TRUCK STOP: pickups discussion

peanut15

I'm interested in purchasing a 2001 Silverado. Question: Does anyone know of a dealer within 600/700 miles of Richmond, Virginia who will sell a Silverado below, or at dealer invoice and without adding extra charges, i.e., processing fee, prep charges, etc.? I ask this because I know of a dealer who sells GMC's at $200 below dealer invoice. The only addition is a $60 local tax. I know this to be factual because an associate recently purchased one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

justthetruth

Read "The Car Buyer's and Leaser's Negotiating Bible" (Random House, 2nd Edition, 1999). It's the best all-around advice book for negotiating new car prices, bar none. Be forwarned, though, they also sell a nice package of invoice pricing, market analysis, and incentive/rebate/holdback info that is quite useful and may be available in various states of accuracy for free on the web.

http://www.fightingchance.com/fight_book.asp

peanut15

Thanks justthetruth. I'll check it out.
Peanut15

rm13

Would you really travel 6-700 miles to save about $200 in fees? I agree these charges are annoying, but don't "bite your nose to spite your face ". (Wow! As scary as it is when you start acting like your father.... I just quoted my mother ! ) Start calling fleet/internet mgr. at Richmond area Chevy dealers and you'll get pretty near your price with no problem. Good luck.

z71bill

The EPA classifies the Ranger, S-10, Dakota, F-150, C/K 1500, and Ram 150 (both regular cab and X-cab) as standard pickups. Most people know a full size truck when they see one.

jdnixboe

I have a 1999 Chev. C2500 Crew Cab. The stock tires are 245/75-16. I want to put a little bigger tire on it without going too big. Has anyone had any experience going from 245 to 265s? What will it do to my speedometer, transmission, mileage??? Will the 265s rub on the wheel wells? I would appreciate any information. Thanks.

peanut15

AAH! We have a philosopher in our mist. But you're absolutely correct rm13. No, I wouldn't drive that far to save a couple bucks, but it does provide more info I can use at the local dealers. They don't know I wouldn't drive that far. Prices around the Richmond and Newport News area aren't too bad. One local dealer will sell me one for $1.00 over invoice and let me keep the $500 rebate, but they charge a $249 processing fee. That irritates me and it's ridiculous, especially when another dealer(GMC)down the street only charges $75, and the sales person told me they would waive that if it meant making a sale. But then I don't know what they would sell their Sierra for, and I'm not interested in a Sierra. Regardless what the dealers call all the little cost add ons it's really the bottom line that counts.
Have a nice week end. I'm outta here 'til Monday.

k0hb

....but when purchasing a $30,000+ Silverado, a couple of crumbs like a $249 processing fee (presuming I'm otherwise getting a good price) isn't worth mentioning.

Hans

z71bill

The only thing that bothers me is when they try to hit you with fees after the deal is done - you are looking over the final paper work getting ready to write the check and find out about some document fee or ad fee. I have always refused to pay them - they always use the same line - that is standard we charge this to all the customers. I am sure many people say OK its only $XXXX - Back in 98 when I was buying a Tahoe a wanted to make sure numbers added up - I kept coming up $50 off. The guy handling the closing points to a line on the form called Doc fee in print so small and light I could not even see it was the $50. It made me feel like they wanted to just cheat me out of $50. I just looked the guy right in the eye and say - do you want to tell the sales manager that you lost the sale because of this $50 Doc fee or do you want me to tell him? Took him less that 2 seconds to cross it off.

k0hb

I see a lot of comment here from folks driving several hundred miles to save $500-1000 on a new truck.

Personally, I want my local dealer to make a little money on the deal too! The difference between $30,000 and $31,000 is just 3%. With that 3% my dealer can afford to train or hire a better mechanic, can afford to buy a new diagnostic machine, or can afford to carry a deeper inventory of spare parts.

This fall I bought a new Silverado LT and a new Bonneville SSEi, both from local dealers who have great shops and stand behind the product. I'm sure I could have gone "bargain hunting" and saved a grand on each vehicle, but I'd rather put a couple bucks into the dealerships which I need to be there to support me over the life of the cars.

Or maybe you buy your parts from JC Whitney, and have the work done by your brother-in-law, the local snowplow driver who's really handy with tools.

Hans

timothyadavis

I definately agree with your philosophy that the local dealer should be supported. There is, unfortunately, one flaw in your reasoning. That is that the Sales and Service departments are all but separate businesses under the umbrella of the dealership. Heck, most of the time the two don't even like each other. The extra $1,000 you give up willingly to the Sales Department will make it no nearer the Service department than the owner's pocket. In fact, Service departments (unless very badly managed) are money making machines extraordinare. They need no help whatsoever with their budget.

