2013 and earlier Volkswagen Passat Prices Paid and Buying Experience

ffxvw

People don't respond to these letters. It seems like a plausible way to get a superior price for minimal effort, I'll admit that. But many dealers just throw them away as soon as they come over the fax. There are a lot of people just walking in, calling, and e-mailing. You'll find that there are very few VW stores (at least in my area) where customers don't end up walking out on the weekends because its so busy that there wasn't anyone they could talk to.
I tell you, I used to quote prices over the Internet when customers e-mailed. It was the party line from all of the services we subscribe to. And you know what? Nobody bought. We only sold about 5% of our Internet sales leads during that period. People would say, "I went to X dealer, and they matched your price." Well, duh! Everyone pays the same for the cars, so everyone can pretty much sell them for the same prices too.
Then I switched it over. Now, I make it my job to get the customer the price that THEY want. I'm at 12% and climbing now, and the main thing is that my customers don't have to work at getting a car. I'm the one getting paid for it, I don't see why they should have to do the work.
Sorry for the long-windedness.

Jason

driver55

I was told that the invoice price for a 2001.5 4-cylinder (1.8T) Passat, Automatic, with no extras is $21,580. This would include the destination charge.
Does this sound right? I know what they say on Edmunds, but given the dealers invoice can include "other things", I just wanted to get a sense for what other dealers are actually stating as their invoice for Passats.

thanks.

im_brentwood

Basically,

What ffxvw said is part of the reason why I won't respond to them. Also, what usually happens is some screwball dealer will lowball the customer to try to take them out of the market.

Say I "hit" someone at $20,500 on a car with a $20,000 invoice and a $22,000 MSRP. Assume that that is a strong price. Some jerk is gonna call the guy and say $19K or something just to take him out of the market. Then I either look A) Greedy or Like a liar/jerk/etc

Not worth the aggravation.

However, there IS a way to get my attention. Immediately. Do it like this (If Snurple listened 1/10th as much as he posted he would have remembered that I've posted this before):

Make a realistic offer. If people seem to be buying the cars for $500 over, offer that. You know it's a doable price. If 1 person claims to have paid invoice and 10 people claim to have paid list, well, then... offer invoice but dont get your hopes up. You can offer a dealer invoice for an Odyssey all day long, but it doesnt mean that you can get it, right?

But fax me this, and if it's realistic, I will respond ASAP and fax it right back to you. The best way to get my attention is to make it clear that you want to buy right now, not in 3 months.

Read the following:
============================FAX=====================================

Attn Sales Dept/Manager/Fleet Manager:

Hello, My Name is Bill Clinton. I would like to buy a Huyndai Accent GLS 4-door with the Touring Package, A/C, CD Player, Wheel Locks, and Cigar Holder. I understand that this vehicle has an MSRP of $12,750, a dealer Invoice of $11,050, and a rebate of $500.

I want one in Scandal Red with a Liar Grey Interior. I want to buy this car TODAY.
I will take an in-stock car for delivery TODAY. I will also sign paperwork and leave a deposit and commit myself to the purchase of an incoming car IF i can be provided a VIN Number and a gurantee of delivery within 2 weeks.

The FIRST DEALER to Respond to this FAX that agrees to my price gets the sale. I would like a purchase order faxed back to me with a VIN and I will then fax back my credit card information. I am pre-approved at 7.95% through my credit union, I am willing to finance through you if you can match or beat that rate.

I WILL BUY THIS CAR TODAY FOR $10,950 INCLUDING ALL FEES PLUS SALES TAX AND REGISTRATION FEES ONLY.

Please complete paperwork as follows:

William Jefferson Clinton
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, DC
123456

Thank you for your consideration,

Bill Clinton.

div2

You forgot to add: "P.S. What is the headroom like? BC"

chippervw

Thank you for the advice again Brentwood. Nice Clinton example! Haha!
Do you agree with an earlier post that I would get a better price if I were "flexible" on color, etc? Can a Central Florida VW dealership get the EXACT car I want? I could be flexible somewhat.
Thanks in advance...

im_brentwood

Div.. hahahahaha

Chipper:

Well, I'm sure you could get a better price if you're flexible on color. Silver cars always seem to be tough with VW Dealers. They are hand-allocated. They are also worth a bit more when you go to re-sell. When I am at the auction, Silver VWs simply bring the highest prices so bear this in mind for long-term ownership costs.

