Soflkurtz- I was quoted 6.35% on Thursday, Dec 6th. I heard the real number is less than 6.35%, but I don't know for sure. Dealers have the latitude to move the rate up to add some cushion to their profit. I don't think the number is too much lower than 6.35%.
I ordered my car to lease for 39 months in October and was given a quote of $533 per month . The car just came in . I am told that the monthly payment is now $560 because the rate went from 5.95 to 6.35 . This is my sixth GM lease , and I have never had a price quote increase on me from the order date to the receiving date . Does this seem honest ?
i think their buy rate is closer to 6.1 so they like to pad it a bit to get their finance guys some profit. i'd think you could do better. what's i'd do is basically tell them you want the deal you had when the car was ordered and they can get to that whichever way they like.
I'm getting ready to purchase a 2008 CTS DI. I would like to purchase before 1/02/08 to take advantage of the 1.9% financing. Anybody know how much off MSRP I should expect to get? From reading this forum, it looks like between $2,000 to $3,000 off MSRP would be a good deal. However, I wonder if dealers are looking to bargain even more as it gets closer to the New Year. I bought an Acura last year and got a great deal on December 31 because the dealer was competing to be the #1 dealer in the area for 2006. They were really trying to move cars.
depends on the size of the dealership and their ability to move cars....most of the larger dealerships around northern va....have 10-15 CTSs on the lot..but are having no problem moving inventory.....so no need to bargain down...most here will not deal on stock but will give the break on ordering the vehicle...usually about 2% over invoice....I would say...2-3k is a good ball park...but again depends on your area and dealership...
I'm in Northern Virginia. That's interesting about getting a better deal from ordering than from what they have on stock. I always thought buyers had more negotiating power when trying to buy a car from the lot.
apparently the CTS isnt staying on the lots long..thus they arent dealing on them to any great extend....I have had two dealers tell me they will honor the aprox $3k off if I order the car.....the one Im looking at is DI with prem paint, P63 wheels, Y42 performance package and prem lux package....MSRP 46740...had two dealers offer it to me at 43900 if I order it...plus tax with no other associated fees...one dealer in Northern VA and on dealer in MD. both stated their allocations were plenty and ordering would be no problem at all subject to any constraints...
Moore Cadillac in Chantilly, Lindsay never came back when I told them the price I was offered....and Frankel Cadillac in Ownings Mills MD first gave me the price...
again..I presented them with the MSRP price.....and told them what the invoice was showing from Edmunds and KBB.....you have to add in an advertising fee of about 2.5% which is another $800 approx to this invoice price......and I started the negotiation from there....go to each of their respective websites and deal with their internet POCs
realizing that GM just announced a price increase on base prices of 0 to 1.5% based on the model.....so would expect about another $500 because of this...
again this is to order them...and not from dealer stock.....
Today, I worked out a deal with Lindsey Cadillac in Northern Va. to purchase a Thunder Gray, DI, with Premium Luxury Package and All Season Tire Performance Package for $2,844 off MSRP plus an extra $1,000 off for the Luxury Conquest incentive, for a total of $3,844 off MSRP. This is for a car on their lot so I can also take advantage of the 1.9% financing. Moore Cadillace said it would match their offer with respect to the amount off MSRP if I ordered the car, but I would have to wait to see what kind of incentive is offered when the car is delivered. I'm leaning toward purchasing the car from Lindsey unless someone thinks there might be better incentives offerred in January or February when a car I order might be delivered. The only reason why I would consider ordering the car is I would prefer a titanium interior than the ebony (which is on the Lindsey car).
Lindsay does seem to have a better inventory than the other dealer....and that looks like a great deal right now....I dont have the luxury conquest incentive to work (no qualifying trade in)...so wouldnt apply for me.....sorry to say my salesman never bother to reply to my email or voice mail if they would match the offer the other two made...
no telling what the incentives might be.....the financing option is great now.....I honestly would take the deal at this point...this is the exact car that I want....except the color and the addition of the P63 wheel option which adds another 1600 to the MSRP...and perhaps a slight larger discount off it.....
