Are new MB Prices 'Firm'

[DavidWeis]

Hi,
Got a question regarding 'retail' on MB's. Do the dealers have any leeway in the base price and options on these new mb's?
For example, a E320 base is posted as 47,670; however what is the low end of this deal? What is a great price point to pay for this car 'new'.?
Also, an option package # E1 (for example) is $1,550. Is there any barganing here either?

Thanks

David

[joel]

like most merchants, car dealers have a floor price
to meet acceptable profit margins. to be able to
bargain hard be sure 1) to buy your choice of car
the same day, 2) come to buy towards the end
of the month, when dealers focus on meeting their
sales quota. good luck.

[rdanz]

Theres about 7% off the list that you can bargin with. If the dealer refuses to deal simply go elsewhere.

[MTI]

Dealer "economics" aren't very complicated. Usually the dealer has to obtain interim financing for vehicles which are not pre-paid special orders. They pay interest charges to the lenders and need to sell the cars to clear the loans. The larger the dealership, the larger the loans and the greater incentive to move vehicles. Hence, your local VW, Honda, Nissan, Ford, etc. dealer is more likely to negotiate over the 100-200 new cars he has on the lot than a Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes dealer whose inventory is considerably lower and whose demand is still pretty high.

[robaincltnc]

Do your homework and make an educated offer. If they say no and mean it then you'll have to adjust. These guys are pro's so you must be a pro's pro. If they know you know what you are talking about the less likely you'll get bent over the sales tower.

Good luck

Go here http://www.edmunds.com/ and choose the car you are interested. Then follow the directions to get a price with options for your Zip Code. This is the price that the car is going for in your area.

The car market is depressed right now so you can get some good deals. However, I've noticed that the new E-Class is selling for over MSRP in my area while almost all other dealers including Honda are really dealing.

The best time to buy a new Mercedes is at the end of a model run. I bought a brand new 91 300E in September of 1992 for $37,200. This is because Mercedes usually offer a dealer rebate on discontinued models. You have to be ready when the time comes to take advantage of it. Buying a discontinued model is no problem if you are going to drive the car into the ground which is the only way to do it with a Mercedes.

American cars are being offered with interest free loans and no down payment. Of course they are still a poor investment (see the Complete Car Cost Guide or the True Cost of Ownership on Edmonds).

Right now you can get a Lexus LS430 for less than what an E500 will cost you and it's much bigger, more reliable and has a better warranty.

[DR.DIESEL]

There is only a 3% margin on M-B's since Montvale changed the whole system in 2000. Prices on NEW cars are firm. That is ok since we cannot mark up prices on rare cars like AMG's.
Most dealing is done on your trade and some discounts can be had twards the end of the month when sales have been lean.

I watched a new SL55 sell for sticker price and not a penny more
last month. The new owner could turn around and sell it for
30k more than he paid if he desired.

[mpnye]

FIRST OF ALL . . .

Are you SERIOUSLY looking to buy a NEW MB, or is this just a PIPE DREAM ? ? ?

EXPERIENCED sales people can pick up on it RIGHT AWAY . . .

If you are SERIOUS . . . do your homework and hit the dealers that you've PRE-DETERMINED to do business with, and make the rounds on the LAST DAY OF THE MONTH and be prepared to MAKE AN OFFER ! ! !

It's the CLOSE of their COMMISSION PERIOD and they're ALWAYS SPIRITED to make that last COMMISSION for the month . . .

I've been told that some of the LARGER DEALER'S sales people here in So. Calif. just about lay down in front of the door to cut a deal . . .

Actually, the profit a dealer makes on a sale is usually not too significant compared to the taxes and other fees you pay for a car. Most states charge 6% to 8% sales tax and states like California, Washington , Minnesota and Arizona also have license fees based on value so you could be paying more for your license plates than the dealer is making on the sale.

The overwhelming costs to own a car comes down to two things...cost for the money and depreciation. What that means is that you should choose the car you buy with the idea that you are going to keep it for a long, long time. Pick a car that has everything you want on it and which will keep you happy for a long time and one that will last for a long time (Lexus, Mercedes, etc.)

Even if you pay cash for a car, you still have to account for the lost income from that money.

These are the facts of car ownership and the reasons why American cars are lousy buys. They have poor resale value which effects short term ownership and they don't last too long which effects long term ownership.

Assuming you do keep a car for a long time, you needn't worry about buying a car at the end of a model run.

BTW, the cost of maintenance is pretty insignificant compared to the cost of money and depreciation. In fact, maintenance is a good investment.

On the other hand, the cost of insurance is something to think about.