Infiniti QX56 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

keg97

I believe that the incentives run through 3/31. Apparently the Japanese fiscal calendar ends on 3/31/08.

utvols1

Has anyone heard about any March incentives that might be coming available over the next week or so?

phpa12

I am very happy to see so many positive reviews for the 2008 Infiniti QX56. I am a sales consultant for an Infiniti dealership in the Midwest and we have had tremendous success with the refreshed and updated QX56.
As I can see from many of the posts, most of the consumers are looking for the "best deal" on their new purchases. I am a consumer myself and I too shop for the best options, but how many believe that the "best deal" may not always be the lowest price? In looking back at posts up to several months ago I have seen things written such as: "Never trade a car in because that is just another way for the dealership to screw you." "The internet has really changed the buying process. Get pricing online and watch the dealers slash each others throats undercutting each other."
As a sales concultant, these comments extremely frustrate me. I am in the car business to make a living just as you work to provide for yourself and your family. Does anyone know what the minimum comission is for a QX56 at my dealership? $200 on a $58,075 vehicle. I am by no means complaining and I am very successful in what I do, but does piece of mind mean anything to buyers? If you purchased your house and in the mortgage you could have put an extra $500 into the cost of the house to guarnatee that your neighbors and neighborhood would look after your house and your belongings would you have done it? I think most of us would.
I can't tell you how many times I have spent hours with a client, negotiating price, showing the vehicle, and answering any and all questions only to be undercut by a couple of hundred dollars, then two weeks later have that same client come in to ask me how their navigation works or how to setup their bluetooth? I work on 100% comission and don't get paid unless I sell a vehicle but I do believe my knowledge and service after the purchase are worth something. How many times have you needed a service loaner on short notice or couldn't setup your Homelink? These are the things I am here for after your purchase.
I am not here to "screw" anyone. I can't make a living off of people just walking in off the street. I need repeat business and referrals to be succesful. I am a sales consultant and that is what I am here to do. Consult clients on what their best options are and help them in anyway I can in the car buying process. Please consider these points when you are purchasing a vehicle and know that there are many great salespeople out there. Unfortunately a few can ruin it for everyone.

keg97

Agree with most of what you write and that is why I did not take the lowest price. Instead, my dealership was willing to come within 200 of my lowest price and I felt that was fair.
I agree that people who window shop and then buy elsewhere are problematic, but it is an issue in all areas of the sales world. In the end, I'm going to use the internet for knowledge, but am willing to leave a couple hundred bucks on the table for my local dealership. Some dealerships though believe that they have a monopoly on the market and won't move on price. In that scenario, the internet is a wonderful thing.

Glad to hear that the new QX is selling well!

utvols1

Thanks for your comments and insight. I appreciate the frustration and concern regarding the overall image of car salesmen. When you work with a true professional, it makes everything enjoyable. Especially when they are knowledgeable, honest, and provide the necessary insight to insure that an accurate decision is made.

That said, can you share any thought about the forecast for the QX? I am going to buy this truck, but am in a position to wait as long as necessary. In reading reading various forecast, with the ecomony in/heading in an alledged recession and gas heading towards the $4.00 mark, what is Niassan's outlook on luxury SUV's?

Do you feel there will more dealer incentives for th QX during the 2nd Q? When is the ideal time to buy a 2008 QX?

Thanks very much for you comments and insight.

murphdog1

I am sympathetic..to a point. I am a sales person as well so I can appreciate your comments relating to earning income. We realize that the auto business is not a charitable organization. However, you are a victim of the system, and now with full disclosure via the internet, the situation gets worse for dealers. The manufacturers continue to dream up new ways to add hidden profit opportunities and that perpetuates the notion to the consumer that they are always getting screwed and will negotiate to the bone.

I am one of the customers you mention. I am loyal to a salesperson and a dealership for many reasons. They treat me well, they got to make some money and sell a car..and I actually think they go the extra mile because I didn't try to get blood from the stone.

Having said that, I have an 04 QX whose lease is up next month. I called my dealer salesguy who sold me the first one, told him I just want to roll into an 08, same terms as the orginal lease and what could he do...he tells me $845. That is $175/month more than I pay now. I tell him I think that's a little high, and he says that it's the best deal he can do for me.

I proceed to call a dealer who is still fairly local to me and talk to a salesguy who doesn't know me from a hole in the wall. I give him the parameters of my lease and what I am trying to accomplish. he calls me back in ten minutes with a lease payment that is $125/month less than the dealer with whim I am trying to demonstrate some loyalty to.

