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Chevrolet Equinox Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • greeneyespsugreeneyespsu Member Posts: 139
    As far as I know, there is a supplier discount. My boyfriend is looking to purchase a 2010 Equinox (I think he's at the dealer as I type this, seeing what they have) through GM's Friends and Family which gets him supplier pricing (according to the paperwork he has).

    I'm sorry to hear you went with the RAV4. If you had waited to drive the Equinox I'm sure you'd not have given the RAV4 a second thought.

    Here are some comparisons for you:
    EQUINOX
    2.4L Ecotec 4-cyl engine
    6 speed automatic
    182hp
    174 lb-ft torque
    MPG: 22/32 (FWD) 20/29 (AWD)
    AWD (ALL FOUR wheels power this vehicle, not just two like 4WD vehicles)
    Fuel capacity: 18.8 gal (4-cyl), 20.9 gal (V6)
    Fuel range: 600 miles

    RAV4
    2.5L 4-cyl engine
    4 speed automatic
    179hp
    172 lb-ft torque
    MPG: 22/28 (FWD) 21/27 (4WD)
    4WD (this means that you have 2 diagonal wheels that power the car, NOT all 4 as you might believe)
    Fuel capacity: 15.9 gal
    Fuel range: 432 miles

    Some additional features that you might not know about the Equinox are that it has 4-wheel independent supension with front MacPherson struts and multi-link rear design to ride and handle like a sports sedan, a rear backup camera intigrated into the rearview mirror, the back seats move 8" forward (incase you have a child or childseat that you would like more easily accessible), the back seats have 3 reclining positions and split 60/40. There is a 2GB (10GB with the navi) harddrive where you can record music directly to your vehicle (hear a song on the radio you like? record it! hear a song on a friend's cd you like? record it!), dual flip-up DVD screens (can plug in a portable DVD player to watch 2 different movies or even a gaming console) segment-exclusive power programmable liftgate, ECO button to maximize fuel economy on 4cyl, best-in-class quietness, best-in-class seat comfort (matches Lexus RX330), tire pressure is shown for EACH tire, oversize glovebox can hold two medium-sized purses, hill-hold (holds you car on a hill for 2 seconds after you let go of the brake and before you step on the gas so you don't roll backwards), auto-grade braking to save your brakes and make the vehicle safer, Electronic Range Select for hills or towing, variable valve timing, headlamps turn on from 195 ft away for safe approach, time off for safe departure, tires are rated up to 65k miles.. etc, etc.
  • pmkingpmking Member Posts: 7
    We're debating between the Nissan Rogue and the Equinox. I'm disappointed that there are no financing incentives on the Equinox. Has anyone heard if they are going to release any financing incentives? 6.9% is steep, we could probably get 5% from our credit union, but still this is a consideration.

    How did your boyfriend get supplier pricing? I know we were eligible due to our credit union membership for supplier pricing on GMC vehicles, would the same apply to the Equinox?

    Has anyone had a positive experience buying an Equinox or Rogue in the metropoliatan Washington DC area?
  • greeneyespsugreeneyespsu Member Posts: 139
    Hey Wallyuwl,

    You said you got your Equinox for $23387 before trade and TTL. Is that also before the Conquest or did you include the Conquest cash in that price? I'm surprised to hear the dealer went so far below supplier price, but that's great for others if that is prior to conquest! Please let me know. Thanks! :)
  • greeneyespsugreeneyespsu Member Posts: 139
    He is eligible for supplier pricing because we work as product specialists for certain Chevy vehicles (the Equinox is one of them) -- we don't work for GM, we work for an outside marketing agency. I've been working as a product specialist for them for the past 2 years, but the Equinox is the first program he's done for them and after driving it the first time 2 weekends ago, he fell in love with it. Now the trick will be finding the one he wants (they're very scarse around SoCal because they're selling out very fast) and getting the best pricing -- I'm wondering how Wally got almost $800 off from supplier, that would be a phenominal deal if my boyfriend could get the same thing (it'll be a business car -- getting it wrapped to promote a website he owns). :)
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    That is after Conquest. Technically my trade didn't qualify since it was older than 1999, but the dealer honored it on their end.

