I suggested 50k tops but should be able to get a price of 48k-49k with a little bit of extra haggling. I am not including 'Conquest' nor any other incentives. The price I gave was strickly of MSPR. Usually around 10% in most cases.
Purchasing a ml350 - pretty basic black on black P1 and pre wire back ....msrp $53700 and agreed at $48325 plus tax and license. Any thoughts - would like to hear how I did! Thanks!!
Went to dealer today to purchase X5 2013. MSRP of about 51k and dealer gives it to me at 48, 200k. Invoice price is 48,185. Is this a good deal anyone?
You can't beat the USAA pricing, my dealer took the $3000 and added another $3000 on my ML350 BlueTec. He beat the dealer invoice by over $2000 listed on Edmunds. Plus after I made my first payment to Mercedes, they took $1,500 over my loan balance. MRSP $56,005.00 after everything $47,500.00.
That what the Fleet Sales Manager did, he matched the USAA, + $6000 off list. The Dealership where I purchased my ML, has 250 sales per month, the Fleet Manager sold 150 with a team of two. The 14 salespeople on the floor sold the othe 100.
Hello - looking for some feedback. We have an Oddyssey right now and looking to moveto ML. any similar experience on how booster seats fit and are practical in ML.
I'm looking for a BlueTEC, arctic white, with parktronic, xenon, lane tracking, p1 and leather so I am going to have to order it. No one has one in stock. Could you please tell me the name of the dealer that you ordered yours from? I'd be willing to travel to save 12% NS I m not in a hurry. Thanks.
Got a great deal on brand new (7 mies) 2012 ML 2012 for $9000 off MSRP
It was 2012 ML350 with P1, Pre-wire kit, hitch, running board, heater streeting wheel, keyless-go, and lane tracking package in silver with black interior
The trick is to not tell them you have USAA. Also dont tell them you have any other cars as they will tell you that you quality for conquest discount of $1000 (crap) off of list.
Negotiate best price with no promotions then when you agree on price tell them you get you USAA member and get your $3000 extra off. Most will try to use the USAA discount to minimize your inital price, thats why you dont tell them
The dealer gave me no problems and I was able to get car in a few hours after agreeing to price.
Also never buy any of the crap extras from the Finance guy - they are marked up super high. If you buy negotiate atleast 40% off
I agree with jcastaldo, also deal with the fleet manager, they use to big discounts. The sales person on the floor needs everyone of your dollars to feed his family,.
That's very strange because my dealer told me that the USAA was a pre-negotiated fleet price. So, the price is set and everyone who buys with the USAA fleet authorization number (which your salesman acquires from USAA using your member number) gets that price (or better). Your dealer wasn't being honest...
I'm a huge fan of the Odyssey and have owned four of them. I love Mercedes and my last two cars have been from Mercedes Benz (C350 and GLK350). I have two kids living at home. We miss our Odysseys almost every day.
My wife is currently driving a Mazda CX-9 and although it's very versatile (probably even more so than the ML), it doesn't have anywhere near the family-hauling capability of the Odyssey. It also isn't much use at Home Depot when I want to haul plywood, sheetrock, pipes, plants, etc. When I had my Odysseys, I could haul all that stuff home without renting a trailer. I could also ferry around the kids and their friends, visiting relatives or my whole family and two week's worth of luggage. You can't do those things in an ML.
Bottomline: I love the ML but I wouldn't buy one for my primary family vehicle.
When you find a honest dealer, please let me know. The USAA price is a starting point. Plus at least $3000 more! The dealer I got the great deal from is the only MB dealership in Brooklyn , NY. If you live upstate its worth the ride for a great deal. You could even enjoy some grat city pizza.
I did not find an honest dealer. I was talking to a dealer that was not too bright. He mentioned a price and then askeddo I have USAA for another $3000 discount.