Thanks for the response. I think I'm going to take the deal. FYI, as I understand the luxury conquest incentive, you don't have to trade in a qualifying vehicle. You just have to currently own a luxury vehicle. I currently own an Acura MDX, which qualifies. I will be trading in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which does not. Just wanted to let you know.
I finally picked up my 2008 CTS yesterday, Thunder Gray, Ebony interior, Premium Luxury package, FE3 with summer tires. MSRP was 47,130 and with the GMS discount I only paid 41,160 and also got 4.9% financing for 5 years. Great deal and an awesome car!!!
Could someone explain, in detail, the Luxury Conquest Incentive. I presently own an 02 Acura MDX. Also, is this something that the dealer will offer or do I have to ask for it?
I live in NYC and am looking to purchase a CTS soon. I'm looking for AWD, performance package, and nav. I'm just wondering what kind of deals people are seeing in the NY/NJ area and if anyone can recommend a good dealership.
Current owners/lessees of a 1999 or newer Acura, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes, Porsche, or Volvo can qualify for an additional $1,000 towards the purchase or lease of a 2008 CTS. Your '02 MDX should help you qualify.
We ordered a black, ebony interior, V6 DI 6-spd with FE3/Premium Luxury package on Oct. 1 and just got it. We compared upstate SC, GA, and NC, and no one beat McCurry-Deck in Forest City, NC. We paid $40,600; the closest competitor asked nearly $5k more. And no one seemed as sincerely interested in getting and keeping our business. We heard the price had increased across the board whenwe picked the car up on Thursday.
I am actually working with Lindsay as well, and I just found out that my stepdad can get the GMS discount. Now, if we are just working on getting me the car I want. Did the $41160 include destination?
Ok, my step dad has a supplier code, but he has never used it. He was told that he has to buy a vehicle first before he can share the code. Is this correct? He lives in Texas, so I don't see how we could do this... I am so bummed because Moore has the exact car I want and Lindsay sold the one I was thinking about. Do you happen to know how I could get my hands on a different code? We will also be able to get the $500 military incentive on top of that as well from what I understand! Any help is appreciated!
Don't know about having to "buy" a car first, but with the little that I've played with the system it looks like you get a supplier code that you apply to a specifically spec'd out vehicle. The GM website then gives you a price for that vehicle and that price is good for a certain number of days. Talking with my local dealer about how it works, he said I could just bring him the supplier code and we can walk through all the options, he'll type in whatever I want in the car (or input the options on a car in their inventory) and the computer will spit out the price. He also said that any currently active GM incentives would also apply against that discounted price.
Your stepdad should call gmfamilyfirst and get a GMS certificate number for you, which will be good for 6 months and can be used for a ordered car or any new vehicle from any Cadillac delaership. Get the certificate number first and then go shopping. Yes, any other current GM incentives will also apply.
I found out today that he can get a supplier code, not a GMS code. They told him that he cannot have a code for me until he purchases a GM vehicle first. I am so sick about it because I put a deposit done on the vehicle at Moore. I have to find another code some other way because I won't be able to afford the car without the discount.
I leased a CTS DI (Black) on Long Island with almost all options including Luxury Premium, AWD, All Season Performance, Polished Aluminum Wheels, Spare Tire, and Rear Spoiler. With no money down (except first month's payment and DMV Fees) on a 36 month lease with 10K miles per year, my payments are $609. It would have been $585 without the rear spoiler which as a dealer installed option could not be residualized into the lease.
jilybud...i'm here in Rockland County, NY (suburbs of NYC) and I ordered an 08 CTS w/premium luxury package, FE3 summer tires performance package, DI, automatic and bought it for $41800...I think you got a great deal...anyone in NY/NJ area...definately check out Grand Prize Cadillac @ 32 Route 304, Nanuet NY 10954....ask for Tony or Ed...great people, excellent sales service experience...trying to convince my dad for an 08 Escalade...keep your fingers crossed...hope this helped.
