Rx400h Waiting Time?

[400h4me]

I signed up for the RX400h at my local Lexus dealer in April 2004. I was number 25 on a list of 35 buyers. They held this list too 35 to make things simple. Today is August 6th 2005 and we are still waiting to get our hands on one. The salesperson did tell me it will be any day now, but this is what I have been hearing all along.

I would love to hear from others about how long they have been waiting. We have only seen two on the road so far! The dealer is located in Northern California.

Maybe some day I will be able to report good news, but until now I'm still waiting. :o

[uthorns1976]

I signed up for the RX400h at my local Lexus dealer in April 2004. I was number 25 on a list of 35 buyers. They held this list too 35 to make things simple. Today is August 6th 2005 and we are still waiting to get our hands on one. The salesperson did tell me it will be any day now, but this is what I have been hearing all along.

I would love to hear from others about how long they have been waiting. We have only seen two on the road so far! The dealer is located in Northern California.

Maybe some day I will be able to report good news, but until now I'm still waiting. :o

←

Have you checked with other dealers in your area??? There was no waiting here but I'm in Texas. We had several vehicles to choose from back on July 1.

Are you asking for a particular color?? Do you want RSES?? I understand RSES is hard to come by in some areas.

[RX400h]

We signed up in April of 04 as well and received our non-DVD entertainment RX400h in April of this year. In fact, we were among those who received theirs after the very first shipment came in.

[katzjamr]

I signed up August '04 and drove home my 400h on July 2 '05. I was offered two vehicles in June however the color was not right. I was number 28 on the list. Some people were passed over because they were unreachable, everyone on my dealers list south of Seattle who wanted bamboo pearl waited longer simply because that color was hard to get in the pacific northwest. DVD player seemend to take longer too. Ironically the night i purchased my 400h i had to wait for my salesman to finish up a sale on a flint mica 400h to a lady who had just walked in that day, she was never on any list. Been happy with my silver metallic w/gray interior. The waiting list did give me a chance to save up money for the vehicle. It seems to me you should have gotten your car already. I would call other dealers and see what is available, sometimes u just have to be in the right place at the right time. All deposits in Washington are refundable if you dont purchase a car.

[bv2]

Ouch-- our dealer has sold more than 30 at last check in SLC, UT. I think I got #33 one month ago.

[wwest]

If you look at autotrader.com it looks as if there is a surplus of supply, with some dealers having as many as 80 or 90 in stock.

Since the dealers cannot sell above MSRP they are adding on, insisting on, paint preservation, undercoating, leather preservation, etc, etc. I was told by Lexus of Bellevue that I could have one within a week with about $4,000 of those "extras".

[thesaintjim]

3 weeks ;)

[patt]

If you look at autotrader.com it looks as if there is a surplus of supply, with some dealers having as many as 80 or 90 in stock.

Since the dealers cannot sell above MSRP they are adding on, insisting on, paint preservation, undercoating, leather preservation, etc, etc. I was told by Lexus of Bellevue that I could have one within a week with about $4,000 of those "extras".

←

Only some dealers are trying to load on extras. Our dealer didn't assume we would add anything and they didn't install any extras.

We were given the pitch on the leather preservation/paint presentation when we picked up or car, but it was up to us whether we wanted to add it or not. Same for lojack and extended warranty. I'm pretty sure that is their standard process for all the cars they sell.

Neither of the local dealers was doing a formal list with deposit in the early days and they were undecided on how they would distribute the cars when the time came. Therefore, we put a deposit down with a dealer in the LA area in early '04. We were 7th on the list.

When March 05 rolled around, one of the local dealers decided to use the informal list (without deposit - just anyone who had walked in and asked to be kept informed) in order and we were pretty far down on that one. The other set a day when they would take deposits and purchase information (color, RES or no RES) and worked from that in order. We dropped off our form and were number 2 on that list. When their tester arrived, they called me and we went for a test drive of about an hour. Our salesman was great about encouraging me to spend as much time putting the car through its paces as I needed to be certain.

