Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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- $2000 off(incentive - applies to lease or purchase)
- 1.9% financing is also available last I checked, btw.
- $2000 off if you lease through Mercedes directly.(expect to pay nearly this in extra interest though compared to a good credit union)
- $2438 in lower initial down payment.(ie - since Mercedes determines whatever it wants for a down payment on the lease... it's marketing.)
The smart money is on the 1.9% purchase, IMO. Even though it's 72 months, 1.9% won't come around again for a long time once the economy crashes.
Of course, the best "deal" is to get a 3 year old certified one for $15K less.
I picked up my new silver 2008 Camry LE today. Made the decision finally after visits to 3 different Toyota dealers to test drive etc and went back to one on Sunday and made a deal. Went with the 08 due to the $1,000 rebate and overall lower cost which kept the sales tax and the excise taxes (which we have to pay here in Massachusetts every year) a little lower.
Paid $18,103 for basic LE with carpets and mats excluding document fees and taxes
MSRP was $21,075 plus 199 for mats and 660 for delivery for a total MSRP of 21,934
Thanks for advice and Good luck to all!
MSRP was $21,075 plus 199 for mats
I assume the mats were a dealer profit item they put in?
How much were the document fees?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I assume you did your research and got a good price. You're the one that has to be satisfied and it sounds like you are,so, that's a good deal.
Enjoy your new ride and don't continue to shop now. Those screamer adds will mess you up because they never provide all the details and they always sound GREAT.
Thanks for getting back to us and telling us how you did. You're one of the very few that has.
Again, good luck.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I'm in the market for a late model Cadillac Escalade. I'll use public trans so gas mileage isn't a big deal. I've found a dealership about 25miles away with 3 Escalades with decent miles and good shape. I haven't visited the dealer yet, but I've emailed a sales rep and the quotes have begun.
The Stats:
2005 Cadillac Escalade
53,843 miles
Price: $24,878
TMV: Trade In - $24,249 Private Party - $26,567 Retail - $28,413
According to retail he's quoting me a pretty good number. But something is fishy. If the TMV is correct then the dealer is only making a few hundred dollars...and I know this is UNREALISTIC!
From working as a salesrep for a year when I was right out of high school I know there's some gross between the 24.8 they're listing this puppy at and the dealer cost of the vehicle.
My problem is I want to negotiate from a wise position, but based on my research the dealer is already giving me a good number. I want to assume the dealers cost on this vehicle is say...$21.5, but I'd like confirmation. Confirmation that yes, there's always room, yes you can assume there's at least 3k worth of profit padding that quoted price, would go a long way of helping me stick to my guns during the negotiation process.
Am I on the right track? Any insight, suggestions or bucket of reality to pour over my head would be greatly appreciated.
I don't want to be a laydown on a bad price. I really want this truck and it'll be too easy for the salesman to put me together if I'm not sure of my position.
Thanks in advance folks!
"I've bought and sold a lot of old cars, mainly because I liked them and partially to turn a buck. Every time I sold one, I took the profit and put it towards the mortgage to get the house paid off sooner. Once I got the wife her 71 Mach 1 about 15-20 years ago, I've had the green light to get whatever I wanted. Well, within financial reason, of course. I only attached pictures of cars we still have, not any of the ones I've sold through the years. The wife has her 71 Mach 1 351 4V and her 08 Saleen convertible with 575HP. My son has his 87 Turbo Coupe (that I painted) and my daughter has her 96 Mustang convertible (that we are swapping a 4.6L into right now). I've got my 69 Torino 428 Cobra Jet that I bought in 78 and painted a long time ago, my 03 100th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic, my 03 100th Anniversary Harley-Davidson F150 with a supercharged 5.4L, my 57 Custom that I am putting a 429 in, a couple 34 Fords (not pictured) and a 65 Mustang convertible (not pictured). Like most car guys, I've had a ton of them, but these are what's left....