It might still be worth paying the extra cash to support the nearby dealer. In my case, not only was the best deal found at the nearest local dealer but it also allowed me to take advantage of some perks (a free oil change, an non-service-related free car wash, convenient touch up paint work on the lot-accumulated paint booboos, and a free gas fillup as a bribe for returning my survey to my saleman) that were all offered and paid for by the Sales department. But, had I been able to save a net of $1,000 (after the extra time and expense of traveling) I might have considered it too.....

k0hb

> The extra $1,000 you give up willingly to the
> Sales Department will make it no nearer the
> Service department than the owner's pocket.

The "owners pocket" is what ultimately finances all segments of the the dealership, no matter how that pocket gets fed.

Hans

timothyadavis

But I would be very surprised to hear about any owner (usually a corporation these days) taking any money from the Sales Department and investing it in anything for the Service Department.

k0hb

*ANY* business reinvests it's profit based on where the investment is needed, not on where the profit came from!

My point is I want the dealership to be financially sound and to have that money to invest.

Hans

rm13

I know that business owners often try to support other local businesses as "what goes around comes around". For the rest of us, we must find the deal thats best for us. Being willing to pay a dealer more than necessary to help support the service department does not make sense to me. I think we get the best service when the dealer has to compete for our business.

eharri3

If the guy got a price he's fine with and a truck that makes him happy more power to him. Some people just don't like to fuss around about price.

z71bill

Since I live in in a larger city there must be 100 car dealers within a 45 minute drive. I shop for the best deal when buying. I don't get my cars/trucks serviced at the dealer I purchased the truck from anyway. I have never had the service department give me any static because I did not buy the truck from them.

I did give my favorite service department a chance on my last purchase - they were $3,000 higher - net $$ after trade.

Anyone not willing to drive 50 miles to save $3,000?

john294

when I was looking to purchase my truck I went to 3 out of town dealers, got their best price came back to my area dealer gave him the ''well your my town dealer I rather do business with you''line ,and asked if he could beat thier lowest price, he did, we both got what we wanted.....to me its not a hassle or about being cheap I enjoy wheelin and dealing and getting the best price possible by being informed about what it is Im looking for and paying the ''right''price.........

eharri3

what is the 'right price' to people in this board. Do you expect to be sble to buy vehicles at or below dealer cost? Slightly above? Far above?

obyone

Your dealer cost = invoice - hold back? Cause dealer cost and dealer invoice is not the same. I would think that dealer invoice would be a great deal. Especially if it had a $1500 rebate to go with it. Whe looking for popular vehicles, almost impossible to find invoice unless you have a good friend who owns a dealership. Then again....

eharri3

Invoice would be a great deal, but I uually wouldn't go in expecting it or demanding it like some do.

mgdvhman

get GMO pricing.....I'd be demanding $500 over invoice or invoice exactly..

why not in todays market?

Where I live there are hundreds of dealers in a 100 mile radius.....now if you live in the backwoods of Bucksnort.....I guess you have no choice?

- Tim

obyone

invoice + $500? Hmmm...would be cheaper for me to fly to buy the truck. Know of anyplace where they have 'em in stock at that price?

mgdvhman

has 5 or so...even a Duramax.....with a ton more coming i was told......what the prices are?..beats me...

- Tim

pocahontas

Here's one that some of you might get a kick out of: Beat Your Ticket, Part One--Challenging the System, by Philip Reed.

Of course I'm sure that most of you will never have need for this kind of information. Right? ;-)

Pocahontas
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sf0383

My .02 but I go to a dealer 100 miles away from the closest dealer where I live. Reason? The dealership that is out of town is a "no hassle" $200 over invoice, that's it. No pressure, no "let me talk to the sales manager" BS, no "come on in here and let's talk about it" crap when I call them on the phone for a price. I have tried to deal with the closest dealer on my last two vehicles and both times they took the "We don't have to deal on this truck beacuse the demand is there"line. To which I replied, "well, the demand ain't HERE and I don't HAVE to buy it either"
As far as service department's, so far I have been lucky and have had no major warranty issues. Anything minor I take to an independant mechanic and get it done faster and cheaper than at a dealership.

rm13

The first place I called offered to order any Ford for invoice + ad fee (130)+ process fee (129). I drove to this dealer (approx 45 mi.) without calling or visiting any other because I appreciated the no bs approach. For service, I'll try the closer ones till I find a good one. In my experience, I've never received any better/worse service based on where vehicle was purchased.