Meanwhile, the dealership where we had put down our early deposit was seeming a little flakey. They were talking about it maybe being a month even though they are a large dealership who would be getting a good allocation. Some of their first shipment wasn't going to the list. (They are one where I've since heard that they were loading extras on so perhaps they were taking some of the cars and doing that rather than selling them to the list people at MSRP as promised.) They did call at the last minute and say they had a car available on April 16 because someone higher on the list had passed, but by that time we had a VIN number with our dealer up here so we weren't feeling like dropping everything to run down to get a car - especially with some doubts about their credibility and the salesman up here had put in a lot of time with us.

Our car from the local dealer was ready for pickup April 22. No funny business. They gave us back our deposit check which they hadn't cashed.

The other dealership gave us back our deposit though they were a little cranky about it and I had to remind them at least once before it got sent.

[lucca]

I ordered my 400h on 7/23/05 in Cleveland, Ohio and the dealer said that it would be in by 8/15/05.

Stay tuned

[400h4me]

If you look at autotrader.com it looks as if there is a surplus of supply, with some dealers having as many as 80 or 90 in stock.

Since the dealers cannot sell above MSRP they are adding on, insisting on, paint preservation, undercoating, leather preservation, etc, etc. I was told by Lexus of Bellevue that I could have one within a week with about $4,000 of those "extras".

←

Only some dealers are trying to load on extras. Our dealer didn't assume we would add anything and they didn't install any extras.

We were given the pitch on the leather preservation/paint presentation when we picked up or car, but it was up to us whether we wanted to add it or not. Same for lojack and extended warranty. I'm pretty sure that is their standard process for all the cars they sell.

Neither of the local dealers was doing a formal list with deposit in the early days and they were undecided on how they would distribute the cars when the time came. Therefore, we put a deposit down with a dealer in the LA area in early '04. We were 7th on the list.

When March 05 rolled around, one of the local dealers decided to use the informal list (without deposit - just anyone who had walked in and asked to be kept informed) in order and we were pretty far down on that one. The other set a day when they would take deposits and purchase information (color, RES or no RES) and worked from that in order. We dropped off our form and were number 2 on that list. When their tester arrived, they called me and we went for a test drive of about an hour. Our salesman was great about encouraging me to spend as much time putting the car through its paces as I needed to be certain.

Meanwhile, the dealership where we had put down our early deposit was seeming a little flakey. They were talking about it maybe being a month even though they are a large dealership who would be getting a good allocation. Some of their first shipment wasn't going to the list. (They are one where I've since heard that they were loading extras on so perhaps they were taking some of the cars and doing that rather than selling them to the list people at MSRP as promised.) They did call at the last minute and say they had a car available on April 16 because someone higher on the list had passed, but by that time we had a VIN number with our dealer up here so we weren't feeling like dropping everything to run down to get a car - especially with some doubts about their credibility and the salesman up here had put in a lot of time with us.

Our car from the local dealer was ready for pickup April 22. No funny business. They gave us back our deposit check which they hadn't cashed.

The other dealership gave us back our deposit though they were a little cranky about it and I had to remind them at least once before it got sent.

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I would like to thank all who responded to this thread. After reading all the responses, I am now really getting concerned with this local dealer. They tell me that the vehicles are coming in very slow. In my opinion I think they may be playing games with the inventory! I have never been offered a test ride in a 400h, but did take out a RX330 last year. We have stopped by two or three time unannounced hoping to see one on the property…without any luck. The story is always the same.

This week I will start calling other dealers in my area! I did call Lexus customer service and a factory rep did respond by calling my local dealer. The rep did call me back and told me that my dealer was aware of the situation and that my car will be coming in soon. When we placed our order it was for the color Neptune Blue without rear DVD, heated seats or the Mark Levinson. I bet if we had ordered the car with all the bells and whistles; it would have been here by now!

