Frothboy,
So you blasted the poor sales guy's ears with a little Rage? Nicely done.
Almost without exception, car stereos and speakers are the bottom of the barrel. Horribly cheap components for the tweeters, speaker surrounds, dustcovers, amps and wiring. I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the Lexus since Mark Levinson is one the great American audio brands (even though Mr. Levinson isn't involved with the company anymore).
But Bose takes it to the next level of mediocrity.
Compare the quality of Bose components to the selection at your local Radio Shack. Rat Shack's speakers use the same quality materials yet cost significantly less.
If you want quality audio in your car, I recommend you look at aftermarket speakers. That's where, for a nominal investment, you can drastically improve sound quality.
Sorry if I come off as some sort of snob. My second favorite obsession (next to my soon-to-arrive E90) is audio and I love talking stereos. Check out the forums on
www.audiogon.com. There are some serious audiophiles on that site and will give better advice than I can.