Buying Tomorrow

[mardibloke]

After a couple of test drives decision is pretty much made on a new is200 Sport, Blue, black cloth, no options.

Off to sit down with the local dealer tomorrow and sort out a deal.

Just after a last minute check that I am doing the right thing - I want to try and cover myself on relase, so picking the most popular colour/model would be key.

Also interested in what people have managed to get their local dealers down to on list price.

Finally what finance deals people have managed to get, have looked at some scribbled PCP figures and not been impressed so thinking of buying it with cash in the bank, but everyone says better to hang onto my cash and finance it ???

[Monster-Mat]

if you can pay cash, pay cash.......i did,and havnt lost a penny:D

[mardibloke]

I fully expect to loose money, all cars do. Just don't want to throw too much away :smug:

Are there any options I should really be considering, as much haves for me, or must haves for resale value ?

[Monster-Mat]

for less loss i would say go for a se model however...

is200 sport

blue

sat nav

as whether the styling kit makes them sell better im not sure

[mardibloke]

So I don't need the supercharger then :o ?

Sat Nav at over £2k is a tad expensive IMHO.

Would rather chuck that £2k into the styling kit, however cannot see me getting that back on resale, and my better half won't let my buy the (very) red one with styling kit that the dealer currently has.

[Monster-Mat]

the supercharger cannot be fitted at the dealers..........,and yes the nav is too much,put that into the styling kit.........you may not recoupe your money with it........but Dam IT WILL LOOK....

it would be nice to see a red one kitted up

[mardibloke]

The alloys and the front look great, but this will be my daily driver and don't want to stand out too much and attract the attentions of Plod.

Any ideas on what margins the dealers are on, I was hoping to pop in on the last day of the month and get a good deal, but so far negotiations have only got as far as £600 off list, or throw in metallic paint, mats, and mud flaps. I could only find a couple of threads on the whole forum where people have commented about dealings on buying new cars - do tell me if I should not be discussing it on this public forum !

[Monster-Mat]

i will be dead honest,all my cars have been bought through special sales so i cannot coment on UK dealers..........i think theres a few guys on here with new cars that could comment...

and its best to discuss the meat of this in public.........the filling would be best in U2U

MAT

[Edited on 30-4-2002 by superchargedIS200]

[mardibloke]

. . . . anyone that wants to fill me in, in private :P

[red6]

mardibloke,

Will you be using the car for business use or just commuting? I got a loan from the bank and then bought my car with cash. I get a rising company car allowance which pays for my monthly payments to the bank. After a few years, my company will have paid the whole loan and I gain a Lexus.

I would say not to try and stretch the pennies for SatNav if you were wondering about resale value. I got it because its very useful, but I use it virtually every day.

[mardibloke]

It will get some business use, not every day, but will be insured for business. Its to replace a company car i.e I am taking the monthly allowance from the company, to avoid paying tax.

I have a portable Sat Nav system, sure not as neat as one built into the dashboard, but it does the job, for the times I need it.

The book I was just reading implies you can buy the bodykit in parts, rather than having to take the whole kit - according to me dealer.

Anyone managed to order just the front bumper, and the 18" wheels on a new car, without having to take the rear skirt ?

[Chris.S]

I haven't seen one person yet buy the individual bodykit parts

But there has been one or two people who have had the full works from our dealer

There was a nice red one last week and a black one the week before

[Chris.S]

You can order what bits you like-most of the parts can be purchased seperatly and fitted by the dealer instead of Lexus GB doing the full kit at port of entry

[Zee007]

Thanks Mat...