    It was just a little over $26k sticker, then supplier knocked almost exactly $1000 off, then another $1000 for conquest, and the rest was just a good price from the dealer.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    Get the Nissan!!!!!! We were debating between the Equinox and Rogue also, and went with the Equinox. BIG mistake! It is a great vehicle... except the transmission. And lots of people appear to be having problems (mine are well documented in the "2010 Equinox Problems" thread). More troubling is the unwillingness of GM on a national level (I've talked to someone in the Exec. Office in Detroit) or dealer to do anything about it. Also, tonight it slipped into gear hard from third to fourth, something it hasn't done before. I hope the whole dang tranny falls out so they'll finally do something about it. :mad: :mad:
  • pmkingpmking Member Posts: 7
    I have read the Rogue has tranny problems too!?! I wish the Rogue had a 6-cyl option like the Equinox. I would like the Rogue to have a bit more pick up. Sad to say, but the Equinox would be the first American car that I have ever bought. I've had Nissan, Honda and Mazda in the past.
  • cmhj2000cmhj2000 Member Posts: 381
    Yes, the Rogue has had lots of tranny issues but mostly with the AWD model. However, that was during the first 2 years. Now things "appeared" to have been resolved for the most part.

    I've always said to avoid the first year and sometimes second year release of a new model if possible.
  • dragonsbackdragonsback Member Posts: 4
    Hey if your in Socal, beware of Connell Chevy in Costa Mesa, CA.
    I had a bad experiance with this snakes, they will exploit the hard-to-find issue with the Equinox right now and play games,stall, etc.
    They suck. I went to two different dealers in Socal and got met with the same attitude..."oh you want an Equinox huh..good luck, your going to pay top dollar EVEN if you can find one"

    I got my LS 4 cyl. from MK Smith in Chino (only dealer who had closest specs to what I wanted) and we made the deal in one morning. Great to work with and got a great price.
    I'm tempted to go to these slime bag dealers who treated me like crap and show them the mistake they made.
    And these tranny problems....none to be seen in ours. 300 miles on her, 2 weeks old and still overly impressed by the vehicle.
    LOVE it
  • sbiggssbiggs Member Posts: 1
    We purchased a 2010 Equinox LTZ in Black Granite back on August 8th and couldn't be happier (so far) We only found 4 in the DFW area that were exactly what we were looking for and nobody really wanted to deal anything less than sticker. We finally found a dealership two hours away that came down $1200 off sticker and gave us the $1000 conquest cash. So about $33300 total. MSRP was $35570. Not a great deal, but about the best at this time and we got the exact vehicle we wanted. We bought the vehicle on a saturday and took it on a road trip (4 hours one way) on Sunday and it performed great. Kids loved the Dual DVD screens and the Touch Screen Nav/Infotainment is awesome! Mileage averaged about 25.5 mpg while averaging about 72 mph. Not too bad considering we got the 3.0 v6 and the 19" Wheel Package.
  • travelnmantravelnman Member Posts: 1
    Would you please tell where you received your deal in the DFW area (within 200 miles) as we are looking for a good deal on the Equinox and in your area. Thanks
  • brueggiebrueggie Member Posts: 46
    @travelnman

    Go to Classic Chevy in Grapevine. I bought my Pontiac G5 from Classic Pontiac in Carrollton and my parents purchased an '09 Avalanche back in February from Classic Chevy. They are straight forward and great to deal with. I just ordered our '10 Equinox on Saturday and it should take about 6-8 weeks to arrive. I get the GM discount so I can't quote any prices but you should be able to get one around $1500-2000 below MSRP depending on the model/features.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    I found a small incentive yesterday that my husband and I will be taking advantage of when our '10 NOX comes in by the end of September. You can sign a waiver stating you do not want to have the 60 day return policy option on your vehicle, and you will get a $500.00 cash incentive instead. We know that we wouldn't be returning the vehicle, so we will be taking the extra $500.00. If nothing else it'll pay for 1/4 of our taxes and other fees! This can be used in conjuction with other offers, supplier discounts, GM discounts, etc. Read all about it at
    http://www.gm.com/guarantee/index.jsp?brandId=gm
  • gamehawkergamehawker Member Posts: 17
    The price I paid for a 2010 Equinox LT2 (mocha steel metallic), 4 cyl,, fwd, heated leather seats (jet black/brownstone), rear entertainment, cargo management package and sunroof was $29,575.

    I traded my 2000 Dodge Durango in for "cash for clunkers" and got $4,500 for it and another $1,000 in conquest money.