Point is, buy the car you like. I'd still try the old-fashioned thing at Royal. See what you can do first that way.

Any car dealer can pretty much get you anything within reason (No I cant get you a convertible Suburban or anything haha) But you can always try for an order...

Bill

its_kristy

Several dealers have said that other dealers will lowball a customer just to 'take them out of the market'. What does this mean? Doesn't a dealer want to take ALL customers out of the market i.e. sell a car to them? I'm not sure what the significance of lowballing a customer is. If 'lowballing' means that a dealer is quoting a price at which they will make little to no profit, I'm not sure what the harm is, for the consumer anyway.

mney6

Lowballing a customer means giving them aprice that is unrealistic.The dealer will give you a price that he can't possibly sell it for.As you go on your merry way to ten other dealers they will tell you they can't match that price.So you go back to that dealer but all of a sudden they say O we made a mistake. Or that price didn't include the sun-roof or the destination charge.But since your here what was the best price that you got from another dealer and we can see if we can match it.

snurple

I second your confusion, its_kristy.

I am not sure what harm a so-called "lowball offer" would involve, *especially* if you are careful to be absolutely clear in your discussions with dealers as to what you will and will not accept in the way of an offer.

I think that calling an offer from a competing dealer "a lowball offer" may also be the equivalent of trying to "take someone out of the market." I don't doubt that one dealer would readily badmouth another if it meant securing your sale. Calling another dealer's legitimate offer "a lowball offer," is basically saying that they are dishonest, or that they are only playing games.

periyanan

Price paid for 2001.5 GLS (ink blue!)passat Automatic with Monsoon sound system excluding taxes 22300. (21413 + 287 + 600)
Dealer said cd would be additional $495, I decided I will add it later. (probably would cost me only 360 or so)
bought it from the the first dealer I spoke to!(Plenty of dealers in Bay area)
I guess I could have got the same for 200 or so lesser!

driver55

Congrats on the new car.
Was just curious regarding the $22300 price. Was the $287 for the Monsoon? What was the $600 for?

Enjoy your nice ride. From your tone, I'd say you even got the color you wanted.

take care.

jelliot2

Leave it to you to twist up a perfectly clear explanation of lowballing by mney6.

A lowball quote is specifically designed to have the customer wear themselves out running all over town trying to beat it, only to come back to the lowballer and be told the lowball quote can't be done. By then many customers are so tired of shopping that the lowballer has a higher probability of getting the sale, as long as they're reasonable.

I know they won't sell to you, but the car business is a numbers game. Selling to 20% of the people you lowball is better than what was happening when you lowballed them, which is that they were walking off the lot!

When I talk to someone who has obviously been lowballed, I tell them they should have taken the offer then and there.

junior9

I am getting ready to buy the 2001.5 Passat GLS V6 Automatic with Luxury Package and Monsoon. I am working in a small town half way between Phoenix and San Diego. My question is: Is there a direct place where people state what they have paid for this exact vehicle? and Does anyone know of some honest dealerships in the Phoenix or San Diego area? Thank you.

driver55

In San Diego, Bob Baker VW was a class act when I spoke with them. However, they did not seem to be as competitive pricewise. I guess "class" comes with a premium in the car market. That said, "class" is a one-time experience, but my payments last for 60 months, so my bottom line is the price.

I have a friend who just bought her Passat from City Chevy/VW, off of I-5. Wasn't the smoothest transaction ever accomplished, but the final price was worth the effort.

