Were you unhappy with the MDX A spec? How does the RX compare? Congrats on the new ride.

 

Congrats on your new ride. I am also a former MDX driver but made the switch as Acura did not have a hybrid version. Cheers

 

I was happy with it, not so much with the dealer when I wanted to trade it for a newer one. Really only complaint was the fuel economy, which sucked IMO.

The RX is nicer and better optioned, more fun to drive, better on gas, better looking, etc. Id say the only plus the MDX may have is the smooth V6. The turbo 4 in the RX feels noticeably quicker though.

 

Is anyone else having the same experience as me? I have been looking at RX350 ICE Premium or Premium + (with the Convenience Package - I want the Panoramic/360 View Monitor). There seems to be little to no inventory within 500 miles of my home (Jacksonville, FL).

I am looking for Cloudburst Gray (or Mica Red or Caviar) with the Macadamia interior.

Everything I have read on this forum says you should expect 8%-10% off MSRP on an ICE when negotiating with dealers. My local dealer has nothing that matches my needs in inventory. All my local dealer is offering is to sell me a vehicle that is allotted to them that has my color preferences. But the salesperson is telling me they cannot discount the vehicle at all since it isn't even built yet. He also said he cannot obtain a vehicle that is "in-transit" or "allocated" to another dealer (i.e. he can't work a deal with the Lexus dealers in Orlando).

I realize I may have to just deal directly with dealers that are 200-300 miles away. But again, they seem to have low inventory levels.

Is anyone else experiencing minimal inventory choices and/or no discount off MSRP on an ICE?

 

https://www.truecar.com/ in my area states there's a 6.3% discount for the ICE model of the RX in my area.

 

Low inventory is the norm. On ICE hybrids, it's even lower. Got a great price by out of area dealer, and my local dealer reluctantly matched it on a J model NX hybrid premium. Got to play their game.

 

I was in same boat in Dallas area. Dealer won’t sell me the 2024 Lexus rx 350 ice luxury at 60k plus TTL. His best was 61,300 (msrp was 64875). They were stuck on their invoice price of 61300k. Deal didn’t go thru. Other dealers in the area won’t even come close to 61300k. I wasn’t willing to pay this for 24 model. Later I ended up buying 2023 premium plus with most luxury features added as options with 9k miles for 48k. Happy with purchase. But dealers in my area don’t negotiate on Lexus rx much. So it will vary based off demand in ur area. I too think 10% below msrp or wait for 2025.

 

Websurfer, I went to truecar.com, selected LA zip code (since I don't know where in CA you are), and drilled down for RX SUVs that are currently for sale. Pardon my ignorance, but where do you see the 6.3% discount? Do I have to log in or something?

 

Go to true car, just plug in another zip code and all the dealers in that area will come up, scroll down to their discounts. Example: Ann Arbor , Mi only discounting 2.4% off RX 350's... but plug in Estero, FLorida, and 6.4% comes up as best deal some are getting. Try to get the lowest deal to text or email you the price, then use it in your own area. Good luck.

 

I'm in Norcal. I just a basic setup.

 

As others have already said, don't be limited to your local area/dealer. If they are not discounting the vehicle, then go in and stroke them to drive the car, ask any questions, get a full tutorial etc. Then go online when you know exactly what you want and look for your best deal. It really will be the future of car buying. Everything can be handled over the internet and the dealer will arrange shipping the car to you at your cost. In most cases, you'll save more than enough to justify the shipping cost. Just know the deal that you are looking for and scrutinize the paperwork/contracts so that they are not slipping in any non-solicited services (aftermarket warranties, unauthorized accessories etc). You'll use your local dealer for service, recalls, repairs etc like normal. In the end, they do not care where you bought the vehicle after the fact, they'll take your service money.

 

Thanks SKGX. That is the path I'm following. Went to local dealer yesterday and looked at several models to confirm my preferred exterior/interior color choices (really like Cloudburst Gray/Macadamia). Have reached out to dealers in NC and GA this morning. We'll see how it goes.

I really appreciate all the good information and support on this forum!

 

My family friend just went through the process of buying a ICE luxury in the NYC area. He called around 12 dealerships in DE, PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA. Originally he wanted Prem+ but inventory was low and didn't have good colors left so went with luxury. Started at 5% negotiating and worked way up to about 7%. One dealer in CT was highly motivated and gave 11-12% off MSRP (67k -> 59k) if he bought literally that day. The fees seem a little higher than what others quoted so maybe just 11% discount. They even sent a car to pick him up (2hr drive) and finished the paperwork in 2 hours and he drove off with it.

 

It's always amazing how differently dealers will operate. At the end of the day, they're all successful, you dont see any of them closing.... And Lexus is very strategic with their dealerships, inventory etc. It's no secret that the end of month can be a great time to pull the trigger and take delivery, for a variety of reasons. Dealer Owners/GM's are highly incentivised by LEXUS in many ways to meet volume, sat scores etc on a monthly basis. Dealers will also go deeper on some specific model/color combos to move inventory as the dealer pays a daily interest rate on each car sitting grounded at the dealership to LEXUS (referred to as oldest aging unit). I got a 12% discount off of MSRP before the $3500 lease cash. I will disclose that I have a special situation and no one will get the same deal that I got, it was every bit of the discount available. That said, 10% would likely be the ceiling, unless there were very special circumstances. Trades can also muddy a deal, so if you have one, best off selling private, to a wholesaler or Carmax etc.
Yes, you also have to be wary of 'dealer fees'. If it's not on the window sticker, then it should be highly scrutinized. Again, the more that you know the more effective you will be at obtaining your best deal. When a dealer knows that you know your information, and are willing to walk without your deal, they will come forward with the best deal that they're ever going to offer you. Getting to that point is the painful part, and can take some time.

 

Something that has happened over the years in my area has been the loss of independent dealerships. Now most dealerships are owned by large companies which will have multiple dealerships of different brands. I believe that this greatly reduces the competition as I am sure the corporate office sets out the percentage of profit that must be made for a deal to move forward and reduces the amount of flexibility at the dealership. So you go to the Volvo dealer, work numbers that don't work for you and then go the Lexus dealer owned by the same auto group who most likely have intel on you from your previous dealings at their Volvo dealership. I just purchased a 450h+ at a independent dealer out of area and got a much better trade in than from the corporate dealership in my area even though I was a repeat customer. First time I considered out of area, glad I did. Cheers