moliny

Hi Guys,
Get this, all final arrangements had been made. Price , taxes & FEES had been agreed upon. Everything thru email and by phone.
A Tundra Access SR5 2wd for $20 something, pretty much at what Edmunds calls TMV.
So my boyfriend and I, show up to sign the paper
work...and this guy starts acting up. First by asking double the down payment,the lenghtenning delivery date by 4 weeks--it's now 10 weeks. He finally killed our deal by adding 3% of MSRP on "Advertisement" fees.
I asked if maybe he was interested in splitting
his Holdback money. Anyway, I'll be flying into SFO (2 wks) to pickup my F150 XLT for way below TMV. Never thought I would ever own a
F O R D !!

timothyadavis

I think you'll like it. Personally, I never thought I would own a pickup truck at all. I mean, a pickup truck?!? I had driven foreign small cars for years and happily. The 1995 Civic I bought from the original owner a few years ago was to me just about the nicest handling, most fun to drive while still being extraordinarilly reliable and comfortable car I had ever owned. Obviously, I am not a luxury car person nor was I a pickup nor SUV person either. But the 1999 customized F-150 XLT w/ the 4.6L V8 we bought this last summer (new, but leftover on the lot -- a great deal for us) has been a delight. True, it ain't no sports car in the handling department -- it is a pickup after all -- but it is extremely well made, finished as well as any Honda I've seen and full of comforts that used to be only found in the luxury cars. I've become totally spoiled and can't imagine sitting so near the ground ever again as I once did in the Civic.

Perhaps the Toyota would have satisfied you as well, but I don't think you will be dissapointed at all with the Ford. Enjoy....

pocahontas

And thanks for sharing your story.... We look foward to hearing about your SF trip/purchase experience. Happy Shopping!

Pocahontas
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z71bill

Dealers that try to change the price/terms are not limited to just Toyota. Every brand has a % that will try to screw you at the end (or is that in the end). I have heard horror stories from some people. The guy next door just traded in his truck on a small SUV. He had it about a week when he got a call from the dealer - sorry the financing got turned down, your payment is going up by $50 per month. That is $3,000 more over the 60 month term. His trade has already been "sold". Now the crazy part - the fine print in the contract gave the dealer 30 days to get financing approved, and specifically says - if financing not approved at original rate & terms dealer has the right to secure a different loan at a higher rate/payment.

rm13

Thats the kind of thing that makes folks go on shooting sprees. (or at least makes us distrust dealer). I use credit union for loan and sell my vehicle outright to keep the dealer from finding some back door to rip me off through.
Think about that "30 days to get financing approved" mess, you can get an answer from a bank in minutes. Not your buddies fault though, who reads all that fine print? Well I guess its time to start!

87lion

When I bought my Silverado I told the dealer I was going to finance through my credit union I had already applied and was approved. All the credit union needed was a copy of the bill of sale to cut the check. The dealer offered me financing which at first look seemed less expensive until my wife noticed he was calculating payments using the (lower) 3 yr. term over 4 years. Anyway, we politely declined and went with the credit union, which also gave us no-cost death/disability coverage on the loan. All the finance guy had to do was fax a copy of the bill of sale to the CU. That was on a Saturday. The finance guy orginally asked for the payment in 5 days (not 5 business days) and I got them to increase it to 7. I called the CU on Tuesday to confirm that the check had been sent and found that the dealer had never faxed the bill of sale. I called the dealer and was told the finance guy was not in but they checked and, indeed, the bill of sale had not been sent out. The excuse was they had very little experience dealing with credit unions. The dealer finally sent out the bill of sale and then attempted to get the CU to overnight the check to them. The CU politely declined and put the check in the mail. I truly believe the dealership was going to sit on my deal until I had to go with their financing. I'm glad I followed up.

sf0383

for financing is Peoplefirst.com or lendingtree.com. I was skeptical at first but they sure do make it easy. My wife talked to the bank to see if they would match rates and give them a chance to shoot holes in the competition, but the guy at the bank basically said that he couldn't compete and to go for it.

nosirrahg

I'll second that opinion about PeopleFirst. I bought a new car last year, and basically handled the entire financing transaction on-line. I told them how much I wanted to spend (and what I was buying), and they sent me a blank check (that was good for up to a pre-determined amount). I bought the car, made out the check, turned around and left. I also got a lower rate by doing their direct withdrawl from my checking account - saves me from having to remember to write a check (and spend 34-cents on postage) each month.

Granted, I'd probably rather handle this type of thing at a "hometown" bank, but as I recall at the time, banks here were asking 9.5-10% on a 60-month loan, and I got mine at PeopleFirst for something like 6.8%. Pretty hard to turn that down.

pocahontas

here's a discussion that was just moved from the Archived Pickups folder to this board: Pickups that women can drive.

Thanks for your participation. ;-)

Pocahontas

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Pickups Message Board

kokka

Anyone know when Ford is coming out with the next/newest model of the F150? I am thinking about getting one but will wait if there will be any big changes in the near future.