We've done everything on one income as we wanted Judy to be home with the kids while they were growing up. Now that they're both in college, she just got her first full time job a year or two ago. I did a lot of side jobs painting cars for people. I did them all, besides Fords, Chevies, Mopars, I did Buicks, Vettes, Lexus, Subaru, Hyandai, I'd paint anything for enough cash. I did a lot of buying/selling old Fords too which worked out very well for me. That stuff is all cash, which really helps. Work 8-10 hours at work, then head out to the shop for 3-4 hours. They were long days, but the extra cash helped. It was worth doing it, so Judy could stay home with the kids. We never bought new cars either. We always bought older cars with 100K on them for pennies on the dollar. That is huge when you figure it out over 25 years. Our Fords have really treated us well over the years too. All brand loyalty stuff aside, I am sure GM and Mopars would have been fine too. My dad was a die hard Ford man, but when he got serious, he used to say they were all good if you treated them right. Just take care of them, do the maint and you'll be fine. I honestly just don't see how people can knock US quality as my cost of ownership has been awesome over the years. I just recently bought some new cars, but those have been collector vehicles that I'll never sell. Our kids probably will, but we won't sell them. Hey, regarding that Saleen, I am waiting to drive it too. The weather has been too crappy. Maybe it will warm up some day...."
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Mike explains. And, yes, he did mean 'profits'.
" I consider them to be collector vehicles for me. I don't plan on arguing what their "collectibility" (if that's a word) is going to be 25 years from now. My 03 Harley truck is a "collectible" to me because I like it and will never sell it. That doesn't mean it will be a Barrett-Jackson featured vehicle in a few years. That's not why I bought it. I bought it because it's a 100th Anniversary Edition Ford partnered with Harley. It was an excuse for me to finally bite the bullet and actually buy something new. Everyone has their thing. If we all liked the same cars, it would be pretty boring. That's one thing I found on the internet, lots of big talkers. That's fine. I know what I like and I know what I have to do to get it, work hard and use my head. By the way, in my paragraph, I actually did mean "profits" from my sales, not proceeds. I bought a 56 Ford hardtop for $3500, drove it 5000 miles in one summer miles and sold it for $6000. Bought a 55 Ford ragtop for $9000, drove it for a couple years and sold it for $13,500. Bought a 56 Ford convertible for $11K, enjoyed it for ten years and sold it for $18K. I've done a ton of lower dollar deals too where I made decent money. If you buy right and sell right, it all adds up. I stick with what I know and do okay. One of my "worst" deals was buying a 64 Galaxie for $50 (yes, $50, it was a beast), then spending $4000 on the restoration and selling it ten years later for $4500. I had a guy laugh at me and say I only made $500 and did a lot of work on it. That's true, but we drove it for 10 years, went to car shows, cruises, picnics, Chicago, Iowa, northern MN, etc. We had a blast in that car as a family and I still made a profit when I sold it. I asked the same guy who laughed at me how much money he made golfing last year. He said that doesn't count because golfing is his hobby. I said that cars were my hobby too and I actually made decent money on it. Like I said, everyone has their thing...."
Talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
I knew someone that had a 72' Plymouth Satellite. Before he could unload it without taking a total bath, the salt here in South Western PA took care of that in a little over 3 years.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I had a '69 Satellite as my first car. I loved it. Beat the thing to death on a daily basis and it would not die. Lots of dumb teen-age memories.
Oh yea, by the time I sold it for $100 in 1980 you could look down between your feet and see the road going by. They did tend to rust in the northeast.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
They did tend to rust in the northeast.
That's putting it nicely. They dissolved.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I tried to make em last longer. I had a 66 Chrysler Windsor 2 Dr Hardtop. Beautiful dark blue/green. I modified a pump up weed sprayer that had the older small brass nozzle, by extending the wand. The distance from the tail light to the door post was like 5 feet, and I needed to reach way up. I took a mixtire of used oil mixed with diesel so it would be thin enough to spray, and coated all interior panels on my cars. Even spiked it with lindseed oil, but that is messy stuff if you don't get the excess off. Worked though. Had a buddy who had a body shop. Had a full time job replacing Mopar fenders. Ah, the good old days. Hah.