You just have to not be afraid to walk away. Give your offer that you think is good for you but still do-able and if they don't accept, then give them your number and tell them to call if they change their mind. If they are able to make a little bit of $ from it, and you have made it clear that you are ready to buy, you will probably get a call. If not, well, you know approximately what their limit is.

good luck.

mney6

Thanks Jell.You have hit the nail on the head

its_kristy

I would suggest you comb through all of these posts because many people have posted what they paid. The closest thing I have seen to what you are describing is a page here on edmonds that has a national sampling of what people have paid for their cars. However, it isn't very complete. If nothing else, I would just ask on this site. Also try VWVortex and B5.

cte1866

Where can I find invoice pricing on the 2001.5? Every site right now still has 2001. I assume there is a bit of a price difference and I want to be sure when I buy at the end of this month the dealer doesn't stick it to me.

Thanks all!

its_kristy

Kelly Blue book has it and Scott VW has it.

snurple

to underestimate your audience.

My comments on yours and mney6's "explanation" of a lowball quote are twofold:

1) Low ball quotes may exist--fine--but how can we as consumers combat them? My suggestion was to be *very careful* to specify exactly what you are looking for, preferably in writing--this will make it less likely that a dealer will try to lowball you, and much easier to walk away if some [non-permissible content removed] dealer pulls a "lowball" on you.
2) In an ironic twist, people may find themselves in a situation where one dealer may characterize the quote of another--a quote that they do not want to match or beat--as a "lowball quote." In this case, the lowball offer would, in fact be a legitimate one, and the dealer who is questioning the great quote would in fact be the [non-permissible content removed] dealer. My suggestion was to take a *dealer's assessment* of your "lowest quote" with a grain of salt.

I trust that every consumer who reads any post from any dealer at this site will bear in mind that maybe, just maybe the dealer will be giving their answer the slightest bit of spin.

I guess that is why I didn't read mney6's post on lowballing and just smile, nod, and say "thanks!"

jelliot2

on his point #2. If, however, they tell you to go right back there and get that deal, it's probably either a truly excellent deal, a lowball, or a loose cannon saleperson telling you that.

Point #1 part 1 about detailed specifications is irrelevant, the salesman will still claim stupidity in this situation, leaving you with the choice of either surrender (which does happen) or point #1 part 2, walk away, which in my opinion is equally easy no matter what the situation.

jelliot2

There's a saying I've been taught. "The be-back bus doesn't run by here". In other words, to get paid you really have to sell to the people that are in front of you.

mney6

To those consumers that come to this forum , it is true that everything said in here by dealers and consumers should be taken with a grain of salt. I've have seen every low-ball trick used over 12 years,70 hours per week so I would suggest to the consumer I probably have a better knowledge of it.As far as having it in writing as Mr. Snurple has suggested,unles it is on a purchase agreement and signed by management ,all
you have is a piece of paper.There are alot of dirty dealers out there and it is very difficult for people like Mr Snurple to understand that not everyone is that way.You do have to protect yourself and have as much knowledge as you can,just like I do when I buy Electronics,Furniture,Jewelry,and other general goods.

snurple

You seem intent on convincing people that the cheap tactic of lowballing is so prevalant that consumers will find it very difficult to avoid. I suspect that your primary interest in even raising the "evil dangers of the lowball" is to *discourage people from shopping around.* Shopping around can be tiring and tiresome--and the ONLY REASON TO DO IT is if you think it will pay off. But, many dealers who post here would claim that anything more than a quick shopping expedition will be insanely frustrating and yield a savings of a mere $1.93.

Now mney6, as to your difficult position. You are arguing that, "there are alot of dirty dealers out there and it is very difficult for people like Mr Snurple to understand that not everyone is that way." My question is this: If there are a lot of dirty dealers out there, doesn't it follow that there are a lot of dirty dealers in here?

