That sounds rather excessive. Most areas have a co-op ad fee, that will not be disclosed on edmunds that varies. Ours is $250. What market are you in?
$199 dealer handeling fee? Is it a port prep fee or what?
$10 fuel charge? Pay it don't fret over it. I would shop another dealer to see if those fees are the same.
As for the advice from tech art......
Yes do your research on rebates, and invoice ect and FROM that point find out what you want to pay. TAXES can not be negotiated. Unless you are foriegn diplomat or a church you have to pay tax. You will have a better experience if you do not negotiate holdback and demand a price under cost. You will be spending many hours at dealerships if you go in trying to buy a car a price in which the dealer loses money. Do not go with the attitude "that they will make it up on the next person" be reasonable, the dealer if reputable will be reasonable, and you will enjoy your new car, and not the free coffee at the dealership.
$828 Advertising fee ("this is charged on ALL cars") $10 Fuel charge
not to mention the $199 dealer handling fee.
Those are all junk, right? Should I just name a price?
The advertising fee is interesting.... For some manufacturers in some regions, advertising fees are legit and can be hundreds of dollars per car charged to the dealer by the manufacturer. In that case, yeah, all the cars have this charge. In some cases, however, it is just used to create more cashflow... You'll need to figure out which it is in this case.
The $10 fuel charge... Well, with the cost of gas, I kinda don't blame them. $10, though? Hardly seems arguing over...
it appears you are looking at the one Tuscumbia has...I know the GM there very well. They have a good store (very small but good). If I can help you both out in any way let me know. I am not doing anything until you ask.
My advice, to everyone, even my Dad who has the no patience whatsoever.....If you are reasonable, the dealer if its a good dealer will be reasonable with you. Look over all your paperwork, do your research and have fun!!! But if you are thinking everyone is out to screw you and you are setting unrealistic expectations and you do not realize this until you have been to 5 dealers, its not going to be fun and it is going to be a chore and you will have a bad experience.
I.E Fossil watches, very good reasonably priced product, great warranty. Average watch is around $60.00 retail. Did you know that it only costs on average $7.50 to make. But we still pay $60.00 and are happy, even though they make a gazillion percent profit....
any of your guys consider this bus. model? http://www.fitzmall.com/ the real price up-front on the web. do you/can you do this at your place? if not, why? and if you can't do this, do you hate fitzmall because customer always come in with fitzmall price print-outs?
The dealer does the advertising. You didn't pick what advertising to do. That charge is theirs. That's why they make a profit on a car--to be able to pay their costs of operation.
I'm looking to special order a Chevy HHR because the configuration I want is too far from any that seem available. I have a few questions on the process:
1. I was told that I will be eligible for any rebates, incentives, and special financing out at time of delivery, how do I make it clear to the dealer that the price we agree on will be dropped equal to any rebates or incentives that are out at the time?
2. I have asked for quotes on my special order and they have been slow in coming and the one I've gotten is higher than what I expected. I want to begin making offers but am curious how dealers see special orders as far as profit margins go?
3. With a special order, how does the paperwork, financing, and down payments work? I plan on getting an idea of what the dealer will offer for my trade and then take the time it takes for delivery to try to sell it for a better price, but I'm curious what is due to lock in my order and agreed price.
4. How does the order to delivery notification work? After I place the order are any status updates issued for timelining? Is their anything a buyer can do if a special order begins getting majorly late?
> is the week between Xmas and new year is the best time to get a low price?
If you want to buy now, walk into a dealership on Saturday, December 24th about two hours before closing. Of course, you're only looking… but you are ready to buy.
It's Christmas Eve and you're tying up a salesman, manager, and F&I person at the least. The negotiations should move along rapidly.
