ttribe

^^^^

CCColtsicehockey

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Alex, sounds like a plan, man!
Just bring more of that salami and we'll be okay!

nist7

Yeah I remember older ES's looked ugly AF.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

#clubpenguin

Thank you!

I work at a Lexus dealership, so I only get employee discounts and Lexus incentives towards Lexus products The Avalon is certainly a lot of car for the money, but I still prefer the looks and ride of the ES.



Thank you!

Thank you! We're excited

She's mostly excited about the moonroof and auto-down windows #simplebish

This generation started in 2013, with a mid-model refresh for the 2016 model year. 3.5L V6, 268-horsepower.

Luxury-wise, yes. Performance wise, not even close

Thank you sir! What were your thoughts of the IS?

The incentives were too good to pass up! Plus the Master Certification allowance makes this car nearly free

Send it up here and I'll drive it on the weekends for you

Thank you! The ride is amazing!



I haven't seen any issues with the 2013+ ES models. Plenty of tech, smooth ride, takes regular gas...there isn't much to complain about! Well, other than it's not a GS

Thank you Aman! I'm trying my best! I hope all is well dude

Thanks Jason! Employee pricing helps, but Lexus doubled their rebates for Master Certified employees, which luckily I am. I can PM you exactly what we got

Yup.

Thank you!

Thank you sir! Congrats on the S4



I never thought I would be excited for a new ES, but the 2018 should be

Thank you! Lexus is slowly starting to cater to the younger buyer, resulting in some of the sporty looks. It's a love/hate for some of the traditional Lexus clients, but I really like the new design direction.

Those Crafted Line ES models were such a pain to sell I like the black grill and wheels, but door handles?! Really?? I did like the red/black interior through. The matching luggage too

Yes, you really do! The GS is my favorite Lexus sedan but the incentives weren't as strong on it compared to the ES. Plus this is my wife's car, not mine

aiiiiiiight

Thank you! My wife and I are really excited

Thank you! The ES is often overlooked but it's a lot of car for the money!

This car already has tint...so it's done with modifications

Hopefully the Tacoma will be getting some new shoes at some point

I hope all is well

Yes it is! The GS is still my favorite though.

Yeah, I fucked myself when it comes to cars she'll drive now



I don't there's another reason why someone would buy an ES, is there?

nist7

Niiiiiiiiice. Dude that is a no brainer if you work for Lexus/dealer and can get great discounts!! It sounds like you're a Master ASE/technician then? Are there specific training/certs for Toyota/Lexus?

Not to go too much off-topic, but IF I'm market for a Lexus in you area I'll hit you up!

My GF's family works for Ford and she got employee/family discount on her Focus. I can get some minor friends discount but not nearly as good.

You know I've thought that having someone in the family (or very very close friends who can provide insights/tips) in the following industries are going to make life quite nice for many:
-Automotive dealer/manufacturing/repair (for the great car deals and also insights/deals on repairs)
-Airline employee/crew (high level enough to get free rides of course haha!)
-Lawyer (legal advice/insights)
-Physician (medical advice/insights)
-Computer science/related (for computer building/repair/software)

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

I'm a Wholesale Manager at a Lexus dealership I'm not very mechanically inclined

Lexus has certification courses depending on your role in the dealership. With me starting in the Technology Department, my tests and classes were regarding the model lineup and technological features and use. Once you're with Lexus 2 years and you're Master Certified (taking nearly every online and in-person course), Lexus corporate gives you a monthly allowance towards a lease. Combine that allowance with employee pricing and doubled manufacturer rebates, we're barely paying out of pocket for a $46k car

Like my parents always told me: "it's not what you know, it's who you know". I've been fortunate enough to help my parents and a few friends source vehicles and get good insight into how it all works. I still learn something new everyday though! It's certainly nice to know someone in each of those fields. TylerT and a few other members here have taught me a few things regarding the IT world; it's really cool stuff!

nist7

Ahh I see. Guess I assumed that when I read "Master Certified" my mind automatically gravitated towards technician/repair side of things. But interesting to know Toyota/Lexus has an internal cert/promotions program. I myself have had not so great dealership experiences in the past but maybe I'll come into a friend who's a sales insider, heh. I'm not a huge fan of the information asymmetry between the buyer/seller and the usual tactics you hear about some dealers do to get people to buy (as seen on youtube/reddit). I'll definitely look at pre-owned/certified cars on dealer lots though if I personally know someone there. No offense!

