Dealership value added packages necessary?

[Big Double U]

So my gf was looking at purchasing a KIA Sorrento, and the car guy she was dealing with threw in a $1495 charge on the invoice for a "value added package". It includes block heater, wheel locks, nitrogen, security etching and tire/road hazard protection. I wasn't with her at the time to ask but is any of this necessary? He did knock a whopping $500 off while negotiating but still seems ridiculous.

[E36M3]

It is ridiculous.

[Masked Bandit]

Get...Bent.

Block heater is a must have, the rest of that stuff is BS. They may try to tell you "nitrogen is already in the tires, we've already done the security etching, blah blah blah". Tell them to either take it off or walk away and go elsewhere. Locking lug nuts? Ya, cuz peeps our out there jacking rims off a Kia and it's the locking nut that's going to stop it. In the 15 years I've been doing insurance I've only had one client's factory rims stolen and they were off a GMC Denali. Add to that only a handful of aftermarket rims have gone missing. This isn't Detroit, it just doesn't happen all that often.

[ExtraSlow]

The cost of the block heater should have already been on the window sicker of the car, I seriously doubt Kia is manufacturing cars for sale here without that feature. The other stuff, pure cash grab, and totally optional, you just need to fight about it. Sad thing is, most people don't argue, and the dealership gets an extra thousand bucks profit.

[NoMoreG35]

Profit margins on vehicles themselves are so thin, this is the way for dealerships to make money

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Big Double U
but is any of this necessary?

None of it. Even a block heater, while typically good, is only useful if you actually park near a plug. My wife's car for instance is parked in our heated garage at home, and at work has no where to plug in, so she's never used it once.

[know1edge]

.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by NoMoreG35
Profit margins on vehicles themselves are so thin, this is the way for dealerships to make money

Yes, this is true. I've seen Vehicle Sales sheet that show $99 Nitrogen Filled Tires. But yet, the dealership does not have a Nitrogen Tire Inflator. Unless the $99 charge means they filled the tires up at the factory prior to delivery. But even then, I see brochures all over the dealership promoting nitrogen filled tires


***and NEVER EVER, get the Protection Packages offered by Finance Dept. Its sold to you at what...$1495-1899. Bring your vehicle to a detail shop and get it done yourself for 2 times cheaper. Same goes for 3M and tint.

[A790]

Originally posted by NoMoreG35
Profit margins on vehicles themselves are so thin, this is the way for dealerships to make money

Then fuck the dealer. They can get bent- if they rely on misleading their customers for make money, fuck 'em all.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by NoMoreG35
Profit margins on vehicles themselves are so thin, this is the way for dealerships to make money

its bullshit...

again, they can even show you "invoice" price, but its not about the invoice, its acting as the broker moving vehicles for the manufacturer so they can recieve better incentives... which can be $$$$ (substantial truely) and better allocation

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of the profits comes from these incentives, and the margins on these vehicles cover the sG&A expenses... (i.e. brick/mortar, admin, commission, logistics, etc.)

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by A790

Then fuck the dealer. They can get bent- if they rely on misleading their customers for make money, fuck 'em all.

"Misleading".

That's true for just about everything.

Heck, 90% of the computer industry is either a scam or misleading.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Rent the movie Fargo tonight (for the car sales negotiation) and on Monday find a new dealer. They will be giving the car away IF your GF waits until the last week in December as no one is buying. Is your GF interested in saving a couple grand?

[Xtrema]

Don't need any of it other than possible block heater if you think the car will spend considerable time outside of a garage.

I had gone without block heater for almost 15 years. Don't miss it. And if you really want it, Kia listed that as a $60 option and DIY.

And I'm assuming they are clearing the old 2015 Sorrento which is the last model year of this gen. A brand new one with new platform is dropping within months.

[Big Double U]

Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
Rent the movie Fargo tonight (for the car sales negotiation) and on Monday find a new dealer. They will be giving the car away IF your GF waits until the last week in December as no one is buying. Is your GF interested in saving a couple grand?

Ofcourse, who isn't! So you suggest waiting a couple weeks?

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by Big Double U

Ofcourse, who isn't! So you suggest waiting a couple weeks?

The wealthiest guy I know is also the most frugal, if he buys new, he buys on December 27th to early January. People are all spent out post Christmas.

[Env-Consultant]

Originally posted by NoMoreG35
Profit margins on vehicles themselves are so thin, this is the way for dealerships to make money

I believe this is a common misconception that all of the sheeple have come to believe. You have heard the rhetoric from dealers for so long (people do their research, there are sooo many dealerships, truecar, unhaggle - great lead generators for dealers btw, etc.), that you actually believe this. If margins are so thin, how was it possible to knock $9000 off the MSRP on my 2015 Silverado? I'll tell you how - because the margins are there to allow for it. Anyone who goes into a dealership and thinks getting $500 off MSRP is a good deal is an idiot....Even the dealerships that claim they don't move on price - like Toyota - are easy to knock $5-7K off of new trucks.

I've honestly thought that there could be a business in being a middle-man/barterer for people who are clueless about car sales. Yes, middle-men take a cut, but wouldn't you rather pay a middle-man $1000 instead of paying a dealer and extra $3000-10000?

I really wish you could just order vehicles factory direct. I finally found a truck dealer that I don't have to play BS games with and thank piss for that, I absolutely hate vehicle shopping due to the sliminess it entails.

[Seth1968]

^

Especially on the middle man idea.

[never]

Originally posted by Seth1968
^

Especially on the middle man idea.

You could call it iHaggle.

[JLau]

get it if you can get a deal on them, not at full price

[Inzane]

In some cases, depending on car model, you could even skip on the block heater too.

The reason I say that is fewer and fewer vehicles today are even using a traditional "block heater" anymore. Instead its often just an oil pan heater, which you could easily buy from the parts counter (no more than ~$150) and install it yourself. They literally stick on the bottom of your pan with adhesive and then it's just a matter of finding a safe routing for your cord.