So the question is..what do I do? You would have everyone think that I should go back and give my original guy another shot. I am inclined to say screw him and just continue to drive the lease cost down with other dealers because I now believe there is a ton of wiggle room left....

You guys created the monster, don't blame people for acting the way they do when buying ANY vehicle!

keg97

Great example and I bet I know what deal you're going to take! :shades:

monkeyshift

Just picked up my new 08 QX56 AWD, fully loaded with tech and DVD, MSRP 59,215, got it for 250 over invoice, 54k, great lease deal at .00049 and 64% residual on 12K miles for 24 months. Stoked!

keg97

Congrats! What colors?
Did you get one that was already on the lot? Does it have any port/dealer installed options like the sunroof visor or anything?

phpa12

The nice thing about Infiniti is that they control their inventory very well so the old adage that the end of the year is the best time of year to get these types of vehicles is really not the case anymore. We were sold out of our '07 QX's before we had any 2008's. The incentives are there right now with the $1500 dealer cash and low financing. I would not expect the incentives to improve much and with the way the QX56 is currently selling the incentives may in fact go away. Japanese manufacturers' fiscal years end at the end of March so they all try to increase sales this time of year. I'd say go for it now and take advantage on what is out there.

monkeyshift

Black on black, loaded with the second row bench which was very difficult to find in Southern California-- no other options, although I may get the roof carrier rack in the near future...It drives incredible.

utvols1

Thanks phpa12. I agree with your comments. Two questions that I think you might help me with.

What was the absolute best price that your dealership would sell the AWD QX with DVD, but without the Intelligent Cruise?

Second, what are the recent sales figures for the QX looking like? Is the recession talk and economy chat hurt the QX sales '08 year to-date? I know they sold very well in December of 2007, but I am trying to gage how the month of March will be for getting the best deal?

Thanks!

keg97

Very nice! The bench seat is not as easy to find for sure.

I do love that pearl black on the QX...that is what they had in our showroom. We were set on white, although I REALLY wanted a black interior, which does not come with the Tuscan Pearl. We wanted the black b/c of the ease in keeping it clean with 2 kids, dog, etc., but ended up getting their interior protection package. I could care less if they actually applied anything, but it does afford us insurance against any stains that we are sure to inflict upon it. They'll replace any leather, carpeting that that they cannot clean.

We looked a bit at the Seregenti Sand (since it came w/black interior), but it just was not as appealing to us as the Tuscan Pearl.

Good luck keeping that beautiful Black clean....I think that I would have a heart attack trying to keep this beast clean in the black!!! It is very good looking when it is clean though!!!

liteguy

Does anyone know if you can figure in the $1500.00 dealer incentive into a lease or is it only good when buying the Q56.

Thanks

benbo

I have noticed readers giving great reviews of their new 2008 Q. I have wrestled for the last three weeks over whether to purchase a relatively new (less than 6,000 miles) 2007 QX56 for around $42,000.00 or bite the bullett and go for a new Q for around $54,000.00. Are the improvements of the new model worth the $12,000.00?

Being a recent retiree at 60 years of age I intend to do some traveling in spite of gas prices.

keg97

There is absolutely NO doubt that the '08 QX is well worth the premium for the improved interior and all of the new bells and whistles. I actually feel bad for the '04-'07 owners b/c the '08 is light years ahead of the old model.

Also 54K would be for a loaded QX....I got mine for under that (including the rebate)

lthaley756

I Drive and Infiniti car and my wife is looking at SUV'- We started with the QX as I love my car- but looked at the ARMADA LE-- it is significantly cheaper - The only difference I see in the QX is a little nicer interior , warranty and the Infiniti badge-- but I am not sure I can justify $15K for a Q.

Did any of you look at the Armada?

keg97

We did, but felt that the price premium was well worth it for the much nicer interior (huge difference in leather quality plus real wood), the HID lights, the Infiniti dealership experience, and just an all around classier ride. When I did the figuring, the difference was not 15K, but more like 10K. No matter, my wife and I both agreed that if it was an entirely rational decision, you would get the Armada. We wanted to spoil ourselves and step up to the QX.