We are interested in a 2012 ML arctic white, black leather, P1, keyless go and running boards. We are USAA members and our local dealer knows that. We have no problem going elsewhere as we know our dealer is overpriced and doesn't negotiate that much. We have contacted a few dealers and haven't told them we are USAA members yet and are awaiting prices Currently have a leased BMW that we are returning this summer. Live in PA. Can anyone recommend dealers to us that would we willing to negotiate and what other incentives there are available?
The only Mercedes dealer I would ever recommend is Ray Catena Mercedes on route #1 in Edison, NJ. There sales and service are the greatest! The salespeople take you through the entire car buying process, right up to doing the financing. No stress, minimal haggling and thoroughly knowledgeable in every aspect of the vehicles, their customers and financing. USAA is not that great. Their pricing should only be used as a starting point.
After about two weeks of shopping around, I finally gave up in my pursuit of the lowest possible price I can squeeze from these dealers. I settled reluctantly on $7,500 under MSRP, which I believe is probably not the best deal I can find, but at least within $500-$800 of bottom price. My experiences are summed up below for whoever is interested in saving money on a Mercedes (possibly an oxymoron...) :
1. getting internet quotes from various dealers are useless. at least for MB dealers in SoCal. I found it's somewhat useful for Acuras and BMWs. But for whatever reasons, these MB dealers seemed to be under some kind of directives from MB corporate not to provide any meaningful internet quotes that are close to real #s.
2. most dealers will 'reluctantly' agree on a price of around $4,000-$5,000 under MSRP and call it their last offer and won't go any further. I found this frustrating as I initially saw much lower prices from this forum (although most seem to be on the east coast and a few months earlier). My advice is don;t take the deal and walk away. They will give you the regular bulls**t of having to make a living and feed their children, yada, yada. I usually patiently listen, and answer back with "Ok, but, this is my offer price". They will make you feel like you are committing a robbery at the dealership and a great injustice has been committed by offering such ridiculous price on a fine automobile. I'd usually keep my calm and composure and tell them it's ok that we cannot do business and walk out. About half of the dealers will actually call back and lower their price a little bit, so I'd try not to make them feel like you are a hard case and won;t budge at all on your last offer.
3. The so-called invoice price actually varies from dealer to dealer. But they are roughly about $500 -$600 above the Edmunds.com or any most other invoice price you find on the web. It's just their way to show that they have a higher cost than you think. So negotiating from invoice is kind of waste of time IMO, and not a good benchmark. It's easier to communicate using MSRP of xx% off MSRP.
4. I wanted a specific color combination and Bluetec. It's not the most common, so your expectation of how much you can get off MSRP should be adjusted accordingly, probably. IMO. If I had been willing to settle for other colors and perhaps gasoline engine, I believe you can probably get a lower price than what I indicated above. But of course, like I said, I didn't think my purchase price was close to the lowest as I was pretty tired of playing the 'game', you should do your own adjustments on your price expectation and your own 'stamina' on the 'pursuit'.
5. Finally, this is just my anecdotal observation that it seems that ML350 is selling pretty good here in SoCal. I checked various dealers' inventory on the web to see whether they hold the car I wanted or if there's new arrivals, these cars seem to be selling well. This could be the reason some are unwilling to budge on price. But again, it;s just my ~2wks experiences so far, don't take it as something coming from the Fed economist. So be persistent on your pursuit of the lowest price you can get. I gave up after 2wks, but it doesn't mean you should! -:))
The so-called invoice price actually varies from dealer to dealer. But they are roughly about $500 -$600 above the Edmunds.com or any most other invoice price you find on the web.
They could very well be telling you the truth. Mercedes adds anywhere from $250 to $750 per car on the invoice for their regional IRG charge. So it is an actual cost added to the invoice, which is not shown on Edmunds or any other sites, because it varies by region. The MB store I worked at for 11 years in sales and sales management had a $500 charge per car, and was part of our actual invoice. Other than this charge, all dealers have the same invoice price.
So it sounds like you did pretty well. Some prices discussed in the forums here include loyalty, conquest, or USAA discounts given by Mercedes, and aren't available to everyone. So don't worry about the price. Just enjoy the car.
