Premium car brand pricing; Lexus and Acura

dnewton3

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I'm in the market for my first luxury car. Whereas I've bought many new and used cars over the years, I've never dealt with premium brands.

I'm curious as to a very specific line of thinking here, so please stick to the topic ... Here are the confines of the info I seek:
- Pre-covid pricing experiences (say from 2017 to early 2020, before the pandemic)
- Acura and Lexus brands
- generally the Midwest area (because there is little relevance to something 1000 miles away; outside of a market I'd be purchasing in). I'm in Indiana, so anything from IN or the surrounding states would be most relevant (IL, KY, OH, MI).
- most interested in cars than SUVs, but the info is still welcome

Obviously, the pandemic vastly and significantly altered car pricing, but that's not what I'm curious about. It's my belief that the market is going to (or already has started to) self-correct and reveal some negotiation space. Gone are the days of the dealer commanding "market adjustments" in my area at least. My closest Lexus dealer has firmly had the position that they didn't charge over MSRP during CVD, and they're not dropping below MSRP now. But that's the present.

How is history relevant to my car search now? Well, it's just a point of info that helps me understand the flexibility of Lexus and Acura dealers prior to CVD. While I understand and admit that the present is where I'm at today, it does have some influence in my decision to perhaps wait and see what late spring may reveal in 2023. It's my belief that the new car market is going to soften in the coming months, and that could affect a dealer's attitude of negotiation. Will I be able to use pre-CVD pricing history to predict post-CVD pricing potential ? I'm not convinced that will be true. But I'm always a thorough shopper and consider all viewpoints.

Here's why this matters to me ... If the reality is that these two brands have offered very little MSRP relief in the past, and the potential MSRP relief is likely to be negligible in the future, then the date of purchase makes little difference overall, as the price probably won't wander off MSRP much. But if history says there has been leverage prior to CVD, then perhaps a soft market in 2023 may offer some hope, and a delay in purchase would be purdent.

What I want to know is, of the folks here that bought new Lexus or Acrua vehicles in that time period (2017- early 2020), were you able to negotiate below MSRP, and by how much if any? If you are comfortable with being detailed, please include your dealer location, model year, model, MSRP and purchase price.
 
My aunt is older at 76 and she wanted a Lexus that was not easy to find. She is in TX and we were able to actually do really well at Park Place Lexus in Plano, TX. They had to find what she wanted and they did and did it rather quickly considering the only ones I could find was in southern Cal area. IIRC 2-3 weeks and under MSRP by about $800 and let me whittle the destination charge as well. Solid experience. The experience was positive enough that if I wanted a Lexus I would give a larger place in NJ (I'm in NY) a chance but I'd hop a plane and buy it in Plano.

Not much help; it's all I got for ya. Good luck in the endeavor.
 
Lexus dealer here in Cleveland is selling some of their cars below msrp. Normally they don't advertise this but now they are. Probably because of their corporate holiday promotion. Metrolexus.com to check it out and they have a good reputation.
 
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New 2017 Acura TLX base bought 4/27. $ 8K below MSRP partially because of OEM incentives. So no, MSRP is not gospel.
 
My aunt is older at 76 and she wanted a Lexus that was not easy to find. She is in TX and we were able to actually do really well at Park Place Lexus in Plano, TX. They had to find what she wanted and they did and did it rather quickly considering the only ones I could find was in southern Cal area. IIRC 2-3 weeks and under MSRP by about $800 and let me whittle the destination charge as well. Solid experience. The experience was positive enough that if I wanted a Lexus I would give a larger place in NJ (I'm in NY) a chance but I'd hop a plane and buy it in Plano.

Not much help; it's all I got for ya. Good luck in the endeavor.
Park Place Lexus is a good dealership. A friend of mine worked there at one time. He ended up moving to another dealership that was closer to his house. He actually went back to them to buy his most recent car purchase, a Lexus IS250.
 
Lexus wants repeat customers and word of mouth advertising. Regardless of market conditions because of their customer satisfaction and repeat customer business model. Obviously some dealerships are better than others.
Decide what you want. Call all your local dealerships and tell them what you want. You will know who to do business with. Tell them what you are doing. Good luck.