Hi Mardibloke,

£600 off list? They have larger margins then that - believe me. Things you ought to be looking for:

- Yes, last day of the month COULD mean a better deal, but not always, especially if they have already hit their targets

- You need to be looking at at least £1000 off list. It also depends on the model. Sport mark ups are high, so you should get more off, but SE's are tighter and more popular so don't expect a great deal

- Extras, push for the usual ie Metalic paint, mudflaps, 12 months tax, tank of fuel, and if possible a years worth of insurance with Lexus themselves. They are underwritten by another firm but tend tend to offer a good price

- Careful with finance. Unless its under 9%, look at taking a loan out. Working for a bank, I know how these finance companies operate and some of the additional charges can be ridiculous. Flexible loans are convinient and hold low apr's so its worth shopping around

- Yes you can order bodykit parts seperately, but order them WITH the car, you'll get a better deal then if you order after. Fair enough, they won't hold much risidual value, but it depends on how long you'll keep the car.

- Whatever you do, set your price that you are willing to pay and STICK to it. If they don't budge - waqlk away. Then try another dealer, and you'll find that playing the two off each other will get you the deal you want.

Now these are by no means definates and they are only MY recomendations. Others will do doubt have their opinions, but if you want to chat further then u2u me.

Zee.

[mardibloke]

Ta all, top advice.

So if I show the dealer UK 2002 import is200 Sports for £18,700 and try and go for £1,500 off list, and work from there, hoping to get 1k off list and some stuff chucked in ??

[Zee007]

Well, thats as good a place to start then any... best of luck. Let us know how you get on.

Check your u2u - I've responded to your queries.

Zee

[mardibloke]

ta Zee.

[ricky_is200]

Just make sure you do buy one, you won't regret it!

My personal opinion would be that you won't recoup the value of the Sat Nav or Body kit when you come to sell.

[mardibloke]

Thanks Ricky, keen those opinions comming !

I think I am at least going to ask about the front spoiler and wheels, it would be rude not to :P

[ricky_is200]

All this talk of discounts, you'll still get it £2k cheaper than I did thanks to the price cuts 6 months after I got mine.

[mardibloke]

But heck you are not bitter eh ricky !???!

2nd hand values appear pretty strong so you should not do too bad ??

[TonyGoose]

If you're looking to save a lot of mney, you're pretty much wasting your time at a uk dealership.

You should find Denmark the cheapest place but Holland is also worth a look ...

One Dutch dealer i know of has a seperate phone line for their uk customers :)

Only problem with this route is unless they have unallocated cars, you may have to wait a while...

Ireland may get you over that though.

Alternatively, have you tried the car supermarkets - motorpoint, trade sales etc ??

They sometimes have IS200's in stock at prices comparable to import deals ...

As for finance, i got 7.9apr from the rac last year and 8.9 seems about normal now...

unless you can take an advance on a mortgage at a lower rate or something like that.

As a final idea, does it have to be new ?

You could pick up a 6/12 month old car with 4-8k miles from a forces dealer quite reasonably. You'll be paying more used than the original purchaser did new but that's just a tax issue which manufacturers use to their advantage ...

Hope that's of some use.

[mardibloke]

Not considered looking at European dealers, to be honest, I know I would save money, but admit that I am too lazy to take on the potential hassle. If I find someone to import for me, then by the time they take their cut, I am not saving enough and it brings me back to UK dealers.

Have visited Motorpoint ( a couple of 2001 cars in stock ) and Trade Sales ( nothing in stock ), best balance off price and company that impressed me was Micronet at £18,697 for a UK 2002 Sport. But 16-18 week delivery and we have all heard of friends that have been kept waiting longer with some of these import places.

Thanks for sharing the finance deal you got - gives me some idea where to start from.

However whatever happened to all these 4% finanace deals some of the car programs go on about ???

Certainly not got a problem with a 3month, 3,000 mile car. What do you mean by "Forces Dealer" Tony ?

Thanks for your thoughs, valuable stuff.

[TonyGoose]

Check your U2U top right of furum page ...

[mardibloke]

Well more Lexus coffee and another nice chat with the Lexas man, we were so close to a deal, but got stuck on the last £500 that I wanted off list.

So what are my options now, do I look at dealer used stock ? A private sale ? Importing ?

[Edited on 30-4-2002 by mardibloke]