I don't have usaa membership (it's a military thing right?). Only one dealer asked me, btw . I am still curious though how it works. Ie whether someone is paying for this discount. Can't imagine uncle Sam somehow is paying for this (ie tax payer). I doubt it's a patriotic thing on MB side either
I don't have USAA either. It is a private bank basically, but one geared towards the military. I think there are different levels of benefits, with active military having the top tier, retired military next, children of military - so on and so forth. It is not backed by the US Gov't. They work deals with various businesses, especially car manufacturers, to give their customers a break. In this case, I believe someone buying a Mercedes could get a couple thousand dollars off invoice, or so I have heard. No business, especially a car maker, can afford to say no to giving a deal to our military personnel, even if they did not want to.
Was your previous car a luxury vehicle? Such as a Cadillac or BMW? I understand Mercedes gives dealers a certain amount of "conquest" money, usually one or two thousand dollars (changes each month) to give customers who move to Mercedes from another luxury brand, even if they don't trade that brand and keep the car. All these discounts put us that don't meet the criteria at a disadvantage. Many of the "deals" you see posted here are one or more of these discounts that apply only if you meet the criteria. In all cases, these can potentially get several thousand dollars off more than the rest of us. That is why I said that you did great, really great, by getting your car at $7500 under sticker without using these discounts.
USAA is a mutual insurance company for military and their families. It is not funded by the government, nor is it connected to the government in any way. It is sort of like a credit union in that you must be a member of a certain group or profession in order to become a member (e.g. teachers, plumber's union, sanitation workers, etc.). It used to be for military officers only and then was expanded to include senior enlisted.
The USAA discount is actually a "fleet" price like you might get if you work for a major company that has a relationship with Mercedes. Lots of companies get similar discounts.
Are you an active duty member of the U.S. military in the process of shopping for a new or used car? A news reporter is interested in talking with you. Please contact pr@edmunds.com by June 30, 2012.
First Negotiation which fell through due to shady dealer shenanigans at signing :mad: :
Palladium Silver P01 PARKTRONIC Wood Steering Wheel Trailer Hitch (can't get away from them up here) Running Boards Rear Seat Entertainment Pre-Wiring Keyless GO Lane Tracking
MSRP $58,705, Negotiated Price $53,859 using conquest plus Costco
Second negotiation with different dealership asking for same % discount as first dealership: Steel Grey P01 Trailer Hitch Running Boards Rear Seat Entertainment Pre-Wiring Lane Tracking
MSRP $56,495, Negotiated Price $51,699
Leasing the vehicle for .0015 Money Factor, $795 application fee and 63% residual
Down to a couple of vehicles, the 2012 ML350 being one. Can anyone indicate what type of discounts are currently available? In communications with one dealer, they indicate a $1,000 conquest discount was available if I had a car that was not a Mercedes.
On my last Mercedes purchase (a 2004 E500) I got 6.5% off MRSP plus a $1,500 Mercedes incentive. It would appear that 6.5% off MRSP plus $1,000 would be a good but not great deal, given some of the posts I have read. Thoughts from the master negotiators here?
Thanks for the great information provided on this board.
You will find prices are all over the place, especially this time of the year. Dealers are not ordering 2012s and the only thing they are receiving are the end dealer builds off the assembly lines. If you find what you want go for it as your deals will be better now than waiting for a 2013. Have the dealer check what is on the assembly line to find you a car with the options and the color you want. Even if that car is going to another dealer they can swap invoices and route it to your dealer. This is what happened to me last month when I bought mine. My dealer did not have what I wanted and was not getting any in that interested me. In fact, none were coming anywhere to Texas that included the options I wanted. However, another dealer in the Boston area did have one being built and very close to my ideal. It would be coming off the assembly line in about ten days. My dealer swapped invoices with the Boston dealer and I got what would have been their car and they got one of my dealer's cars.
