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max_boost
09-02-2003, 01:17 PM
I have a question for the high rollers on the site. Those who have purchased their cars new from the dealerships Benz, Cadillac, BMW etc. How much negotiating, if any, was there on the vehicles? Someone told me that there is little bargaining on higher end cars because they are rare and in high demand. If you don't buy it, someone else will. Some may argue, if you have the $$$ to spend, an extra buck or two shouldn't make a difference. Well, that's not the point. I know for a fact that most dealers have hidden incentives/promotions from manufacturers and most of the time they will not pass it onto the consumer. I don't want to sound cheap but discounts is a form of appreciation imo, it's telling me that the dealer respects my business. I don't want to low ball, I just don't want to pay retail!! haha

For the topic, let's take the Escalade EXT and C32 AMG.

rage2
09-02-2003, 01:39 PM
Mercedes Benz used to follow Value Pricing, basically fixed prices for all their new vehicles. So don't expect to get much off, if anything. Dealer installed accessories, you can get a discount.

How come everyone seems to want a C32 all of a sudden?

Altezza
09-02-2003, 02:17 PM
Don't expect much (if anything) off at Lexus...I got a hookup so I was more fortunate. Cadillac will more than likely drop on their price for you.

Weapon_R
09-02-2003, 02:18 PM
When my uncle went to the BMW dealership, he could only bargain a hundred dollars off. The dealer basically said he didn't care if we bought the car or not, since there are a lot of other people who will. Don't expect to get any substantial amount off a high end luxury car.

benyl
09-02-2003, 02:41 PM
This is what Land Rover said to me:

We know we will sell our alotment of cars this year. If you don't like the price, don't buy it.

There are HUGE margins on Luxury cars. Especially SUV/trucks. This is where all of the automakers and dealers are making their money.

You can probably negotiate on the Escalade because it is domestic and because there seem to be a lot on the lots these days. Good luck with the C32. I bet Canada doesn't even get 200 of these a year...

It is too bad we aren't in the states... cause this website is a great resource for incentives and dealer kickbacks.

http://www.imakenews.com/autospies

rage2
09-02-2003, 02:44 PM
There are quite a few C32's around in Canada... way more than 200 a year. SLK32's, those we only get about 200-300 a year.

Eric Happy Meal
09-02-2003, 03:04 PM
Originally posted by Weapon_R
When my uncle went to the BMW dealership, he could only bargain a hundred dollars off. The dealer basically said he didn't care if we bought the car or not, since there are a lot of other people who will. Don't expect to get any substantial amount off a high end luxury car.

if i were to buy a BMW id get percentages off :D

BigMass
09-02-2003, 03:10 PM
If you want to buy a BMW import one from Germany. Save you a lot of coin. That's what a friend of mine that lives in the US did and saved thousands. He actually flew over to Germany, purchaced the car, did the paper work, drove it around a bit, put it on a boat and flew back home. After all that he still saved thousands and got a free short vacation to Germany on the side :)

Speed_Dreams
09-02-2003, 03:24 PM
If you want a caddy PM me and I'll give you the hook up

benyl
09-02-2003, 03:55 PM
Originally posted by rage2
There are quite a few C32's around in Canada... way more than 200 a year. SLK32's, those we only get about 200-300 a year.

My bad... They must all go to Ontario and BC, cause I haven't seen very many around here at all.

max_boost
09-02-2003, 04:37 PM
C32 because it's pretty much everything I need in a car. Not to mention bang for your buck!!! The amazing combination of brand, performance, and styling!

If not, I was thinking about the 330 Sedan supercharged hehe
When I think back 6 months ago, I should of sold the 323 for the 330 and just swap the bodykit over. Oh well! haha

Or the Escalade, then my dad and I can share it whenever we need to go get stuff for the restaurant.

I'm just enquiring for now, I don't like going to dealerships and wasting people's time.

Superesc
09-02-2003, 04:42 PM
Originally posted by BigMass
If you want to buy a BMW import one from Germany. Save you a lot of coin. That's what a friend of mine that lives in the US did and saved thousands. He actually flew over to Germany, purchaced the car, did the paper work, drove it around a bit, put it on a boat and flew back home. After all that he still saved thousands and got a free short vacation to Germany on the side :)

Mercede also have such program EDP, European Delivery Program. Seem like a fun time.

ryder_23
09-02-2003, 04:53 PM
Originally posted by BigMass
If you want to buy a BMW import one from Germany. Save you a lot of coin. That's what a friend of mine that lives in the US did and saved thousands. He actually flew over to Germany, purchaced the car, did the paper work, drove it around a bit, put it on a boat and flew back home. After all that he still saved thousands and got a free short vacation to Germany on the side :)

Exact same thing my neighbor did. And when u bring it back over, u still get to use the german plates front and back for upto 90days...give a little euro look for a while, lol.

rage2
09-02-2003, 05:17 PM
Originally posted by Superesc
Mercede also have such program EDP, European Delivery Program. Seem like a fun time.
If I remember correctly, AMG cars are not available for euro delivery.

girlRACER
09-02-2003, 05:19 PM
For a car of that amout of money there is no negotiation. You'd be extremely lucky if you got a free CD changer. Expect to pay retail.

kenny
09-02-2003, 05:31 PM
Originally posted by rage2
There are quite a few C32's around in Canada... way more than 200 a year. SLK32's, those we only get about 200-300 a year.

