I'm new to the forums here. Is there much new car purchase experience or stories shared here?
I took advantage of a smoking deal on an 05 Yukon towards the end of that year from a local dealer and have since been loyal to that dealer and also been treated well on other new car purchases since that time, all of which took place prior to 2008.
What I am finding now, not only from this dealer, but also from some others in the area, is that they are much less willing to move on price. GMS/Supplier/Preferred seems to be thrown out there as if it is this great favor they are offering, but I am offered Preferred price (about 6% off MSRP by my math) from GM dealers that have not even met me yet, let alone one I bought 3 cars from. I'm not jumping up and down on simply getting preferred price (before the deduction of any available incentives/rebates).
I was told that there isn't much more they can go off Preferred for non-employees, which ofcourse I don't believe. I was told by one dealer that (now?) GM has much greater control over the sale price of individual dealers and if they get audited on their sales by GM in terms of sale pricing, if it is too low they will be penalized (cuts into holdback, allowances?).
I had always been either lucky enough to take advantage of employee price for public or invoice to slightly below invoice pricing - then plus take any incentives that are available at the time.
But I find getting my local dealers down to invoice (let alone below) to be a much bigger challenge than before and I wondered if this is something that is part of a new across the board strategy in post bailout GM to maintain higher profits all around. I had a verbal deal with one for about $700 off preferred (this was our compromise price), but when I got there to do the deal they changed the price and I said I would only accept our previously agreed to price which I was not entirely happy with as well and I ended up leaving without making the deal that day. They stuck to their guns as well and let me walk out over what amounts to pretty small % on a purchase of this size.
So I wonder, what are other people experiences or hearing on this? I am in the market for a new Tahoe or Yukon to replace our '05 and was thinking that I the higher fuel prices would work into my favor with both one-on-one negotiating with the dealer and getting nice GM incentives on top of it, but I am disappointed so far.
Looking forward to hearing what others have to say.
I took advantage of a smoking deal on an 05 Yukon towards the end of that year from a local dealer and have since been loyal to that dealer and also been treated well on other new car purchases since that time, all of which took place prior to 2008.
What I am finding now, not only from this dealer, but also from some others in the area, is that they are much less willing to move on price. GMS/Supplier/Preferred seems to be thrown out there as if it is this great favor they are offering, but I am offered Preferred price (about 6% off MSRP by my math) from GM dealers that have not even met me yet, let alone one I bought 3 cars from. I'm not jumping up and down on simply getting preferred price (before the deduction of any available incentives/rebates).
I was told that there isn't much more they can go off Preferred for non-employees, which ofcourse I don't believe. I was told by one dealer that (now?) GM has much greater control over the sale price of individual dealers and if they get audited on their sales by GM in terms of sale pricing, if it is too low they will be penalized (cuts into holdback, allowances?).
I had always been either lucky enough to take advantage of employee price for public or invoice to slightly below invoice pricing - then plus take any incentives that are available at the time.
But I find getting my local dealers down to invoice (let alone below) to be a much bigger challenge than before and I wondered if this is something that is part of a new across the board strategy in post bailout GM to maintain higher profits all around. I had a verbal deal with one for about $700 off preferred (this was our compromise price), but when I got there to do the deal they changed the price and I said I would only accept our previously agreed to price which I was not entirely happy with as well and I ended up leaving without making the deal that day. They stuck to their guns as well and let me walk out over what amounts to pretty small % on a purchase of this size.
So I wonder, what are other people experiences or hearing on this? I am in the market for a new Tahoe or Yukon to replace our '05 and was thinking that I the higher fuel prices would work into my favor with both one-on-one negotiating with the dealer and getting nice GM incentives on top of it, but I am disappointed so far.
Looking forward to hearing what others have to say.