I assume doing it this way probably costs a little extra. I'm sure you could do better price wise if what you want is sitting right there on their lot. This is now end of the model year so you should be able to drive a hard bargain if the car you want is in stock. In my case, I ended up paying 9% under invoice. I might have been able to do better in person but the dealer was 140 miles from me and all my negotiations over a week long period was with the internet manager via emails. I test drove the ML350 a couple times before so I knew this was the vehicle I wanted but I never met the sales associate until the day I went in to pick it up and drive it home. In other words, I got this price without ever leaving my desk at home. Could I have done better going back and forth and negotiating in person? Probably, but I don't know that for a fact considering all that had to be done just to get the exact car I wanted. In any event, it was worth a little something extra to me to settle on a price without all the traveling and going back and forth. Overall I was pleased with the price and the internet buying experience. PS-the ML is magnificent!!
Dealer is offering me a 2012 ML350 Bluetec demo with 8000 miles w/ premium 1 and running boards for 48K (he started asking 49.5K). MSRP is 55800. I've been unable to bring it down any further. Any thoughts? Is this a good deal or should I run?
Will the dealer extend your man war till 58,000 miles? I ordered my ML350 in October/2011, MRSP $56,005.00 paid $50,000.00 and I got an addition $1,500.00 from MB Fin total paid $48,500. You should pay $47,000.00 not even a penny more.
Thanks leokadia1! They won't budge below 48 + TTL so I guess I'll just go for a new one. How low below MSRP can I expect to buy these days after all is said and done? Is 5-6K reasonable (plus TTL)? I don't qualify for any rebate/ incentive but am willing to pay cash.
I've been calling dealerships and no one seems to go below MSRP minus 3K
I've been on the sidelines watching this board for months. Just waiting to see how low a price I can get on a 2012, since it doesn't seem the '13 or '14 model is changing (though I do believe the '14 model is lighter and thus better gas mileage?).
I can tell you, that the first offer I got was similar I think to what Leokadia1 has mentioned (and I got it in writing). This was for an ML350 (not BlueTec). MSRP: $56,540; "Selling Price" $51,843 plus an additional "conquest incentive" which if i remember correctly was either $1500 or $2000. this was a verbal after the $51.8 offer, as they asked me later what kind of car I drove and would I be trading in. I told them I would be trading in my convertible BMW, which is in pristine shape. But I always do this as they make a killing off of trade ins, and I knew this would drive a better selling price. This was the FIRST offer; My counteroffer would have been $48.
Here's one tip though- I would NEVER walk in and tell them you're paying cash until after you've negotiated the deal. Remember, these guys are incentivized to get you signed up for the MB line of credit. That's where they make the serious cash (and repairs). So it's one more area that the dealership can make up that "below invoice" walk out the door price. Just my 2 cents. Finally, I do believe we need to start demanding zero emissions on these models (not just BlueTec), and better gas mileage. It's not a cost thing- but a save the planet thing!
a tip: if you are able to pay cash, do not mention it. let them arrange financing for you. since auto loans do not have prepay penalties (at least under california law), you can pay it off immediately. This way, the dealer gets its share of the extra income from arranging the loan, and you will surely also get more discount. I have done it, and I think the extra discount for you is probably $300.
Comments
http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/m-class/2012/options.html?sub=suv&style=101- 327700&trim=ml350-4matic
The Dealership where I purchased my ML, has 250 sales per month, the Fleet Manager sold 150 with a team of two. The 14 salespeople on the floor sold the othe 100.
If you are a USAA member they treat you right.
It was 2012 ML350 with P1, Pre-wire kit, hitch, running board, heater streeting wheel, keyless-go, and lane tracking package in silver with black interior
MSRP - $57K
Discount before USAA - $6250
USAA Discount - $3000
$9250 off MSRP total
The trick is to not tell them you have USAA. Also dont tell them you have any other cars as they will tell you that you quality for conquest discount of $1000 (crap) off of list.
Negotiate best price with no promotions then when you agree on price tell them you get you USAA member and get your $3000 extra off. Most will try to use the USAA discount to minimize your inital price, thats why you dont tell them
The dealer gave me no problems and I was able to get car in a few hours after agreeing to price.