Some guy in a silver debadged C32 today offered to buy my car hehe. I dont think I'll be getting rid of the car for awhile now, or maybe I'll trade him + cash haha.

Eric Happy Meal
09-02-2003, 05:35 PM
if you buy a euro car and want to register it legally in the US your gonna have to change the glass to US-Spec among other things.

max_boost
09-02-2003, 05:39 PM
Hey Kenny, group buy next year ok? haha

Is the freight and PDI included in the price of the Benz?

With regards to what rage2 said, I presume that if you order a C32, you won't have to wait too long (other than production) to get it?

redline
09-02-2003, 06:05 PM
I think that Calgary is worse then other cities for not giving deals.

I know of more then a few people that have bought, BMW, lexus, 350z from Edmonton and Red Deer and got deals that they could not get in Calgary.

I just got off the phone with a dealer outside of Calgary on a Pathfinder and they are willing to give me a way better deal then any dealer in Calgary.

IMO, there are too many high rollers in this city that do not think twice about giving them MSRP for cars/trucks. So dealers here do not have to work to sell, so they do not.

max_boost
09-02-2003, 06:29 PM
Looks like I have to make another trip out west to Vancouver next spring/summer :D

BigMass
09-02-2003, 06:36 PM
yep, this is 2003. Calgary, Germany, Red-dear, it's all the same to me. If dealers in Calgary think they can get away with shitty prices they have another thing comming. In the age of the internet i dont see local businesses surviving much longer unless they can compete with businesses all around the world. It's allready come to the point where i buy 99% of my car parts or electornics over the internet.

Khyron
09-02-2003, 06:56 PM
Try faxing the specs to the fleet manager at 2 or 3 dealers - see what they come back with (for cars that are not in huge demand). Make them do the least amount of work, so they feel more inclined to give a better deal. (and be flexible on color etc).

Khyron

/////AMG
09-02-2003, 07:31 PM
Originally posted by benyl
....It is too bad we aren't in the states... cause this website is a great resource for incentives and dealer kickbacks.

http://www.imakenews.com/autospies


:werd: You can find alot of good stuff from this site, they even had that one Porsche dealership with very very low prices, "to low to print"...It is a shame we don't have a website like this for Canada.

mischief
09-02-2003, 10:21 PM
You can weasle out good deals on some benz's. At least we did on ours. You just have to buy at the right time and want the right car.

You'll have to pay retail (maybe a couple of percent off max) for all AMG cars. There is not enough supply and too much demand. You may be able to get a decent deal if you want a 2003 CLK 55 AMG. Lone Star has had one sitting in their showroom for over a month now. I'll bet they are itching to get rid of it. hint hint. ;)

Redlyne_mr2
09-02-2003, 10:24 PM
Land a job with the manufacturer of your choice...best way to get a substantial discount

Importz
09-03-2003, 12:35 AM
LOL HIGH ROLLER like you dont need to bargain!!!!:D

roopi
09-03-2003, 02:26 AM
i can't see Cadillac doing alot of bargaining either unless you pay cash. They were offering 0% financing and are not offering 1.9% so I think they feel that is good enough!

E36M3
09-03-2003, 02:38 AM
Mercedes dealers will negotiate, but you have to know the cheating bastard tactics. I got my G500 + Saab for invoice, and had the opportunity to get a 2003 SLK32 that I had custom ordered (well that they custom ordered by accident) for invoice + $500.

First off, don't deal with a salesperson, ever. Deal directly with the sales manager, that way they don' t have to pay a sales commission.

As for the Cadillac, you should be able to get it at invoice or below due to incentives right now.

I'd be happy to help you out in the negotiations if you want to PM me.. most people don't believe the deals I have helped my friends get / have personally gotten.


Originally posted by max_boost
I have a question for the high rollers on the site. Those who have purchased their cars new from the dealerships Benz, Cadillac, BMW etc. How much negotiating, if any, was there on the vehicles? Someone told me that there is little bargaining on higher end cars because they are rare and in high demand. If you don't buy it, someone else will. Some may argue, if you have the $$$ to spend, an extra buck or two shouldn't make a difference. Well, that's not the point. I know for a fact that most dealers have hidden incentives/promotions from manufacturers and most of the time they will not pass it onto the consumer. I don't want to sound cheap but discounts is a form of appreciation imo, it's telling me that the dealer respects my business. I don't want to low ball, I just don't want to pay retail!! haha

For the topic, let's take the Escalade EXT and C32 AMG.