Greetings all! While shopping around for an 07 XLR, I stumbled upon the 08 CTS. What a CAR!!! OK, not quite as sexy as the XLR, but WAY nicer interior, options, room. Does anyone know if, in fact, there was a price increase since the new year? My MSRP for an 08, DI, Thunder Gray, Premium Luxury, All-Season(F2), compact spare came to $46,940. Perhaps the MSRP is "regionally set" meaning some parts of the country have slightly different figures as a matter of economics.
Question: Can anyone please tell me just how light the "Light titanium" leather seats are? I am deployed to Baghdad and have only seen this car via my computer monitor. While the Cadillac.com website pic shows a medium shade grey, a couple of gray interiors I found pics of on cars.com make me think they're much, much lighter, almost off-white. To boot, the GMWorkbench paperwork lists the color as "VERY" light titanium which, to me, when matched up to the ebony dash, moreover ebony carpet, brings a bit too much contrast for my tastes. I have no idea whether the carpet is black (ebony) or titanium. The dealer from whom I ordered yesterday has none in stock to check for me. I'm almost leaning toward the ebony/ebony now - shouldn't be too late to make that change. Thoughts?
So, would $4500 off MSRP be considered a good deal? I got in too late for all the GM incentives (ended on 2 Jan 08..darn it!) but was able to manage a $500 military discount, another $500 rebate of some sort, and a 3.9% offer from GMAC.
Also, anyone know if the DVD player on the NAV is exclusively for maps or can I play a normal DVD movie as well? I know, my salesman should have these answers but again, this is a retirement community dealership and stock mostly DTS's. Of course, he'll inquire for me, but with the time delay and weekend, I was hoping someone here might help square a soldier away so I can get my order just right.
Oh, (last one today...PROMISE!)...any guesses on the wait? He tells me 6-8 weeks, but I find that hard to believe with the popularity of this model. Thanks again!!!
I just ordered a 08, DI today with premium luxury collection and all season tire package. The price increase for the DI was $500. I was able to negotiate $2844 off MSRP. I was told that the Luxury Conquest Incentive ($1000 off if you current own a luxury car) and the 1.9% financing incentive was extended to March 4 so hopefully my car will come in by then so I can take advantage of those incentives.
$4500 off of MSRP is an extremely good deal IMO, since it is below invoice. However, I am curious how the dealer agreed to the financing rate and rebate at the time you ordered the car. I was told that those incentives are not determined until the car is actually delivered.
I agree that the titanium interior is too light. I ordered the ebony interior with the Light Platinum exterior for that reason.
I asked my dealer about delivery and he was uncertain if the car would be delivered in 6-8 weeks. Since the factory was shut down for two weeks for the Holidays, he said that they will likely be behind. Only time will tell.