You'll want to scout the dealership at an earlier date to find a car you are interested in, something difficult to do in the dark. :shades:
savvyknight, I was trying to work a deal with a salesperson at a Dodge and Mazda dealer. When they didn't have the Mazda3 I wanted in stock, he jokingly offered me a Neon. Then he told me they can't give them away, even at around $5k off sticker. They had around 30 of them. Just curious, you guys still have a bunch of Neons or have you managed to move them?
Perhaps using the tactic I just used to buy my Mazda3 might help. I searched inventory from the Mazda website and emailed every dealer within about 200 miles who had the car I wanted (color, options, etc).
Try that with the 4Runner you want. Go to buyatoyota.com and search for the specific vehicle you want. You can pull up the window sticker on every car. When you find ones that fit your requirements, email the dealer and get a quote.
Out of about 15 dealers I emailed, most of them came back with quotes of $17,200-17,900 on a car with a sticker of $18,200. One dealer came back with $16,500 driveout! Obviously, that's the one I went with even though it was 180 miles away. I picked the car up today. Great experience.
I discussed ordering an HHR with two Chevrolet dealers when I was shopping. The HHR was near the top of my list, but I wanted an odd combo, too. I was interested in a 5-speed manual with 2.4L and all the stereo upgrades and not much else. Both told me they couldn't find one anywhere near it anywhere in the Southeast. They offered to order it for me and told me that I'd only have to put down a small deposit and one said I wouldn't even be obligated to take it if I didn't want to. I'm not sure whether that's true or not.
At worst, I'd get the current pricing on it and if there were incentives at time of delivery, I'd get those, too.
Salesmen are strongly encouraged to sell from stock at most dealers. I'm not sure how much less profit they would make. Logically, though, when they order one for a customer, that's another sitting on their lot that they haven't yet moved. The sale on the order vehicle won't be recorded until the time of delivery and a lot of salespeople are about making the deal TODAY. Both of the guys I talked to pushed pretty hard to get me in one on the lot or nearby, but I made it very clear they weren't what I wanted. I told them if I bought an HHR, it would be one I ordered.
Good luck. The HHR is a nice vehicle. By the way, can I ask what is so uncommon about the one you want to order?
Thanks for the info. I haven't yet talked to any of the dealers about the process of ordering but made it clear that they don't have one on the lot or available that I want. The jist of what I'm looking for is the 2LT in a 5 speed manual transmission. I also want all the stereo upgrades, as well as the moon roof, leather, running boards, and roof rails. I hear you on the idea that its one on the lot they aren't moving, however, no dealer has anything close that I'm remotely interested in, so as I see it the one they order for me is otherwise a sale they would have missed. Assuming I don't back out, and I'm not planning on it, they won't ever have to pay any kind of interest on it while it waits to be sold as I would want to pick it up the day it arrived on the truck.
$828 Advertising fee ("this is charged on ALL cars") $10 Fuel charge
not to mention the $199 dealer handling fee
The advertising fee is charged to the dealer by the local district. This is different for each Toyota region but it's about 2%. Edmunds and many other sites specifically state that this fee is not included in the invoice price but is a valid fee. It's what Toyota charges each dealer for the regional/national advertising.
$10 fuel.. Toyota puts a few gallons in the vehicle before it's shipped to the dealer in order to move it around. You do get a free tank of gas on top of the $10.
Dealer prep $199. Local issue. we have it. some places have it as $599 and others have a market adjustment addendum of $1900 ( NIssan )
Essentially anything below the invoice price you have been faxed is sacrosanct to the owner. Normally the Sales Mgr and sales person cannot discuss it because it's the owner's money that he has to pay to Toyota.
We have a few Neons left, but we haven't really had any trouble selling them.
The big rebates have proven themselves a great way to get a customer approved who is upside-down in their trade. The Neons are also good for helping people get approved who have had some credit problems since Chrysler Financial is buying very strong on these cars.
One thing to think about...this is really an oddball car, especially with the 5 speed. The dealers don't stock any of these because very few people want them equipped that way. LAter when you go to sell or trade it, the same will apply.