E36M3
09-03-2003, 02:49 AM
A funny story about the G500.. when I was shopping for cars, I originally decided to test an ML500 against the Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne, and they had a G500 in the showroom (and one on the lot) so I test drove it.

After the test drive, I decided to buy it, and asked the salesperson what she would accept for it. She told me that she would not entertain any offers under MSRP, but would sell it for MSRP if I put a deposit it on it immediately.

I left, called a competing dealership in the area, and beat down the fleet manager over the phone by 5k more than what they said was the lowest price they would do.

I picked it up the next day, then drove back to the first dealership and talked to another salesperson about the SLK32 I had a deposit on, and he almost had a heart attack that they lost the sale. He told me that he would have matched the price no problem.

What does that tell you? Basically that high end car dealers bluff people in order to maximize their commissions, and that if you are willing to be creative, you can save a ton.

When the SLK32 came in, it wasn't an R171 as promised, and the same sales person offered to knock 5k off of the price (which brought it to invoice) if I decided to take it. I passed, and they sold it the same day at MSRP (which also proves that they can whatever they want).

God it was a beautiful car. I'm still #1 on the R171 AMG though :)

E36M3
09-03-2003, 02:50 AM
Dealerships do not offer the financing, the manufacturer does, and when they offer 0%, it is an incentive to sell vehicles. It does not cost the dealer anything, so there is no reason to believe that you shouldn't negotiate the price even though financing is available.


Originally posted by roopi
i can't see Cadillac doing alot of bargaining either unless you pay cash. They were offering 0% financing and are not offering 1.9% so I think they feel that is good enough!

max_boost
09-03-2003, 09:58 AM
Wow, that's awesome stuff dude!!! I will definitely keep you in mind when the time comes :)

girlRACER
09-03-2003, 01:55 PM
Seems like everyone has different luck bargaining :dunno:

Here's my horror story:
While I was in the process of buying my car (the deal hadn't been finalizing yet)....

My friend bought a C240 fully loaded with $4-5k in options free from the same dealership and the same salesguy.

When the person told me about his deal I called the salesguy to see if I could get the same perks since it was really unfair :(

I even threatened to go to Hyatt and the saleguy said he would see what he can do.

Immediately after the salesguy called the friend with the C240 on his cell and told him that he made it hard for him to do business and shouldn't go around telling everyone the deals he gave him :rolleyes: It was ironic because I was sitting right next to him at the time.

Both dealerships refused to give me any kind of a markdown whatsoever. I even went to talk to the sales manager and he said that he might be able to arrange a free CD changer.

I ended up buying the car with no discount, no CD changer.

That's the bad thing about Calgary. Such a small chinese community everyone eventually finds out about everything!

Anyways, better luck on your puchase Max_Boost!

max_boost
09-03-2003, 02:57 PM
girlRACER, you should of just walked away :D

I really love E36M3's idea, buy it from somewhere else and go back the next day to stick it in their face! haha That must be an awesome feeling :D

rage2
09-03-2003, 03:42 PM
I know the owner, and I paid MSRP on my SLK 320 and my SLK 32. Kenny also paid MSRP. Value pricing (price fixing) sucks :).

Stratus_Power
09-03-2003, 06:15 PM
well we picked up the RX330 last monday, and the guy wouldnt take any discount off the price, even when we decided to take the one thats been displayed and touched by everyone ( that or wait 'til late Oct delievery )

so yeh..no discount at Lexus, we did get the 3M bra that wasnt on theoption list.. maybe that was the bonus.. who knows... and a nice pot of flower the next day

girlRACER
09-03-2003, 06:34 PM
Originally posted by Stratus_Power
we did get the 3M bra that wasnt on theoption list.. maybe that was the bonus.. who knows... and a nice pot of flower the next day

I got a pair of metal chopsticks :D

max_boost
09-03-2003, 06:46 PM
Originally posted by Stratus_Power
well we picked up the RX330 last monday, and the guy wouldnt take any discount off the price, even when we decided to take the one thats been displayed and touched by everyone ( that or wait 'til late Oct delievery )

so yeh..no discount at Lexus, we did get the 3M bra that wasnt on theoption list.. maybe that was the bonus.. who knows... and a nice pot of flower the next day Do you get to drive it? :D:drool:

Stratus_Power
09-03-2003, 08:10 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
Do you get to drive it? :D:drool:

i got some good 1400 km on it before i came back to deadmonton yesterday hehe haha

man HID = :eek:

04blackMAX
09-03-2003, 08:36 PM
Originally posted by roopi
i can't see Cadillac doing alot of bargaining either unless you pay cash. They were offering 0% financing and are not offering 1.9% so I think they feel that is good enough!


no man its never been 0% financing, thats only on GM, cadi is still in the 6's%

MerfBall
09-03-2003, 11:01 PM
Originally posted by rage2
I know the owner, and I paid MSRP on my SLK 320 and my SLK 32. Kenny also paid MSRP. Value pricing (price fixing) sucks :).