I remember reading a sales ad for a Nissan GT-R and it mentioned that car was formerly the company car of a high level Nissan executive.....! Though of course those are gonna be very tough positions to attain.

That lease allowance is great though...having a company car just sounds nice!

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

We've all had crap dealership experiences, unfortunately. Myself included I try to treat everyone I interact with like a family member. Doing that and makes the rest easy, no matter the guests' decision.

If you ever have questions about a specific Lexus vehicle or need advice on pricing, just let me know! I'm happy to help

nist7

Thanks a ton for the offer! I'll definitely have to keep this in mind. I'm located in KC so too bad you're not withing a weekend's drive away but still many people have bought cars out of state and drove/transport it back home. Especially if it's a good deal, specific car, or a great person/friend.

I'm not in a financial situation to look at newer/pre-owned Lexus vehicles yet but someone has to win them Powerball or Mega Millions.....

Rick_TL-S

They are pretty tempting with such a giant rebate available before Lease Allowance.

I'm actually hoping to see if I can snag a GSF through it in December. A former co-worker Dec. 2015 grabbed a RCF for $650/month through a $4,000 rebate, tax credits, and a high residual. He ended up only paying $300/month for it once his certification kicked in. GS residuals are awful though, so it's going to be a rare chance of happening.
Easier to move than the LS models. We ended up moving our last 2 of each to our loaner fleet. The IS & GS sold really fast, though.
They've got a very strong internal program, esp. if you work for the corporate headquarters. 1 person ordered a RC350 & a GS350, another a $100,000 LS, and recently, I've had around 3 LCs come through the courtesy program. A major up to those folks is that they can special order certain options/combinations directly through the manufacturer. Before Smoky Granite made a return to the public, we had 1 GS come through with it a year prior. Also had a Molten Orange NX F-Sport come through that typically, isn't available to order through our southern region.

Costco

Nice pick up and work perks. Why did I end up working for Toyota? employees don't get squat

nist7

Nice! Another Lexus/dealer employee I see.

Man I'll need to think about this as a 2nd career or at least finding a close friend who works there...lol

So one curiosity I had is since most dealerships are privately owned franchisee/small business type of operations...I assume there may be a difference between working for Lexus proper vs Joe Schmoe's Lexus at Maintown, USA?

And on a slightly off-topic note...apparently there are still 12 LFAs that's unsold per Jalopnik.....

nist7

Dang sorry to hear.

Maybe it's time to think about an upgrade in career/job?!?!

Though I assume if one is a higher level person working at Toyota USA or a higher level managerial position at a large Toyota dealer you may get something.....

00TL-P3.2

Saw that article too, so much want. Easily one of my top 'If I had stupid money' cars.

nist7

Yup. If I win the Powerball or Mega Millions...I know what car I'm gonna try to hunt down.....I think LFA is one of the most underrated/under-appreciated supercars.

Rick_TL-S

Hard to go into detail on the phone, but I can share some info on that topic when I get home. There's a good explanation behind them.

00TL-P3.2

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/lis...t-2017-edition

Rick_TL-S

That's pretty close; most have been retained by the dealers, either for private use or these days, potentially waiting to see how the used market goes (which is up right now). Here's some figures:
- 4 of the 12 are Nurburgring Editions: 3 of these have over 1,000 miles last reported. One has 19,000+.
- 4 of the cars are listed by the same dealer: 2 Nur/2 Base
- 4 LFAs have an owner: 1 is listed through Toyota MTR.
- 4 of the 8 base cars have mileage reported ranging from 100+ to 1,000.
- There is a LFA that last reported 30,000+ miles: this car is the Toyota car which leads me to the assumption this is a corporate car used for whatever reasons.

There are a couple LFAs still awaiting a recall at the HQ as well. I wouldn't be surprised if these cars end up showing some use as well, as the last reports for some dated back to 2015.

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Awesome ride, congrats Tyler! Sounds like a great deal you got on it.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Looking good Mr. Kotter!

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

Congratulations on the new Lexus!!! She's a beauty! That's a nice upgrade from what she was driving. The wife and I saw the exact one yesterday when walking to the park. Really nice in person.

00TL-P3.2

Curious, if they're still 'new'/untitled, how it all works with having mileage on them. Surely Lexus is different & the LFA especially, but I recall from working at Chevrolet in college that some things changed on the cars (demos & such) once they were over a certain mileage (7,500 IIRC).

