PuliGirl

I hope you realize the implications if a child or someone's pet eats this stuff and you are determined to be liable. (Although the pet itself may not have much legal clout, its owner will no doubt have a teeny grudge, and their children may be even more devious in their reactions.) There are serious legal consequences to boobytrapping, even on your own property. Even when there is illegal entry to private property the law does not favor those who provide nasty consequences to trespassers, let alone potentially innocent victims. Maybe the poster should consider garage'ing his car, duh??? The fallout from acid rain, manmade, and no doubt something many contributors on the forum don't give a second thought to, is going to damage the finish as well. Killing the birds will leave an overabundance of insects--I don't think just the seagulls will eat the bread--and then he can add increaded insect droppings to threaten his finish.Fly !Removed! is pretty disgusting, despite its tiny size. It's seems easy enough to just put the car in the garage--and I can't imagine anyone buying a car they care about without one.

If you're in San Diego, stay away from Kearny Mesa Lexus. I just got ripped paying $36,700 (pre-tax and fees) for a used (they took away the certified status last minute) 2004 RX 330 without nav with appr. 2500 miles on it. I was ill with a medicated migraine and, as it turns out, a high fever, and the salesman took full advantage of it. My original salesman had seemed to have some integrity so I thought I was safe going in to look even though compromised. They shifted me to someone else and I was thoroughly exploited. I hadn't seen the car in the daylight and when I came back in the morning and mentioned the scuffs on the bumper under the power gate, I thought he would say something about getting them detailed. Instead, he put his finger in his nose and wiped a small area of the bumper with this, saying "You know what works really well with scuffs? Nose snot." I just got my car back from three days at the service department and they still couldn't seem to clean it properly, even with a note from the service manager to make sure it was done well. I paid $600 (I was really ill as I mentioned) for the totally unnecessary protectorant and the car didn't even look like they wiped it when I brought it home--it had dried lines of brake dust right after this sealant was supposedly applied. On the plus side, the dealership has provided the extra keys, floor mats, driver's manuals and tonneau that were missing, although I had to work to get them. I would understand this is the car wasn't priced the same as a new 2005, but to spend this much and have to struggle for what normally comes with a Kia is ridiculous. (The service manager and one of the women in finance are the few bright spots I've experienced at this dealer, but they're swimming upstream.) I looked at a competitive non-Lexus SUV today (Toureq) and the dealer there said I would lose too much money at this point switching cars and he wouldn't want to see me go through another exploitation. I will never buy from this dealer again nor will the acquaintances who were considering a Lexus after they heard my experience. (One just bought a new RX330 from another dealer, farther away than this one after hearing my story.) I had originally said (edited out) I would never buy from Lexus again but I am really impressed with the car itself. Leaving the VW dealer I had to stop quickly from a fairly high rate of speed on rain-slicked roads. I was really surprised at the stability and control. Rock solid. The car is growing on me.

You're in So Cal, so you should check out Longo Lexus. I just bought a new 2005 (2WD) Wednesday night for my wife equiped with Nav, Premium Plus package, 6 disc CD changer, 18" wheels and the preferred acessory package for invoice, which is $37,299. With tax, license and all other fees, it was $40,518 out the door (I live in Orange County, so the taxes maybe more). I worked with Elizabeth Hyun, she post on the Club Lexus site and she got me this GREAT deal. :) ← I wish I had gone there instead of Kearny Mesa. I could just scream.

Everyone I know who has a really serious commute hates it--and no one has one as bad as you describe. I'm reading ads now for rentals from people breaking leases to move closer to where they work and the commute differences are less than 20 miles. Someone was looking at the dumpy condo group I'm currently in and was going to sell her 3br house 15 miles away because of the commute. They've recently released studies showing huge negative consequences to health based on time spent in congested traffic. Cardiac stress and breathing elevated levels of toxic air are part of it. You also stand a much higher risk of accidents based on time on the road, not to mention minor collision damage. I went to Lexus over my more suitable plan of an RAV4 almost exclusively for safety features. All the bells and whistles are nice, but I wouldn't have spent this much more except that this car may save some limbs, and maybe my life. I just spoke with a rental owner and told him I bought the car because of the increased traffic risk and he said, "Don't tell me, my truck was totalled three weeks ago by someone running a red light." I agree with the other posters, don't do it unless you can find alternate transportation, like a train. It's not just the cost--which can go up with further escalation in gas prices (likely) and collision costs. Absorbing all that road hostility has to take a toll. (You also should factor in a cost for your time. If you were paid your normal wage for those hours, how would that affect it? If you worked a few hours overtime or picked up a little part-time work without this added overhead you would most likely be much further ahead and a lot less stressed.)