And, as a follow up: If a dealer has 12 years of experience @ 70 hours per week--or roughly 40,000 hours of experience with "lowball offers"--does that mean that he is an expert at practicing the lowball OR that he has never offered a lowball quote and has dedicated his life to wiping lowball offers off the face of the earth? Just wondering...

mney6

I agree with you 100% but you would also have to say that about the consumers. I do not want to discourage shopping around for the best price.But what does the average consumer have to save before he stops shopping. For example, I had a customer show me all the infomation he had on a new Pathfinder . We compared notes and we both agreed on a selling price. He then said that before he signed on the bottom line he needed to shop to make sure that was the best price.I let him go.This was on a Friday.On saturday we sold the pathfinder to another customer. On monday he came in with a check in his hand and I had to tell him we sold it.His having try to save more money even though we agreed my price was fair lost him that vehicle.What more can I do as a dealer to be more upfront with consumers.Everybody has heard the old car line , well if you dont buy it now it may be gone tommorro.

mney6

The first dealership I worked at did do low-ball offers . And yes as a new sales person I was also involved with those low-ball offers.Try sitting infront of a customer and tell them you thought their trade was a 1978 instead of a 1976 . I was called every name in the book , spit at ,and hit. I swore that if I ever got into manangement that I would never do that to a customer or anyone working for me again. It's just not worth it.

snurple

(Not sure about that "100%", but close enough...)

As for your customer who missed out on his Pathfinder--let's all remember him in a moment of silence...........................ah, forget it, I am sure that he is well on the road to recovery--he will find a nice car soon, if he hasn't already.

Since pricing on cars varies, and since shopping around spurs reluctant salesmen into *actually lowering* their "rock-bottom, no-more-room-to-negotiate, kids-are-starving, Price," everyone should shop around...

cliffyb

This is off subject, but I read your bio so I thought you could answer me something. How does Nissan rationalize $31,000 for that anniversary edition Maxima? The lots here in Northern California are packed full of them and they do not seem to be moving. The I30's are being discounted down to below $28K. Given Infiniti's high ranking in Customer Satisfaction/Dealership Experience I would think most customers would go that way. Subjective styling differences aside, is there any compelling reason to buy the Maxima?

fpdoc1

I think all that chrome looks completely silly. Thank you.

audia8q

on the lowball...its called "carding"...
it works so well that some dealers cant seem to avoid it...

Here's how it works.
The consumers and the dealer cant agree on a price. The consumer wants to pay 20K and the dealer wants 21K and the dealer is at or near invoice. when the consumer leaves, the dealer will write on the back of his card the consumer offer...and tells the guy to shop his number and he will see what he can do.. Oddly enough many consumer immediatly think they can buy at that price...proceeding to run all over waving the card with the consumers own number on the back to every dealer around. They all tell him or her they are nuts and cant buy the car at that price...now the consumer might have been able to work out a deal with the other dealers but is so hung up on the number on the card they often dont bother to even check what the other dealers price may be.
so now the consumer has burned their bridges at all the other dealerships...goes back to the original dealer and wants to do the deal. The salesman now says that is your target number not what im willing to sell the car for BUT i can do it for $21K. the next thing you know the deal is signed sealed and delivered...

Rich

its_kristy

fpdoc-I am assuming you are talking about the Passat's new chrome. I don't really care for it either but I am getting the reflex silver and it is not nearly as noticeable. Looks ok on the silverstone, but on the darker colors, I don't like it either.

its_kristy

This doesn't make any sense to me. Why would the dealer write the *consumer* offer on the back of his card then give it to the consumer? There really is no purpose. The consumer knows what his offer is so there is no need for the dealer to write it for him. The dealer's not writing it to remember what they discussed because he is not keeping the card. I have never seen a dealer do this--I have always seen the dealers write the dealer's quote on the card, not the consumer's.

audia8q

I agree with you that it "seems" goofy but i have seen this work so many times you would be shocked.
Many smart people become absurd when buying a car, for whatever reason...sometimes the sleazy dealer hels to creat this but "carding" simply works and it works well.

I don't use the tactic, though i did back in the 80's. some dealer use this all the time..I know beacuse i deal with it daily.