Thanks!

pocahontas

If you don't get a response here soon, you should try posting (copy/paste) your question in our Upcoming Pickup Trucks (Real or Concept) discussion. Also, looks for a direct link to Edmund's "Future Telling" section in that discussion.

In addition, we have a number of active Ford F-150 discussions on this board where you may find some helpful information. Good luck. ;-)

Pocahontas
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Pickups Message Board

angrybob

I'm looking to buy a new heavy duty pick-up (GM HD, Ford F350, Ram 3500). My biggest complaint with my current '95 GM is the brakes. The pedal travel is way to long before the brakes actually engage. This and a few other reasons have made the brake system a high item for my selection. Any likes and dislike out there for the above trucks? I do tow a trailer and am looking for decent lining life as well.

Thanks!

rm13

I just saw an ad for Patrick Chevy on Nine Mile RD saying all Chevies (except Tahoe) $100 under invoice. I don't know if this involves invoices or not and didn't catch the fine print, but its worth a look.

rm13

Should say " I don't know if this involves rebates....."

peanut15

Thanks rm13. I wasn't aware of the ad. I live in Williamsburg and don't get the Richmond paper. I just called Patrick. $100 under invoice, $179 processing fee, 0.002% local dealer tax and the customer gets the rebate. I'm going over tomorrow after work and have a look see. Will let you know in a couple of days how it turns out.

jcave1

Recently I was in the market for a new truck. After many discussions and lots of research I had decided to stay Ford and go with F-250 4x4, SD, SC, SB with 7.3 PSD. No tow requirements but do climb Mt. Hood alot making the diesel very appealing, not to mention better mileage than gas. Local dealers did not have the SB diesel in stock however all expressed interest in dealer trades as several such trucks were available in the state. I called, visited, waited, called other dealers, visited, called lots more, and waited further, no dealer would return my calls, not a single one. Signed up with Costco using their program, that listed dealer was completely unresponsive to phone calls or emails. Really seemed that no dealer wanted the business. Not even cash would get their attention. Who are these guys? Was within two days of buying Dodge when I was given a lead to a motivated Ford dealer. No hassles, no headaches, they just did the deal and for a decent price, true invoice, just over 31k. This dealer even made certain the truck was exactly what I wanted and have followed up on my satisfaction several times since. Through the entire searching ordeal never did I give the dealerships an excuse not to do business. To this day I still do not understand lack of dealer motivation. Don't they need good business? 10k on the F250 and still love it. 17 - 18 mpg mixed highway and city driving.

gringo1

I got a 92 Toy 4x4 V6 and just this morning the clutch pedal started clicking at the top of its travel. Usually three times.

I can shift between first and reverse and it doesn't grind or make any noises, but the clutch is clicking.

Anybody know what this clicking noise is telling me?

Thanks,

Gringo1

fredvon4

Gringo1

I would bet the Throw Out Bearing is starting to talk to you. They usually last a long time but if you do a lot of stop and go driving or ride your foot on the clutch pedal they will and do wear out.
When they start to make noise, usually with your foot "OFF" the pedal, you should consider getting it checked out. I'm not sure on the Toyota, but my nissan has a grease nipple on the bearing carrier. BTW lots of labor dollars just to change the bearing, most of us also have the flywheel "turned" and install a new clutch disk and pressure plate while the transmission is removed. Also have the pilot bearing in the end of the crankshaft checked/replaced at the same time.

mmatson

98 dodge 3/4 4x4 360 410 gearing . I pull a fifth wheel 28' 9000lbs. we just got back from a 75 mile trip and my dear ale truck was almost a quart low of 10w30. I didn't see any blue clouds or any oil slicks so my guess would be the oil fairy was in town. I did have a spark knock problem but the dealer flashed the computer for me and that seemed to help that problem, some what. It still knocks sometimes but at least it doesn't sound like the engine will fallout like it did before. thanks for any help I can send. MADDOG

skerner

Hi - a buddy of mine has a Toyota SR5 pickup and he needs new decals and other after market items. Anyone have a good source for these? Could you email me? Skerner@aol.com thanks,
steve

amorales

issue of Sport Truck mag. Check out articles where several tricked out F150's out accelerate and beat the Viper's in the 1/4 miles. Just imagine a 2-ton truck spanking a Dodge Viper Sports Car. Must be that supercharger....also better driver

gregm8

hi all-
i recently bought a 2001 silverado ext cab short bed v6. i wanted to get flowmasters but i have heard a few people say that they do not sound good at all with a v6 as compared to the v8. any input would be greatly appreciated. thank you

txyank1

X-Cab V-6 with the single in dual out 50 series Flowmaster. Sounded real good. Best sounding V-6 I ever heard.