Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
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I was driving by our VW dealer, and they had on the lot the following:
2001 Passat GLX 4Motion Sedan (old body style)
All Options including CD Changer
55,267 Miles
VW Certified
Car drove beautifully, but the only thing that bothered me was the high miles. However, bearing in mind that it had a warranty and my son would just be using it to drive up and back to school each day (less then 2 miles each way), it would not be a problem. Initially the dealer was asking $18,365 and right now have him at $16,700 and $18,000 including tax and tags. I feel like $16,200 (before TTL) is fair, and that price could very well happen within the next day because it looks like they have had it for a while.
According to Edmunds the deal they are offering is well under what it should be for dealer retail, however for my area, the numbers have been consistently off on everything used.
Does what they are offering now seem fair or am I being unreasonable with wanting $16,200?
Also, what are the terms of the VW Certified Warranty?
Thanks so much for your help and promptness in responding.
^^UPDATE: The dealership showed me their invoice from the auction where they purchased the car, and cannot go below $16,700 without losing on the car (apparently this is what they need to break even). However, they said they would like to throw in things to try and make up for the difference in the price I want and the price they want. What sort of things could they throw in besides oil changes to make up for $500 or so in price?
Is this a good idea, or should I just bag it and move on?
Thanks again,
AS
In any case, I have found at another local dealer a 2000 GLX With all the goodies (no 4Motion) with 43,000 miles for a starting price of $13,995 with no negotiations. The car is an automatic and certified.
Is this a decent deal and how much lower should I be able to go?
Thanks for the help,
AS
Black / Black - $31,300
20,993
For GLS:
22488 (add 1691 for leather)
Is this a good price? It seems good according to my research, but I would also like to hear it from someone here.
Considered an '03 but it didn't have ESP.
Anybody else seeing prices like this?
http://81.200.2.9/na/login.jsp
Trying to decide between and among the W8, a new Sabb 9-3 Aero (window sticker of 37k can get it for about 32-33), and maybe the Volvo S60R or the new S40 T-5.
Never had a VW (although my son has a Jetta that is a piece of junk combined with a bad dealer), Saab or Volvo so brand loyalty is not important at this time. Have had 4 Audis but will not go back there because the local dealer does not get high marks for being service-friendly and he is the only Audi dealer for a 50 mile radius.
Thanks for any help and advice.
-Acura TL
-BMW 325
-Infiniti G35
Any of these would be rewarding drives with the promise of less trouble than you're likely to have with a Passat W8.
After this experience, I requested from the selling dealership, and then VW of America, a replacement vehicle or a full refund. This morning I received both dealerships' negative response to my request and their decision to adhere to the existing warranty. At this stage, I may have to wait until my car has problems for the third time before I can invoke Virginia's lemon law. In the meantime, I would appreciate any feedback on similar Passat experiences, and advice on next steps. Also, for those of you considering a new Passat '04: Beware, this is a nightmare on wheels. My car had less than 600 miles and couldn't start.
I traded my W8 in on a 2003 Lincoln LS Sport in January. Approximate OTD (trades always muddy the deal somewhat) cost of the LS (List: $41,860) was $32K and change. (Basically invoice price less a $6K rebate.)
For that price, I believe that the LS offers a higher ‘fun to drive’ quotient than anything else with 4 doors and an automatic. If you can still find one with the equipment and a color combination that is acceptable, you might at least drive one.
You mention a manual trans, and if that is an absolute requirement for you, the field obviously narrows SHARPLY! The manual shift mode of the ’03 (and ’04) LS adds a significant measure of additional control and enjoyment (for me) – but it is clearly NOT a true manual.
Just my $.02 – less a $.02 rebate = “FREE”!
Cheers,
- Ray
Very happy with this choice . . .
I ended up buying a 2004 Passat sedan. I got the 1.8L turbo with automatic, tiptronic transmission. Went with the GL trim, with no options. The color is Silverstone grey, with grey velour interior.
I ended up getting the car for $19,851 (not including tax, license fee, and a $45 document fee). The car price includes the $2000 cash to dealer incentive that was in effect in March. I chose to finance through my credit union (@3.99%). Had I gone with VW financing (0.9%/36 month or 1.9% 60 month), the car's price would have increased exactly $1000. Financing on my own was cheaper in the end. Just for reference, the MSRP on this vehicle was $23,580. So I ended up getting the car for $3729 under sticker. The edmunds TMV price for this car was $20,400.
Based on the Edmunds pricing reports...and Consumer Report's Wholesale price report...I estimate that the dealer made around $500 (3%) profit (over cost, not retail price) on the car. I only contacted internet sales managers, which gave me original prices that started out really close to what I expected to pay. Ironically, the offer I ended up going with was this particular dealer's first offer. He came into the bidding two days after the others...I asked him to give me his bottom line to get into the game...and he did. Awesome price...and this guy found the car I wanted and had it in hand for me the next day. WONDERFUL:)
Good luck to others who are out there in the trenches...it's an incredibly stressful experience...but worth it in the end.