Rich

ffxvw

This is a horrible practice I've seen in this area.
The customer wants a sweet car, (i.e. Silver w/Grey Leather), and no one has any. Volkswagen makes these in very limited numbers (compared to the demand level). He shops around to every dealership trying to find the car, or a dealer willing to locate it for him. All of the dealers aren't willing to discount the car severely because of allocation limitations. Then one dealer "magically" appears with an incredible offer!
Customer jumps on it, plunks down his $500 deposit, and hunkers down to wait. One month passes...two...three...
Customer shows up at dealer. Right as he's driving in the parking lot, he sees a customer driving out in what looks suspiciously like a Silver w/Grey Leather. Inside, he's told that of course that wasn't his car, his car is "backed up" in the production chain, but here's a nice Blue one!
This happens a lot more than you'd think, and many times, by this time the customer is so tired of waiting they'll take anything just to be done with the whole process.
What happened with the car he ordered? That came in, and was sold to someone else for a larger profit. Is it any wonder people (i.e. Snurple) are so afraid of dealers?

Jason

P.S. Is there some unwritten consumer law that when you go into a car dealership, you can suddenly become the rudest A**hole on the planet?
An experience this weekend made me question staying here.

fiftyfive

I have to come out strongly against the dealers on this website on this one. The fax method worked like a charm here in South Florida.

I just followed the advice of the Motley Fools - in particular, I jumped to step 12. Take a look: http://www.fool.com/car/step12car.htm

I faxed the letter out to about 8 dealers saying I was ready to buy a 2001.5 GLX in either of two colors and got responses as follows: two offered to sell at sticker price, two offered to sell at invoice plus 3% (one with a $200 dealer prep fee) and one offered to sell at invoice plus $500 (with a $200 dealer prep fee that he forgot to mention until I called to get details). In a follow-up letter, I asked the 2 & 3 bidders if they wanted to beat number 1. Within an hour, Number 2 (Esserman VW) knocked another $525 off the price and I was done. I sent the letters on a Tuesday at lunch, had all my offers by Wednesday, did the followup on Thursday, then made some phone calls on Friday and Saturday and signed the contract Saturday afternoon with absolutely no games played by the dealer. I was quite amazed.

They gave us a 2000 Passat as a loaner bc the car was ordered but not delivered yet, but I had a VIN on the contract. The only "glitch" was that the car was delivered to the dealer sooner than expected - it was there on the following Monday but I was out of town until Saturday. So, in usual dealership fashion they sold my car to someone else and offered me a different color when I got back in town. I said no, they said ok and located a car for me the next Monday which I picked up that Friday. Since I had a free loaner, the extra 5 day delay was no problem.

The car is great - 2001.5 Passat GLX Tiptronic Silverstone Grey with Gray interior! I can't wait till I break in the engine and can drive it properly - 800 more miles to go.

The exact price we paid was $28,366 with NO (zero!!) dealer prep fee - sticker was $30,375 so my price was $2009 or 6.6% off sticker. Invoice was $27,737 plus $25 port fee and $92 floor plan charge for a total of $27,854, so my price was invoice plus 1.8% or $512.

I also paid $385 for the 6 cd-changer and $129 for window tinting and that was it except for tax and tag.

I'll be happy to post my letters if anyway is interested.

snurple

Great news fiftyfive! Congratulations on a well-executed acquisition.
I'm sure that people would appreciate it if you posted your letter.
Enjoy your new Passat...

cbus_19

Has anyone heard anything about availability of the 2001.5 Passat wagons? From various dealers here in Ohio I'm hearing March, April, or May. Thanks.

its_kristy

I could be wrong, but I am almost positive that I saw one on the road this weekend (in San Antonio).

junior9

Thank you. I visited City VW in San Diego off I-5. They were very nice and everything but I was told that they were not negotiating anymore and that to take the sticker price and subtract 1300 from it. I left my number with them after giving them my fair price. We will see what happens. I would also like to mention that the salesman at Drew VW in La Mesa,CA was rude and acting as if my test drive was a complete waste of time. To all dealers in this room let me remind you to tell youre workers that in today's world not to judge a book by its cover. What you see when I walk on the lot is a twentysomething wearing a tshirt and jeans with long hair and piercings who by your account may look like he doesnt have money to spend. What you can't see when I walk on the lot is my checking account, my bachelor's degree, and the yearly salary from the full time job. Too bad that Drew VW salesman hasnt realized the times.Thank you.