    So with taxes, title/registration less the cfc and Conquest - out the door was $25,7249.44.
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    Local dealer quoted me 30300 (1500 rebates) for a LTZ 4cyl, rear entertainment, nav/infotainment, 18" machined aluminum wheel, msrp is 33290. I am wondering if I can get a better deal. He wants 30000 (no rebate included) for a the similar vehicle without nav, for him to order one. He said conquest cash is ending this month and he was not sure how long $500 rebate lasts. I am not sure, if GM will extends the conquest cash. Any suggestions/advice.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    GM has has Conquest Cash on the new Equinox since it came out in July. We took advantage of it in buying ours. Further, dealers are not informed of incentives any sooner than the general public is. They get the incentives on their computer/fax the day they change. I think the dealer is just trying to get you to "buy now". That said, GM may end the Conquest Cash beginning in Oct. or at any time thereafter.
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    Thanks for the reply.
    Maybe that's the chance I have to take. If I cant get a good price on LTZ with Nav, I have to either order one or wait until I find a loaded LTZ minus nav. Either way, there is chance I wont get conquest cash.
    I am wondering if anyone was able to get any 2010 Nox trim at or near the invoice price. I do know 2010 Nox is hard to come by. I am wary of this dealer as he tacks on processing fee $199 to the price. I talked to some other dealer (they don't have the vehicle) and found out they don't charge processing fee.
    I test drove both 2010 Nox and Terrain. I feel like Terrain's driver seat is bit roomier than Nox.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    I thought the Terrain and Nox were supposed to be nearly identical except the exterior and colors/emblems on the interior? Sort of like the Vibe and Matrix or GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado? I'd be surprised if they are different, it might be perception.

    Anyway, I got mine I think less than invoice. I don't remember details, I think I posted what I paid earlier in this thread. We bought it in late July. It was just over $26k sticker. I qualified for Supplier pricing, then the dealer honored Conquest even though my vehicle was older than 1999, and then took another $800 or so off. So I think we paid a little under $23,400. Then did Cash for Clunkers on top of that. They had a high Documentation Fee (about $350 from what I remember), which might be the equivilent of the "processing fee" you're talking about. They also did VIN etching without us really knowing about it at a cost of $211. I think I figured it out at the time and even with those extras and holdbacks and everything they probably only made a few hundred on the deal if I remember right, so I think it was a good deal for us.

    You may want to wait if you don't trust the dealer and are having a hard time finding what you want anyway. If you read the Nox thread titles you'll see a lot of tranny problems discussed, mostly by me. I found a fix today (in the 2010 tranny fixed thread you can read about it). But starting maybe in a couple days, and probably for sure within a couple weeks, they will be using the new tranny program in production vehicles. So you might want to order one so when it is built you know for sure you are getting a post-program change vehicle. The difference between the old and new tranny software programs are huge, at least for me.

    So you might want to order one but go to a different dealer, even if you need to travel a little bit to get to the next closest one. This way you get exactly what you want and are pretty much guaranteed a post software change vehicle.
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    I have been watching your issue thread. Glad they addressed your issue. Without you not being persistent, I am sure they would not have address it.
    I will try to find one close to the invoice price.
    Thanks.
  • sheposhepo Member Posts: 7
    Anyone out there order their Nox? If so, did you have to pay the destination charge through the dealer? Any other tips for this route? Thanks
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    My husband and I didn't want to wait 8+ weeks when ordering a new NOX as we wouldn't be guaranteed rebates, incentives, etc, plus our trade would lose value over that time (I tend to be heavy on mileage with the commute to my job). I knew that I wanted a 2LT Cardinal Red with Sunroof, jet black cloth and power lift gate. So, we went around to all of the Chevy dealers within a 40 minute drive from Kansas City (where we live) and found a Cardinal Red 2LT with the added features, but with leather that the dealer had already placed the order for. Lucky for us when we found it the vehicle was only a 3100 Series (I believe thats the correct number), meaning the assembly hadn't been started yet, but it was going on the line the next week. So, the dealer was able to pull some strings and get the order changed to jet black cloth interior for us. We put a $500.00 deposit check down and got in writing from the dealer that we would get our supplier discount, conquest money, $500.00 rebate for not doing the 60 day money back guarantee and the full amout we were quoted that day for our trade in. Plus, they were able to tell us the vehicle was 2-3 weeks from being at the dealer. A small cry from 8+ weeks!