Also never buy any of the crap extras from the Finance guy - they are marked up super high. If you buy negotiate atleast 40% off
Good Luch
My wife is currently driving a Mazda CX-9 and although it's very versatile (probably even more so than the ML), it doesn't have anywhere near the family-hauling capability of the Odyssey. It also isn't much use at Home Depot when I want to haul plywood, sheetrock, pipes, plants, etc. When I had my Odysseys, I could haul all that stuff home without renting a trailer. I could also ferry around the kids and their friends, visiting relatives or my whole family and two week's worth of luggage. You can't do those things in an ML.
Bottomline: I love the ML but I wouldn't buy one for my primary family vehicle.
USAA is not that great. Their pricing should only be used as a starting point.
I am looking at an ML with the same specs as yours. Do you mind sharing the dealer info/person with me?
Thanks!
AB
1. getting internet quotes from various dealers are useless. at least for MB dealers in SoCal. I found it's somewhat useful for Acuras and BMWs. But for whatever reasons, these MB dealers seemed to be under some kind of directives from MB corporate not to provide any meaningful internet quotes that are close to real #s.
2. most dealers will 'reluctantly' agree on a price of around $4,000-$5,000 under MSRP and call it their last offer and won't go any further. I found this frustrating as I initially saw much lower prices from this forum (although most seem to be on the east coast and a few months earlier). My advice is don;t take the deal and walk away. They will give you the regular bulls**t of having to make a living and feed their children, yada, yada. I usually patiently listen, and answer back with "Ok, but, this is my offer price". They will make you feel like you are committing a robbery at the dealership and a great injustice has been committed by offering such ridiculous price on a fine automobile. I'd usually keep my calm and composure and tell them it's ok that we cannot do business and walk out. About half of the dealers will actually call back and lower their price a little bit, so I'd try not to make them feel like you are a hard case and won;t budge at all on your last offer.
3. The so-called invoice price actually varies from dealer to dealer. But they are roughly about $500 -$600 above the Edmunds.com or any most other invoice price you find on the web. It's just their way to show that they have a higher cost than you think. So negotiating from invoice is kind of waste of time IMO, and not a good benchmark. It's easier to communicate using MSRP of xx% off MSRP.
4. I wanted a specific color combination and Bluetec. It's not the most common, so your expectation of how much you can get off MSRP should be adjusted accordingly, probably. IMO. If I had been willing to settle for other colors and perhaps gasoline engine, I believe you can probably get a lower price than what I indicated above. But of course, like I said, I didn't think my purchase price was close to the lowest as I was pretty tired of playing the 'game', you should do your own adjustments on your price expectation and your own 'stamina' on the 'pursuit'.
5. Finally, this is just my anecdotal observation that it seems that ML350 is selling pretty good here in SoCal. I checked various dealers' inventory on the web to see whether they hold the car I wanted or if there's new arrivals, these cars seem to be selling well. This could be the reason some are unwilling to budge on price. But again, it;s just my ~2wks experiences so far, don't take it as something coming from the Fed economist. So be persistent on your pursuit of the lowest price you can get. I gave up after 2wks, but it doesn't mean you should! -:))
They could very well be telling you the truth. Mercedes adds anywhere from $250 to $750 per car on the invoice for their regional IRG charge. So it is an actual cost added to the invoice, which is not shown on Edmunds or any other sites, because it varies by region. The MB store I worked at for 11 years in sales and sales management had a $500 charge per car, and was part of our actual invoice. Other than this charge, all dealers have the same invoice price.
So it sounds like you did pretty well. Some prices discussed in the forums here include loyalty, conquest, or USAA discounts given by Mercedes, and aren't available to everyone. So don't worry about the price. Just enjoy the car.
