jazzsax

So we get the letter from Lexus saying they want to buy back our 2000 Lexus with a special "test market pricing". And.. guess what?! We qualify and win!! Oh boy.

But, has anyone actually done this and actually found that they give a better trade-in price than normal? I know they are trying to get rid of their 2004 models left, but since we are sort of in the market, then I'd just like other people's opinions in order to consider doing it.

Cadd

I got one recently as well.

What that means is that they want you to trade in your Lexus to buy a new one. I don't think anyone would fall for this.

bioart

Well, we did this about 3 months ago.

It wasn't a bad deal... I gave in my 2002 and came away with a 2004 (same trim level, premium with navi or equivalent.)

The end result was 10 more a month, 15 month longer lease (we had originally put down about 5K for the car, so we didn't put anything down for this one). The car was 3-5K more than mine last year. They sucked up a 3K buy out and 3k under msrp (yes, that's a bit high, but it got me on a car with dual air controls, which my wife and I were ready to go to therapy for :P)

Overall, I did not feel fleeced, but neither did I feel like I made a killing. On the other hand, I love my 330 much more than I liked my 300

Art

BOWTIE 3

We also have a 2000 RX300 [ PAID FOR ]. What does a new one have that's worth our car and about $20,000? Maybe it's because they already think I'm stupid for taking the car to them for service and repairs. I didn't go for the $450.00 brake-pad replacment. { That's right, just pads! ] I got a premium set of pads from the import auto parts store [ $60.00 ] and spent about 2 hours replacing them. OK, you caught me; I'm an ex-GM technician. That's why my wife drives a LEXUS and my next truck will probably be a Tundra! Also, why is cost of replacing the timing belt for an RX300 twice as high as a Highlander when it's the SAME engine and belt? Why is the plastic pad on top of the rear bumper-cover $104.00 at the dealer? I have many questions.

HarrierAWD

I got that same "special" letter, too. They "want" my 2002 RX300.

It's just another clever-worded marketing campaign to clear out their old 2004 inventory. It's hard to believe that someone at Lexus marketing came up with such a bottom-feeding tactic to insult Lexus owners' intelligence. Give it to me straight and maybe I'll take a look.

to Bowtie 3: Welcome to the Club. I'm an ex-GM owner. Take off your bow tie soon and buy a real American-made truck - Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan.

mhc0725

The dealer has overhead to cover. Someone has to pay those mechanics to sit around and take their nice time slowly going over your vehicle and seeing what COULD be wrong and then charge you double for.

If you're serious about the bumper cover, go to Irontoad.com. It's a dealer also, but they have the cover for about $70 or so. You'll save some money.

RickC

Hey Bowtie, my wife drives a Lexus, and my next truck will be a Tundra Double Cab if I don't change my mind. My last Chevy went 183k with no real issues, so I don't have anything against them. I also like the new 1/2 ton Crew Cab. My current ride is a Harley F150 and I am not impressed with Ford Motor Company's treatment of customers. So my next truck will be Toyota.

RickC

BOWTIE 3

I have an ' 01 Silverado LS ext. cab [ 30,000 miles ] and my wife has a 2000 RX300 [ 45,000 miles ]. I'm just now getting GM to elininate the driveline clunk after almost 4 years. I didn't buy the Tundra in ' 01 because I was working at a Chevy dealer at the time and have always owned Chevys. The Tundra is about 90% the size of a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge and has a very anemic V-8 engine [ 240 HP ] but it is a very high-quality vehicle and I like how the dealers treat the customers in the Va. Beach area. I understand that the ' 05 Tundra will have about 300 HP [ after Jan. ' 05 ]. What I don't particularly care for is the REAL overpriced services of the local Lexus dealer. Being an auto technician my whole life I'm just amazed as to how much the dealer charges supposedly intelligent Lexus owners for routine services, and the owners just roll over and pay it. I guess when a person doesn't know which end of a screwdriver to use they really don't have a choice; $800.00 for a 60,000 mile service is criminal!

RickC

I agree. Lexus definitely charges a premium for their service. I understand the 15k maintenance is expensive and I am coming up on that one. My dealer has already said they are going to discount that service for me because I complained about the cost of the 10k. But they also know i have a deposit on the RX400 when it is released. So that may be a reason too.

When do you have the clunk in your driveline? When does it happen in other words?

RickC

BOWTIE 3

The clunk I have in the driveline happens when the truck comes to a complete stop and then I take off again. The cause is the 2-piece driveline. There is a slip-joint in the middle. When the truck comes to a complete stop the back half of the driveshaft moves forward onto the splined front part and the braking action holds it there. When I take off again the back half and the front part move in opposite directions, [ about 1/4"-1/2" ] causing a clunk sound. GM has had this problem for years and refuses to do anything about it. I really don't know why the truck has to have a 2-piece driveline to begin with. The new crew-cab and long conversion vans don't have a 2-piece driveshafts and they have the same wheelbase as my ext. cab, or longer. I've never heard Dodge or Ford truck owners complain of this problem, so why can't GM get it right? Oh well, what do we want for $30,000-$40,000 in a truck anyway? It just doesn't seem right putting a cat-back exhaust , K&N intake, and a reprogrammer on a Tundra!

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

If you read the article by an Edmonds editor/writer that was hired to go undercover as a car salesman for 3 months so he could write about what he learned, he claims to have done this exaxct same sales tactic only by phone instead of a letter. They are tought to call previous customers whoes car would be a certain year old (One where they might be about ready to buy another car but not really looking to do so) and offer these great buy back deals at above market value. At his dealers case it was because they were low in used car inventory. Obviously they asked you they just need to inspect your car and if all checks out it should be no problem. Often they really do give you more money for your car, however, in most cases it is used as a trade in on one of their new cars since you have to drive home in something Anyway, it is not a scam but just another cleaver sales tactic to get potential customers into the dealer showrooms.

RickC

My 91 had this exact problem is why I asked. I have a friend who is an ASE certified mechanic who now owns his own shop. I talked to him about it when I bought the truck and he said they all do it and it was caused by what you have explained. He said he can take it apart and put a rubber ball in there and it will stop. I didn't see a reason to do that since I knew the problem wasn't something that was going to tear anything up, it was just slack in the driveline. My clunk was loud though. Maybe yours is. It does seem that Chevy could fix it, my Ford doesn't do it. But I would much rather have that problem that what the Fords have.
1. Bad paint
2. Cracking doors
3. Rear end roar in the new 2004 body style
4. paint cracking in the roof gutters

The paint being thin on the hood and front fender was my problem and Ford had to repaint those. And the shop that did it did a lousy job.

I have seen only one Toyota Tundra with an exhaust. It sounded good, but something just didn't seem right about it...:-)



RickC

BOWTIE 3

RickC, the idea you mentioned about repairing the clunk in my driveline sounds just screwy enough to sound feasible. The rubber ball would act as a shock absorber upon stopping and then there would be no rebound action [ clunk ]. Where can I get in touch with this " automotive genius ". Who would have thought I'd find an answer to this 4-year agonizing problem on the Lexus forum. I have periodically brought the subject up on many Chevy and truck forums, only to be told by many dealer technicians that there is NO cure. Although I did learn about the cure for a transmission problem I'd had for 3 years on one forum; GM had a secret computer update for people that squawked loud enough. These are just a few of the reasons I would never own another new GM vehicle, and I've worked as a tech at many GM dealerships. If only Toyota or Lexus made a full-sized ext. cab truck with 300 horsepower and 375 ft. lbs. of torque; " truck people " have certain images to keep up you know.

RickC

PM sent bowtie.