I finally made a deal on a Fully Loaded '08 CTS DI in White Diamond with cashmere interior this past week. I have been waiting for the best deal and looking for this exact car, and I think I finally got it. They purchased quite a few CTS models from other dealerships, and mine was part of that deal. I saw it on their website the week after Christmas, and I knew it was the one. I had a supplier discount code, but I wasn't for sure if I could use it because it was in my stepdads name. Anyway, I went up to the dealership just to look on New Year's Day even though I knew they were closed. A guy pulled up next to us and asked us if he could answer any questions for us. He was a sales man for Moore, and he was there meeting a customer after hours. I told him that I wanted this car, and I had a discount code. He said I could put down a deposit on it right then, and he would take it off the for sale list. I agreed because I knew that this was hard to find in this color fully loaded. As soon as I did that, another couple came up and said that it was the exact car they were looking for as well, and I told them I had just put a deposit on it. The told the salesman that they would pay $1000 over what I was paying if he would give it to them!!! He told them that it was sold, but he had other fully loaded ones in stock. Fastforward to the next day...the salesman called me at 9:15 just like he promised, and we went over numbers. I was told that since the car was a brokered car and they paid invoice for it, they couldn't give me the discount code. He did agree to give me $1000 over invoice plus $500 more off for military. Since we register our vehicles in Oregon due to my husband being military, we do not pay sales tax and only had to pay a plate transfer fee. They agreed to waive the doc fee as well since we were taking care of all the paperwork for that and already had financing lined up. I did have to pay their "advertising fees" that was part of the invoice and business license fee tax, but I am ok with that because I still got a fantastic deal! MSRP was $49235, and my OTD price was $46203. My husband went in to pick the car up, and the salesman told him that 3 other salesman had "sold" the car as well at FULL PRICE, but I was the only one that put down a deposit. We were also told that there were only 2 models like this on the entire East Coast! I knew where the other one was as well because I had already had their agreement on price as well because I had another discount price I had received through USAA, but I didn't want to drive 4 hours to get the car. I guess I was the lucky one, and I got a fantastic discount with Moore, and I have a GORGEOUS car! We had talked to Moore early on in the month, and they did not want to move more than $500 off MSRP plus our $500 military rebate. I was very surprised that I got the deal I did. I also got 4.5% financing for 72 months at a local credit union, so I couldn't be more pleased! I just had to share my story!
Moore Cadillac is where I ordered my car yesterday. Sounds like we got comparable deals. After negotiating with Jim Coleman in Bethesda, Lindsey in Alexandria and Moore in Chantilly, I think people will get the best deal and best customer service at Moore.
It is good to hear that you got a good deal as well! I talked to Jim Coleman and Lindsay as well, and I liked Lindsay the best. I would have gone with them , but I need a car now and could not wait to order one because I had sold my minivan.
Wondering how you got to that MSRP. I thought I had purchased just about EVERY option, including premium paint and compact spare. My MSRP for an 08, DI, Thunder Gray, leather, Premium Luxury, All-Season(F2), compact spare came to only $46,940. Perhaps the MSRP is "regionally set" meaning some parts of the country have slightly different figures as a matter of economics.
I paid $42,465, or $1 below invoice - total OTD price was $43,309. Downside I guess is I have to wait a couple of months, which makes it perfect since I'm deployed here in Iraq and won't get home until mid-Feb anyway! Perfect timing!
Oh well, I'm sure we're ALL gonna enjoy our new CTSs. My mother said they had about 4 CTS commercials aired during the Giants/Bucs game last night. Enjoy all!!!
Did you get all wheel drive? I am not for sure what you are missing because I can build it on the cadillac website and costco, and I still get $49k. You have to be missing something. Congrats on your new CTS though! Keep your head down over there! My husband has done 4 tours in the middle east, so I can relate.
good tp hear Moore stuck to customer satisfaction vice the bottomline....Im getting ready to order one through them in March....sounds like you got a resonable deal when it was all said and done...enjoy
THAT'S what it was! Whew...thanks, cuz I was racking my brain tryin g to find out why my MSRP was lower. I don't know if it was offered on the FE2 package or not but I opted not to get it as I'm allergic to snow. ;-) Lived in the south all my life. Thanks for "clue'ing" me in. And WOW...takes a strong woman to deal with those deployments...good on you! This is my 3rd and I'll be home this time next month (hopefully a week or so before my new baby gets there. Thanks again...and enjoy your beautiful new ride.
I'm looking to also buy at Grand Prize Cadillac. I have not hit the dealer yet. Looking thru Edmunds to see what others paid. Sounds like you got a good deal at $41,800 for what you got. What was your MSRP and how much did you get off? I'm looking at the preminum luxury pkg, crystal red paint, 18" chrome wheels and spare tire. MSRP $45,950, Invoice $41,946. What do you think they'll bargain at?
