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Now, my wife and I became mindful of our budget again. We've gone back to considering buying a base model Quest, which I believe we can get for $20K. The only sticking point is, without the split seating 3rd row, we're not sure if we'd have enough space for a double stroller in the back AND all the grocery bags (we'll have a 3rd child soon :shades: ). My wife decided she can live without the 2nd row Stow-n-go, but would really hate to loose the 3rd row split seating. But again having a small budget, we need to reach a compromise somewhere here's a run down of the main features on these two vans:
Base Quest:
likes: standard side curtain airbags, traction control, better engine, more comfortable seats, more head room, great styling inside out, and cheaper ($20K);
dislikes: no 3rd row split seating is just about the only thing we don't like, and it's a big one! We also wish it had the power doors, although we could sacrifice these Luxuies.
DGC:
likes: Stow-n-go 2nd row, fabulously useful 3rd row split seating bench, power doors and lifegate, adjustable pedals;
dislikes: curtain airbags cost extra and are hard to find (only available on fully loaded vans); horrid interior appearance, uncomfortable 2nd and 3rd row seats (although they'd be occupied by car seats), very limited head room (compared to the Quest); the SXT van without the side airbags (the only options being power lift gate and pedals) costs $2K more than the base Quest.
I'd appreciate you all's thoughts on this, particularly on whether you think the lack of 3rd row split seating will be a problem with carrying a double stroller in the back.
I never was good at math!!
Thanks.
I am looking to soften the blow of Chrysler depreciation. Right now, I am trying to get out of my 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee that depreciated by more than half in a year. Argh! It seems like Chrysler waits for me to buy, then comes out with great deals.
I also recently bought the TnC Limited over Honda. We wre going to get an Expedition, but when gas price shot up we reconsidered. Am military living overseas transferring back to U.S. Local dealership (Pomoco Chrysler Jeep in Hampton, VA) was great to work with, and let me take delivery of vehicle while house hunting and then stored it for me for free until we returned to States. Customer service is a winner for me always, and Pomoco is top drawer.
Test drove the TnC, Odyssey, Sienna and liked the ride of the TnC best - very smooth and quiet, along with price and stowngo. I thought the Honda had great features and acceleration, but a little too "torquey"; it pulled to the right when accelerating hard. Also didn't like the steering wheel reach distance with the driver's seat all the way back (I'm tall).
Got the TnC with zero pct financing, tax, title, and additional 7/70 GE bumper to bumper warranty for about $34K. Although the car seems very tight, it was delievered with 2 flaws: no GPS antenna installed for the nav system, and right rear quarter window was out of alignment (about 1/4 inch not flush with the vehicle side). The dealership jumped right on these, but I'm feeling like the additional warranty was a good roll of the dice if we keep the car for 70K miles.
First 2 tanks of gas netted 17-18 mpg in urban driving. No road trips yet, so hope to see better. Overal, love the TnC Limited initially. We'll see how it holds up.
What options did you get on your T& C Limited? How much was your extended warranty? Was your price below invoice?
It came down to the price. To get all those things in an SXT, we would've paid about $23K, 1K more than the Nissan. We tried real hard in the beginning to get the DGC, but sort of gave up on it once we realized it wasn't gonna happen for $22K. The feature we miss the most in the Caravan is the 3rd row plit seating. We love the 2nd row stow-n-go as well, but the Quest's 2nd row almost folds flat although without the two storage wells. On the other hand, we love the Quest's vast head and leg room, big and comfy seats, and its modern querky looks inside and out We also considered the base model Quest which doesn't have the power door and hatch and rear sonar but is $15K cheaper. Finally we decided it'd be worth paying the extra for the added convenience. BTW, the Dodge salesperson was very nice to work with. Happy motoring everybody :shades:
The only option we got was the DVD system. With the Limited, there's not much else to get except tow package and Sirius radio. Invoice was $33895 which was the selling price the dealer gave - so they must've had decent holdback and/or dealer incentives. So with $2500 rebate including 0% + 60 month financing, then add back on tax, added warranty (about $600 which they negotiated price on), title, etc. we were back to about $34K out the door - and with no finance charges that's the total price we'll pay after five years - and no money down either since the rebate counted for that. They made everything really easy - maybe I could've saved a few hundred more by playing harder and working a couple of dealers, but these guys were very accomodating to my somewhat unique situation from essentially making a deal from overseas, delivering what I wanted when I wanted with great service, and then storing the car for free until we got back. I'm a happy camper, and really like the van, to boot!
