curt120r

What price points are people negotiating these days for your 2008 RX 350? What options are you including as well? Thanks for your input.

solar5000

You should certainly do your research here, Edmunds, and look up invoice prices on costco.com.

Mine:

2008 RX350 AWD
Savannah
Premium plus
Navigation (includes back-up camera, blue tooth)
Tow prep package (just means there is a heavy duty alternator)
Cargo mats
wheel locks
--------------

Did my research and communication entirely through email.
Most dealers were offering around 41000. On Edmunds, seems like some places people were getting the car for LESS than the listed invoice. It totally depends on where you live. I'm in Massachusetts and the prices in Delaware are over 2000 cheaper. (Almost worth a trip!)

45765 (MSRP)

40800 (Negotiated Price of car)
199 (Documentation Preparation Fee... whatever!)
86 (Title/Registration)
2040 (5% Massachusetts Tax)
-----------------------------------

I don't know if this is a good deal or not, but I was getting a little tired of haggling over a few hundred bucks (even though I would have loved to save as much money as possible)

Keep us informed.

curt120r

Thanks for the feedback. I used to live in MA. Herb Chambers?
I'll definitely keep you posted.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

not bad pretty close to invoice. though i think 1-2K under invoice is atainable with some haggling.

cariesfree

I think 5G below MSRP is a reasonable price, esp after that 2007 quality study from JD Power. Mine is similar solar5000's except it came with the graphite liquid 7 spoke rims (). It came out about 41something. Good luck!

mandyfig

Any details on the JD Power study? Would be interesting to know.

cariesfree

Here it is

The G Man

I went to Herb Chambers, and they didnt want to come down to invoice. With the Lexus summer sale event going on now, you should be able to get one for about 300 to 400 under invoice.

kingofire

Go to Lexus of Watertown or Ira Lexus of Danvers for the best price!!! I can vouch that Lexus of watertown will beat any price that Lexus of Norwood will give you. Lexus of Norwood has the worst customer service possible and their service department is no better!

AM1

iTrader: (6)

its not a bad price, i just think that with some more negotation that a better rprice can be reached.

The G Man

I went to all 3 dealer, Watertown, Norwood and Ira, and Lexus of Watertown beat their price and they have a pretty good service department too. I buy parts from Norwood because they are cheaper.

kewobrian

Purchased May 2007

2008 RX350 FWD
Premium plus
Navigation
and some other stuff...

MSRP: $44,xxx
Invoice: $39,3xx
Negotiated: $37,6xx (~$1,700 under invoice)
Total (including tax, title, license): $41,0xx

I recently helped a friend purchase the exact same car 2 weeks ago but for some reason MSRP and Invoice was $200 more. Anyways, I tried to get him the same price but was only able to get it at $38,1xx. Still a deal IMO.


Strategy:

1. Research the vehicle
KNOW what you want and how much it costs. Try edmunds' or costco's site for pricing.

Educate yourself on what is MSRP, Invoice, holdbacks, and incentives/promotions. It's important to know what you are talking about. Make sure you know the current promotions that are going on. Such as rebates and low APRs.

TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE!! Do not do all this and in the end change your mind, or worse, regret a purchase.


2. Get financing ahead of time
This way you don't have to deal with financing with the dealer. Financing elsewhere will usually yield a lower APR. I used CapitalOne auto finance; it's quick, easy, and PAINLESS.


3. Email MANY dealerships. Make sure you only communicate with the INTERNET DEPARTMENT!
I emailed dealerships over 100 miles away. This is so you can price one against the other.

During the emailing stage, dealers who want to compete for your business will email you a quote. You will use this quote against other dealers in order to get them to bid a lower price.

You'll then get to a point where dealers will no longer email quotes. They know you'll use their "special over the phone loss loss" offer to price against other dealers. When you get to this point you probably only have less than 1k of room to haggle with. Now enter the "negotiate by phone only" stage.


4. Call local dealerships.
At this point, you will KNOW what price dealers can work with and should set this price as your MAXIMUM. During this phone stage, call local dealers which you are actually willing to drive to. Have the competing dealers price against one another.

They will probably only beat the other by 1 or 2 hundred dollars so go ahead and lie. For example, if 'Dealer A" has the lowest offer at $3,900, you tell 'Dealer B' you have an offer for $3,600. That way, 'Dealer B' will offer $3,500.


4. Have other people call as well.
Have your wife/girlfriend/cousin call as well -- acting as a different buyer. Most likely the friend calling will reach a different Internet Sales salesman.

Even internet salesmen from the same dealerships, although they aren't supposed to, will compete against each other and try to put a HOLD on your vehicle to try to make their commission.


5. Make it clear what you are buying before you drive there.
Get the specs, msrp, and invoice of the car you are purchasing.

And make sure you don't buy into the usual "Just come in and I'm sure we can work things out" talk. Just say politely that you must make a deal before you drive anywhere. Many people are as weak as me when it comes to negotiating and won't get anywhere. The aggressive people will probably end up annoying the salesmen. Just do everything over the phone. Trust me, you'll save a lot of frustration. Plus, you want the new car experience to be a good one, right?


6. Stay firm until all papers are signed.
When you get to the dealership, stay firm and don't let up. If they sense weakness, they will take advantage of it. Decline any extended warranties as you can purchase that later on. Decline any super stain remover and things of the like. Stay firm until all papers are signed.

Once everything is signed and you are waiting on the vehicle to be washed, you can smile, giggle, and make jokes with the salesmen. Until then, it's still all business.

*Remember to check the car to make sure it is the one you negotiated over the phone. Check the sticker price, make sure it is the same.


7. Happy time.
After the purchase make sure you celebrate. The RX350 is an excellent vehicle and you will not regret your purchase. Thank the salesmen and everyone else who was a part of the purchase.


Notes:
- It is pretty safe to start negotiating at invoice price. Unless the vehicle is 'hot' (i.e. a new model, or like the Prius' a few years back) then you WILL be able to get a Lexus or any other makes with holdbacks for invoice price or below.

- I live in So. California and there are many Lexus dealers to work with down here. For those of you who live in the boondocks, you're SOL.

- NEVER lose your temper. It gets you no where. Be polite, have someone else call back, and that person will probably talk to a different internet salseman that is more wiling to make a deal.

- I find it that women negotiate better than men. They seem to be firm, straightforward, and maintain a happy smiling environment while negotiating over the phone. So guys, have your wives/girlfriends help you.


Remember, these salesmen are regular people too and need to make a buck. If you find yourself comparing them to vultures, then don't. What have the vultures ever done to you? But if you look hard, and be kind, you'll find some nice salesmen out there. And yes, the nice ones will still try to take your money, but with a smile. My point is, when you come to a price that you are happy with, then pay it. Don't try to squeeze every penny out of these guys.

For the OP, at this time (august 2007), in southern california, you'll be able to EASILY get $300 under invoice. If you want to spend a little effort, it won't be too tough to get it $800 under invoice. My friend just purchased a 08 RX350 2 weeks ago for about ~$1,400 under invoice. This took about 1 day of emails and the next day of phone calls. He then made the purchase the afternoon of the second day.

Again, pay what you are happy paying. Don't be greedy. Don't haggle for the sake of haggling. Don't kill the purchase over 1 or 2 hundred bucks. Remember the point is to be happy with your purchase; not try to see how low you can go. If you're financing, you won't feel it anyways. You WANT this to be a good experience.


Good luck to all. Happy shopping!