Update…….My local dealer called me this week to say they had a RX400h, coming in before my Neptune Blue. Someone canceled on their order and it was offered to me, but I had to make up my mind if I wanted to change the original order. This car is the color Millennium Silver with black interior and has the premium audio system. I called my wife at work and told her the story…..her response was -GO FOR IT!

I have been told that PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE, but not waiting for ever.

[katzjamr]

wwest i appreciate all of your posts as you add an insight many do not have. The Lexus of Bellvue dealership also owns the one in tacoma (where i signed up and purchased my 400h). Their lists are much shorter, and all of that added crap you mentioned is optional.

400h4me, the two things you have working against you are that on the west coast these vehicles are still more popular, and only one car has come into my dealership out of all of them without the Mark Levinson. As soon as those cars hit the dock on the west coast they know the vin numbers and the options and start calling their customers. This dealership made thier first black on black 400h the demo car and has had that available for test drives since late April. (i pity the soul that purchases that abused stepchild). Still there is always one there to test. Something is up with your dealership they are not sharing with u, and at the very least i dont think they can get a vehicle optioned the way u described. Buy the one with the Mark Levinson, millenium silver with black interior is a very handsome combination in my opinon, my light gray interior has been hard to maintain, even with no dog inside.

[uthorns1976]

wwest i appreciate all of your posts as you add an insight many do not have.  The Lexus of Bellvue dealership also owns the one in tacoma  (where i signed up and purchased my 400h).  Their lists are much shorter, and all of that added crap you mentioned is optional.

400h4me, the two things you have working against you are that on the west coast these vehicles are still more popular, and only one car has come into my dealership out of all of them without the Mark Levinson.  As soon as those cars hit the dock on the west coast they know the vin numbers and the options and start calling their customers.  This dealership made thier first black on black 400h the demo car and has had that available for test drives since late April. (i pity the soul that purchases that abused stepchild).  Still there is always one there to test.  Something is up with your dealership they are not sharing with u, and at the very least i dont think they can get a vehicle optioned the way u described.  Buy the one with the Mark Levinson, millenium silver with black interior is a very handsome combination in my opinon, my light gray interior has been hard to maintain, even with no dog inside.

←

If it has Levinson, it has to have heated seats, right??? I didn't think you could get the Levinson without heated seats?? How does the "standard" stereo compare to the Levinson sound wise??

When you think about it, the vehicle without any added options is very nice and you save $3,000. Of course, half of the $3K is the RSES. :(

[katzjamr]

I dont know if the heated seats are married to the ML im sure someone online will tell us. its a popular option here in the dank northwest. I drove the 400h without the Levinson system. The standard stereo is a Bose system that is quite competent and i was tempted to go for that vehicle. It saves about 1K. It was white and as i stood and looked at it from all angles i just couldnt live with how it looked with the tail lights and the other silver gray accents on the car. I know that is very subjective, fortunately silver metallic came along about a week later.

[dreedaz]

I was surprised once I made the decision to buy how the situtation turned out.

I went to a dealer in Phoenix to test drive a RX400h.They said they wouldn't sell me the unit. They wanted to use for other folks to demo but that they were getting in five per month and if I put down a deposit, I could have one in three weeks.

I checked dealerships in California, others in Phoenix, New Mexico and Texas.

Everyone was wanting full list price, always the same $50,853. Nobody had once available on the lot. The California dealers had the longest waiting time. The document fees from the dealers ranged from $45 in California (where I hear that is all they can charge by state law) to as much as $895 at one dealer in Arizona.

Bu the New Mexico dealer had the strangest offer. A 25-week waiting time OR I could make a $2,500 donation to a non-profit organization where his boss was on the board and I could move to the top of the waiting list and have first refusal of every RX400h that came in until I found the one I liked. Of course, I wondered how much someone had to donate to move ahead of me. I passed on this.

