrid starts at $71k while the LX is at $75k. I still think the LX is in a class a little higher than the Escalade

tom2517

I am back to the US for one week and went to the local dealership today to check out the LX. Here are some of my quick observations:

-The interior was nice, but not as nice as I thought. Maybe not enough wood or leather, anyways, I was disappointed.
-The stereo was okay, but doesn't seem to be better than the GS (despite the fact many thinks the GS system is very bad). ML supposely spend 4000 hrs on this system, where did the hrs go?
-The seating system was cool, but with so many moving parts, wonder if there will be creaks a few months or years down the line?
-During idle it is very quiet, so it's Lexus like. However, it is nosier than LS or GS when moving, but that's okay, it does use a truck engine after all, so I don't expect it to be like the V8 in the LS or GS460.
-Handling is okay, I don't have too much expectation in this area, and the power is plenty even with this much weight.

I didn't talked about the price with the sales, but the dealership already has 2 in the lot (I drove a brand new one) and more coming, so I think one should be able to get something off.