    I received a phone call yesterday (1.5 weeks after we changed the order) saying it was off the assembly line and getting on a truck. They expect my vehicle to be in town by Monday at the latest, if not by the end of the week. We've already solidified our financing through an outside bank at 4.3% and are just waiting for the VIN #.

    I'm rather excited and cannot imagine waiting 8+ weeks for the vehicle! I plan to post information about my vehicle and final costs when we're all said and done a week from now. I'll also make note if we pay the destination charge. To be quite honest, I consider this the best way to get a new NOX as you aren't running around looking at them and making a rushed decision on a lot nor are you having to wait 2+ months to get your vehicle!

    Just something to think about. Good luck to you!
  • ulliulli Member Posts: 14
    I ordered 8-17 - production date is the week of 10-12 - delivery at the end of Oct or first of Nov. And they don't deliver them for nothing - you will pay thru the dealer.
    By ordering you'll get exactly what you want - Well worth the wait in my case.
    Good luck.
  • sheposhepo Member Posts: 7
    Elisa & Ulli,

    Thanks so much for all the good information. Ulli, by ordering what you wanted were you able to secure the conquest cash $1000 and 60 day rebate $500? Any tips for TTL or negotiating anything else I should consider? Just a newby to this and would like to obtain the best deal possible. Thanks so much for any help you provide.

    Shepo
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    A few things to keep in mind when you order a vehicle (at least in my opinion, from my experiences over the past 3 months).

    1. You will not be guaranteed any rebates, incentives or other money that they are currently promoting when you order the vehicle. You will however qualify for whatever rebates or incentives are in effect when you take possession of the vehicle, which could be good if they continue to extend current incentives and add others (like they just added the $500 for the guarantee program). On the flip side, if there are incentives now, but nothing when you take possession of the vehicle say 8 weeks later, you get nothing. It's an unfortunate gamble.

    2. If you have a trade in on the deal, they can appraise your vehicle when you order the new car, figure out the financials and give you estimated payments. However, when you go to make it official 8 weeks later, they will depreciate your trade in appropriately based on trends in the used market at that time. So once again you could be dealing with a gamble. If you have a trade in that should hold it's value, then no need to worry. I personally am trading an '05 Pontiac G6, and know that those are going to continue to fall rapidly with Pontiac taking an eternal sleep. So, I made the dealer guarantee the trade in value for my vehicle in writing knowing I would put over 1,000 miles on it while waiting for my NOX and it would be 3 weeks older.

    3. Make sure to shop your interest rate around prior to the car being delivered. The dealer was trying to sell me on a 5.1% rate while I was able to get a 4.3% rate from Bank of America. Makes a difference!

    Not being able to guarantee the incentives and rebates is what pushed me into finding a vehicle already ordered. At the end of the day $1000.00 is a good amount of money! My dealer agreed that even if I take possession of my NOX the first week of October and the conquest cash has been discontinued, they would still honor it. If they wouldn't have agreed to that, I would have gone to another dealer easily. After all, these vehicles are only going to get easier to find as time goes by and odds are they aren't going to stop giving incentives anytime soon.

    Just a couple of things to think about. Best of luck! :)
  • ulliulli Member Posts: 14
    Conquest program isn't offered in the State of Washington and the 60 day return policy hadn't been announced when I placed the offer. I assume $500 rebate for waiving the return policy would apply if it is still in effect when I take delivery.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    As long as you take delivery by the end of Nov. you should qualify for the $500 rebate or the 60 day return deal.
  • sheposhepo Member Posts: 7
    They're telling me 6 weeks to order so the 60 day rebate should be good. What do you think the odds of receiving the conquest cash are for ordering if you were to venture a guess? Supplier pricing should not go away either, correct? Just has me leary ordering as these things are not guaranteed...makes no sense...you're committing to the deal why not honor the current incentives?
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    Suppler pricing will not change. You are guaranteed that discount at any time with the proper paperwork. You can also get supplier discounts if you have a membership with a credit union right now. We decided to go with the credit union discount and keep the supplier in case my husband wants a new truck within the next year. The savings end up being the same which ever route you go.

