[TonySCV]

Terrible, terrible choices for what they thought customers would want on the IS.

Basically 4 main choices are available - ALL have the premium package.

- NO Sport package IS350's
- NO Mark Levinson
- NO Radar cruise / PCS
- NO Park assist

This is rediculously moronic. People in SoCal LIVE in their cars, and many here have plenty-o-bucks to spend and want a fully loaded car! To produce all these IS350's with such a narrow-minded selection is just bad decision making. No sport package? Please!

Now we're forced to go through a special order process with dealers who CLEARLY are not used to doing so - as evidenced by the teeth pulling required at three different SoCal dealerships I went to this weekend. It's bad enough that the salesmen don't have a clue - the sales managers - internet managers - have no clue either.

One salesman after another tried to feed me lines of BS a mile long - "You can't special order the ML/NAV package for 6-12 months", "these cars ARE fully loaded", "Laser cruise isn't an option", "Lexus doesn't do special orders", "Special orders will take 6 months and require a 50% deposit" - and on, and on. Unbelievably frustrating.

I KNOW the car I want. I KNOW the options I want. I'm WILLING to pay for them. It's amazing to me that I walked away from THREE dealers today - with nothing! No contract. No order. Just a lot of "we'll have to check on that and call you early next week" responses.

Honest to God.. if there's a dealer in SoCal reading this that has a clue and is willing to take the time and order what I want (Sport package, NAV/ML package, radar cruise and park assist, PM me and I'll come over with checkbook in hand.

Lordy loo - what a nightmare. I'm about to give up.

- T

 

[CRB]

The problem Tony is that a fully optioned IS350 is pushing $48,000 and Toyota/Lexus wants to move the cars while they are still hot and not have them sitting around on the lot. Lexus dealers, actually all dealers, want to sell from what they have and I suspect that a few eyebrows were raised when the managers of dealerships saw the option pricing on this car.

I would be very suprised if you walked in and told a Lexus salesperson that you wanted to custom order a fully loaded IS350 and were willing to wait for it, and were not trying to get it on the cheap (below market value) that they would turn you away.


The fact that you visited three dealerships in one day and none seemed to know the status or availibility of certain options, well that says more about how corperate Lexus is handling this rollout than the individual dealerships. Some of the pricing and option sheets they have gotten are bogus.

 

[rubley]

Here's how you deal with a dumbass dealer, I've done it before, just say "let's get Lexus North America on the phone and talk about it", all of sudden they'll start acting much more accommodating.

 

[TonySCV]

I would be very suprised if you walked in and told a Lexus salesperson that you wanted to custom order a fully loaded IS350 and were willing to wait for it, and were not trying to get it on the cheap (below market value) that they would turn you away.

Three times. Honest *****. No price haggling was ever even discussed. They simply could not deal with it. It wasn't that they didn't want to - they just had every excuse in the world not to. "Have to e-mail the GM", "have to call the regional manager to see if it's allowed", "don't have all of the option codes to put together a price quote". :\

Hell, one salesman walked me over to a red/black GS300 "because it has all the options/color you want except laser cruise and it's on the lot". I **** you not. VERY frustrating day.

- T

 

[Rob L]

sorry to hear about your troubles and hope you can finally get a 350 the way you want.

I love Lexus and think the new iS is a great car but Lexus has dropped the ball on it in a handful of ways...I swear they thought that because the 350 version is so damn fast that they didnt have to do anything and people would just sell their babies to have a 350 regardless of anything else.

It wont make your situation any better but here in Canada I think all dealers got were basically 250AWD versions with a handful of 350s sprinkled around. I realize the population here is not that big and the CDN market isnt big to Lexus but damn...there are people here who want the 350 and itd be nice if they could get it rather than have to wait a month or more.

 

[picus]

It makes me sad to read this sort of thing. And Rob is right - as far as I can tell there are three IS350's in the GTA/Southern Ontario. Almost 6 million people, 3 IS350's.

 

[timboIS]

I would be very suprised if you walked in and told a Lexus salesperson that you wanted to custom order a fully loaded IS350 and were willing to wait for it, and were not trying to get it on the cheap (below market value) that they would turn you away.

That's EXACTLY what Steven's Creen Lexus did to me. Had a check in hand, and they couldn't (wouldn't) order for me. Took my business elsewhere, after Lexus Corp said "not much they could do" and "try another dealership".

 

[KraxyKanuck]

What was Lexus thinking when they did everything with the new IS????