Cruzer42...my mistake, I took out the paperwork and here are the detail: in addition to standard items, Black Raven Exterior and Light Titanium Interior, I purchased the Premium Luxury Collection and the 18" Summer Tire Performance package, MSRP was $45,885...I paid $43,400, not $41,800 (my mistake) minus $1,000 GM Rewards, minus $500 Dealer Discount which puts it at $41,900 (i guess this is where I remembered the price from). This price was better than the GM Supplier discount, you can check online if you have a GM Supplier code or something. I couldn't combine the GM Rewards and the GM Supplier discount as I have a different type of GM card, who knows. I haven't been able to take it out much because it sits on summer tires and the pavement is cold, although the weather has been cooperating so far, snow melt and/or snow showers and stuff I just don't want to take a chance. Longest trip yet was to Edison, NJ (about 55 miles)...went down 287 south, the ride is smooth, quiet, really nice...I was at 80 MPH and felt that we were doing 40...no joke, amazing smooth and quiet ride. Still breaking in the engine and breaks, i added about 1/4 to 1/2 qt of Mobil 1 as the oil was low, I've read on other blogs the oil level drops as the car is breaking in, I'm not an expert on cars, I assume the theory works, all I know is the manual says to keep it under 70 till about 700 miles and about 200 miles for the breaks to break in. I haven't had 'fun' with it yet...just waiting for the weather to get better and really test it out. Car drives like a dream, looks like a dream, jury is still out on performing like a dream and most importantly how reliable the electro-gadgets are...so far the one and only thing I had to deal was the rear sensor thingy, it wasn't working, I would put the car in reverse and rather than working all the lights were on, meaning something isn't working, the car is clean so nothing was on the sensors, the car hasn't been hit...so I did what I do to most electronics when they act up...turn them off, count to 10 mississippi and turn it on again and VOILA it works.
Car is great, I hope and pray the car hold up as I am married to it for 5 years, Grand Prize have been really good to me. The only think I forgot to ask when picking up the car was for them to throw in a free oil change and detail...other than that, go for it. I also went to Grand Prize as they are local for me...it can help.
Hope I didn't ramble on and on and this post helped.
Hi Folks, what are people's opinions on the best time of year to purchase or lease a new CTS? For example, are there specific holidays when dealers typically add more incentives? I'm dying to buy the 2008 CTS DI, but am willing to wait if it will save me some dollars. Thanks in advance for any advice. I haven't bought a new car in almost 20 years, so pardon my ignorance.
I recently bought a 08 CTS from Napleton Cadillac in Hammond, Indiana. First a little bit about the car. It has the luxury collection, sunroof, wood trim, white diamond, and cashmere and cocoa. Though I was somewhat choosey when it came to options, I tried to remain flexible while still staying within budget.
I live in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I started my search for a CTS by visiting my local dealer, doing the test drive and seeing what kind of price they could give me. After some back and forth they offered to accept a couple hundred over invoice on the basic (no options by auto trans) model I was looking at. Eventually I decided on the options that I wanted. I found the exact vehicle at Napleton Cadillac. Since, it was a weekday and a near 1.5 hour drive away I called to try and get a price from them. The first price I was quoted was $500 less than invoice. (At the time there was a $500 manufacturer to dealer incentive.) I knew then I was dealing with a straight-up guy. I made the deal and was going to pick up the car that weekend.
In the meantime they "accidentally" sold the car I wanted. But they offered me the same deal "$500 less than invoice" on another vehicle they had on the lot. As it turns out, I like the options and colors on the car I got more than I did the other car I was looking at. At the dealership there was no haggling, no pressure, and no gimmicks. I know it a bit of drive down to Hammond, Indiana but I would highly recommend those looking for a good deal to contact Napleton Cadillac and get their best price. I think you will find that it is worth the drive. I was a little worried about the hassle of taxes involved in an out of state purchase, but that also turned out to be just as simple as buying at your local dealership.