    My dealer tried to assure me that conquest wouldn't go away. Yet, I didn't trust them, and my luck would be that it would stop and I'd be out $1,000. My guess is that GM won't stop an incentive without doing something to take it's place. It's still a rough world out there for car dealers, even though some vehicles are selling well right now. I personally would still check lists of what is already coming in and see if anything works for you. Plus, if it's not at a 3800 series, your dealer might be able to make changes to an order that is close to what you want. Then you can have the car of your dreams in a shorter amount of time. I've been told my car will be in next week. Exactly 3 weeks after I changed the order on a 2LT that was already on the list for the dealer to sell on site. Not too shabby if you ask me.
  • roxanne3roxanne3 Member Posts: 23
    Well, Elisa, I certainly hope your Equinox comes in when the dealer says it will. Very exciting !!! I ordered one on 7-27-09, and was told that it would be here in 4 weeks. They supposedly were able to have it swapped out for one in their next order ( they said they had 6 coming in 4 weeks ). It is now 9-24-09, and I'm still waiting. Finally found out that I have a build date of 10-12-09 which means I probably won't actually get it until the end of October or the beginning of November.

    Sooooo, I have some MORE waiting to do. I can tell you this much - I will NOT be going back to that dealer for service or anything else. And I won't be recommending them to anyone either - just the opposite. What they SHOULD have told me was that the order would probably take up to 3 months but they would try to get it for me sooner. Not only did they tell me that they ACTUALLY talked to someone about it, and were able to get my order in their shipment, but when it didn't happen, they never contacted me to let me know what the heck was going on. Just left me twisting in the wind until I called and threatened to get a refund and go get a RAV4 which everyone I know who has one LOVES, and they certainly have much better color choices. That's when they (actually the owner got on the phone) told me the build date. I don't care what good things the article on Edmunds says about car salesman - don't EVER trust or believe them. Not mad any more - just disgusted.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    Roxanne that is very unfortunate! I will admit I have had my bouts with my dealership as well. My salesman is probably one of the biggest idiots I've ever dealt with. It's obvious he's new, doesn't know what he's doing and I've ended up having to deal with his manager directly as he didn't have answers and was giving me incorrect information for the past few weeks. Some people just shouldn't be car salesmen. :)

    Initially my husband and I were patiently waiting to find one on a lot once the furry ends. Yet, we agreed on a deal when we were told by this dealer that the specific vehicle I was looking for was at 3 other dealerships in the state of MO and that they would trade for one. They promised I would have a new NOX within 3 business days. They gave us exactly what we wanted for our trade, so we decided to play the game.

    The next day I get a call saying no one would trade with them so they were going to order one to arrive in 8-10 weeks. I flipped out saying they did not have the authorization to do that for me and that we would be pulling the deal if they couldn't figure out a way to get me a car sooner.

    I was tired of talking on the phone with them so I went to the dealership that night to come to some sort of conclusion. I told my idiot salesman that we would be willing to order a vehicle IF they would guarantee the incentive money and the value of my trade in for when I took possession of the NOX a couple months later. Otherwise I was going to go somewhere else and see what they could do for me. They said they couldn't guarantee anything. I was so frustrated I about walked out the door and said no dice.

    On a whim I asked them what they had coming in by the end of September. Ironically enough they had a 2LT Cardinal Red, 4cyl with sunroof, power liftgate and leather. Exactly what I was looking for, except I wanted cloth instead of leather. Now, I'll never know why the monkeys at my dealership didn't think to look at what was already coming in prior to me asking, but oh well. I told them if they could switch the leather for the jet black cloth, I'd continue to play their game. So I left with them agreeing to call me the next day to let me know if the switch was possible. This is how I learned about the series numbers, to know how far along an order is.

    Come to find out the series on my vehicle was 3100, meaning it hadn't hit the assembly line. So, a suit from the dealership made a call and they were able to switch the order from leather to cloth. That following week my NOX hit 3200 (or something like that) meaning it went on the assembly line. Earlier this week it hit 3800 series, which means it's completely assembled and is waiting to get on a truck. I guess it missed the truck for this weeks shipment to my dealer, so it should be one of the first ones on for delivery by a week from today. 4100 series means the vehicle has been dropped at it's dealership and is ready for sale. On Wednesday I was told that the official delivery date in their system is October 3rd (a week from today). They have guaranteed in writing that I will get my conquest cash, supplier discount and the full trade in value I was given when this process started. I have been very straight forward and have kept in contact with my salesman and "customer relations rep" about every 2-3 days. I will say the customer relations rep has been very nice to me and is making a true effort to keep me happy.