My dealer never even announced the new IS. No launch party, no free food, nothing. They sent 1 IS350 to a city full of rich people that love Lexus. And that 350 is in the showroom and they won't let people test drive it. issed: I don't know what they were smoking when they designed the IS rollout plan.

Soon we will see a want ad in our newspapers:

"Lexus North America seeks logical person with a lot of common sense to help launch new cars as we did a terrible job with the new IS and don't want to repeat it."

 

[Alfred_Neuman]

the guy ive dealt with is been awsome. he doesnt know the info i know and its ok. atleast he hasnt lied to me about stuff.

sadly ill have to wait until next year to order it the way i want it.

 

[chado]

my brother just got a 350 with sport package in beverly hills..

 

[Apakalypse]

IF you want to see what other regions are getting just go to build your IS on lexus.com and put in different zip codes. here in Nj we are getting the $7300 option package. The only thing that bothers me is the lack of ML. But i checked where my mom lived in florida and their only options are something like 18" wheels. However, I am disappointed about the stereo system.

 

[slvrone]

I just drove through charleston WV, and I saw a LOT of new IS's. I didn't look at all of them but I did see at least 3 of the IS350's - One was stickered at like 43k and change. They had a few AWD 250's too. I didn't look close at them because I'm not really interested, but someone might want to call them if they are anywhere near that area.

 

[k-lo]

They have some sport package 350s in my area. Willing to pay over sticker? I'll ship it to yah

 

[vegasIS]

took my car in for service Friday at Lex of Las Vegas and they had 7 IS 250s and 1 350.All the 250s were the same,only difference was color,no ML,no manual and no awd.all were 34,600.The 350 was bein beat to hell,in the 2 hours I was there I saw at least 10 test drives.It didn't have ML or the laser cruise and sticker was 38,200.I spoke with 1 sales guy and he said this was the first wave of many to come in,and they will have different packages to go around.I also saw one guy gettin his IS 300 appraised for trade-in,hope he saved the 350 from test drive hell

 

[Bruinette]

I test drove the new IS350 yesterday at Longo Lexus and the guy said that they only make FIVE (5) fully loaded IS350s with sport package each month for the west coast (or california or something). So with all 56 dealerships, most dealers won't even see a fully loaded IS350.

I saw one yesterday, blk/blk fully loaded with sport package (btw, that thing looked AWESOME) and it was already sold. And they have 5 others on the waiting for the next incoming fully loaded IS350s w/sport package. So that's five months already. But you only have to put $500 refundable deposit. So you can get it..just takes time. There were plenty of "normal" IS350s with nav pack. So as long as you don't want the Sport Pkg, you're fine.

 

[KraxyKanuck]

So as long as you don't want the Sport Pkg, you're fine.

Unfortunately, lots/most of the people on this board will want the sport package.

 

[roadkill]

Terrible, terrible choices for what they thought customers would want on the IS.

Basically 4 main choices are available - ALL have the premium package.

- NO Sport package IS350's
- NO Mark Levinson
- NO Radar cruise / PCS
- NO Park assist

This is rediculously moronic.

- T

Hardly moronic. What do you think the reaction would have been if Lexus only brought in fully loaded cars. A lot more people would have been screaming than are now. I agree that a better mix would have been helpful, but Lexus wants to move cars to as many customers as possible. Loaded cars tend to scare off most customers.

My plan is patience. Then a 350 with Sport and ML/Nav.

 

[timboIS]

Hardly moronic. What do you think the reaction would have been if Lexus only brought in fully loaded cars. A lot more people would have been screaming than are now. I agree that a better mix would have been helpful, but Lexus wants to move cars to as many customers as possible. Loaded cars tend to scare off most customers.

My plan is patience. Then a 350 with Sport and ML/Nav.

Stripped cars tend NOT to sell. You can make an arguement for both sides. Can't please evryone, as we've found out. But I would think it's worse to piss off the people wanting to spend the most money.

 

[LexIShirm]

This is the problem when you have too many options in an entry luxury vehicle. A car car that should be 35,000 is getting close to 50,000. Most dont want to spend that much for an IS, as you can get a GS300 for such prices. Lexus is aware that most people dont want all these options and only a few do.

 

[Alfred_Neuman]

i want an auto is250 with premium package that has ventilated seats and xenons.

but my gripe is sirius is going to offered in spring!.

ay caramba. im sure if i wait till spring they might drop like $500 off. i know bmws were giving me 900 off an xi BEFORE it was coming out. the regular i wouldve been less, but i just cant see myself in the new e90's of bmw.

i want this is so bad that im willin to risk it for a first yr model