Man...this is hitting close to home. Years ago I worked with a guy that did that.
Worked though.
Yeah...that's what he said. So it must be true. :surprise:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Which means it wasn't that difficult to rust proof a car back then. Makes you wonder why the Domestics (and for that matter the offshore mfg.'s) didn't do a better job.
Maybe they figured that the American buyer would just keep buying junk and never wise up. I bet they don't think that now.
BTW, as bad as my Plymouth rusted, it ran for 158K with fewer repairs that it should have had. Teen-agers should not be allowed to drive.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
They were probably too nice, but I did have to pay for my gas and I ended up footing the bill for at 2 of those motors that I blew.
Nice isn’t the word for it and to be honest I’m not sure what word you would use to describe your parents generosity. Maybe that’s the word I was looking for.
If I did even ONE of the things you mentioned I wouldn’t have driven again until I was on my own. My Father told me the rules before I was at the driving age and I knew he meant it from the way he was with other things.
No second chances in that house when he said something like that.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I learned that my parents didn't have a clue how to raise kids, and I could play them like a fine instrument, so I knew all the tricks when I raised mine. I also knew what to teach them, something I never got. I knew that if they were like me, I'd have to kill em.
"I am still awed that sophmores are [were] allowed to drive."
Yep. And now they want to arm students. We have gone totally mad.
I'm looking at a new vehicle where the asking price was lowred by about 8% from MSRP. I would imagine this means the dealer is willing to go much lower.
I doubt that there is anyting wrong with the car. Anything cosmetic you should be able to spot. Any mechanical problems will be covered by the new car warranty. So I wouldn't concern myself with these things.
I'm looking at a new vehicle where the asking price was lowred by about 8% from MSRP.
This is what you should be concerned about. You'll have to do your research so you can recognize a good price. Like 'cc' said, an 8% discount ain't nothin special. For the fun of it I went to Edmunds new car info and I looked at three basic 4 cyl. sedans and all of them showed a TMV of around an 8% discount. And the TMV price is only the "average" price paid in a given area. Therefore, knowing the facts should allow you to do better than average.
I would imagine this means the dealer is willing to go much lower.
Only doing your research will determine this.
Good luck and let us know how you did. We only think we're know-it-alls here but we'd like to learn more. :shades:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
According to edmunds, the LR2 has close to 10% markup between invoice and MSRP. I didn't check the other models.
LR2 HSE
MSRP 35,375
Invoice 32,191
After adding destination, the technology, lighting, and cold climate package Edmund says:
MSRP: $41,400
Invoice: $37,444
TVM: $38,977
How many times have we collectively heard a dealer say that?
Don't ask a question of you cannot hadle the answer.
Edmunds itself ahs a disclaimer that their invoice does not include regional fees that vary by area.
I drive about 650/week commuting to my job.
I drive a 2005 Envoy (I can squeeze 20 MPG out of it, but 18 is more common).
I need some cargo space because I haul my music gear fairly often.
Should I:
Trade in the Envoy and buy a new, smaller car (Forester, RAV4, Matrix, etc.) and use it for everything, or,
Should I keep the Envoy and buy a small car only for commuting? This car would have to be reliable (120 miles a day roundtrip - all interstate) and be in the $6 to $7k range. And, I'd like this commuter car to easily exceed 30 MPG on the highway.
I know that SUV values are falling like rain right now, and I still owe $8,000 on my Envoy. Edmunds TMV is about $11,000, but what would that be in this market?
Any help/advice is appreciated!
Well, as I'm sure you are aware, the Foresters, RAV4s, and CRVs of the world ain't achieving that. I'm not sure a Matrix can, either (although I haven't checked).