    So long story short, I feel your pain! I'm just going to think positive right now and hope they are on their game. You should check in with your dealership every once in a while and ask about your series number. Every dealer is able to look that information up. Also, I've been told that when you put an order in it goes to the top of the build list for that dealer. So, that should hopefully help with your wait as well.

    I will post pictures and the end of my story when I get my car next week. I will be so glad when this whole mess is over! Best of luck to you
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    Hello Elisa81,
    I am looking for a 2010 Nox as well. Were you able to get the deal any lower than the supplier pricing? I don't have many dealers around me and it's hard to get a good deal. They are acting as if it's a seller's market.
    The best I could do was 600 above invoice and some ungodly fees like processing/documentation fee (200) + sale + registration.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    I was able to get the supplier discount along with the $1,000.00 conquests cash, $500.00 for waiving the 60 day return guarantee and now another $940.00 as my dealer ordered my vehicle with leather when I was told it would have cloth. So, they are now throwing in my leather interior for free. :D I'm not complaining about that and will now buy seat covers instead. I've been told the only way to get lower than the supplier discount is to take advantage of the rebates, incentives, etc. which was my experience. Every dealer I spoke to told us they were not able to negotiate if they were giving you the supplier discount. Thats why timing is everything right now if you want to try to get a great deal.

    Best of luck to you!
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    Thanks for the reply. Does your dealer has any processing/doc fees? I am looking at DVD leather nav 18" ltz for 30300 + tax + tag + 199 (doc fees) including conquest and 60 day waiver rebates (1500). I am not sure if I can get a better deal.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    Honestly, as long as you think you're getting a good deal, I'd go with it. Eventually there will be better deals out there. It's just a matter of if you're willing to wait for them or not. I'm not wanting to wait. So, my deal is looking like this.. original price 28,530, supplier price $27,337. Then I get 1,000 for conquest, 500 for guarantee and 940 for my free leather. Total cost $24,897.00 for a 2010 NOX 2LT, cardinal red, jet black leather, sunroof and auto liftgate. TTL is extra, but I have a 4.34% rate, which is pretty darn good right now as well!

    So, I'm rather happy with my deal. :)
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    One more question if you dont mind. Does the supplier price includes advertisement/adjustment fees? it comes to 650. Here in upstate sc they add this price to the invoice.
  • roxanne3roxanne3 Member Posts: 23
    Elisa - Wow !!! You are my HERO !!! What you are doing is awesome ! I'll bet your car salesman is in shock !! I would love to have been there to see you in action. More car salesmen need customers like you !

    I didn't do nearly as much as you, but I did threaten to take back my down payment, and go somewhere else. That got the owner on the phone who tried blowing smoke by telling me that he's been "chasing my order" and he has a cousin who works in Detroit, yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, right. Like I'm going to believe any of THAT. I told him he has another 4 weeks and that's it ! If it isn't ready for me by then, I'm outta here and I'll go buy a RAV4 (my sister-in-law has one and she ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT !). In fact, she's hoping this falls through so I'll get one. So we'll see. I may very well do that.

    I wish you the best. You certainly deserve it. If your Equinox comes in on time, I'm going to start calling you Wonder Woman !!! :)
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    aaki: The only fees that I have seen on the financial papers they have given me thus far is a $200.00 admin fee. I do know that I have to pay a $200.00 fee through Bank of America for my loan, as my dealer isn't preferred or something like that. Whatever. I will post after this week and let you know if any other "fees" got slipped in and how much it ended up being. Thanks for the heads up!

    Roxanne: You are too funny, but thanks for the compliment. I grew up in a car family, my uncle owned a dealership for a while and now is big in F&I. Plus growing up with a single parent, I was always in the dealers office when my Mom made deals. So I've learned from her past mistakes. :)

    Not to mention, I'm not going to take crap from anyone as I have a guess on the markup of this vehicle. I see it as my dealer wouldn't have so willingly agreed to the free leather if the discount was going to negatively effect their bottom line.

    All signs point to me getting the car this week. The GM computer system says it will be delivered on Friday, yet my dealer says they sometimes run a day or two early. I'm supposed to call my dealer back tomorrow around lunch to get the date and time frame my car should be arriving. They claim they can call the local transport company who can tell them where on the schedule my car is for delivery this week. If possible, I'd like to be there to see her unloaded off of the truck. I'm looking forward to seeing her in person, and knowing they didn't screw something else up and just haven't told me yet.