If I were that dealer, I would be scared to death you will back out of the deal and I would be stuck with it.
Can you back out after special ordering? What is the process on a special order. I have never done a special order, do I basically ask them to order and they order it as if it was a stock vehicle and I'm under no obligation, or is there some sort of a special order contract that we sign saying i will buy it listing option details and price?
I know its slightly odd, but I think the dealers don't see the value on it. I have had several dealers mention that they have had calls looking for them, and I have read plenty of forums on the HHR that people were looking for one or they special ordered it for the same reason.
If I were the dealer selling that car and you asked the question..." Can I back out"?
I would REALLY be scared!
First of all, I don't think the HHR's are going to be a big seller. They appeal to a small segment. Add a five speed and you have a car that is near saleproof.
snetsky, I don't think the RIGHT dealer would have any problem ordering one for you. We ordered ours without any trouble. I also wanted the 5spd which was very rare in any dealer inventory at the time. As ISELL suggested, 5 spds in general aren't that popular but there seems to be (perhaps thanks to some reviews) some interest for the HHR's (my dealer told me they had several inquires once ours showed up in their inventory). I would suggest you check and double check everything on the paperwork (including prices) to make sure it goes in correctly, and perhaps have it documented has to how they will handle any incentives in place at time of delivery. Also by all means try to be sure its really the vehicle you want and optioned the way you want, so backing out won't be an issue.
I appreciate the concern and that is why I haven't asked any dealers and posted the question here. I am not going to back out, but I dont' like to get into anything with out knowing the details. The car dealers do this for a living and know every little in and out. No matter what options I choose the purchase will be a couple 10s of thousands of dollars out of my pocket and I like to be completely informed. I don't get the assumptiont that the 5 speed is saleproof. The 5 speed adds a little pep to a small motor and increases the enjoyment of driving a car to many people. I live in flordia the land of many older buyers, however the car seems styled in a way to appeal to a younger crowd and many of them look for any way to increase performance. I drive a Civic now and one of my genuine concerns about going back to chevy is resale value, but there are always risks in life. You sound like a dealer any chance you could fill me in on the process of a special order, what the flow and paperwork is like? Thanks in advance.
You have answered your own question why dealers don't use this model.
If my store did this, you would print out my price and take it to a competitor. They would beat my price by $50 and then I would lose the sale.
Every dealer pays the same for their cars. As long as a price is quoted that has profit in it, it can be beat.
Why do you think that dealers don't want to give you a price when they know that you are shopping? No matter what, a dealer loses in this situation. The only way the dealer wins is if we are last on the shopping list.
Personally, I love when people come to me with either a printout or a negotiated price. That's an easy sale. fitzmall is helping their competitors more than themselves.
I haven't had any dealer say they wouldn't order one for me and I have talked to 3 dealers so far. Do I hear you right that you special ordered one? What was the process like? What was signed when? When was money due? Did you do a trade? Did the dealer give you a trade in estimate when you ordered? I have looked at 3, 1 after hours when I could poke around with out pressue, tested the 2.4 auto and liked it but thought a stick would give it more pep, and tested the 2.2 manual and definitely like the stick better. I have seen all the options I am ordering and am not optioning anything i don't want. It's definitly the vehicle I want so there is no worries about backing out, i just want to know what i'm getting into so I can keep the dealer honest (not to be cynical or anything, i'm just cautious)
[Personally, I love when people come to me with either a printout or a negotiated price. That's an easy sale. fitzmall is helping their competitors more than themselves. ] u are right on the money here.
i had fitzmall printout when shopping, and when dealer offered a price close to it, it took me less than 2 seconds to accept the offer.
I suspect they figure that, the no hassle internet approach gains them more sales than they lose. I would have bought my subie from fitzmall, except, they were on the wrong side of the potomac.
Not a dealer but have been hanging around long enough. This isn't gospel by any means but a guide.