Was your previous car a luxury vehicle? Such as a Cadillac or BMW? I understand Mercedes gives dealers a certain amount of "conquest" money, usually one or two thousand dollars (changes each month) to give customers who move to Mercedes from another luxury brand, even if they don't trade that brand and keep the car. All these discounts put us that don't meet the criteria at a disadvantage. Many of the "deals" you see posted here are one or more of these discounts that apply only if you meet the criteria. In all cases, these can potentially get several thousand dollars off more than the rest of us. That is why I said that you did great, really great, by getting your car at $7500 under sticker without using these discounts.
The USAA discount is actually a "fleet" price like you might get if you work for a major company that has a relationship with Mercedes. Lots of companies get similar discounts.
S01 Premium / Running Board / Pre Wire Entertainment / Lane Tracking Package
MSRP: $54,825
Selling Price: $49,000
Financed about $25,000 @ 2.99% 36 months.
I was trying so hard to get it down to $48,500, but couldn't do it...I think these MLs are selling well in the LA area...
Hope this information helps.
Palladium Silver
P01
PARKTRONIC
Wood Steering Wheel
Trailer Hitch (can't get away from them up here)
Running Boards
Rear Seat Entertainment Pre-Wiring
Keyless GO
Lane Tracking
MSRP $58,705, Negotiated Price $53,859 using conquest plus Costco
Second negotiation with different dealership asking for same % discount as first dealership:
Steel Grey
P01
Trailer Hitch
Running Boards
Rear Seat Entertainment Pre-Wiring
Lane Tracking
MSRP $56,495, Negotiated Price $51,699
Leasing the vehicle for .0015 Money Factor, $795 application fee and 63% residual
On my last Mercedes purchase (a 2004 E500) I got 6.5% off MRSP plus a $1,500 Mercedes incentive. It would appear that 6.5% off MRSP plus $1,000 would be a good but not great deal, given some of the posts I have read. Thoughts from the master negotiators here?
Thanks for the great information provided on this board.
I assume doing it this way probably costs a little extra. I'm sure you could do better price wise if what you want is sitting right there on their lot. This is now end of the model year so you should be able to drive a hard bargain if the car you want is in stock. In my case, I ended up paying 9% under invoice. I might have been able to do better in person but the dealer was 140 miles from me and all my negotiations over a week long period was with the internet manager via emails. I test drove the ML350 a couple times before so I knew this was the vehicle I wanted but I never met the sales associate until the day I went in to pick it up and drive it home. In other words, I got this price without ever leaving my desk at home. Could I have done better going back and forth and negotiating in person? Probably, but I don't know that for a fact considering all that had to be done just to get the exact car I wanted. In any event, it was worth a little something extra to me to settle on a price without all the traveling and going back and forth. Overall I was pleased with the price and the internet buying experience. PS-the ML is magnificent!!
I've been unable to bring it down any further.
Any thoughts? Is this a good deal or should I run?
October/2011, MRSP $56,005.00 paid $50,000.00 and I got an addition $1,500.00 from MB Fin total paid $48,500. You should pay $47,000.00 not even a penny more.
Good Luck, its a great SUV you are buying!
I've been calling dealerships and no one seems to go below MSRP minus 3K
I can tell you, that the first offer I got was similar I think to what Leokadia1 has mentioned (and I got it in writing). This was for an ML350 (not BlueTec). MSRP: $56,540; "Selling Price" $51,843 plus an additional "conquest incentive" which if i remember correctly was either $1500 or $2000. this was a verbal after the $51.8 offer, as they asked me later what kind of car I drove and would I be trading in. I told them I would be trading in my convertible BMW, which is in pristine shape. But I always do this as they make a killing off of trade ins, and I knew this would drive a better selling price. This was the FIRST offer; My counteroffer would have been $48.
Here's one tip though- I would NEVER walk in and tell them you're paying cash until after you've negotiated the deal. Remember, these guys are incentivized to get you signed up for the MB line of credit. That's where they make the serious cash (and repairs). So it's one more area that the dealership can make up that "below invoice" walk out the door price. Just my 2 cents. Finally, I do believe we need to start demanding zero emissions on these models (not just BlueTec), and better gas mileage. It's not a cost thing- but a save the planet thing!