[I]Car salespeople are professionals, and their profession is usually (not always) about making money. They size you up the second you walk in the door and know exactly how to play you to get the most out of the deal. The salesman made a fortune on that deal you can guarantee it. No reason to feel bad about it though, it happens to everyone its just most people don't realize it. If you want to make yourself feel better write a letter to the sales and/or general managers of the dealership and explain to them just what you explained here. Call and ask who they are first because most dealers have seperate sales and general managers for new and pre-owned. I bought my Lexus over the internet and I will never buy another car the traditional way... Excellent advice, as well. I had a friend reinforce most of what you said earlier today and will definitely use it next time around--which may be soon if I can't adapt to the seats and the overall size of the car. This has been a costly lesson and one I don't want to repeat. I'm old enough to realize that most people don't operate the way I did when I was selling real estate: do my absolute best to meet their needs and make them happy with their purchase and refer them to someone who can if it's outside my own capabilities. My sales manager initially yelled at me for this attitude but had to shut up after I started selling very successfully from the start. This was 20 years ago and no doubt I'd be eaten alive in today's sales climate. It works, and it's win-win, but I suppose people don't care about repeat business and referrals in greedy little San Diego and probably elsewhere with our transient populations now. I had thought my original Lexus salesman was closer to my values, but my friend said he was probably a come-on to get me comfortable and the second guy the closer when they saw I was on the cusp. I hate to think it was that manipulative, but the attitude of the sales manager makes me think he's right. I'm going to follow your advice in the post and other posters' suggestions next time around, unless I see signs of humanity in speaking with the general manager--the results of which I'll post. Eventually perhaps this type of behavior will be costly enough to the manufacturer that they'll do what Saturn has, or do most sales via internet with showrooms of sample cars for demos and used vehicles, to eliminate the middleman cost.

Wait a minute. If you bought this car from the Certified division, and it's a Certified car, that certification should already include the extended warranty, from what I've read After I had signed for it I was told my warranty was longer, timewise (6 months) under the new warranty, although shorter by 52.5k in mileage, so they were providing the new warranty rather than the certified one. When they were selling me the car I was told it was put in service in August, when I had almost finished the paperwork I was told it was June. I bought an extended warranty because of this. My back is killing me after driving this car and I'm going back today or tomorrow to see if I have any recourse. I think I might be better off with the smaller RX300. I'm only 5', and this car just feels too big to me. (I had herniated a disc when I was running and weightlifting. Another live and learn. I try to be respectful now.) I'm really thinking of selling this car and will be extremely fair in pricing. It's Bamboo Beige, tan/ivory interior with the Premium Package, the wood/leather steering wheel, power gate, alloys, 6 CD, moonroof, etc. if someone's looking for one. Right now the mileage is slightly over 2500 and I've added extended LoJack for $1300 which I'll eat.

This is so unreal. I just got back from a my first ride longer than 20 minutes with the new rx330 and was really concerned about the short distance my headlights were providing on several curvy dark roads and thought I'd better have them checked out. I actually was using the light from someone behind me. It felt unsafe, but definitely kept me from speeding. Also, my windshield completely fogged up and I didn't know how to defog it, but the control was easy to see after pulling off the road. The ac kept coming on automatically and I was getting chilled, I kept turning it off and noticed it was on even after I set the temp up to 75 to try to warm up. The advice in this thread is really right on. Right now my back is killing me from driving this car and I realized I had mostly test driven the rx300, which I think had smaller seats?? (anyone with some insight on this??). There is no way I can get comfortable. I'm only 5' and I think I really needed the smaller seats. If they're not really smaller and someone can help me on this, it may just be a period of adjustment, but right now I feel like seeing if I can trade the 330 for a 300. (If there's some way to avoid being re-taxed on so much money.) I don't think my back can handle much more of this. It happened in the short time I drove the car yesterday and I was sore for hours. Tonight I spent most of the ride fiddling with the seat controls, and it seemed like I felt great sitting in the 300. So that may be another thing for a new buyer to consider. Don't sign the paperwork until you're sure you have everything you need--I'd have a printout with me--I was really shocked not to have even a driver's manual available and that whatever was missing from the car was being obtained for me as a huge favor--like floor mats for a 40k car. (I bought from the certified division, but the car was sold under the new warranty and I paid pretty close to new.) If I had to do things over again at this point I'd be back at VW. I really hope this car starts to grow on me and appreciate the helpful comments in response to my question in the other thread.

I should have added that the second salesman probably wasn't as aware of what I had wanted, as I took some time with the first, and I thought he had been clued in ''taking over" but I realize now he most likely wasn't, as the original guy was pretty busy. I said I might be open to the lighter interior, but I know my original salesman was trying to place me in a car that was a good value relative to my budget, where the second seemed more interested in selling me on that particular car, which might have been a good value to someone who wanted a car with low mileage who for some odd reason, just couldn't make the extra $1300 for a new vehicle with things like the full warranty and exact features and color. I could easily have waited for one with more mileage, lower cost, and the right interior, which my original guy knew--and I know he wouldn't have tried to move me into the wrong choice. Oh well. I really liked the second guy as a person to talk to, just was too sick to parry his sales techniques--I needed to be a lot more on my game and paid a high price. Lexus would have had a lot more loyal client if they had cared more about matching me with a car I was comfortable with than just moving one off the lot. I tend to be very vocal with recommending persons who do a good job and with my dissatisfactions, so I think it would've generated more business for them in the end if that was a goal, rather than trying to smooth me over post facto.