No problem with our decision 2 weeks after the purchase!

lthaley756

one of my struggles is that we moved and now live an hour an a half from any infiniti dealer but the nissan dealer is 5 minutes a way

keg97

We live 45 mins away from Infiniti dealership but they'll come and pick it up/leave loaner and then bring it back. Personally though, I want the excuse to get outta the office for a day near the beach!

bulldogfan

That seems like a great price!-48,900. Live in the Midwest-I am hoping to get a deal like that in mid-May. Do you think that is reasonable?

utvols1

Bulldog. It was actually a hoax. The truck was a 2wd (when I had requested information on a 4wd) and there was a number of items that the dealer was having a hard time verifying. They really wanted me to come to the dealership to "talk specifics". The best deal that I've found on the 4wd is $200 above invoice before the $1500 incentive.

keg97

same deal that I just got....

mlevine

My experience with our QX56 purchase was an adventure. I contacted 4 dealers and each gave limited information over the phone and internet. The common theme was, come down to the dealership and we will make you a deal. I only went to two dealerships, the first was a waste of time having spent 3 hours but no vehicle. The second dealer kept me for 3.5 hours until we made a deal. Two sales people and one manager tried to work me over( 3 vs. 1 not fair). In the end I believe we made a great deal. Be prepared with your numbers and expect to spend some time to negogiate the deal. I believe anyone acquiring the QX56 will be quite happy.

lthaley756

what was the MSRP and your final price before Tax, title, fees , etc

mlevine

The MRSP was 56816.50 for QX56 4x4 with DVD. The selling price was 53654.88 which did not include 1500 rebate. This would make the final price 52154.88. The dealers in florida all try to add dealer fee, but I told them give me the final price with no additional fees when sittting down with finance guy. First oil change thrown in for free. We also went with great finance rate infiniti is offering. Hope this is helpful.

keg97

Wow....my experience was much better. I knew what I could do (I had a dealer 130 miles away offer me 500 over invoice) when I went into my local dealer. They tried to get me to buy at 1K off of MSRP and I told them that I had an offer for 200 over invoice. They got to abt 1000 over invoice and I told them that was no good. They asked what would get me to sign right then....I told them that 300 over invoice would do it and they readily agreed. This all took abt 20 minutes. I was quite happy with the entire experience.

mlevine

My negotiations with the dealer included trading in our sequoia. We were able to get 1500 more than initially offered. The next task was to negotiate of the MRSP.
With attempting to walkout twice, they finally wanted to deal. This occured the night of 1/2/2008 as they wanted to make quotas. The invoice on Edmonds auto was 53,301. My price before rebate 53,654.88 or 353.88 over invoice. Was there to about 12:30am with 2 children, not pleasant.

keg97

That's right! I remember your "bring the kids and let 'em run wild" strategy!!! My wife and I loved that and we were thinking about trying it if we had issues. Thankfully we did not. I love your strategy though....it has brought several laughs to some of my co-workers

mlevine

Normally I would prefer not to have the children around, but when they want you to come down to the dealership this helps. The younger one was playing with the putting clubs in the waiting room putting area. The older one would get into the various cars on the showroom floor sitting in the drivers seat. When someone wanted to sit in one of the showroom cars he would climb into the back seat and hangout. When I did not like the way negotiations were progressing, I was able to excuse myself to check up on both boys. Part of my prolonged ordeal was to break negotaitions when I felt I was not talking to the key decision person in the dealership. Eventually a manager came over and the deal was finalized.

murphdog1

Picked up the new Tuscan Pearl/Stone QX yesterday for my wife. We had an 04 due to come off lease, and she just wouldn't settle for anything else. I must admit, the 08 is completely different in so many ways to the 04. The ride is much firmer, yet luxurious. It is even quieter than before, and that's with the 20" wheels.

I picked up the $59,210 truck( DVD, TECH etc). Got 39 month 10K miles/year for $699 (including MA sales tax) with $0 down. Having started at $845 two weeks ago, I thought this was a great deal.

If you are in New England, you need to call Inskip Infinti, talk to Sal Hansford. He has been there 8 years and was the most professional and attentive automotive sales person I have ever dealt with. My wife, the car skeptic, was duly impressed!!

I made ONE call to Sal, and we had a deal within a day. I never once told him about other dealer quotes. He beat them all right out of the shoot...