1. I was told that I will be eligible for any rebates, incentives, and special financing out at time of delivery, how do I make it clear to the dealer that the price we agree on will be dropped equal to any rebates or incentives that are out at the time?
Incentives are based at time of delivery. To ensure you get the incentives, have the contract read "$x for vehicle less applicable incentives." That should cover you.
2. I have asked for quotes on my special order and they have been slow in coming and the one I've gotten is higher than what I expected. I want to begin making offers but am curious how dealers see special orders as far as profit margins go?
Dealers are geared toward selling what's on the lot today, not special orders. Special orders can be profitable but the units on the lot are costing them money today. They're more apt to cut you a better deal on in stock units.
3. With a special order, how does the paperwork, financing, and down payments work? I plan on getting an idea of what the dealer will offer for my trade and then take the time it takes for delivery to try to sell it for a better price, but I'm curious what is due to lock in my order and agreed price.
The paperwork works just like any car sale. You will sign the contract to order and give them a deposit. The financing and balance of the downpayment are handled at the time of the actual delivery.
They'll quote a trade in amount but don't expect that amount in 6-8 weeks after putting miles and possible damage on it. They'll requote at delivery time.
4. How does the order to delivery notification work? After I place the order are any status updates issued for timelining? Is their anything a buyer can do if a special order begins getting majorly late?
They'll give you a ballpark timeframe when you order. AFAIK, you won't get regular updates - they'll call you when it arrives. I would call them about a week before the quoted time and check it. Don't call every other day - they'll feel pestered. The dealer has no control over the factory, the train, and the truck.
If it starts getting really late, see if you can cancel the order.
Don't be suprised if your deposit will be non-refundable - especially on a special order 5 speed w/leather and roof. That's pretty much an unsellable unit on the lot. Less than 10% of vehicles sold today are sticks.
Exactly, that is the exact reason most dealers don't do "one price". Our prices can always be beat.
That's why you hear me preach about good service. Good service is hard to put a dollar amount on. People will pay you well for taking good care of them.
First thing it was only 'special' to me , as far as the dealer is concerned, its just a customer order. Ours took quite a while for resons I won't spell out (and wouldn't apply in your case), but the basic process should be sitting down with salesperson and spelling out options. They can do their thing on puter and come up with prices for vehicle optioned the way you want (they can print it out for you to see also). Then you would do what you have to as far as numbers are concerned. They write it up on (I think) the same form as if you were buying off the lot. Check and re-check to make sure its correct before you sign, then its up to them to put the order in. We did not do a trade so I can't help with that. We put down a deposit ( I think it was $1000 or $1500). one other thing the dealer mentioned was once the order was accepted, price should be locked in (even if prices are higher at time of delivery ( I didn't get that documented,tsk tsk at me)). The dealer should be able (if you ask) to give you things in the process such as date order was accepted, scheduled build date, vin assignment, and estimated delivery date (which may very well go beyond what they tell you). The remaining money would be due at delivery time. Hope this helps
Something else you might want to consider. On the contract form write down that the deposit is fully refundable if the truck is not delivered by a certain date, and have the sales manager (not the salesman) initial that line. The date should be a couple of weeks after the promised delivery date. Also, make sure the deposit is charged on a credit card. Don’t give them a check or cash no matter how much they complain. It is much either to dispute credit card charges than to force a dealer to cut a check, incase they don’t fulfill the contract.
On the contract form write down that the deposit is fully refundable if the truck is not delivered by a certain date, and have the sales manager (not the salesman) initial that line. The date should be a couple of weeks after the promised delivery date
This might be a sticking point for an oddball unit...The dealer has little or no control over shipping and delivery from the factory. Something as little as a snow storm can delay shipping...I had a car delayed by 2 weeks because it was one of the first on the train (first on - last off)....If the car was an ordinary unit I wouldn't have a problem with a "subject to" on the buyers order but with an oddball no way. The stranger the build specs the bigger non-refundable deposit we require.