Thank you for both the consolation and the hopeful info on the tan cleaning well and the recourse on the extended warranty. I called the dealer and spoke to someone in finance (my finance person is a sweetheart and this guy proved equally nice) who does Rottie rescue and he felt the IBEX will go a long ways towards protecting the interior. He said he had a gray interior in a previous Lexus and it held up with three Rotts, so adding your comments I'm feeling a little better. The extended warranty is supposed to be effective at any of the United Auto participants, so I'm going to do a little further research before trying to bolt on it. I was concerned over a thread on tranny problems in the RX line and it might be well worth it if the coverage is extensive enough. I never bought one on a car before but have found them useful on appliances and almost always opt for them anymore, except on inexpensive items. I had always been told they were a waste of money on cars, which is what my friend, a Beemer owner has said, but he bought from a private owner and has a really trustworthy BMW mechanic who screened his car. My last car, a Jetta, was problem free at 7 years when I traded it in, and my previous Jetta the same at 10 years, but Lexus is a whole different ballpark financially if there's a problem, so it seemed like a good idea. I'm trying to think of somewhere to just take car and dog for a leisurely ride to start to get acquainted and see if we hit it off better and I can dump this buyer's remorse kick. Thanks again.

I just purchased a slightly used (2400 mi) RX330 from a Certified dealer in my area. I had originally looked at RX300s, much more within my limited budget, but wanted the airbag deployment based on distance from wheel feature, as I'm very short and was afraid of full force in a colllision. The area I live in has become very dangerous to drive in (I think even more so than some other metro areas), so, even though I haven't had a real accident in over 17 years, I feel threatened every time I hit San Diego roads and go through a close call at least every few days now. (I'm used to using a manual with good acceleration and handling for protection but I was starting to feel that being a bit elevated might be important.) The original salesperson I was working with had a good sense of what my needs were but told me a few days ago that he had researched and that feature started with the 2004 model. It was 11/30, they had 2 2004 models available, and prices were likely to be better due to the end of the month, so I went over, having taken migraine meds and feeling really foggy and off-base. (It was at night and I had never even looked at the exterior of the 2004 in the light.) I was shifted to another salesperson, much less concerned with my needs, and proceeded to blow my entire savings (for a home) on this car, which has the ivory/tan interior, when my last car's interior was forever endowed with mud and debris from my very active sheepdog, and I wanted a black interior. The car is also enormous to me relative to my previous car and the 300. They kept telling me what a fabulous deal I was getting on the price and I found out the next day that I paid about $1300 less than a similarly equipped new 2005--which would have at least come with a tonneau, driver's manuals, floor mats, and a second key--all of which have been ordered for me but "as a courtesy" since they "didn't come with the car." (I found that hugely offensive when this car was listed so close to a new car, and possibly higher since I'm not privy to knowing it's features (do I have the special headlights, heated seats, etc., who knows? I can see the Premium Package is there and I factored that into the price. This lack of anticipatory consideration for a new purchaser of a certified car also disturbed me.) I drove home at 9 pm with the car and called at 9 am the next morning and tried to rescind and found I was, well, you know. I was willing to lose some money if they would take it back, but I didn't even see a crack in the door to offer that. In my foggy little state, I had also opted for an extended warranty, extended LoJack (1300 but I'm a committed believer) and just added the IBEX (spelling?) protective thing due to my dog. A friend just said he thought the ext'd warranty and IBEX were a waste of money, especially since I'm thinking of selling this very soon unless I can get used to the size. It is, of course, extremely comfortable, loaded with useful features, and feels solid as a rock, but it doesn't feel right for me and my mop dog. I plan on driving it a little more before making a final decision, but, every time I look at it--and it's twice what I've ever spent on a car--I think "what have I done?" My questions for any forum member kind enough to have waded through this are: Is the extended warranted (through United Auto) really worth the money, especially as I may end up reselling the car, and the same for the IBEX. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated--owners who may have had reservations but kept the car and are now happy/unhappy with their decision, etc. Remember I'm not a guy and was stupid enough not to have one with me because I was planning on just checking out the 2004s, duh...plus I had confidence my original sales guy for looking out for me, enough so that I didn't even bother going to other dealers. (After a lot of consideration, I realized that the answer isn't trying to get a semi-tank for protection, but to get out of the congested mess that this once lovely city has become.) Thank you.