But I guess if you only have 1 car, you figure a compromise is in order.
Thing with just the 1 car, though, is that you aren't looking at a big gain in mileage. Let's say you get 25 mpg. Just doesn't seem like a big enough jump over 20 mpg in your Envoy to justify taking the trade hit. You are looking at an average savings of about $100/mo in gas.
I like your second option, but just remember to take into account the extra insurance costs.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Trade in the Envoy and buy a new, smaller car (Forester, RAV4, Matrix, etc.) and use it for everything, or,
Well, will your fuel savings override the increase in license fees, sales tax, insurance, interest, depreciation, etc. not to mention the lickin you will take from a dealer who doesn't want another out of favor dog on his lot, so, he will probably low ball the latest auction results on a vehicle like yours, and you know they aren't bringing much when everyone is dumping them.
How much room do you need for your equipment? If you can find a good solid used economy car, you may have savings, but now you have another set of the above expenses, plus a possibility of increased repair costs. You would keep the mileage low on your primary vehicle though, and it offers you the option of finding a buyer who will pay a decent price for it. 18-20 MPG vs 30? Is there that much savings involved?
The longer you hold onto the Envoy the less it will be worth. Gas isn't going down anytime soon.
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
There's also the ugly looking but functional first gen( up to 2007) Xb. It gets good MPG (30-35) and can carry a lot of stuff. The new one is almost 600 lbs heavier and it really suffers.(25mpg is common - ouch!)
The Fit also is good, because of the way the seats fold up to allow for much taller items to be carried around.
How much room do I need? Well, the Envoy's luggage capacity is around 40 cubic feet. 80% of the time, I don't even fill all that up. It's rare that I even have to flatten the backseats, so I'm thinking that a vehicle that has cubic feet of cargo space in the 60s will do the job for me.
And as for MPG savings, here's my quick math, assuming $4/gallon gas:
22 gallon tank
18 mpg average
$88 per fill up
2 fillups per week (est)
$176/wk in gas
Okay - this week I've been driving my dad's 2000 Outback. After 2 fillups, I've been averaging about 28 MPG. So,
16.9 gallon tank
28 MPG average
$67.6 per fill up
2 fillups per week (est)
$135.2/wk in gas
That's about $163/month in savings just in gas. Right now, that's about half of my car loan payment, so yes, that's a significant savings for me.
I agree with whomever said you can probably squeeze 30 MPG out of the new Matrix, so that would make the savings even greater (of course, that would shrink if/when gas went up).
Right now, I'm thinking about the Scion XB (the redesign - the old one is just too ugly for me) and the new Matrix or Vibe. Any other thoughts on vehicle choices?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
That being said, anyone interested in a 2005 GMC Envoy SLE 4WD?
Actually, a really great car. Has a Viper alarm/remote start, about 96k miles.
Depending on how much gear you have to take a wagon might even be large enough to hold all of it.
No matter what you read, there are still plenty of folks buying SUVs.
I just bought another one for my wife about a month ago. No matter how hard I tried, she would not consider anything more fuel efficient. And when we were out shopping, we saw folks still buying things like the Jeep Commander! So if gas ain't keeping them out of 15 mpg beasts, your 20 mpg beast should be no problem.
And, don't forget, just as you in your SUV have considered a 2nd more efficient commuting car, there are always folks in efficient commuting cars who are looking for a 2nd less efficient vehicle to tow a trailer, go off-roading, etc.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Of COURSE you did! If you stop buying we'll ahve nothing to talk about it here....
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I'll have to hold out until September to do anything, so we'll see where things stand at that point (I doubt things will change much).
As for the Focus wagon idea, thanks, but after a horrible experience with a 93 Mustang, I won't go near Fords ever again. :sick:
That can't possibly last!
i won't ask about that 3rd foot my pickup truck belongs to.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Otherwise I don't want to know about that foot!