That’s easy. Houses (at least 95% of them) do not depreciate in value, plus you not paying for the house only, you pay for the upgrades that the previous owners did, for the school system in that neighborhood, for the location...
The rest of the stuff you mention, you can go to websites like epinions, shopping.com, ets. and compare the prices (including tax and shipping) for the exact same product.
OK, point taken. In that case make it four or six weeks after the promised delivery date. If you don’t put that clause in the contract, they can make you wait forever.
Once I had to wait two months after the promised delivery date, while I was driving a beater with no AC in the summer.
RE: Fitz. I find theie price points interesting, but by no means the lowest. In fact, if you try to negotiate with them, you might find them as condescending as I did (got a *lecture* on their business model, which I couldn't care less about, and told the *sales*man just that). Untimately I bought elsewhere, and paid WAY LESS than I would have at Fitz..
The factory rep said no dice, and cancelled the warranty on it. I can't say I blame him - when I saw the car for the first time it was pretty obvious to me it had problems. The tires were way too worn for a 500 mi. vehicle and there had been obvious body work. The factory rep said there was even paint on the transmission, like it had been sitting on the floor in the body shop.
All's well that ends well, though. I looked through the seller's contract for the auto auction place (he dumped his old clunker at the same place) and it specifically stated that any known transmission problems must be disclosed. I asked the dealership to document all the problems with the car, then called the auction company and they agreed to send a tow truck to get the car. They'll refund his money once they see the proof that the tranny is bad.
Since Hondas can't be "special ordered" I'm not the one to ask. sorry.
???????
Does it mean one is entirely on Honda's dealers (or Honda Motors) mercy and market "feeling" when it comes to configs? Man, that blows I find myself constantly at odds with "common taste" - I like well equipped manuals (i.e. almost everything on the option list but the manual), which of course is usually a "phantom" config (i.e. exists only on manufacturer's website). This would mean I would probably never get a Honda, even if wanted one...
A few years ago, the local Honda dealer told me they can't order cars either... they get them sent from the factory, and if they're lucky, they can swap out colors... It sounded alot like a communist economy, only without the fun. -Mathias
Its a little frustrating for the buyer like yourself who is an absolute individualist but there is a valid reason for Honda, and Toyota, doing this.
It has been proven, by the Japanese, that Edward Deming's SPC approach to manufacturing is the best model for attaining and improving quality. Set up SPC controls on all the variables of a process and then as it goes forward crank down the tolerances progressively. This requires long constant runs of the same process, say weeks at a time. Whenever you have to stop the process to change something the entire system loses some accuracy and must be started again with everything recalibrated.
Honda's system is a little extreme in that the vehicles come one way, loaded for that trim level, with no options. It works well from a manufacturing POV. Remember the sales side does not control the manufacturing side it's the other way around. If it wasnt this way there'd be 100 Million different models in the US alone.
Marketing and Manufacturing are on equal levels,, Mkt 'We've gotta have a vehicle that looks like this and has this in it' Man 'Nope cant be done, but we can do this for you.' Mkt 'Nope, it's gotta have this in it.' Man 'Well we could but it's gotta be done this way or it'll be too expensive' Mkt 'That's a stretch costwise but it's within the price range of that vehicle' 3-4 years later: Mkt to Sales ( On the day the vehicle is launched ) 'Sell this.'
This is another reason why Honda and Toyota aren't normally on the extreme edges of a market segment. They look to hit homeruns in the heart of the market where the buyers tend to group and have similar needs. It's the heart of HonYota's success that they have identified a tremendous number of buyers for an affordable and reliable, sliver or beige, 4-door, 4c, A/T people-mover with a non-confrontational styling. Marketing discovered this segment now it's up to manufacturing to make the vehicles bulletproof and at the lowest cost to meet the needs of the buyer.
Thus you have long runs of the same item with progressively better quality as it proceeds.