He was a genuine, no BS guy. He understood I did my homework, wasn't going to play games and sold a car to a guy 100 miles away. It was worth the drive, especially considering I have 3 other Inifinti dealers within 25 miles of my house.

keg97

Congrats! You got the same truck that we did...save the Stone interior. We were debating btwn the two for a bit, but both decided to go with Wheat. I wish that Infiniti had a darker (even black) interior for the Tuscan Pearl...

jocko1

Can anyone explain why Edmunds invoice price differs from other websites. I've read other websites that list the invoice as $50,838.00 while Edmunds lists the price as $51,021 (the difference is not the destination charge as Edmunds does not have that charge included). Also, I'm sure that the '08 has the Tech package as an option - but Edmunds doesn't list that as an option available. What is going on? Can anyone give me the correct invoice amount for an "08 QX56 plus the DVD package. Thank you.

lthaley756

Invoice prices on most websites are an average as they may differ depending on region, transportation and dealer charges etc. It is not abnormal to see a variation. The invoice price is really not what the dealer pays. The dealer costs is usually a few thousand less than invoice. Dealers receive incentives and hold backs that vary from dealer to dealer based on volume and dealer factored incentives. A sales manager will sell cars all day long at invoice because they still make significant money on the sale.

I suggest you join Consumer Reports Online and then purchase the new car package. This is one of the few sources were you will find the "true cost" to the dealer-- it is an approximation but close.

bulldogfan

Utvols,
Thanks for your response. I am still considering the 2008QX 2wd, but was thinking I would offer right around $46,500 for one with moonroof, and dvd system and see what happens. Will see how interested they are in selling one here at the end of the month with gas prices expected to continue on the upward trend. Thanks for your input.

lthaley756

Good luck- I own an infiniti sedan and liked the QX but in the end the dealer would not budge much. IF you do not get the price you like- do what we did- take a trip to the Nissan dealer, look at the Armada LE-

We did, added the gold warranty to 100K miles and still came out thousands cheaper thant the QX. It is basically the same vehicle- without the Infiniti badge- I like my money a lot more than the emblem on front of the vehicle

and by the way buying a car at the end of the month is a dealer myth- you may actually do better at the first of the month

keg97

I'll agree that you get more "value" from the Armada, but you get much more luxury from the QX....much nicer leather, real wood/aluminum, more sound deadening, HID lights, etc. The Armada definitely is a great buy for the $, but you get much more than just an emblem on the QX.

mlevine

Pricewise the amada would be the way to go. The QX has additional features that warrant the extra price. When you deal with the luxury vehicles, the extra dollars also equate to extra warranty than the standard 3year/36,000miles. I have also found the service department to be more receptive in scheduling appointments based on my work schedule. In addition, a loaner car is always available and at times they will come to your house to pick up your vehicle and drop off the loaner.
For me I have become accustomed to this service.

johnhw

Purchased QX56 last night from west houston infiniti. Very happy with the vehicle and buying experience. The one other I considered most was the Sequoia Limited with everything on it. I liked the power and feel of the Sequoia on the road slightly more but what made the difference was the luxury interior and exterior of the QX as well as the value, the MSRP was less than the Toyota as I had it equiped. I have bought 9 Infinitis from this dealer as the buying and owership experiences with them are excellent in my experience.

I am planning a two month driving vacation out west this summer with 5 adults, a dog and golf clubs. Got the bench seat version of the QX but otherwise the base, which is incredibilty loaded with features.

Really looking forward to the trip but man this thing is big, it just fits in my garage.

keg97

Could not agree with you more....I've become more "needy" in my old age (I'm all of 32 :P ) and appreciate the luxury dealership experience. Everybody needs a bit of butt-kissing every now and again :shades:

keg97

Congrats! What colors?

We also looked at the Sequoia Platinum extensively and came to the same conclusions as you...it drove a bit better and we loved the versatility of the 2nd/3rd rows but we could not get over the haphazard dash and the industrial feel. We might have gotten the Sequoia if it had the Land Cruiser dash/materials or if the Platinum had been 10K cheaper.

You'll love your QX...just got ours a month ago (also got the bench seat) and I'm getting ready to put the first few coats of Zaino on it today!

johnhw

I got the black exterior with stone interior. Looks great when clean got some pollen on it yesterday and it shows everything of course. But no surprise there.I am very happy with this baby. Tell me more about the Zaino, what does it do and how hard was it to apply?

fpinho

Hi MonkeyShift could you tell me what the total numbers came out to be. How much money did you put down out of pocket which includes tax, tags 1st month payment etc etc. and how much is your monthly payment? Thanks Frank

keg97

Zaino is just a mail order sealant/polish product. I've been using it for 4 years now and love it. It just gives a depth to the paint that is unmatched by anything else. Plus it is very durable and very easy to apply...much easier than a typical wax product. They have several products to choose from, but if I were just starting, I'd get the Z-AIO and the Clear Spray (plus the car wash and Grand Finale spray). I

t'll do a great job on black and will make it easier to just wipe off the pollen, but black is infamous for being high maintenance. I love the black QX (great pearl effect to it), but no way that my anal self could handle the upkeep.