    I'll post how everything goes, and if I figure out how to post pictures, I'll do that as well this weekend. Hopefully my saga is almost over!
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    Thanks elisa81.
    So it seems like I cant get away from the processing fees. Some dealers charge $199 and some $299. I am going to talk to two dealers tomorrow and see who can give me a better price. It seems like advertising price is not included in your supplier's price. if thats the case, supplier price is cheaper than invoice if advertisement/adjustments charge is added to it but not much in my case. One of the dealers even agreed to honor the rebates if I order one as I mentioned to him about your experience.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    If you can get your rebates guaranteed.. thats great! My dealer would only guarantee them for a few weeks past when they expired, if they expired. So, in my situation he guaranteed to give me conquest cash up to October 15th, IF the program ended Sept. 30th. I'm doubtful it will end, but wanted to be safe instead of sorry. It's just nice knowing if I don't take possession of my car until October 2nd, I'm not out the $1,000 if for some reason the rebate ends later this week.

    I just recommend getting any agreements about honoring rebates in writing. One thing I know is that these guys (and ladies) will say whatever they need to make the deal, knowing they can go back or play dumb later (speaking from unfortunate experience). Thats why I have been primarily working through emails on my deal, so I have records of things. It was just recently I started doing phone calls (I wanted them to hear the anger in my voice I couldn't express over an email.. haha.) Yet by now my deal is made and I'm just playing a waiting game.

    Good luck with your deal! I look forward to hearing about the outcome!
  • roxanne3roxanne3 Member Posts: 23
    Elisa (aka WW - :) ) - thank you so much for giving info on your background. You really have an advantage which is seldom the case, I think, from the buyer's side. And of course I feel a LITTLE less stupid about being manipulated (but not much really). I feel like I have a blinking Neon sign on my forehead that says HERE COMES ANOTHER SUCKER !

    I'm glad you will be letting us know what happens. I will do that, too. I try not to think about it a lot, but I worry that they are really going to try to put the screws to me when I go in to sign the papers. So I'm trying to be prepared and think of everything ahead of time. I know to inspect it for scratches, dents, etc. and make sure that all the options I ordered are there and if not, to ask for a discount, and also to review the contract carefully and question anything I don't understand. I know car salesmen (or whoever does the paperwork) are notorious for slipping in extras like extended warranties without telling you and some of them are VERY expensive. I've decided, too, that if I think they are jerking me around, I really will walk away and go buy a RAV4 or even something else. I'm just not going to allow myself to be so in love with the Equinox that I will accept anything that they choose to do if I think it's not right. I know they count on people being so excited about getting a new car that buyer's just don't pay attention and will sign whatever's put in front of them, and a lot of the time they are right - unfortunately.
    Will try to be optimistic though, and hope things go smoothly for us.
    :)
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter is looking to speak to consumers who have recently purchased a compact SUV in the past six months. If you’ve downsized from a larger SUV, please let me know. Please send your daytime phone number to ctalati@edmunds.com by Friday, October 2, 2009.
  • stillawaitingstillawaiting Member Posts: 1
    I ordered my Equinox on August 5 and was told I would get in about 6 weeks. It will be 8 weeks tomorrow. I do have a build date of the week of October 5 and was told it should arrive in about 10 days after that. Never expected to wait this long but I guess it just gives me more time to save the $$$ for my down payment.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    Stillawaiting- just in comparison, my NOX had a build date of September 21st and it's being delivered to my dealer Thursday morning. I get to pick her up after work on Thursday! So, it will be exactly 10 days after the build date. I'm sure your location may factor into the exact timing (along with other things), but that timeframe is accurate for me and I live in Kansas City. Hope thats comforting in some way. :)
  • aakiaaki Member Posts: 10
    One of the dealers mentioned conquest cash is not applicable when supplier pricing is used. Is that true? I read here folks are getting both rebates along with supplier's discount
  • buxbaflbuxbafl Member Posts: 2
    I ordered my 2010 Equinox LTZ on July 18th after agreeing on a price for the Nox and a price on my trade in. They told me the car was assembled on Sept. 2nd. It was finally delivered to my dealership in Florida on September 23rd. To my surprise and shock I was offered $1,500 less for my trade-in supposedly due to a change in the value of the trade-in. When threatening to walk away from the deal the GM said that that would be OK with him and he would refund my $1,000 deposit because he could sell the Nox the same day! After waiting so long for the car I could not force myself to walk away and I negotiated an additional $500 for my trade. I left with a great car but was very unsatisfied with the dealership. I did get my $1,000 conquest cash, $500 for turning down the 60 day return offer and about $1,700 in GM Card rebates. I also got about $800 off the list price, but I was charged $699 extra for some sort of Dealer Fee??? All in all, I probably received a fair deal.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    When I mention getting the supplier discount, I am technically getting the same discount through a credit union membership. My dealer told me that you cannot combine the supplier discount with the conquest cash, but can combine the cash with the credit union member discount. So, we went with the credit union discount instead of the supplier discount, even though it's the same savings.