spellbound

To my knowledge the 2001.5 Passat wagons won't be released from port until somewhere between March 15th and April 1st so i would not expect them to be at dealers until late March to early April. It's frustrating waiting for them, I have one on order.

vwguild

You are 100% correct...In other walks of life I
believe the expression is *profiling*...Shame on
anyone that does it...Unfortunately, I suspect to
a certain degree it is human nature. I guess that
is where the ages old admonishment comes from...that "you only have one chance to make a
good first impression". It must have 40 years ago
when I first heard that...

fgrethel

Congratulations! I am very impressed with your success in the negotiation. I hope to accomplish a deal as good as yours. I have a couple of questions: Did you have a dealer DOC fee? If so how much was it? This is another of those silly Dealer "packs" that is mostly profit (minus the cost of the employee who goes to the DMV to process the paper work). Second, did you purchase or lease? I want to lease and I am getting messed around on the lease details. Any insights would be helpful. Thanks

vtfeesh

I used an online service to get a price on a new Passat. The auto-email reply stated that dealer X was offering it for $430 over invoice. I contacted dealer X and they confirmed that $430 over invoice was the correct amount. The dealer then mentioned three fees that I have no knowledge on. 1. Washington DC Association Advertising fee. ($175) 2. Floor plan interest reserved fee. ($92) 3. Port preparation fee. ($25) Are these legit? Or are they just a way for a dealer to "comply" with the online service suggested price ($430 over invoice), and then add on fees to make a better profit? If they aren't legit, how can I call them on it. Thanks for any input. VT.

ffxvw

They are on the invoice from VW, so they are legitimate fees. If you scroll up in the messages here, you will see much debate on these types of fees. It doesn't really matter, because the actual selling price usually remains the same. As an example, $430 over invoice with fees included, or $722 over invoice with fees "waived".
Its like the processing fee, it just makes the package appear to be better.

Jason

vtfeesh

Thanks for pointing me back to the earlier discussion about fees. It got a bit heated back there. Now that I know that I'm not the first one to see these fees, I have a follow up question. The first dealer I talked to said that the VWoA fees came to $292. A second dealer in the same area said that their fees were $267. Do different dealers get different fees from VWoA? Why would the fees be different amounts? It's interesting to note that the difference in the fee cost is $25. I've also heard about a processing fee of $25. And what's funny is that the first dealer said that they typically waive the processing fee. (Well, no kidding, becuase their total fee price is $25 more.) Just an observation....

vwguild

The only *fees* that are included in any VW invoice are: $25/Port Prep, $92/Floorplan Reserve,
and possibly a local Advertising Assoc. Fee which
would be $50-$100 maximum in No. Calif. Should not be
far removed from this variance anywhere in the
country...

papaanton

Have you or anyone else on this board, heard or gotten any insights on the best way to get a good lease on a 2001.5 Passat (even better, has anyone gotten a great lease on a Passat lately)? I'm in South Florida and the dealers here are--how do I put it kindly--creative. Note: this is my first time on this board and I suspect somebody may have posted previous comments on this subject.

syd968

Hello Everyone! Does anyone know how much it costs to get the extended warranty for the 2001.5 Pas sat's (I believe the extended warranty is for 5 years/60,000 miles)?

its_kristy

Warranties are sold by many different companies in various forms in terms of time and covered expenses . I suggest you use browse through this forum or use your search engine to find out what companies offer what. Periods range from 2-8 years and cost anywhere from $300 - $1200.

stickguy

I happened to stumble upon a new left over 2001, GLS V6 5 speed, luxury package/cloth interior (I assume this is a fairly rare combo).I was actually looking at a used one, but this would fit the bill.

Question (especially for the salesguys): Are there still any dealer incentives in place? and given where we are in the year, how much below invoice do you think this car should go for? It is there last 2001 of any kind.

Any help greatly appreciated.

CarMan@Edmunds

Stickguy, I believe that Volkswagen had $1,500 Dealer Cash available on 2001 Passat models last month. I have a feeling that this cash is probably still available on this car.

Car_Man
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