Comments
$199 dealer handeling fee? Is it a port prep fee or what?
$10 fuel charge?
Pay it don't fret over it.
I would shop another dealer to see if those fees are the same.
As for the advice from tech art......
Yes do your research on rebates, and invoice ect and FROM that point find out what you want to pay. TAXES can not be negotiated. Unless you are foriegn diplomat or a church you have to pay tax. You will have a better experience if you do not negotiate holdback and demand a price under cost. You will be spending many hours at dealerships if you go in trying to buy a car a price in which the dealer loses money. Do not go with the attitude "that they will make it up on the next person" be reasonable, the dealer if reputable will be reasonable, and you will enjoy your new car, and not the free coffee at the dealership.
$10 Fuel charge
not to mention the $199 dealer handling fee.
Those are all junk, right? Should I just name a price?
The advertising fee is interesting.... For some manufacturers in some regions, advertising fees are legit and can be hundreds of dollars per car charged to the dealer by the manufacturer. In that case, yeah, all the cars have this charge. In some cases, however, it is just used to create more cashflow... You'll need to figure out which it is in this case.
The $10 fuel charge... Well, with the cost of gas, I kinda don't blame them.
My advice, to everyone, even my Dad who has the no patience whatsoever.....If you are reasonable, the dealer if its a good dealer will be reasonable with you. Look over all your paperwork, do your research and have fun!!! But if you are thinking everyone is out to screw you and you are setting unrealistic expectations and you do not realize this until you have been to 5 dealers, its not going to be fun and it is going to be a chore and you will have a bad experience.
I.E Fossil watches, very good reasonably priced product, great warranty. Average watch is around $60.00 retail. Did you know that it only costs on average $7.50 to make. But we still pay $60.00 and are happy, even though they make a gazillion percent profit....
http://www.fitzmall.com/
the real price up-front on the web.
do you/can you do this at your place?
if not, why? and if you can't do this, do you hate fitzmall because customer always come in with fitzmall price print-outs?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
1. I was told that I will be eligible for any rebates, incentives, and special financing out at time of delivery, how do I make it clear to the dealer that the price we agree on will be dropped equal to any rebates or incentives that are out at the time?
2. I have asked for quotes on my special order and they have been slow in coming and the one I've gotten is higher than what I expected. I want to begin making offers but am curious how dealers see special orders as far as profit margins go?
3. With a special order, how does the paperwork, financing, and down payments work? I plan on getting an idea of what the dealer will offer for my trade and then take the time it takes for delivery to try to sell it for a better price, but I'm curious what is due to lock in my order and agreed price.
4. How does the order to delivery notification work? After I place the order are any status updates issued for timelining? Is their anything a buyer can do if a special order begins getting majorly late?
Thanks for everyones help.
If you want to buy now, walk into a dealership on Saturday, December 24th about two hours before closing. Of course, you're only looking…
but you are ready to buy.
It's Christmas Eve and you're tying up a salesman, manager, and F&I person at the least.
You'll want to scout the dealership at an earlier date to find a car you are interested in, something difficult to do in the dark. :shades:
So, you're saying buy a GM product? :P
Try that with the 4Runner you want. Go to buyatoyota.com and search for the specific vehicle you want. You can pull up the window sticker on every car. When you find ones that fit your requirements, email the dealer and get a quote.
Out of about 15 dealers I emailed, most of them came back with quotes of $17,200-17,900 on a car with a sticker of $18,200. One dealer came back with $16,500 driveout! Obviously, that's the one I went with even though it was 180 miles away. I picked the car up today. Great experience.
Good luck!
At worst, I'd get the current pricing on it and if there were incentives at time of delivery, I'd get those, too.
Salesmen are strongly encouraged to sell from stock at most dealers. I'm not sure how much less profit they would make. Logically, though, when they order one for a customer, that's another sitting on their lot that they haven't yet moved. The sale on the order vehicle won't be recorded until the time of delivery and a lot of salespeople are about making the deal TODAY. Both of the guys I talked to pushed pretty hard to get me in one on the lot or nearby, but I made it very clear they weren't what I wanted. I told them if I bought an HHR, it would be one I ordered.