Looking at a Certified used 2001 T&C Limited FWD, 39,700 mi, good condition. The edmunds trade in was $11,600 and dealer retail was around $16,200. What is a reasonable price for this? I was thinking around $14,000. They're asking 16,900 which is obviously too much. Even at 14,000 that would still give them almost a 20% profit margin assuming they paid close to trade in which I'm sure they did. Thanks.
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I bought a Chrysler Town & Country Touring on Saturday, June 25, 2005 in the Memphis, TN area. Factory add-ons were Power Adjustable Pedals and Center Console. Color was silver.
MSRP $28,875
Invoice $26,606
Edmunds TMV $27,044 (not including factory rebates)
THE DEAL:
$26,306.50 = Price of Car = Invoice - Doc Fee
+ $299.50 = Doc Fee
- $2,500 = Factory Rebate
- $1,000 = Factory Rebate for trade-in
- $1,250 = Trade-in for 1993 Buick LeSabre
+ TTL
I financed with CapitolOne through CostCo (with Executive Membership) for 36 months at an APR of 4.1%. The dealer could not match or beat this deal. It was worth getting the loan through CapitolOne. Also shopped loan prices with Netbank.
I basically bought the car at invoice, got a fair price for my trade, and brought my own loan. The $3,500 in incentives from Chrysler made a big difference. I also got 14 free oil changes because of a weekend deal.
The deal was made near the end of the month. I made a take-it-or-leave-it deal for a price I thought was fair (invoice) as long as I didn't have to shop around or waste too much time. The price of $26,606 was a carsdirect.com target price, but no dealers in the area go through carsdirect.com. I decided invoice was a good enough deal for me if they gave me everything I wanted. So, I pitched the offer to them over the phone: Invoice - rebates - fair price for my trade and match the APR of my bank. They jumped at the deal pretty fast--so I probably could have done a little better if I wanted to shop prices or fight with them. When they insisted they had to add a documentation fee, I made them deduct it from the price of the car. I feel like I could have gotten a lower price if I shopped the price around, but instead just let them accept my offer (without budging) with the understanding that I'd buy today instead of compare with other dealers. I did all the negotiations over the phone and made sure that everything was agreed upon and wouldn't change (including VIN number) when I came in. They didn't give me any hassles when I came in.
I hope this info helps those considering buying a Town & Country.
MSRP 30500 (incl. dest fee)
Sale price 26500
Rebates 3500
Trade in allow. 4000 (99 beetle 110K)
doc fee 50
+TTL
Finance 4.6 % 60 months
I was looking to confirm that I have negotiated a great deal..all of your posts were helpful. I negotiated a price of $2150 under invoice (that is without the $2500 rebate because I wanted the 0% finance). I bought the 2005 T&C Touring with 29K pkg, 6 cd/dvd system, removable center front console, with leather seats & interior. The negotation price is Invoice less hold back less advertising costs plus a $1000 trade in bonus. If I add the profit from trade in..that is $600 after that loan is pd off..puts me at total reduction of $2770 from invoice price.
I hope this information is helpful to someone else looking for a price guideline...Good Luck - Krissie
Therefore, I would expect that you can negotiate a lower price than the Employee Price. Good luck!
Do you think I can still get them lower than that trying to negotiate the price? It is just the SWB model with the entertainment package add-on.
Has anyone tried to negotiate lower, but then say I'll pay that price if you throw in a couple more years of the extended warranty?
I am in New England area. Thanks for listening.
I don't see how your numbers add up to a $900 difference
What was your out the door price for the van in June vs. July?
In July, $17,400+2000(rebate) = 19,400. While the total number is $600 less, but remember you will pay $19400 and get back $2,000 rebate three month or more in time. That means your actual car price is $17,400, no the actual price of $16,500 of the June deal. The July deal is $900 more than the June's. Do you see the difference? That's why I call it is a trick. If they want to compete with GM, give us some real thing.
Thanks for listening.
Now with the employee pricing, the price you pay is quoted at $17400, which was a price of $19,400-$2000 rebate.
Am I interpreting this correctly? Is the rebate also dependent on your financing the car with Chrysler Credit, which is why you have to wait for the rebate?
This could be the case as they may have reduced the rebate and introduced employee pricing to all at the same time. Might mean you could have got a better deal before.
Chrysler has little to worry about from GM's minivans anyways, and I would bet on selected GM models, you would have seen the same thing happen when the employee pricing to all kicked in.
Bottom line: Don't be sucked in by the advertising hype of these sales promotions. The competition in the US automobile market is about as brutal now as it was early in the 20th century, with so many manufacturers trying to grab a piece of the action. A big promotion now may even be followed by a bigger one next week, next month or next year.