When I first started to look around for the CTS I had a lot of salesmen tell me the car was too hot or too in demand for them to come off the MSRP. I think my story disproves that line. If you keep exploring your options, especially in a larger area with several dealers in range, there are good deals to be had. Keep trying and don't accept the lines about supply and demand.
You got an exceptional deal. A family friend is a Cadillac dealer. He cannot get enough of the CTS. He has sold everyone he has received within one week of it hitting his lot for MSRP.
I bit the bullet yesterday and ordered a crystal red, cashmere interior, 2008 CTS. I got the 304 hp engine, preminum luxury collection and spare tire options. That's really all that seems to fit my needs. Everything else comes with it other than the various tire options. MSRP was $45,200 without tax and titling and I ended up getting the car for $42,00 even. What do you guys think of my deal? I went to a couple of other dealers and couldn't do any better. With New York State tax and titling, total out the door price was $45,911. That is including the $1,000 rebate. I would appreciate any comments.
The dealer I purchased from isn't in an area that sees a lot of traffic. I would guess that the wide majority of their sales are to repeat buyers. That might have helped me get a better deal. At the time I bought they had between 7 and 10 CTS on the lot and for sale. Another bonus of where I purchased is that there was no ad fee tacked on. I asked the salesman about it and he said that they as a dealership had opted out of the program that charges customers for ad fees. I didn't know dealers had that option. But finding a dealer that doesn't charge the ad fee is sure a nice and easy way to save around $500.
Im deployed right now so its nearly impossible to get an actual quote....But im plannin on buying a 08 CTS in april with the 304 HP engine AWD with the premium luxury package...was wondering if anyone here has bought one with the same specs or if they got it in RWD with the same specs.....would really appreciate it im trying to calculate how much money i need to put down and whatnot, thanks
Comments
I was quoted 6.35% on Thursday, Dec 6th. I heard the real number is less than 6.35%, but I don't know for sure. Dealers have the latitude to move the rate up to add some cushion to their profit. I don't think the number is too much lower than 6.35%.
again..I presented them with the MSRP price.....and told them what the invoice was showing from Edmunds and KBB.....you have to add in an advertising fee of about 2.5% which is another $800 approx to this invoice price......and I started the negotiation from there....go to each of their respective websites and deal with their internet POCs
realizing that GM just announced a price increase on base prices of 0 to 1.5% based on the model.....so would expect about another $500 because of this...
again this is to order them...and not from dealer stock.....
no telling what the incentives might be.....the financing option is great now.....I honestly would take the deal at this point...this is the exact car that I want....except the color and the addition of the P63 wheel option which adds another 1600 to the MSRP...and perhaps a slight larger discount off it.....
I live in NYC and am looking to purchase a CTS soon. I'm looking for AWD, performance package, and nav. I'm just wondering what kind of deals people are seeing in the NY/NJ area and if anyone can recommend a good dealership.
Cars that are on the lot have expenses built in that ordered cars do not.
I have almost always ordered my cars and the price differences are generally pretty decent in favor of the ordered car.
The issue for some folks, tho, is that we all want our new cars NOW, not 3 months from now.
To each his/her own.
Ok, my step dad has a supplier code, but he has never used it. He was told that he has to buy a vehicle first before he can share the code. Is this correct? He lives in Texas, so I don't see how we could do this...
Question: Can anyone please tell me just how light the "Light titanium" leather seats are? I am deployed to Baghdad and have only seen this car via my computer monitor. While the Cadillac.com website pic shows a medium shade grey, a couple of gray interiors I found pics of on cars.com make me think they're much, much lighter, almost off-white. To boot, the GMWorkbench paperwork lists the color as "VERY" light titanium which, to me, when matched up to the ebony dash, moreover ebony carpet, brings a bit too much contrast for my tastes. I have no idea whether the carpet is black (ebony) or titanium. The dealer from whom I ordered yesterday has none in stock to check for me. I'm almost leaning toward the ebony/ebony now - shouldn't be too late to make that change. Thoughts?