I was set to go back to Phoenix and order when I emailed the local Tucson dealer that I was headed up there that weekend. They decided they had one in my color coming in within two weeks and I could have it. It is supposed to arrive by Wednesday.

Once I made the purchase, suddenly five other dealers called and said they had units in stock and did I want it?

Nope, I had already paid for mine here in town.

[Vegas 400h]

I went to my dealer in Las Vegas to test drive it in late April. Put a deposit down on April 30, dealer called next day saying that someone backed out. So I bought it, I guess you could say my wait was 1 day. LOL - had everything I want except for rear entertainment system. An aftermarket with DVD changer/MP3 and dual headrest monitors are set for the near future.

[patt]

wwest i appreciate all of your posts as you add an insight many do not have.  The Lexus of Bellvue dealership also owns the one in tacoma  (where i signed up and purchased my 400h).  Their lists are much shorter, and all of that added crap you mentioned is optional.

400h4me, the two things you have working against you are that on the west coast these vehicles are still more popular, and only one car has come into my dealership out of all of them without the Mark Levinson.  As soon as those cars hit the dock on the west coast they know the vin numbers and the options and start calling their customers.  This dealership made thier first black on black 400h the demo car and has had that available for test drives since late April. (i pity the soul that purchases that abused stepchild).  Still there is always one there to test.  Something is up with your dealership they are not sharing with u, and at the very least i dont think they can get a vehicle optioned the way u described.  Buy the one with the Mark Levinson, millenium silver with black interior is a very handsome combination in my opinon, my light gray interior has been hard to maintain, even with no dog inside.

←

Our ivory interior has stayed nice with no problem. The black interior would be very hot around here so I wouldn't go for it even though it looks sharp. The information I've seen both directly from Lexus and from a couple of dealers says that all the California cars have the ML stereo and the heated seats so you may find it difficult to get without them.

[400h4me]

I dont know if the heated seats are married to the ML im sure someone online will tell us.  its a popular option here in the dank northwest.  I drove the 400h without the Levinson system.  The standard stereo is a Bose system that is quite competent and i was tempted to go for that vehicle.  It saves about 1K.   It was white and as i stood and looked at it from all angles i just couldnt live with how it looked with the tail lights and the other  silver gray accents on the car.  I know that is very subjective, fortunately silver metallic came along about a week later.

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katzjamr,

Thanks for your input! I received a call from my Lexus saleperson giving me news about the options that will be on the Rx400 that is coming. He said the car has been posted on their arrival list and will be here sometime at the end of this month or the first week in Sept.

The color is silver metallic with black interior. Heated front seats only. No Mark Levinson Audio System or RES. This car was not ordered by me originily. My sales person knew these were the options I was interested in and called to confirm this.

The salesperson said this car was one of the extra cars that dealers get without orders from customers. The factory ordered these options and this will workout perfect for me. This car is expendsive enough without loading it with extras that I would never need. The Mark Levinson Audio System is nice but I have two tin ears and wouldn't benifit from any improved sound quality. I did get a chance to hear a standard audio system and it sounded ok to me<_<

[katzjamr]

I love the silver metallic and it is very handsome with the black (i have light gray). Im sure you will be happy. I did listen to the standard bose system in a white 400h and it also sounded good, bose makes quality stuff, and you are right it saves a grand. In a moving vehicle with road and engine noise the idea of a state of the art stereo is kind of an oxymoron. Tell us when u finally have it in your garage.

[Shebco]

I was lucky I guess. I test drove one on a Thursday, placed a deposit that day. I wanted Silver with Levinson and RES which they had to locate. I took delivery the following Friday.

[lucca]

I ordered my 400h on 7/23/05 and picked it up on 8/11/05. So far I love it. :D

If you look at autotrader.com it looks as if there is a surplus of supply, with some dealers having as many as 80 or 90 in stock.

Since the dealers cannot sell above MSRP they are adding on, insisting on, paint preservation, undercoating, leather preservation, etc, etc. I was told by Lexus of Bellevue that I could have one within a week with about $4,000 of those "extras".

