[tony]

I just got off the phone with my sales dude and he dropped a bomb on me. He says the price of the IS is going UP after introduction. Not the 1% we've been talking about, but a much more significant almost 9% increase...Anyone else heard about this? I'm not so sure I believe it. Especially now that the MSRP as we know it now is being advertised on TV.

Here's some other interesting data. Apparently I'm getting not only one of the first IS's in South Florida, but the very first Blue one. 20 other people on my dealers list want blue and 18 want yellow! Wow.

 

[brad]

Your dealer sickens me. What a ridiculous ploy to get you to accept MSRP and feel like YOU got the great deal. HA. I get it: A 39% mark up over dealer invoice. Okay, sure. My face is red.

 

[webhog]

Yup, probably just a ploy to make you feel better about paying MSRP (20% over invoice). Damn dealers, no wonder why everybody hates car salesmen....

 

[TEG]

I have not heard any such 9% increase!
I think he must have misread the 1% increase
announcement.

The car is already close to being overpriced
as it is!

 

[onefortheroad]

Right, TEG! I'm already bent over as far as I can go. If the price goes up any higher, I'll need to be double-jointed! eek! hehehe

 

[onefortheroad]

:eek!

 

[onefortheroad]

 

[IS300 Fan]

Maybe Lexus is trying to fool around in attempt to get BMW to raise their Mark-Up on the new 3-series models. I doubt if Lexus Corporate would allow the IS300 MSRP to go over the ES300's.

 

[EricK]

Assuming there was a 9% increase in price and the price of a fully loaded IS was 35K. That would make the price of the car $38150. If I was in the market for an IS and the price was that high, I think I would consider an Audi S4 for just under 40K. 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, Beautiful exterior and Interior, and ALL WHEEL DRIVE. I'm assuming that the car will have a marginal price increase though, because it's brand new to the market and it has to compete with the likes of Audi's A4 and BMW's 3 series....
Eric

 

[Kim]

If the IS was $38K, I would mosey on down to my local BMW dealer and pick up a 3 series

 

[EricK]

Good call Kim. I would be disappointed with Lexus if they did something stupid like having a 9% price increase on a car that hasn't proven itself yet unlike the BMWs. I think the majority of people on here would mosey on to the BMW dealers as well....BUT... I highly doubt Lexus will have such a high price increase unless there is overwhelming demand for the car.....
Eric....

 

[tony]

I can certainly see it being a ploy to get all the pre-orders to commit, but he said Lexus "didn't want to be cheap anymore". That doesn't really sound like a corporate directive to me, but I think it would stupid to price the IS at $38k. Now you've really got to outdo BMW at their own game AND you're just under the S4 like Eric said...

 

[onefortheroad]

That 9% increase is a ploy by the dealer or salesman to get people to feel fortunate they're paying MSRP. The statement that Lexus "didn't want to be cheap anymore" definitely came from a salesman's mouth. They must really think we are that gullible.