Good luck. The HHR is a nice vehicle. By the way, can I ask what is so uncommon about the one you want to order?
$10 Fuel charge
not to mention the $199 dealer handling fee
The advertising fee is charged to the dealer by the local district. This is different for each Toyota region but it's about 2%. Edmunds and many other sites specifically state that this fee is not included in the invoice price but is a valid fee. It's what Toyota charges each dealer for the regional/national advertising.
$10 fuel.. Toyota puts a few gallons in the vehicle before it's shipped to the dealer in order to move it around. You do get a free tank of gas on top of the $10.
Dealer prep $199. Local issue. we have it. some places have it as $599 and others have a market adjustment addendum of $1900 ( NIssan )
Essentially anything below the invoice price you have been faxed is sacrosanct to the owner. Normally the Sales Mgr and sales person cannot discuss it because it's the owner's money that he has to pay to Toyota.
The big rebates have proven themselves a great way to get a customer approved who is upside-down in their trade. The Neons are also good for helping people get approved who have had some credit problems since Chrysler Financial is buying very strong on these cars.
If I were that dealer, I would be scared to death you will back out of the deal and I would be stuck with it.
I know its slightly odd, but I think the dealers don't see the value on it. I have had several dealers mention that they have had calls looking for them, and I have read plenty of forums on the HHR that people were looking for one or they special ordered it for the same reason.
I would REALLY be scared!
First of all, I don't think the HHR's are going to be a big seller. They appeal to a small segment. Add a five speed and you have a car that is near saleproof.
no problem, those days, most dealer have their invetory online, so you don't have to walk around in the dealer lot when temp. is below 20.
If my store did this, you would print out my price and take it to a competitor. They would beat my price by $50 and then I would lose the sale.
Every dealer pays the same for their cars. As long as a price is quoted that has profit in it, it can be beat.
Why do you think that dealers don't want to give you a price when they know that you are shopping? No matter what, a dealer loses in this situation. The only way the dealer wins is if we are last on the shopping list.
Personally, I love when people come to me with either a printout or a negotiated price. That's an easy sale. fitzmall is helping their competitors more than themselves.
u are right on the money here.
i had fitzmall printout when shopping, and when dealer offered a price close to it, it took me less than 2 seconds to accept the offer.
1. I was told that I will be eligible for any rebates, incentives, and special financing out at time of delivery, how do I make it clear to the dealer that the price we agree on will be dropped equal to any rebates or incentives that are out at the time?
Incentives are based at time of delivery. To ensure you get the incentives, have the contract read "$x for vehicle less applicable incentives." That should cover you.
2. I have asked for quotes on my special order and they have been slow in coming and the one I've gotten is higher than what I expected. I want to begin making offers but am curious how dealers see special orders as far as profit margins go?
Dealers are geared toward selling what's on the lot today, not special orders. Special orders can be profitable but the units on the lot are costing them money today. They're more apt to cut you a better deal on in stock units.
3. With a special order, how does the paperwork, financing, and down payments work? I plan on getting an idea of what the dealer will offer for my trade and then take the time it takes for delivery to try to sell it for a better price, but I'm curious what is due to lock in my order and agreed price.
The paperwork works just like any car sale. You will sign the contract to order and give them a deposit. The financing and balance of the downpayment are handled at the time of the actual delivery.
They'll quote a trade in amount but don't expect that amount in 6-8 weeks after putting miles and possible damage on it. They'll requote at delivery time.
4. How does the order to delivery notification work? After I place the order are any status updates issued for timelining? Is their anything a buyer can do if a special order begins getting majorly late?
