Tom Bilodeau | Page 4

I was pleasantly surprised with the people at Ira Lexus. I first showed up on a Friday evening, hoping that they would be open late, but that was not the case. They were close to closing time (6pm) and wer I first showed up on a Friday evening, hoping that they would be open late, but that was not the case. They were close to closing time (6pm) and were very busy with there impending move to their brand new facility and yet they were friendly and took time to answer my questions. I was assigned to a pre-owned specialist Rob who took the time to get to know what I was looking for and took notes. We agreed to meet over the weekend at their new facility in a nearby part of Bedford, NH (where CR Sparks used to be). I forgot to call ahead, as Rob had requested, so when I arrived he was out driving with another customer--these things are difficult to predict. The manager hooked me up with a younger salesperson, Tim, who was also very easy to talk with and deferential. With Tim's encouragement, I ended up spending a lot of time there and test drove 3 used cars and got a first round offer on my trade in. Now, I was originally intending to spend less and get an older, higher mileage car, but I was really impressed with what I could get for another $5-6k. I could get an '09 IS-250 with premium package, lower mileage, certified with 3 year warranty, and in fabulous condition--new tires, brakes and more. I also preferred the idea of a car that was a couple years beyond the upgrade year ('06), with the kinks worked out; reliability was of top concern to me since I tend to keep cars for over ten years. Originally I thought that paying extra for a certified pre-owned vehicle was a waste, but seeing the prices and some of the work that is put into the vehicle up front was illuminating and the 3 year warranty (up to a combined mileage of 100k) was very reassuring. I anticipated Ira Lexus' sales staff to be perhaps a bit snobby and their prices high, but I was impressed on both fronts. The pre-owned department is in the main building with the new car staff, which is nice, and the prices were at a sweet spot: much lower than new but not that much more than older non-certified cars. The staff were well-mannered yet also friendly and good listeners. The pre-owned selection was a bit lean (I ended up getting my IS at another Lexus dealer where they had the color my wife and I wanted) but Tim says that with the move, they are building their inventory. He also explained that the internet has changed pricing strategy in the industry: to attract customers, you have to show a competitive price up-front, so I found that there is a lot less mystery and dickering in the car-buying experience. This reduces the anxiety about getting a fair deal. Oh, and I love my "new" Lexus IS-250 with the nav package. Its a fabulous sporty car and easy on the eye. More

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