Dorsai

I just got a call from one of the Lexus dealers I'd given my information and requirements to, asking if I was still looking for an NX and if so was I ready to put a deposit down on a vehicle? Over the course of the conversation I explained that I was still in the market but was anticipating paying no more than MSRP. We essentially agreed that the market was still tight and they're still adding on additional dealer markup, so it would be best if I waited. He said he'd check back with me in a month since MAYBE the ADM would be gone by then. I'm not holding my breath.

bbr00ks

It sounds like they are feeling out your willingness to pay over market. Call two or three other dealers - you should be able to find one for list.

Dorsai

I'm currently working with three dealers. This is the only one that has explicitly stated that they're just adding money on because they can, but the others are insisting on adding paint protection packages and whatnot, and are refusing to negotiate on them. To my mind that's no better than a raw markup, and since I can wait them out, I will.

VillageNX

There are dealers still willing to be fair to customers and charge no more than MSRP. However, you then have to weed through the ones that want to add a bunch of crap to the deal instead of marking up the sticker. I contacted almost every dealer in FL. Three of them are part of the same "group" and all are extensively marking up MSRP - so I threw those out as options. Every other dealer I have talked to told me they didn't believe in going above MSRP. But some charge several hundred dollars more in "dealer processing fee" than others. And I talked to another that showed me a deal that was MSRP for the NX, a very good offer on my trade, but then they had 3 $399 charges added to it. 1 was for "nitrogen for life", another for "3M door film for life", and the 3rd was for "3M door handle cup film for life". $1200 for virtually nothing in return. The car I ended up going for has the door film add-on for $95 on the sticker. I could replace the film 3 times and still not get my money's worth out of "door film for life". We put our deposit on our car on 1/21 and were told it would be here between 2/8 and 2/15. A couple of days ago, we were told 2/14 - 2/19. We are willing to wait. The only concern is our trade value goes down the longer we wait but we don't put many miles on it and it shouldn't be too big a difference. The dealer I'm working with started at MSRP, offered more for our trade than anyone else, and has the lowest dealer processing fee of any we talked to - and no addons inserted before the bottom line.

Xanadu350

The market is still bad for buying a new car now limited supply allows for mark up. It’s affecting all automakers. It’s best to wait if you can, maybe summer or even fall.

VillageNX

I would say true if you aren't trading a vehicle. If you have a trade, the value of it is probably higher now than it will be when the market settles so that helps offset what's not coming off the sticker prices. However, I decided after visiting the first dealer, that came to the table at 10k above list on a NX 350 Premium, that I don't need a new vehicle bad enough to pay a cent more than MSRP. My trade offer right now is over $2K more than I had calculated I maybe could have sold it to a private party. Add to that over $1500 in tax savings for trading in FL vs. selling on your own and paying cash. I can see the market going from insane, back to sane, but I think it will be a while before it gets back to a buyer's market for new cars.

Dorsai

In my case there's no trade (I'm giving my old RX to my son to drive), just a straight purchase on my part. The good news is that the way I budget for a new car, I just drop my expected car payment into a savings account each month...so the longer I wait to buy, the larger my down payment is. The RX runs great, so waiting isn't a real problem for me.

Pharbor

I paid over MSRP. When I see the dealers lots they all don't have cars. The supply chain is a mess we took the economy from 0 to 100 in a shirt period of time, and it will take some time to catch up. I didn't like paying above MSRP but it is fact right now. As others have said used car prices are nuts now - so in terms of prices I prefer to pay more for a new car then for used car. I am selling my 2018 Miata and I am getting quotes for the same price I paid for the car two and half years ago.

VillageNX

Yep, I bought a used Jeep Wrangler a year ago with very low mileage and already modified for my taste. I have no interest in selling it right now but I have no doubt I could get what I paid for it, if not more. I refuse to believe paying above MSRP is a fact - maybe it is in NY, but I found proof in my state that you don't have to settle for that. I get it when someone is trying to get a limited edition model that only so many are made of, like a Dodge Demon or whatever. It's almost a given that those types of cars are going to appreciate over time if taken care of. Lexus is a nice line of cars but I can't think of a single one that will ever be worth more than it costs just before you sign that paper. I did have a couple of dealers tell me they sell at MSRP but if anyone comes in from outside 100 miles, they add a premium to the sticker price but that was more to discourage outside buyers to better preserve availability for local customers.

TipsyTonio

I’m 99% sure you’re referring to Lexus of North Miami and Lexus of Pembroke Pines when referring to the markup dealers lol. They’ve built quite a reputation on this forum in basically every model

VillageNX

Actually, those may be the only 2 dealers I did not contact due to distance from me and I had 1 or 2 others tell me I was outside of their service area and they would not sell me a car. It was Lexus of Orlando and Winter Park that put a piece of paper in front of me exactly 10k over MSRP. When I started to stand up to leave, they immediately said they would cut it in half as if they were doing me a huge favor. When I said I would pay no more than sticker, the look I got back told me what I needed to know, so I thanked them for their time and left. I saw a commercial recently for those 2 stores and Lexus of Melbourne was mentioned also, so I assume they are affiliated as well. If I were to recommend 3 dealers in FL, they would be Tampa (2 stores), Wesley Chapel, and Jacksonville (2 stores).