grizzly660fan

If the end is the only broken part, then, you prbably won't have to remove the motor to get any broken mast pieces out. All you need is a towel, pair of pliers, new mast, and an assistant. Unscrew the nut that surronds the mast with the towel and pliers. Then, have someone turn on the am radio so that the mast comes all the way out. Grease the new mast's plastic tail, insert it as far as it can go(I can't remember if the teeth go to the front or the rear.), turn off the radio, and in she goes. Retighten the nut, and you are set! If I remember correctly from when I did this, it took a little finagling to get the nut from the old mast to the new one.

I got my mast from the dealer for a little under $50. I think they can be had on ebay for about $20.

Note to self: only hand washes for the Lexus!

Well, its broken approx in the middle of the mast. in the current sitch it won't retract all the way and its still one piece. so you are saying I can get the mast part and not have to replace the motor and all as a complete assembly? wow that is good news.

note to wife, turn off car when washing! lol she was spraying the road grime off as its winter here and the car was very dirty...

My wife was washing her 1996 LS400 and left the car idling with radio on and antenna in the up position. the hose from car wash caught and has nearly snapped off the antenna. it has a crease in it and will need to be replaced.

Anyone every replace this before? got any advice or instructions they might share as I will be replacing this myself rather than at the dealer.

also, any tips on where to find replacement antenna cheaper than local dealer?

Thanks in advance.

Its always worth a try but you've got to be reasonable. Expecting a dealer to sell an 05 UL LS430 at a $9500 discount is simply unreasonable. Car salesmen and dealers have to make a living too, and thats bleeding them of every last red cent dry. Doing business with car dealers gives me a somewhat unique perspective I understand, but this is why people hate buying cars. They walk into a dealership expecting the dealer to make $50 on the car with no concern of fair market value and no desire to forge a lasting business relationship and automatically assume that the dealer is trying to screw them when they can't meet their price. Thats just not fair to anybody.

Lexus dealers WILL let you walk trust me, one let me walk over $700. The dealer that was $700 less screwed up the order and I wound up going back to the first dealer who, knowing the other dealer, had already ordered me the car knowing I'd be back. I happily paid the extra $700 and now I have a great salesperson to use every time I buy a new Lexus. She's a great resource and still checks up to make sure I'm satisfied and has helped me get some warranty issues covered. There's a thread in here somewhere about a member who had a similar situation. You get what you pay for, a dealer willing to make $1000 profit on a $70,000 car isn't going to offer you the level of service someone with more confidence will.

Do you have any idea how much the salesman is making off of a car with $2100 profit ($1500 over invoice plus the $600 holdback)? Probably along the lines of $2-400.

Business works best when both sides are reasonable.

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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.

Several people have already answered your question and expressed doubt that you can get an 05 LS430 for $1500 over invoice. I have, 99LSguy has, Ikirschner has, FlintUltra has, blake 918 has, ronsadvice has and he offered to help you try and you turned him down, Unlisted has, silermate has, MikeP has in other threads.

I'm starting to question whether or not you actually want our advice or if you just need someone to agree with you.

The fact of the matter is your G35 and the LS430 are totally different buying experiences. The G35 is an entry level luxury car, almost $40,000 cheaper than the LS you're shopping for. Infiniti has much lower demand than Lexus and much lower resale value. Infinitis will ALWAYS sell at steeper discounts than Lexuses. The LS is the flagship model, most dealers don't even stock UL cars they have to be ordered so you're not "rescuing" a salesperson by buying an LS like you are by buying a G35 off the lot. Its just a totally different strata of car and a different buying experience. If you offer a dealership $1500 over invoice for that car they'll laugh at you. Like we've said before $66k is an excellent price on that car. If thats too much then you really need to look at a different car.

I apologize for getting frustrated but we're trying to help you and you refuse to accept what we're saying and keep asking the same question over and over.

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I vote you keep going on your quest. while its probably not common to to purchase a lexus with your parameters, it does happen.

There are lots of factors that determine what the bottom price a dealer is willing to accept. (dealer allocations, strength of sales, etc) There is always that exception.

I like you go for the absolute lowest price and encourage you to continue. I am also not willing to put $5k of profit into a dealers pockets. Either you save the money or they make the money.

since you have mentioned you have shipping options available (I would like to know more about that perhaps) keep shopping and looking.

while it was mentioned by another to threaten to get up and leave, I prefer another approach, I get very serious about the purchase and make the dealer know, either he sells this car to me, or I buy from another dealer. that tends to soften the dealer, and I am always willing to put my money where my mouth is and purchase on the spot. therefore I am not wasting his time, and he knows not to waste my time. If we can't agree on terms, then we part friends and I do as I said and purchase from the other dealer who will meet my terms.

to answer SW03ES just because she doesn't accept the information you offer (and others) does not mean she isn't listening. she might be trying to dig deeper into other opinions than those offered. nothing wrong with that in my book.

please post your success when you find it. I find this thread interesting.