    buxbafl - Thats too bad they didn't tell you ahead of time that you car would depreciate while waiting for your NOX. That was a big part of me decided to buy one that was already ordered by the dealer to cut down on time, and they would guarantee my trade in value. Glad you feel like you got a good deal overall, thats whats most important!
  • wmrn43awmrn43a Member Posts: 6
    I'm wanting to purchase the LS for cash no trade.

    Any dealers within 100 miles or so of Daytona Beach, Florida you can recommend where you had good experience?
  • roxanne3roxanne3 Member Posts: 23
    Sorry to hear that happened to you!

    I'm concerned that they're going to try something like that on me, too. In fact, I expect it. What kind of salesmen would they be if they didn't try to screw me?
    Not being cynical - just realistic.

    Before I went there though I looked up the value of my trade-in online, and that is exactly what they offered me which made me assume that they looked it up too. So I'll do the same thing again before I go to pick up the Equinox. In fact, after what you said, I'll probably print it out and take it with me. I'm thinking now that I absolutely would walk away if I'm not happy with the deal, but in reality, I don't know. I can imagine it would be extremely hard to do - especially after waiting almost 3 months in my case. Ordered 7/28/09. Build date 10/12/09. (Guess someone misplaced my order for a couple of months). Delivery date ? Will keep you posted.
  • sheposhepo Member Posts: 7
    I made the leap and ordered my AWD LT2 Black Granite with black with brownstone leather last Friday. Got the 18" wheels, chrome, and sunroof as extras. I got supplier pricing with the college grad program (wife is in grad school), the conquest $1,000 if available upon delivery, and the $500 for waiving the 60 day money back. The only thing that was a gamble was the conquest, but my salesman told me that GM extended it today to the end of the year which makes sense. I play golf with my salesman every Weds. so there's a level of trust with what he says. Elisa, thanks for the tip on Bank of America as that's where I'm getting my financing through now as well at 4.37. I'm anxious to hear how your delivery, etc. went.

    I've been given an estimate of 6 weeks as well. The thing with ordering is that the dealers cannot guaranty the incentives until the vehicle arrives. However, during production once the vehicle has a Vin # and a purchase order number you can close the deal ahead of delivery. I want to thank those (especially Elisa, Wally, etc.) who shared so openly as it really made a difference to me hearing from real people. I plan to share my details throughout as well.
  • elisa81elisa81 Member Posts: 38
    One thing to double check... as I almost learned the hard way myself. Make sure you qualify for the conquest cash in conjunction with the college suppliers discount. The standard suppliers discount cannot be used in conjunction with the conquest cash. Fortunately for me, we have credit union memberships, which also give you the same discount as a supplier discount, so we used that instead. BTW, I love that Black Granite color, would have gotten that if I had to order 8 weeks out. I also love that black/brownstone interior. It will totally be worth your wait!

    Bank of America has ended up being an excellent choice for me. They made the entire process so incredibly easy. Not to mention I haven't found another institution that could even come remotely close to the 4.3% rate! Way to go!

    Also, thanks for the kind words. It has been very nice reading and being involved in conversations on this website while going through the entire ordering, waiting process. My NOX arrived in Kansas City this morning and will be ready for me to pick up tomorrow after work! Needless to say I'm ecstatic that they are handing me the keys on the date they promised weeks ago and that everything is (hopefully) going to end on a no-stress level (knock on wood!) I will post pictures and my stories about picking her up hopefully over the weekend, or whenever Kansas City has good weather to take nice pictures. :)
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