They'll give you a ballpark timeframe when you order. AFAIK, you won't get regular updates - they'll call you when it arrives. I would call them about a week before the quoted time and check it. Don't call every other day - they'll feel pestered. The dealer has no control over the factory, the train, and the truck.
If it starts getting really late, see if you can cancel the order.
Don't be suprised if your deposit will be non-refundable - especially on a special order 5 speed w/leather and roof. That's pretty much an unsellable unit on the lot. Less than 10% of vehicles sold today are sticks.
Good Luck.
That's why you hear me preach about good service. Good service is hard to put a dollar amount on. People will pay you well for taking good care of them.
This might be a sticking point for an oddball unit...The dealer has little or no control over shipping and delivery from the factory. Something as little as a snow storm can delay shipping...I had a car delayed by 2 weeks because it was one of the first on the train (first on - last off)....If the car was an ordinary unit I wouldn't have a problem with a "subject to" on the buyers order but with an oddball no way. The stranger the build specs the bigger non-refundable deposit we require.
The rest of the stuff you mention, you can go to websites like epinions, shopping.com, ets. and compare the prices (including tax and shipping) for the exact same product.
Can you do the same thing with cars? No.
Once I had to wait two months after the promised delivery date, while I was driving a beater with no AC in the summer.
The factory rep said no dice, and cancelled the warranty on it. I can't say I blame him - when I saw the car for the first time it was pretty obvious to me it had problems. The tires were way too worn for a 500 mi. vehicle and there had been obvious body work. The factory rep said there was even paint on the transmission, like it had been sitting on the floor in the body shop.
All's well that ends well, though. I looked through the seller's contract for the auto auction place (he dumped his old clunker at the same place) and it specifically stated that any known transmission problems must be disclosed. I asked the dealership to document all the problems with the car, then called the auction company and they agreed to send a tow truck to get the car. They'll refund his money once they see the proof that the tranny is bad.
-Jason
???????
Does it mean one is entirely on Honda's dealers (or Honda Motors) mercy and market "feeling" when it comes to configs? Man, that blows
2018 430i Gran Coupe
It sounded alot like a communist economy, only without the fun.
-Mathias
1) Choose your model (Civic/Accord/etc)
2) Choose your trim level (LX/EX/etc)
3) Choose your ext/int colors (Silver/Black/etc)
Isn't that how it works in the Honda world? :P
It has been proven, by the Japanese, that Edward Deming's SPC approach to manufacturing is the best model for attaining and improving quality. Set up SPC controls on all the variables of a process and then as it goes forward crank down the tolerances progressively. This requires long constant runs of the same process, say weeks at a time. Whenever you have to stop the process to change something the entire system loses some accuracy and must be started again with everything recalibrated.
Honda's system is a little extreme in that the vehicles come one way, loaded for that trim level, with no options. It works well from a manufacturing POV. Remember the sales side does not control the manufacturing side it's the other way around. If it wasnt this way there'd be 100 Million different models in the US alone.
Marketing and Manufacturing are on equal levels,,
Mkt 'We've gotta have a vehicle that looks like this and has this in it'
Man 'Nope cant be done, but we can do this for you.'
Mkt 'Nope, it's gotta have this in it.'
Man 'Well we could but it's gotta be done this way or it'll be too expensive'
Mkt 'That's a stretch costwise but it's within the price range of that vehicle'
3-4 years later:
Mkt to Sales ( On the day the vehicle is launched ) 'Sell this.'
This is another reason why Honda and Toyota aren't normally on the extreme edges of a market segment. They look to hit homeruns in the heart of the market where the buyers tend to group and have similar needs. It's the heart of HonYota's success that they have identified a tremendous number of buyers for an affordable and reliable, sliver or beige, 4-door, 4c, A/T people-mover with a non-confrontational styling. Marketing discovered this segment now it's up to manufacturing to make the vehicles bulletproof and at the lowest cost to meet the needs of the buyer.
Thus you have long runs of the same item with progressively better quality as it proceeds.