First Car/lexus Buying Experience

[JokeDog]

Hi, I'm proud to be an owner of a new-to-me 1998 lexus ES300 for about 60 hours now. Being my first time EVER in a dealership, I've learned a thing or two about buying a car and I'd like to share my experience with current & especially future lexus owners.

After searching online for a deal, I decided to head to the Tri-County Lexus in NJ to test drive, not necessary to buy b/c I didn't even have a checkbook or enough cash for a commitment deposit. I called to verify multiple times across multiple days that the 2000 ES300 w/102k miles asking for $7995 is still available and it was. The color, Graphite Gray was to my liking and the price is right. Upon arrival, the dealer couldn't start the car and said there's a problem with the starter. Something he neglect to tell me over the phone? He insists that it was working earlier in the week and that he had test drove the car just last week. What he didn't realize is that I knew the car was up for sale according to carfax since June 6th, 2007. (60 hours ago was Saturday Aug 11th). There must be a reason why such a deal is still available. Of course i was a bit disappointed driving for 30 miles just to find out I couldn't test drive the car I was eyeing. So I asked when will it be fixed and he said "once someone buys it." He insists that the only problem is the starter and that it would fixed if I agree to buy it. Geez I told him, it was be impossible for him to sell w/o getting that fix.

As expected, he wanted to introduce me to another lexus which is an antique sage colored (see picture below) 1998 ES300 with 112k miles and in my price range of $6995, which is mine now. I don't mind high mileage as long as its drive solidly and boy does it. Since I only drive about 3-4k a year, this will surely last me a while. The exterior body looks brand new, except that the bumper was dented in as if it was backed into a pole which is exactly what he said happened. The carfax report is clean. The interior is great except the back seat was punctured with probably a knife in a shape of a "V". I checked under the hood and it looks clean, no leaking stuff except the top of the battery had some slick oily residue around the negative clamp, but the car started up fine during the test drive.

When it was time to negotiate, being it was my first time ever, I wished I was a bit more skillful. This is how it went, so you be the judge. I told him the test drive was good as expected and I have no complaint, but I pointed out those 3 flaws and insist he fixed fixed the bumper, replace the battery with a new one and fix the back seat puncture. He said if I wanted that, then I won't be able to negotiate the price. Rather then them fixing it, I decided to have the price lowered and choose to fix it myself or leave as is and save myself the money. My lack of negotiation skills kicked in and I immediately offered him $6500 and said I could forget about the problems, which I think is reasonable. Of course they play their usual game about talking to his manager. Within two minutes he walked back to his desk and shook my hands since it a done deal.

I expected some haggling, but none of that. I was satisfied with the price and apparently they were too. Then he whips out the papers and the calculator and started to add the 8.375% NYC tax, (I was like oh geez, how could I forget about the tax!), $250 registration fee (both of these are mandatory) and then he adds $169 for the "vehicle protection program etching", $199 documentation fee, $9 online registration fee, $20 credit check and before I knew it the price ballooned to $7643. I couldn't back off the tax and registration fee, so I told him no to everything else. I said they must absorb all those fees themselves. So he agree to if I also agreed to buy it on the spot which I did with my ATM/debit card. The price came down to $7294.37.

After every said is done, I asked him how much did he really profit from the sale, he honestly replied he doesn't know. It doesn't matter to me b/c I think only the boss knows and he only cares about his commission. He then hands me the one master key and that was all. I asked where is the spare, he said that's all he got from the original owner. Little did I know, a duplicate key will cost me about $200 according to other posting in this forum. He also mentioned that the car is getting getting an oil change now. I tried to ask if he could fill it up with a full tank gas while they're at it, but no luck. I noticed it was almost empty while test driving it.

Here's what I learn and hope it'll benefit future owner; current/experienced owner, feel free to critique or add to this list.

1. Asked about the keys. That's my $200 mistake, it doesn't have to be yours. You would expect a master and a spare, but you won't know about the keys until its a done deal which is too late to negotiate by then. I've already paid for the car and all the papers signed by then.

2. I asked for a $500 discount thinking its a nice round and reasonable number and doesn't sound like I was low balling them if I asked for $1k off. What I should have done is calculate ahead of time how much the tax and registration fee cost and demand that $# be discounted from the asking price. Or said I'll buy the car now at their asking price if they if they're willing to absorb tax, registration and misc fee and I'll forget about the 3 problems I pointed out earlier or I'll walk out. I think even at the price of $6995 out the door, they'll go for it. That would've saved me an extra $300.

3. Everyone said to check out the car during the day time, so you can see all the flaws on the car. This is true, but b/c of it, I forgot to check the lights. Being that the car is spanking new, I didn't think the light would be a problem. The light "warning/broken/replacement" indicator is on when I turn on the headlights at night. Although I don't see a problem when I check.

4. The dented bumper I thought was a minor issue and thought I could bang it out, turned out the frame is dented as well. This is a safety issue since the frame is no longer in its original form and would not have held the car to its rear end collision safety rating. This could've been a bigger negotiation point for me making me feel I would definitely walk out at their asking price of $6995.

