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Lexus GS 450h: Prices Paid & Buying Experience

69 messages,  Last post on Dec 16, 2009 at 4:25 PM

You are in the Lexus GS 450h Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 450h, Hybrid Cars, Car Leasing, Car Buying, Sedan

Messages Page 6 of 7

#51 of 69 Re: Price for a new Lexus GS450h [kenbt] by tricky73

Apr 25, 2007 (3:21 pm)

Replying to: kenbt (Apr 25, 2007 11:16 am)
Ken
 
I misread your earlier post; see my #48 in this series.
 
OTD was $66,527 inc'l XM radio; otherwise same equipment as you described (MSRP $66,842 not including XM.) Trade-in price was much more of concern to me, since I bought an LS 460L in January which proved unsatisfactory (electrical problems, dealer service difficulties, and seemingly disinterest on the part of the dealer to addressing these problems.) This flies in the face of your knowing the owner of this agency.
 
I am not wanting to start a Jihad against South Bay, but my experience is random electrical problems never go away until you dump the car. However, if one needs the back seat room and more trunk space offered by the 460L, it is probably the way to go...assuming you have not owned a recent LS430. I still argue there aren't that many differences between the two...except the 430 promised to be MUCH more reliable than the 460 based on my experience.
 
So far the 450h is a delightful machine; much more in keeping with my driving confidence. As you know, it has many of the same safety features included with the 460 and a couple that are not. The 460L seemed miles bigger than the LS430 I drove before; I was always very antsy driving it...not a good state of mind for a soon-to-be 80 year old geezer!

#52 of 69 Price for a new Lexus GS450h by kenbt

Apr 25, 2007 (7:59 pm)

tricky73
 
no problem I saw your misread comment previously- I was just
confused when you said you beat the price- since they were selling the car to me for over 2K Under Invoice.
 
even when I decided to pass on the GS450h (none of the three dealers that matched the deal and included the free
10,000 Mile Service were pissed I passed on the deal- since
they were going so low as it was- and now they can sell the
car for what you bought it for- roughly 4K more than I would
have paid OTD).
 
sorry that you had bad experience with South Bay Lexus.

#53 of 69 Re: Price for a new Lexus GS450h [kenbt] by tricky73

Apr 25, 2007 (9:46 pm)

Replying to: kenbt (Apr 25, 2007 7:59 pm)
Ken
 
I do not know what you currently drive, but so far the GS450h seems to be a good replacement for the LS430 which I should never have replaced. The "green" attribute of the 450, although novel, was not a major consideration in my decision. At my age I do not hot-dog a car so blazing performance wasn't important either...this machine has the same satisfying comfort to me as a favorite pair of loafers.
 
I will continue to post as more experience is accumulated with the 450, including service experience. Although these forums are national, once certain posters indicate where they live, it would be helpful to identify those shops who know what they are doing and try and accommodate the customers needs rather than spend time explaining why something can't be fixed.

#54 of 69 Packages and Regional Availability by mkrauss

May 25, 2007 (1:43 pm)

I'm contemplating buying a GS 450h, but want the Power Active Vehicle Stabilizer. I'm distressed to learn that only cars sold on the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountain States have this option.
 
Why is Lexus behaving this way? On the "build your Lexus" site, punch in different Zip codes (East, Central, and West) and you will see what I mean.

#55 of 69 Re: Packages and Regional Availability [mkrauss] by gagrice

May 26, 2007 (4:56 pm)

Replying to: mkrauss (May 25, 2007 1:43 pm)
Simple fly to Denver, Portland or Seattle and get your car. Make a nice vacation of it. Then when you go in for service explain to them how they lost the sale.
 
Welcome to the Forum
 
PS
Do not try to buy in CA. They will sting you with our horrible sales tax.

#56 of 69 Re: Packages and Regional Availability [mkrauss] by tricky73

May 28, 2007 (3:31 pm)

Replying to: mkrauss (May 25, 2007 1:43 pm)
I think this is a wonderful option; my comparison is with 2 recent model LS 430's, an ES 330, and an LS 460L. I do not hot dog an automobile at my age, but feel much more (safely) confident and comfortable in the 450h. The radar cruise is also very worthwhile for geezers...hold out for it!!
 
Still looking for comments on the run flat tires...they seem great but cannot find any information about them except they are expensive and hard to find. Also a bit queezy about not having a spare although I have not had a flat tire in 20 years.

#57 of 69 Re: Packages and Regional Availability [tricky73] by dulnev

May 29, 2007 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: tricky73 (May 28, 2007 3:31 pm)
I replaced run-flats on my GS450h a week after buying the car. I absolutely hated how harsh they made the ride. And I don't even live in a place like New York or Chicago, where the roads are full of potholes.
 
The run-flats on my car where pretty quiet despite offering really harsh ride. Also, my car did have a spare tired; I wouldn't have it any other way. Some of the run-flat packages include the spare, some don't.

#58 of 69 Re: Packages and Regional Availability [dulnev] by tricky73

May 30, 2007 (2:32 pm)

Replying to: dulnev (May 29, 2007 12:32 pm)
Did the ride improve? Mine are the Firestone/Bridgestone brand that I am led to believe solve the problem by building the tire with stiffer sidewalls as opposed to using gummy stuff or having a tire within a tire. If so, this is probably what causes the harsher ride. Some posters claim the air supports the car, but it is really the prestressed carcass that does the job, and this prestress comes from the internal pressure.
 
The reason I do not have a spare is the car has active stability control which demands a second battery to control the suspension; hence no spare because that is where the additional battery is housed.
 
Thanks for the post; always glad to hear from others.

#59 of 69 Re: Packages and Regional Availability [tricky73] by dulnev

May 31, 2007 (8:41 am)

Replying to: tricky73 (May 30, 2007 2:32 pm)
The difference in the ride quality after taking of run-flats (Dunlop 5000) was like night and day. I put Continental ContiExtremeContact tires on the car; these are second highest rated Ultra High Performance All Season tire on TireRack. The jarring harshness is gone completely; although the Conti tires are a bit louder than the Dunlop run-flats.

Messages Page 6 of 7

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