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Buying Tips - How Do I Get the Best Deal?

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Comments

  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    "Should I buy a 3/4 ton super duty truck for the every-other-year trip to Lowes?"

    Only if they have time sharing models available. :P
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    The local ford dtore in my area will rent a 1 ton Dump truck for $150 a day. Not a bad deal. Of course they are ford's :P
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    The local ford dtore in my area will rent a 1 ton Dump truck for $150 a day. Not a bad deal. Of course they are ford's

    Last time I did major yard work, I got 6 CU YD each of mulch and soil; I had it delivered. I never, ever want to move that much of anything again by wheel barrel. :sick:
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Last time I did major yard work, I got 6 CU YD each of mulch and soil; I had it delivered. I never, ever want to move that much of anything again by wheel barrel.

    Sounds lie it could be a Advil commercial :cry:
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    so the 3/4-ton superduty rental truck from Lowes was the way to go.

    Am I the only one that finds it funny that Lowes rents Ford Trucks????????

    You would think they would rent Chevrolets seeing they dump major coin every year into the 48 car.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    You would think they would rent Chevrolets seeing they dump major coin every year into the 48 car.

    Not to sound dumb but I am from the North East. Car 48 is that Nascar?

    Side note: I have asked this question before, does anyone know what NASCAR stands for. I could be wrong but I came up with National Association of Sport Automoblie Racing. I could be wrong it is just a guess.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,573
    SC = Stock Car

    National Association seems right..

    AR = Auto Racing? Doesn't seem right..sort of redundant..

    Someone from North Carolina should know.. ;)

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  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Someone from North Carolina should know

    Weere arre ya'll southerner's at anyway? :P
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Non-Athletic Sport Created Around Rednecks :D

    Actually it stands for

    National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Joel, So I was close, forgive us yankees up here. i do have to sya though that it is catching on up here.

    Joel are from Atlanta? If you are did you ever hear of the Bubba Olympics?
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    AR = Auto Racing? Doesn't seem right..sort of redundant..

    Why would "Auto Racing" be redundant? Not all racing is automotive (heck the worlds greatest race isn't automotive) and not everything done with cars is racing.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,573
    Auto Racing isn't redundant...

    But, put Auto after Car? :surprise:

    National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

    Seems you could have left out the Auto.. Of course, it wouldn't have made a nifty acronym with the word car

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  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    so the 3/4-ton superduty rental truck from Lowes was the way to go.

    Am I the only one that finds it funny that Lowes rents Ford Trucks????????

    You would think they would rent Chevrolets seeing they dump major coin every year into the 48 car.


    Maybe they are afraid the Chebbies can only turn left :P
    I have to confess, until someone mentioned NASCAR, I had no idea what you were talking about.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    The 48 Car is driven by Jimmy Johnson in NASCAR, it is a Chevrolet and there major sponsor is Lowes.
  • grandtotalgrandtotal Member Posts: 1,207
    Maybe they are afraid the Chebbies can only turn left

    Everyone agrees that left turns are much more dangerous than right turns, right? So couldn't they have the cars go around the track the other way and make the sport a lot safer at a single stroke? :)
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,573
    That's how they race horses in England... Clockwise!!

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  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Years (decades) ago my brother and I went to Australia and found ourselves watching the horses run around the track the wrong way....

    Fun stuff and we actually came out $50 ahead.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Years (decades) ago my brother and I went to Australia and found ourselves watching the horses run around the track the wrong way....

    Fun stuff and we actually came out $50 ahead.


    Everything goes the wrong way. Watch the toilet swurlie when you flush.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Oh, I did!
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • mb789mb789 Member Posts: 89
    I've been thinking about a 2007 Jeep Liberty Limited at one of the local car dealers. MSRP is 30,765. Since the new 2008s are coming out now with a new body style, would it be realistic to offer the dealer like $25,995 or something close to this BEFORE rebates? Rebates are $4500.

    The dealer is large has many Libertys and other Jeeps in stock.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    If you mean that you want to offer the dealer $4,770 off of list before incentives.. I doubt anyone is going to take that as from what I just saw there's barely $2,000 in markup in a Liberty. But you're free to offer whatever you want.
  • ladydriver3ladydriver3 Member Posts: 3
    I qualify for a friends and family discount through Nissan and am looking for tips on how to get the best price from the dealer. My Nissan contact advised that I would pay around 4% below the dealer's purchase price plus any rebates or cash incentives.