So, would $4500 off MSRP be considered a good deal? I got in too late for all the GM incentives (ended on 2 Jan 08..darn it!) but was able to manage a $500 military discount, another $500 rebate of some sort, and a 3.9% offer from GMAC.
Also, anyone know if the DVD player on the NAV is exclusively for maps or can I play a normal DVD movie as well? I know, my salesman should have these answers but again, this is a retirement community dealership and stock mostly DTS's. Of course, he'll inquire for me, but with the time delay and weekend, I was hoping someone here might help square a soldier away so I can get my order just right.
Oh, (last one today...PROMISE!)...any guesses on the wait? He tells me 6-8 weeks, but I find that hard to believe with the popularity of this model. Thanks again!!!
$4500 off of MSRP is an extremely good deal IMO, since it is below invoice. However, I am curious how the dealer agreed to the financing rate and rebate at the time you ordered the car. I was told that those incentives are not determined until the car is actually delivered.
I agree that the titanium interior is too light. I ordered the ebony interior with the Light Platinum exterior for that reason.
I asked my dealer about delivery and he was uncertain if the car would be delivered in 6-8 weeks. Since the factory was shut down for two weeks for the Holidays, he said that they will likely be behind. Only time will tell.
I paid $42,465, or $1 below invoice - total OTD price was $43,309. Downside I guess is I have to wait a couple of months, which makes it perfect since I'm deployed here in Iraq and won't get home until mid-Feb anyway! Perfect timing!
Oh well, I'm sure we're ALL gonna enjoy our new CTSs. My mother said they had about 4 CTS commercials aired during the Giants/Bucs game last night. Enjoy all!!!
Car is great, I hope and pray the car hold up as I am married to it for 5 years, Grand Prize have been really good to me. The only think I forgot to ask when picking up the car was for them to throw in a free oil change and detail...other than that, go for it. I also went to Grand Prize as they are local for me...it can help.
Hope I didn't ramble on and on and this post helped.
I live in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I started my search for a CTS by visiting my local dealer, doing the test drive and seeing what kind of price they could give me. After some back and forth they offered to accept a couple hundred over invoice on the basic (no options by auto trans) model I was looking at. Eventually I decided on the options that I wanted. I found the exact vehicle at Napleton Cadillac. Since, it was a weekday and a near 1.5 hour drive away I called to try and get a price from them. The first price I was quoted was $500 less than invoice. (At the time there was a $500 manufacturer to dealer incentive.) I knew then I was dealing with a straight-up guy. I made the deal and was going to pick up the car that weekend.
In the meantime they "accidentally" sold the car I wanted. But they offered me the same deal "$500 less than invoice" on another vehicle they had on the lot. As it turns out, I like the options and colors on the car I got more than I did the other car I was looking at. At the dealership there was no haggling, no pressure, and no gimmicks. I know it a bit of drive down to Hammond, Indiana but I would highly recommend those looking for a good deal to contact Napleton Cadillac and get their best price. I think you will find that it is worth the drive. I was a little worried about the hassle of taxes involved in an out of state purchase, but that also turned out to be just as simple as buying at your local dealership.
When I first started to look around for the CTS I had a lot of salesmen tell me the car was too hot or too in demand for them to come off the MSRP. I think my story disproves that line. If you keep exploring your options, especially in a larger area with several dealers in range, there are good deals to be had. Keep trying and don't accept the lines about supply and demand.
Another bonus of where I purchased is that there was no ad fee tacked on. I asked the salesman about it and he said that they as a dealership had opted out of the program that charges customers for ad fees. I didn't know dealers had that option. But finding a dealer that doesn't charge the ad fee is sure a nice and easy way to save around $500.