I will try and dig up the deals on the 5 Lexi I've bought since 2018.

One more thing. If you can find one, please drive a GS350 F Sport.
 
I'm going to assume that by and large you are more likely to find a discounted Acura before Lexus. That being said, I'm a fan of both brands but curious for sedans what models you are eyeing as the TLX and Integra really don't have equal competitors in the Lexus line-up. Never really did but now with the GS non-existent even more so.
 
I suggest you consider Lexus Certified Pre-owned as well. The warranty extension terms are good, they bring the car to like new condition, and the dealership/service personnel treat you like a new car customer. I've been very happy with my 2017 RX350 that I bought 2 years old off of lease from Germain Lexus of Ann Arbor.
 
New Vehicle prices in the NY Metro area are starting to equalize. Still offered at MSRP but little, if any “Market adjustment” (🤪). While doing your investigation, feel good in knowing that eventually the market will slowly swing in favor of the buyer especially once the first dealer undercuts the other guy.
Good luck in your pursuit.
 
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My local Lexus dealer sells at msrp but has a $1,700 protection package on every car. My local two Acura dealers think their stuff doesn’t stink and still have $3K mark ups on their cars, including the over priced Integra that are sitting on their lots for months.
 
I'm going to assume that by and large you are more likely to find a discounted Acura before Lexus. That being said, I'm a fan of both brands but curious for sedans what models you are eyeing as the TLX and Integra really don't have equal competitors in the Lexus line-up. Never really did but now with the GS non-existent even more so.
I have a few choices I'm considering ... At his point, my info is coming from YT videos such as Throttle House, Straight Pipes, SavageGeese, etc.

You are correct; the Acura choices don't align directly to the Lexus choices.

Lexus ES350. OK - this really isn't a "handling" car, but it's renowned for it's longevity and luxury, and the pricing isn't too bad. The drivetrain is, without question, a stalwart of reliability. No turbo issues down the road. The F-sport Handling isn't a necessity, but it's the only choice to even remotely attempt to get this FWD car to handle (sort-of ....)

Lexus IS350 F. Better handling for sure, same engine turned the "right" direction, but requires premium fuel, and while RWD gives better handling traits, it also limits traction in snow. Not as much back-seat room as the ES; overall a smaller car. No turbo issues down the road. The F-sport ups the handling a tad bit more.

Acura TLX (4 cyl). In SH-AWD form, it's tested very well. But, my word, is this thing heavy for a mid-size car or what? And the fuel economy suffers in these cars; not as good as the Lexus 3.5L engine. Turbo issues likely as it ages. Also, not as much interior room in the back seat.

Acura TLX Type S. Again, tests very well in SH-AWD form. Pretty much the same issues as TLX above. And, it's scarce as hen's teeth and probably the most expensive of all the choices.
 
I would still have to say that model year 22+ Of a solid brand such as subaru are safer, more reliable, technologically more advanced, etc.

I understand luxury. But (to me) it is moving backwards in time.

OOne thing I can say is that the Honda Accord and the Acura were identical except for the nameplate.
 
Lexus dealer here in Cleveland is selling some of their cars below msrp. Normally they don't advertise this but now they are. Probably because of their corporate holiday promotion. Metrolexus.com to check it out and they have a good reputation.

'23 ES and IS = $500 off
'22 RC350 coupes = $2700 off
'22 LS with 106K MSRP = $6400 off
 
I have a few choices I'm considering ... At his point, my info is coming from YT videos such as Throttle House, Straight Pipes, SavageGeese, etc.

You are correct; the Acura choices don't align directly to the Lexus choices.

Lexus ES350. OK - this really isn't a "handling" car, but it's renowned for it's longevity and luxury, and the pricing isn't too bad. The drivetrain is, without question, a stalwart of reliability. No turbo issues down the road. The F-sport Handling isn't a necessity, but it's the only choice to even remotely attempt to get this FWD car to handle (sort-of ....)

Lexus IS350 F. Better handling for sure, same engine turned the "right" direction, but requires premium fuel, and while RWD gives better handling traits, it also limits traction in snow. Not as much back-seat room as the ES; overall a smaller car. No turbo issues down the road. The F-sport ups the handling a tad bit more.