Your bring up something very interesting Rage. Toyota recently changed their "value pricing" policy as well due to a little Federal intervention.

Probably not quite the same thing since Mercedez doesn't have any such program, but if I were the dealer I'd be very careful what they say about "value pricing" if indeed it is not.

Here's the whole story:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/incb-bc.nsf/vwGeneratedInterE/ct02539e.html

Oh and here's the original story from Tony Tighe:
http://www.canada.com/calgary/specials/consumer/story.html?id=561D85C6-525C-4FFD-815D-F380200FD44A

rage2
09-03-2003, 11:04 PM
Toyota's a bit different, they change their price as they please. MB sells at MSRP. They basically lowered MSRP across the board and no discounting.

E36M3
09-04-2003, 12:18 AM
hah. you're silly. A guy I work with has bought lots of Mercedes in Calgary and gets really smoking dealers, but he is a personal friend of the owner of the dealership and has been for quite a while. He used to do a crapload of the secondary level financing for him (or his company did) so they have a good relationship. If I were you, I would have made the drive to save the money, but I am a cheap bastard.


Originally posted by rage2
I know the owner, and I paid MSRP on my SLK 320 and my SLK 32. Kenny also paid MSRP. Value pricing (price fixing) sucks :).

roopi
09-04-2003, 12:42 AM
Originally posted by 04blackMAX



no man its never been 0% financing, thats only on GM, cadi is still in the 6's%

Cadillac is 1.9% right now. Go check it out!

mischief
09-05-2003, 09:29 PM
Originally posted by rage2
I know the owner, and I paid MSRP on my SLK 320 and my SLK 32. Kenny also paid MSRP. Value pricing (price fixing) sucks :).

Its also against the law. Check this out:

http://www.canada.com/calgary/specials/consumer/story.html?id=561D85C6-525C-4FFD-815D-F380200FD44A

E36M3
09-06-2003, 10:41 AM
No, it means that the manufacturer offers 0% financing or a rebate, but not both. It is a common practice because not everyone finances a car.


Originally posted by m10-power
Lol maybe they should have a look at the 0% financing :bullshit: that goes on, with a 'special' cash price instead...hmmm does that mean the 0% financing is extra??? :dunno:

E36M3
09-06-2003, 10:43 AM
The difference with Mercedes is that they don't force dealers to sell at that price. The dealer is telling you about a policy, rather than a requirement. They are free to sell cars for whatever they want to, and do.

Toyota was price fixing and breaking franchise laws because they were compelling their dealers to sell at MSRP.

Without the ability to adjust pricing, it eliminates competition.


Originally posted by mischief


Its also against the law. Check this out:

http://www.canada.com/calgary/specials/consumer/story.html?id=561D85C6-525C-4FFD-815D-F380200FD44A

mo_virgin
09-06-2003, 03:33 PM
Anybody know about Audi dealerships?

roopi
09-06-2003, 06:27 PM
Originally posted by E36M3
Dealerships do not offer the financing, the manufacturer does, and when they offer 0%, it is an incentive to sell vehicles. It does not cost the dealer anything, so there is no reason to believe that you shouldn't negotiate the price even though financing is available.



it actually does cost the dealer as well because they lose certain incentives from the manufacturer.

it may not cost them something actually but if there were to sell it without financing it they do gain benefits.

E36M3
09-06-2003, 08:35 PM
That is not what I said. What I said is that if you do take financing, it does not hurt the dealer, in fact it helps the dealer. They get paid either directly or by having lower costs in the next year based on how many vehicles they finance.


Originally posted by roopi


it actually does cost the dealer as well because they lose certain incentives from the manufacturer.

it may not cost them something actually but if there were to sell it without financing it they do gain benefits.

roopi
09-06-2003, 08:48 PM
OK fair enough. I thought you meant something a little different.

I was out shopping for a new vehicle today and it sucks I can't decide on anything.

It was pretty clear though that there would be a different price if I financed compared to cash purchase.

benyl
09-10-2003, 01:52 PM
Originally posted by mischief


Its also against the law. Check this out:

http://www.canada.com/calgary/specials/consumer/story.html?id=561D85C6-525C-4FFD-815D-F380200FD44A

I remember years ago, when Saturn first came out, wasn't that their policy as well. One price no matter which dealer you go to? Wasn't that price fixing?