Here is their website: www.zainobros.com

Here is a link to some pictures:
http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10896

Let me know if you have any other questions on the Zaino....my wife laughs b/c I really enjoy the polishing process. She'll catch me going back out to the garage and just rubbing it or admiring the gleam. I'm not very handy, but this is something in the manual labor realm that I can actually accomplish.

mlevine

I have used turtle wax car wash and mothers canuba wax on prior vehicles. Does zaino keep the vehicles cleaner between washes? Over the past few years I have found it harder to wash my cars. I now often use a local car wash that hand dries and wipes down the vehicles. Twice a year I have a complete detailing performed. The QX we have is black and definitely gets very dirty.

keg97

I believe it does keep the vehicles cleaner. I even put the stuff on the wheels to keep the brake dust away.

Have you ever had a black vehicle before? I ask b/c black paint jobs are notorious for showing fine scratches and "swirling" in the paint. The Infiniti black might do a better job than most from showing those scratches/swirls since it has a pearl effect, but things like drive through car washes (unless it is "touchless") and teenagers using towels that have been dropped on the ground, used over and over, and generally tossed around are also highly offensive to car finishes.

Zaino will fill in these light scratches and just looks very nice. It takes a bit longer than Turtle Wax or Meguries, but I think that it rewards you with a better finish that lasts significantly longer.

Here is a link to our 7 year old truck that we just sold. I started using Zaino on it 4 years ago and loved the results.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e363/kgoetz97/2006_0528Image0001.jpg
[IMG]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e363/kgoetz97/2006_0528Image0001.jpg[/IMG- ]

I'm kinda sorta anal about our car finishes, but trust me, I don't wash them every day (usually once every week or so) and I polish them 2-3 times/year. Zaino allows me to follow this schedule and keep the vehicles looking great.

mlevine

This is our first black vehicle. The local car wash is touchless and after each vehicle is dried the rags are placed in a bin. I wanted my wife to get the graphite color as it would not get as dirty as black. I also did not want the stone interior as I believe this will also get dirty. We had a white tahoe in the past and eventually had a hard time getting out the dirt. It appeared as if the dirt became embeded in the paint. I hope the the infiniti paint will hold up better.

johnhw

Thanks, I see a clear seal but not a clear spray or am I overlooking it on the site you gave me. Do you have a product number of that product? Thanks again. Just had it washed the first time at bubbles, it looks good but worry about the streaks showing as you mentioned. How long does it take to have the products delivered from Zaino?

I have a black M45 sport 2006 vintage, and see the swirls on it due to using car wash with towels or brushless. Will these products restore some of the look and take the swirls out if I use it on that car as well?

keg97

Clear Seal is it! Sorry for my mistake..

You may want to also get some Z-5 b/c that will help to blend in some (if not all) of your swirls. My bet would be that it takes care of all of your swirls and makes it a mirror-like finish.

Probably a good combo for you would be:
Clear Seal
Z-AIO
ZFX (helps to shorten the curing time tremendously)
The Wash concentrate
Z-5
Clay bar (but you can get these at any car parts store too)
Grande Finale Spray
Their other spray (purple bottle)
Z-2 would be optional. It is an additional spray on top of the Z-5 but it seems to have been replaced by the AIO

I've used the leather stuff and like it and I just got the tire stuff and like it so far. I don't know about you, but I've had issues with my usual Meguires and Armour All tire gel with it spraying up on the truck. So far so good on the Zaino stuff.

It comes very quickly...I think they advertise 2-3 day shipping. I know that the stuff is not cheap, but it lasts. Literally, I think that I've had to order only 3 packages of stuff from them in the 4 years that I've been using it. They tell you to use a minimal amount and I have been getting better with it. I still use more than I need to and it still lasts.

Good luck....hope you like it. I think that you will. Just carve out a weekend and tell the wife and kids that you're in the garage all weekend so hold your calls and have them deliver your meals out there! I've found myself polishing at midnight b/c it is quiet and I really enjoy the end result.

johnhw

Thanks for the recommendation. I am retired now so have time on my hands to do this during the week or when ever. Would it work well on my G37 in a red color as well, I assume color doesnt matter, its just that black is more challenging to make look good correct?