Note that the prices you are listing are not all that more, and in some cases are less, than you could have bought a DGC minivan ten years ago, and you are getting more equipment and better quality.
In June, there was a $2500 rebate + $1000 bonus cash if you traded a car in.
Before June, there was a $2500 rebate + $1000 bonus cash if you financed.
Currently there is employee pricing and a $2000 rebate (no dependencies).
And obviously rebates aren't mailed in and waited for like a purchase at Best Buy.
I expect it would be hard (yet not impossible) to negotiate a vehicle down to the employee price before July.... obviously if you did, and traded in a car (in June) you would have a price delta of $1500 ($500 w/out the trade).
Another small point to remember is that the lower sales cost (before the rebate) will result in a smaller tax bill since rebates are applied (immediately) after tax to the purchase price.... and most likely one could easily make up the difference from June by selling a trade-in directly.... resulting in a better deal for July.
The way I see it, the June deal is better. I'd rather pay them $20,000 and get back $3500 later. In the end I pay $16500. With the current deal, I will pay $17400 after all things settle down.
As to the competition, if GM makes a station wagon, I will buy the car in a heart beat. Too bad the General Motor doesn't make them any more.
I was very close to buying a 2005 Chevy Malibu MXX. They call it "5-door sedan". It's fine. But when I test drove the car, I felt the gas pedal was too loose. I couldn't get used to it.
I also seriously considered the 2005 Chevy Impala. I even rented one for a weekend. I like the car very much. Good looking, roomy, good ride and good gas milage. Yes, the gas milage is better than any minivan. The only thing is, it is a sedan. I need a station wagon (at least) so I can haul things in the back of the car with the rear seats fold flat.
So I am still shopping arond. I am trying to give GM a chance. It is still an American car company.
It would have been $20000+tax,title,etc minus $3500... that you would have paid to take the car home.
You won't get an argument from me regarding the June deal. I ran out the weekend before they started the Employee purchase and bought since I assumed they would cut the rebates down....
And just so you don't think less kindly of Chrysler.... GM did the same thing. Rebates went down when employee pricing came out. Many people paid less before GM started Employee pricing as well. It's mostly a marketing gimmick....
If you are set on a GM car, the Saturn Relay, Chevy Uplander, Pontiac Montana, and Buick Terraza are essentially minivans in disguise... sliding doors and everything.
The minivans still have more space efficiency than these "crossover" wagons.
Anyway, I asked how negotiable that price was and I was told that they are not allowed to charge more than the EP or they will get in trouble with Chrysler. I told them that is great, but I don't want you to charge me more, I want to work on getting that price lower. I was then told that is a bottom line price and it is not negotiable at all.
Is this true?
Good Luck!!
We had looked in April for a Touring with trailer tow, leather, adjustable pedals, and side curtain airbags. We would have had to order and the balance after trade in would have been almost 11 grand including tax, tags, and dealer fee.
Yesterday we bought a Touring with trailer tow, leather group, and luxury group. The luxury group had some stuff I didn't really need, but at least the car wasn't loaded up with DVD, satellite radio, sunroof, etc. The quoted price before trade and less TT&DF was $27,960. This is $680 BELOW today's Edmunds TMV of $28,640! The side curtain airbags option was the most expendable of our original wants and the backup sensor system included in the luxury group will probably prove to be more useful in the long run.
I really don't know how good a deal I got on my trade in because it was also a 2005 model (Subaru Forester I had for a year to the day) and I can't find any online book values for a 2005. But the price the dealer offered was right in line with my best uneducated estimate for trade in value, so at least I won't wake up in the middle of the night wondering why in h--l I bought on such impulse. my total difference was $11,917 everything included.
Not bad considering I had just been noodling around on the internet in the morning and learned that the best dealer around still had this one car left. I called, we drove the 30 miles to see the car in person early in the afternoon. and were home again before 5 PM with a car my wife and I both agree should see us out, considering our ages and driving habits.
Ours also had the adjustable pedals and the removable console. We didn't want either.... but are quite pleased with the console out of the van.
MSRP was around $30K for the van. We bought over July 4th weekend to beat the employee discount for all.... but only because we already had the employee discount coming to us. So we ended up paying Employee price - $4000 in rebates ($2500 + $1000 trade cash + $500 end of model year bonus). Our final price (not counting tax and trade in) was somewhere around $22K.
Oh, and for added fluff, this is good if you bought a 2005 before August 1st:
Chrysler/United 70,000 miles