Anyway, I hope new buyers find this useful and I welcome all comments. One last thing, I love this es300. Its beautiful, ride solidly, quiet, and fun to drive even over 100k miles. But then again, anything beats my 139k 1995 Corolla DX!

[Rya]

Great looking car - congrats!

Good advise on the keys. People don't always realize how many you're supposed to be getting - I got 4 with mine (2 remotes, 1 valet & 1 spare that's folded flat in a card holder). The dealership had to order the second remote. Floor mats we're also not in my vehicle - the dealer got me a brand new set of Lexus OE mats.

Also good advise to check it during the day time for any damage, scratches, chips, scuffs, etc. Another thing, if possible, is to check it at night - make sure all of the lighting is working properly, the dash lights work properly, etc.

Play with everything: power seats, windows (all of them), moonroof, radio, compartments, fold the seats down. Everything that you can think of (mechanical & electrical). After you sign the papers - it's usually too late to bring up any problems.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Great advise!

[kingjack133]

Great looking car - congrats!

Good advise on the keys. People don't always realize how many you're supposed to be getting - I got 4 with mine (2 remotes, 1 valet & 1 spare that's folded flat in a card holder). The dealership had to order the second remote. Floor mats we're also not in my vehicle - the dealer got me a brand new set of Lexus OE mats.

Also good advise to check it during the day time for any damage, scratches, chips, scuffs, etc. Another thing, if possible, is to check it at night - make sure all of the lighting is working properly, the dash lights work properly, etc.

Play with everything: power seats, windows (all of them), moonroof, radio, compartments, fold the seats down. Everything that you can think of (mechanical & electrical). After you sign the papers - it's usually too late to bring up any problems.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Great advise!

you can get a key for 30 buks at www.sparekeys.com.....i just got a 92 es300 at a dealer , I really try to be diligent but those guys are the biggest and best crooks in the world. If you re happy with your lexus....don t look back!!!...In the future check out all the info available to you on HOW TO BUY A USED CAR and if you can , get a friend to help negotiate the price if he is good at it. Double teaming the seller is a good tactic....I think.....good luck pal!

[Clone]

My Purchase Experience

I spent all day looking at cars. Initially, I had my heart set on a 2004 Acura TL and was shopping for a car around the $15k price range. Typically, only high milage '04 TLs go for that price, so there wasn't much to choose from. However, I didn't want to stick to ONLY the TL if another luxury car was available for the price.

Around noon, I took my wife to lunch and dropped her off at a day spa. I continued to shop, stopping this time, at the luxury dealerships. I hit the Lexus dealership, Jag, Audi, Acura, etc. I did not get any service at any of the dealerships, but I was actually interested in many of the vehicles. So feeling a little like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (with the exception that I'm a big tall guy and she's pretty petite girl), I left. Granted it could have been for any number of reasons, it just stinks to be serious about purchasing a vehicle and not be able to get anyone to approach you. ON A CAR LOT! Anyway, I made a final stop at the Mercedes/BMW dealership. I looked briefly at cars, but nothing really struck my interest. All the cars on their lot were either too expensive or SUVs. Considering I drove a pickup, I wasn't about to continue down that MPG path! As I was just getting ready to leave, I noticed this beautiful black ES with a decent price on it. The salesman approached me and let me have the car for the afternoon. After a thorough review, I was in love with it.

After haggling the price with him over a few days, I went down to the dealership (it's about a 1.5 hour drive from my house to the dealership) and I did all the paperwork. My wife and I managed to get another $1000 out of the deal and settled on a loan that actually comes in w/ a monthly payment less than my wife's '05 Grand Caravan. I traded in my truck and drove home in my new baby... my ES 300.

Being a family guy, I'm glad I moved from a truck to a car. Getting the kids in and out is much easier and I pay more than half as much on gas than I did. Coming from a manufacturing engineering background, I can not only tell you that Lexus (Toyota) is a solid manufacturer, but it's also the creator of some of the best practices in all of business. I'm a very proud Lexus owner.

P.S. With respect to purchasing a car, I'd highly suggest driving the car for a length of time. Also, if the car is located close to home, take it to a mechanic you trust for an inspection. It's nice to have the dealership's word in case a car is a lemon, but it's much easier to figure that out before you've made the purchase.

[SW03ES]

After every said is done, I asked him how much did he really profit from the sale, he honestly replied he doesn't know. It doesn't matter to me b/c I think only the boss knows and he only cares about his commission.

Oh...he knew haha. They know exactly what the profit in the car is because thats what his commission is based on, he earns a percentage of the gross profit. Anyways you made a fair deal, look for a fair price for the vehicle for your area and don't begrudge the dealer their profit. I would have had the bumper looked at though, a full inspection done by a mechanic, and insisted they throw in a key. You say the car is so brand spankin new, but its really not. Its 9 years old, PLENTY of things can be wrong with a 9 year old car. Its not like its an '07.

Asking the dealer to pay the registration fee and the taxes isn't fair.