←

Only some dealers are trying to load on extras. Our dealer didn't assume we would add anything and they didn't install any extras.

We were given the pitch on the leather preservation/paint presentation when we picked up or car, but it was up to us whether we wanted to add it or not. Same for lojack and extended warranty. I'm pretty sure that is their standard process for all the cars they sell.

Neither of the local dealers was doing a formal list with deposit in the early days and they were undecided on how they would distribute the cars when the time came. Therefore, we put a deposit down with a dealer in the LA area in early '04. We were 7th on the list.

When March 05 rolled around, one of the local dealers decided to use the informal list (without deposit - just anyone who had walked in and asked to be kept informed) in order and we were pretty far down on that one. The other set a day when they would take deposits and purchase information (color, RES or no RES) and worked from that in order. We dropped off our form and were number 2 on that list. When their tester arrived, they called me and we went for a test drive of about an hour. Our salesman was great about encouraging me to spend as much time putting the car through its paces as I needed to be certain.

Meanwhile, the dealership where we had put down our early deposit was seeming a little flakey. They were talking about it maybe being a month even though they are a large dealership who would be getting a good allocation. Some of their first shipment wasn't going to the list. (They are one where I've since heard that they were loading extras on so perhaps they were taking some of the cars and doing that rather than selling them to the list people at MSRP as promised.) They did call at the last minute and say they had a car available on April 16 because someone higher on the list had passed, but by that time we had a VIN number with our dealer up here so we weren't feeling like dropping everything to run down to get a car - especially with some doubts about their credibility and the salesman up here had put in a lot of time with us.

Our car from the local dealer was ready for pickup April 22. No funny business. They gave us back our deposit check which they hadn't cashed.

The other dealership gave us back our deposit though they were a little cranky about it and I had to remind them at least once before it got sent.

←

[jpnorman]

I walked into my local dealership Saturday and could have had my pick of three cars all selling at sticker. They didn't have the color I wanted with the equipment I wanted and for the price didn't want to compromise so I ordered one for delievery and am expecting a 3 to 4 month wait but the cars are available.

[indiasfinest]

lol thats a big NO right there..rule of thumb: never pay sticker lol

[ultra63]

I signed up for the RX400h at my local Lexus dealer in April 2004. I was number 25 on a list of 35 buyers. They held this list too 35 to make things simple. Today is August 6th 2005 and we are still waiting to get our hands on one. The salesperson did tell me it will be any day now, but this is what I have been hearing all along.

I would love to hear from others about how long they have been waiting. We have only seen two on the road so far! The dealer is located in Northern California.

Maybe some day I will be able to report good news, but until now I'm still waiting. :o

←

1 day. Had choice of 7 400's. Took bamboo pearl. $2,000 off MSRP.

[dreamchaserflorida]

re: availability. I "walked in" May 19 and bought one on the lot. My daughter did the same thing the day before and we both had very generous incentives given to us. This dealer does not charge any premium nor any dealer's fee. I noticed that the dealer started advertising for the first time a week ago for the Hybrid RX 400h so I assume that there is a large inventory there.

The dealership is Scanlon Lexus, Ft. Myers, Florida. By comparison, the Naples, Florida dealership charges a dealer's fee and add-ons. The Naples dealer often charges big premiums, too, so I would never do business with them.

It is my impression that there is good availability in SW Florida where I live.

[400h4me]

lol thats a big NO right there..rule of thumb: never pay sticker lol

←

Maybe it's a Big No No to pay sticker price when the car has been sitting on a lot waiting for someone to come in and make an offer, but there are no generous incentives given to people waiting on a list to buy the 400h. If you look close you will find deals in any state but CALIFORNIA. NO DEALS HERE!! WE PAY

M.S.R.P if we are lucky. It's all about price and demand! Sorry, but I'm one of those that will end up paying full list price, but I will not pay any dealer mark-ups.