    1. If I am looking at a car that retails for $25,000 that the dealer got for $20,000, do I have any room for additional negotiation?

    2. How would you recommend that I approach the dealer? For example, is it fine for me to do everything over the internet?

    3. If I go to the dealership, do I mention the discount early on during my interaction or do I wait until we start talking about price?

    I am weighing my options for a lease or new or used car financing. If I end up going with a lease, I saw that Edmunds recommends that I try to get the car with no money down other than the drive-off costs, however, I do have a car that can be traded if I choose to purchase.

    This is the first time that I am purchasing a car on my own, and I am not sure about how to properly use the discount to my advantage.
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    Unless Nissan's plan (with which I'm not familiar) is different from that of other manufacturers, just walk in and tell 'em.

    That's rather the whole point - there's a set number.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Nissan's employee price is set in stone, it's like Ford's A Plan, the price is firm.

    But it's a cheaper price than any retail customer is going to get and there's no negotiating, you'll have the numbers set in minutes. Not a bad way to do it if you can!
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    I didn't think you could negotiate employee pricing AND noticed many think you can and even try to.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Yep,

    We used to get it a lot with the Jaguars and Volvos on A-Plan.

    I remember back in '98 a base XJ8 was $55,330 MSRP and $48,410 invoice and the market on them was pretty tight.. a cheap deal was about $50,500 and typical was $51,000-51,500. The A-Plan price was $47,600 or so and A-Plan prices are not negotiable, IIRC we had to fax/mail a copy of the buyer's order to Ford, and if it was $1 high or low we didn't get any credit. Still, some people thought it was negotiable, it was not. If I recall they were roughly $3,000 deals for us, which was about in line with our average margin on the cars.. $2,500-3k for sedans, $3,500 for VDPs, full crank for XJRs and about $5k for XK8s. We also had the option not to take an A-Plan deal, so rare and high-demand cars wouldn't be sold on A-Plan, such as XJRs, XKRs, etc. We were a small store and didn't get many of those regardless.

    "Sir, the A-Plan price is $47,600 plus tax and licensing charges from the state, or 6% plus about $187.50, that's it."

    "I'll go $45,000"

    "Sir, the A-Plan price is set by Ford, we can't negotiate off of it."

    "I'm never paying your asking price"

    "OK, the car is $55,330, how much would you like to pay?"

    Nissan works in a similar manner... price is fixed and set in stone. With Jaguar, it was treated like a courtesy delivery in many respects. Like I've said before, if you can get a deal like this, jump on it... you get a killer price and there's absolutely no negotiating whatsoever.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    There is a difference between A-plan and X-plan. A-plan is a direct employee purchase, while X-plan includes suppliers and basically saves the haggling and gets an acceptable deal.
    I when I was shopping, the Altima with my supplier discount wasn't such a great deal to me.
    Most discount programs have a specific protocol you have to follow. I had to bring a completed form to the Subaru dealer when we got the Legacy. They also gave me the rebate and the financing deal they had at the time.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Well, it depends on the car. X-Plan is, IIRC, 104% of A-Plan price.

    On aforementioned Jaguar that would be about $49,500 ro about $1,100 over invoice. That was at LEAST $900 less than the cheapest deal we would take on one.
  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,198
    "...$48,410 invoice...A-Plan price was $47,600...they were like $3000 deals for us..."

    I know this sounds dumb but how do you make $3000 on a deal $810 below invoice? Does this involve some of that double secret handshake money I've heard about? :confuse:

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    "...$48,410 invoice...A-Plan price was $47,600...they were like $3000 deals for us..."

    I'm going to make a guess here and say that 'brentwood' meant, under normal circumstances, (no plan type purchase) they would make $3000 on the sale of a Jag.

    My guess sounds reasonable anyway. :D

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    The factory would reimburse us.

    Basically, they pay money to the dealers every time an employee buys a car. These contracts are negotiated between the UAW and the manufacturers.
  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,198
    "...The factory would reimbuse us..."

    I suspected that was the case. thanks. :)

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    If I am looking at a car that retails for $25,000 that the dealer got for $20,000, do I have any room for additional negotiation?

