nobody said anything about being "unreasonable". seems if you work with car dealers maybe you have some empathy for them than the average consumer does not have or need to have. yet another reason the original post should obtain other opinions.
In this case, the person purchasing isn't going to have a "lasting relationship" with the dealer. she is going to purchase it, have it shipped to her location. the relationship will be with the dealer in her area (if she services the car at lexus dealers).
Also, no one said anything about causing a dealer or salesman to lose money. very very seldom will a dealer sell a vehicle for a loss. there are some occasions yes, however that is not the norm. Also the original post wasn't seeking info on what price would cause the dealer to lose money.
there are a lot of things that cause the dealer to have more profit than what is posted. often there are factory to dealer incentives for example. another way a dealer makes more money is if they are beating their parts sales, or new car sales goals for the year. every part or car they sell after they meet their goals often comes with additional discounts to the dealer.
I also think that $200-400 commission for about an hour worth of work by the salesman is more than fair. the next customer coming along that pays msrp will more than make up for any shortness this one deal may make.
Also, with these cars just hitting the lot, this is the most profitable time for the dealer, its likely if it just arrived and he sells it right off, he hasn't had to make his flooring payment for the car yet. also, advertising costs have likely not hit, or any other operating costs.
you are 100% correct that a dealer will let you walk over a few hundred dollars. that is their choice and I don't hold a grudge personally.
so the "$9500" margin could certainly be more, and again, I agree with the original post, that is a lot of dosh to make on one deal. That is a very good reason to try and find a better deal (from the consumer perspective).
maybe the research and calling/faxing lexus dealers will side with your opinion, but maybe it will side with the opinion of the original post.
I hope they post the results so we can see how this interesting post turns out.
just my $0.02 worth, take it or leave it.