I also got more than I thought I would on my 1998 VW Cabrio GLS in trade.
Overall, very pleased with my deal and car from Bill Britt VW in Fredericksburg, VA. Just hope I am as pleased in 2 years with the car.
This is now my wife's car. Get this puppy paid off and then I'm probably off to a Saab 9-3 Aero.
Sure is nice to have the kids out of college and all those costs behind me.
Thanks for everyone's advice.
I took advantage of the previous incentive (potential $2000 off plus 0.9 - 1.9 APR loan from VW). Got my Passat ($500 off VW owner loyalty, $500 off purchase of Passat, $1000 from dealer -- it was a sales incentive to the dealer- when I took the VW low interest offer).
I contacted 3 dealers, the one I bought my 2000 Passat from and two via different internet purchase services. Frank Z Imports in Dayton, OH gave me the best deal...Actual dealer invoice (as confirmed through Edmunds.com) AND $2000 off that price AND the 1.9% APR!
The other dealers either a) wouldn't include the $1000 incentive that was tied to the 1.9% or they quoted a dealer's cost that included what I've been told are inappropriate advertising and port floor plan costs.
It wasn't totally smooth as the Sales Manager tried to say that he couldn't give the full $2k off and tried to only give $1500, but I stuck to my guns and got what I came for at the price I wanted -- even got my price on my trade in
The current incentives are a bit different, but I think that the tough sales environment and whatever VW is doing as incentives that we as consumers may not be aware of will, give you a good chance to get a heck of a deal...If you're willing to walk (and I was).
BTW, bought an '04 GLX with the rolling improvements (i.e. onstar and integrated turn signals in mirrors).
KP
So far so good. Enjoy the performance of the manual as compared to the auto.
Regards,
Carolyn P.
I paid about invoice less $2230. Your best offer looks to be about invoice less $1900. In that context your offer does not look so bad. Carsdirect.com indicates that auto adds about $1100.
Much of my dealing (except for the final $500 or so) came through e-mail using the dealer's web sites and without any human contact. Then, I contacted several dealers by phone and determined what they would do in view of the best e-mail offer I had received.
Consider e-mailing a dealer you have not yet contacted, but remember there are advantages to a local dealer. How assertive have you been in determining the extent of dealer incentives and letting the dealer know you are aware of these incentives? (Edmunds, carsdirect) Will the dealers negotiate charges for plates etc.? The 26,350 number did not include these charges.
Best of luck-
-5-Speed Automatic w/Tiptronic & Overdrive
-Leather Package w/L
-California/NE Region Emissions Charge ($150)
Hope this help.
You may get a better price if you know how to negotiate.
And let me just tell you a little secret about the software here. When you hit "Refresh" after making a post, your message reposts.
The best way to redisplay a page after making a post is to use the "Recent Msgs" link on the page bar.
Hope this helps!
Incidentally, I had two lower bids, one $400.00 less from a dealer 25 miles away from my home who handles VW and two other brands. The other was $300.00 less from an exclusive dealer about 15 miles away, but he then proceeded to low-ball me on the trade, making his final price higher. While the Naples dealer is clearly not the norm, if I owned a dealership I would be inclined to treat the person who bought from me better then the person that did not, which is a normal human reaction. No, I would not abuse the non-purchaser, but given equal needs, I would favor my buyer.
You can drive yourself crazy worrying about what someone else paid for the same item you want to buy, but amortized over a number of years, the difference is usually small.
I think the $1,000 owner loyalty ends May 1?
Do you know how long the close out sale continues?
Do you expect to use Quirks Service Dept for maintence?
How did they charge taxes, 5% after options?
Are there any other expenses besides options, (mostly standard on the GLX) destination fee, etc.?
Thank you.
Actually, I think that if I ran a dealership (unlikely to ever happen) that I would actually be looking to leverage the service portion of the business in at least two ways. My understanding is that service departments generate significant income and profit.
First, I would want service dept. performance to also work toward bringing owners that did not purchase their vehicles here back for more service. And to generate generally positive word of mouth (write of internet?) regarding the service experience. And further, I’d be working with service performance toward encouraging customers that did not purchase their vehicle(s) here to give the sales side an opportunity, when the time does come . . .
Just my $.02. (With newspaper discount coupon = ‘free’)
- Ray
Not likely to ever run a dealership, but worked in other ‘flavors’ of distribution for a loooong time . . .
On the other hand if you check Edmunds you find there is a marketing incentive to the dealer of $2,000 so it is difficult to know which is true. I am inclined to rely on Automotive News because in most ways it seems to be the bible of the industry.
In the most recent issue they quoted S. California Toyota dealers who were complaining that although they sold lots of Camrays, they were not profitable sales, only bringing an average profit of $250 - $300 per car versus the Honda dealer who was averaging about $880.00 on each Accord sold.
It appears that the majority of people buying new, as part of the deal, also trade in a car, so when I see unusually low purchase prices I wonder if the buyer got socked on his trade-in, or bought a demo, or a used vehicle (out here we call them pre-driven)?