That said, I still want one.

nist7

Interesting insight.

I guess when they say "unsold" I assume it means unsold to the general public. Obviously as you alluded to, there are "owners" who drive them who are potentially ultra wealthy Lexus dealer owners...and the cars were bought initially from Lexus but just not sold to the public for one reason or another.

If an owner kept a LFA allocation for himself, I assume in my mind that it is "sold" to that owner as he basically bought it direct from Lexus.

00TL-P3.2

^ Possible, but are they still floorplanned to the dealer? Or has the car been titled? Or a gray area in between?

Rick_TL-S

To my knowledge, most of the 12 are not titled and probably done that way so a dealer can still sell them as new cars. A friend of mine suggested the owners of the dealers are probably enthusiasts of the car and take them out on a rare occasion.

I'm not sure what the story is behind the 4 that have a person's name attached unless the dealer forgot to remove the cars from their inventory. I'll add one of them has a 2nd LFA though, listed.

00TL-P3.2

^ I was thinking more along the lines of the ones with over 10k on them & still new/untitled
The Chevrolet dealer I worked for had 2 cars that were still new/untitled with over 10k, a super clean 95 Impala SS & an anniversary C5 convertible.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

I'm more than happy to assist at anytime

GSF

So true about those Crafted Line LS The last new 2015 we had was one and I think we had it through March

Thank you What do you do for Toyota?

Thanks Craig! Yeah...this was WAY too good to pass up. Plus, the wifey deserves it.

Thank you Steven!

Thank you Gus! It's great to hear from you man. I hope all is well


A low-res family photo



Yes, the Tacoma is still stock

cu2wagon

you say that like a Taco needs anything... Well, maybe some weathertech floor mats, but after that, it's done.

doopstr

Congrats. The ES got a hell of a lot nicer since they switched from Camry to the Avalon platform. A guy I work with has one and I was shocked when I went for a ride in it.

MTEAZY

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

It doesn't NEED anything, I just want stuff for it

I have a set of all-weather floor mats and the front windows have been tinted. Completely stock other than that

Thank you! Yeah, the ride is fantastic. It's hard to beat for the price.

I agree.

cu2wagon

are you familiar with BudBuilt?

He's in Hudson, which isn't terribly far away from you, I don't think... He makes some good stuff if you're itching to trick out the Taco. I've got a set of sliders on our 4Runner and would love to pick up a set of bumpers. Really good stuff.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

I've never heard of him, but I'll check it out! As always, I want to keep the modifications simple. Gunmetal 4Runner TRD Pro Wheels, sliders, slightly larger tires, 3" lift, colormatched rear bumper, TRD Sport Grill...and that's about it. OEM+ as usual

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

the only sliders Tyler is interested come with pickles and mustard on them.

CCColtsicehockey

Sliders

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Red eared?

Jakes_tl

I never knew they switched platforms, I was still under the impression it was on a camry platform but avalon platform does make more sense.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Funny when I made this thread, we weren't even expecting our first child. Now we have two. Curse you Lexus! I'm pretty sure we conceived our son in that ES

To keep up with traditional Lexus clients, we aged 40 years, picked up some more gray hair, put on some tall white socks, used our AARP discount, and bought a white RX 350. Luby's early bird special here we come, bitches!



The ES lease was up in a month and this CPO 2017 RX with 33k miles had just come into stock. My wife didn't want to lease again and wanted a SUV to better help with getting kids in and out of car seats. She liked sitting up higher in the Tacoma, but didn't want a truck-like ride. Sold and owned in the Charlotte area, all services done at the dealership, 4 new Michelins, windows already tinted...we really can't complain about this thing. Other than one minor rock chip on the hood that was already touched up, it looks brand new. It was clearly garage kept...probably by a fellow senior citizen No modding plans of course, but we bought all-weather mats and the cargo tray before we left the dealership. This isn't the color or build I would have picked, but it's my wife's primary car and she likes it. Plus, what I wanted would have been way more expensive Now I can spend more on a Tundra in a few years

Curious3GTL

Congratulations on the new car!

I see you're in NC. If you paid your property tax on the old car ask them to transfer the tags. The property tax is good for a year at the rate of the older car, and you won't have to pay plate fees for it. It's a nice way NC lets us save a little money.