Acura TLX (4 cyl). In SH-AWD form, it's tested very well. But, my word, is this thing heavy for a mid-size car or what? And the fuel economy suffers in these cars; not as good as the Lexus 3.5L engine. Turbo issues likely as it ages. Also, not as much interior room in the back seat.

Acura TLX Type S. Again, tests very well in SH-AWD form. Pretty much the same issues as TLX above. And, it's scarce as hen's teeth and probably the most expensive of all the choices.
Have you driven these cars yet?

I really wouldn’t form opinions until you give them a drive and walk around.
 
One thing I can say is that the Honda Accord and the Acura were identical except for the nameplate.
Actually that's not true any longer. I also thought that was the case, and it may be have been so in years past, but the most recent iterations of the cars below are not just "fancy" versions of Honda vehicles. The most recent ones are engineered by Acura from the ground up. They do share some items such as some (but not all) of the engines; albiet more powerful for the Acura brand.

The TLX is a unique chassis and is NOT based on the Accord.
The RDX is a unique chassis and is NOT based on the CRV.
The MDX is a unique chassis and is NOT based on the Pilot.

I'm somewhat intrigued by the TLX, but it's far more heavy than the Lexus cars, gets worse fuel economy, and they require premium fuel to boot.

If I'm going to speed $50k-$60k, I want something "better" than what I have (2018 3.5L Taurus). If I'm going to spend twice the money on a luxury car than what I did for the Taurus, I'd like to think I'll get more for my money than just some leather and a sunroof. For this kind of money, I "want it all"; good handling, good fuel efficiency, good power, decent interior and truck room, reliability, as well as the "fancy" fixings.
 
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Have you driven these cars yet?

I really wouldn’t form opinions until you give them a drive and walk around.
Only driven a used 2018 ES350 so far; just to get a sense of what the car drove like.
Also, it's pretty much impossible to find an IS350 I'd be interested in; seems Lexus is only making/pushing out AWD cars at the moment - it's all I can find on a lot around me. I don't want AWD, so driving an AWD Lesux IS isn't really going to give me the right sense of what I'd be buying.

And, I'd like to drive a TLX, but I want to compare a TLX to a TLX Type-S, and since the Type-S is non-existent anywhere within 100 miles of me, it kind of makes a back-to-back comparison hard to do.

I'm not above admitting that money will sway my decision here. The right price could make me swing to one car or another.

There is no "perfect" car; I get that. Everything will have a compromise somewhere. I'm just trying to maximize my gain will minimizing the loss.

The point to this thread was my quest to understand how much (if any) discount was able to be negotiated at Lexus or Acura, prior to CVD pandemic pricing.
 
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Only driven a used 2018 ES350 so far; just to get a sense of what the car drove like.
Also, it's pretty much impossible to find an IS350 I'd be interested in; seems Lexus is only making/pushing out AWD cars at the moment - it's all I can find on a lot around me. I don't want AWD, so driving an AWD Lesux IS isn't really going to give me the right sense of what I'd be buying.

And, I'd like to drive a TLX, but I want to compare a TLX to a TLX Type-S, and since the Type-S is non-existent anywhere within 100 miles of me, it kind of makes a back-to-back comparison hard to do.

I'm not above admitting that money will sway my decision here. The right price could make me swing to one car or another.

There is no "perfect" car; I get that. Everything will have a compromise somewhere. I'm just trying to maximize my gain will minimizing the loss.

The point to this thread was my quest to understand how much (if any) discount was able to be negotiated at Lexus or Acura, prior to CVD pandemic pricing.
Pre-pandemic 2018, 2019 - In the Atlanta area, the Lexus dealers were near sticker. Maybe $1000 off or something. The Acura dealers were more flexible, in general, but it depended on the individual dealer. Not 10%, maybe closer to 5%.

End of year pricing could be favorable for previous model year if both current and previous were on lot at same time.

Really liked the ILX a few years ago (2018), but other half liked something different. Since it was her car, I didn’t push it.
 
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