The Lexus LFA - Now for sale in the US
It seems that Lexus has had a change of heart over their insistence that – just in the US – customers would not be allowed to buy the LFA but would instead have to lease it.
The argument by Lexus when they announced the Lexus LFA could only be leased in the USA was that they didn’t want cars getting in to the hands of speculators who would then sell the LFA on at a profit. Which is an odd stance from a distinctly capitalist company, and hugely inconsistent applying the Lease LFA programme just to the States.
Even more interestingly, this Lexus LFA lease was a ‘One Payment’ lease. No monthlies were on offer, just one great big payment of $300,000 up front and the balance of $75,00 plus interest and tax after 2 years. Which doesn’t seem much of a ‘Deal’.
But now Lexus has had a change of heart. We wonder if they were struggling to close the expressions of interest in the US in the light of the lease -only deal and have had to come up with a sale package after all to shift the metal. But even now the deal isn’t straightforward.
Buyers will have to agree to give Lexus first option of they choose to sell, at either the original buy price or the new sale price – whichever is lower. So if the car attracts a premium (which it probably won’t) Lexus wins, not the guy who paid for the car.
Lexus has made a right pig’s ear of this. And this solution is just as tacky. We’re sure any half-decent US lawyer would be able to run a cart and horses through any such agreement. I guess they could start with restraint of trade, move on to unfair contract clause and end with the racist overtones of the agreement; because it would appear this buy back clause only applies in the US.
What a mess. There’s plenty of choice on the market at this sort of money. If I was in the US and potentially in the market for an LFA, I think I’d pass.
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