    If you are looking at a car that retails for $25,000 it has to be a Altima 2.5sl. There is no way you can get it for $20,000. Maybe $22500 with the vpp pricing. I wouldn'y expect anything less than that. If you are getting that discount it sounds like you are buying a base with After market accessories. :confuse:
  • traindrivertraindriver Member Posts: 328
    The Offer

    Through the Vehicle Purchase Program (VPP), NNA and affiliate employees pay a pre-negotiated price for a Nissan or Infiniti vehicle: dealer invoice less any applicable incentives, plus a destination and handling charge and, if applicable, an advertising assessment fee. NNA would pay the dealer the entire delivery fee equivalent to 5 percent of the dealer net price.

    For employees of NNA and Affiliate-companies and their immediate family members, the VPP price is calculated as follows:

    A & B PLAN
    Dealer invoice
    Minus VPP discount (Nissan 4.3% : Infiniti 3.58%)
    Plus dealer added options, Security Plus, Infiniti Extended Protection Plan, etc.
    Plus destination and handling charge
    Minus applicable incentives
    Equals participant’s purchase price

    For NNA and affiliate employee sponsored friends and extended family members, the VPP price is calculated as follows:

    C PLAN
    Dealer invoice
    Minus VPP discount (Nissan 2.87% : Infiniti 1.65%)
    Plus dealer added options, Security Plus, Infiniti Extended Protection Plan, etc.
    Plus 2.5% delivery fee of dealer invoice after VPP discount has been subtracted
    Plus destination and handling charge
    Minus applicable incentives
    Equals participant's purchase price
    When a dealership sells a new vehicle to you at the pre-negotiated price indicated above, it qualifies for a 5 percent delivery fee. For NNA and affiliate-company employees and their immediate family (A Plan and B Plan participants), NNA pays the entire delivery fee. For extended family and friends of NNA and affiliate-company employees (C Plan), NNA pays half the fee and the customer pays the other half. Please note that only dealerships in the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska are eligible to participate in the VPP.
  • traindrivertraindriver Member Posts: 328
    The Offer

    Through the Vehicle Purchase Program (VPP), Business Associates pay a pre-negotiated price for a Nissan or Infiniti vehicle: dealer invoice less any applicable incentives, plus delivery fee, plus a destination and handling charge and, if applicable, an advertising assessment fee.

    For Business Associates, the VPP price is calculated as follows:

    D PLAN
    Dealer invoice
    Minus VPP discount (Nissan 2.87% : Infiniti 1.65%)
    Plus dealer added options, Security Plus, Infiniti Extended Protection Plan, etc.
    Plus 2.5% delivery fee of dealer invoice after VPP discount has been subtracted
    Plus destination and handling charge
    Minus applicable incentives
    Equals participant's purchase price
    When a dealership sells a new vehicle to you at the pre-negotiated price indicated above, it qualifies for a 5 percent delivery fee. For Business Associate companies and their employees and the employee's spouse (D Plan), NNA pays half the fee and the customer pays the other half. Please note that only dealerships in the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska are eligible to participate in the VPP.
  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    Cars Direct Altima 2.5Sl
    $20,425 MSRP
    $19,194 Invoice
    $19,269 Sales Price
    ($500) Manufacturer Rebates
    $18144 total cost
    $625 Delivery
    Net Cost: $18,769

    I don't think it's the Altima, because you can get it for just over $18,000 plus delivery.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    don't think it's the Altima, because you can get it for just over $18,000 plus delivery

    Are you replying to ladydriver? :confuse:
  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    No, I was responding to your statement:

    If you are looking at a car that retails for $25,000 it has to be a Altima 2.5sl. There is no way you can get it for $20,000. Maybe $22500 with the vpp pricing. I wouldn'y expect anything less than that. If you are getting that discount it sounds like you are buying a base with After market accessories.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    No, I was responding to your statement:

    Just too clarify your numbers you posted these prices for a 2.5sl. Which will never happen unless there is $3000 in rebates. It is possible on a 2.5s. If you could get that price on a sl Then by all means buy ten of them so you can sell them and make a profit. ;)
  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    I don't see a 2.5Sl listed, but I do see a 3.5Sl.
    *checks again*

    Ah - I see - you're talking about the 2.5S with the sl package. IMO, you're silly to pay that much extra for
    sunroof, leather, and wheels, when it's cheaper to get those added individually(CVT aside - anyone who buys an Altima 2.5 with anything other than manual... eccchh.)

    SL package:
    Leather seats(pleather/textured artificial leather at that - certainly not full-grain cow hide)
    16 inch alloy wheels(useless, IMO, compared to better tires)
    Power driver's seat.
    sunroof
    miserable CVT transmission
    Is this all worth $4350 more?

    Now - it doesn't SAY it's $4350 for that option, but configure it and you'll see that leather seats... have to unselect the manual transmission. Oops.

    2.5S with the convenience plus package:
    Net Cost: $20,010(cars direct)+$625 delivery.

    This basically the 2.5 SL sans leather and CVT.
    I can get leather interior - the real stuff like in a Mercedes S class for most cars for about $2000. And it has a ten year warranty on it. That's if you really want leather and the CVT.

    (actually for $25K, I'd rather buy a RX-8)
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    (actually for $25K, I'd rather buy a RX-8) </
    Right if you get a 2.5 SL you have to get a automatic. I was responding to your original post which you used a trim level 2.5sl...

    I am a sales rep for nissan and was just trying to point you in right direction. Since you state you were looking at Manuals then I would say your info is correct. Best of luck shopping.
  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    As I said - if I had $25K to spend on a car, I could think of several better cars than the Altima for the money. The RX-8 is a personal favorite of mine, since it is inexpensive and nearly as fast as the luxury sport sedans. for 10K or more less. ($24808 before delivery is added - and about 2-3K less than that when the 2008s come out)

    Nissan's site lists it as "2.5s with SL package" - kind of an "easy order" option, but it's still a 2.5 with silly levels of markup. Few people buy a 2.5 and load it up instead of buying a 3.5.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Nissan's site lists it as "2.5s with SL package" - kind of an "easy order" option, but it's still a 2.5 with silly levels of markup. Few people buy a 2.5 and load it up instead of buying a 3.5.

    You would be very surprised at how many people want a 2.5sl... But as they... to each their own. Good luck with your shopping experience.
  • dsiriasdsirias Member Posts: 34
    There is a mazda 6i loaded grand touring I wish to buy. There is $ 1750 cashback incentive. Invoice is roughly 22,103. There are also some options on the car. Destination charge is $595. It all adds up to $22,786.
    Edmunds TMV says 23,121, which is a few hundred over invoice AND destination. But in the real world does not the dealer ADD destination charge to the sales price before subtracting the incentice? I ask because if that's the case, a fair sales price that I'd want to pay is a few hundered over the "invoice." Thoughts?
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    The dealer's invoice is going to be the invoice # on Edmunds, plus destination, manufacturer advertising charges (if any, depends on the market) and knowing ford based products another $50 or so in misc charges such as fuel that the car was shipped to the dealer with, perhaps owners manuals, etc.

    You can probably buy one of those for a few hundred over the actual #. Instead of going nuts over fees, compare the sale price of the vehicle. The $1750 cashback, if it is a rebate, is going to be deducted from the total sales price of the car including taxes. You do pay tax on a rebate.
  • dsiriasdsirias Member Posts: 34
    Thank you. I think. I'm ok then because my deal is now structured at 23K which is a few hundred over the total invoice, which includes destination, as you describe it.
  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,198
    "...The RX-8 is a personal favorite of mine..."

    Holy cow! I thought your prices were way off so I ran the Edmunds TMV for the RX-8. With rebates Edmunds says just under 23K for the base model! That is cheap! I thought it would be 10K more than that.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    Yeah - the RX-8 is a huge bang for the buck like the basic Imprezas are. You'd want to spend the extra bit of cash, though, for the Touring version, as it has limited slip and a few extra goodies.

    2007 RX-8 Touring:
    Customer Cash Adjusted True Market Value $25,748

    That includes $595 delivery. Cars Direct has their including delivery for $26,013.

    Oh - wait two months or so. The rebate will get closer to $4K. I've heard of people getting a base model RX-8 for a bit over $21K at the end of the year.(Nov/Dec when sales are slower for sporty cars and the las few 2007s are on the lot unsold)

    edit: this is better than a sport with the performance package for ~500 less, since a stock Touring is easier to find AND it ha a few goodies like better speakers and so on, plus homelink and a sunroof.
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    You do pay tax on a rebate.

    I'm not arguing but tax must be calculated differently in different states. I just checked my bill of sales for purchases in 2005 and 2006 and PA did not charge sales tax on my rebates.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    neither did HI
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