New Car Buying: Shopping for a Benz
I buy the long term test cars for Edmunds.com and I'm usually asked to purchase cars that have just been released and are in high demand. This makes it hard to get a good deal because you don't have leverage to negotiate.
Case in point: I was asked to buy a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 Sport. My first stop was True Market Value pricing where I found that the car is selling at a whopping discount of $65 off MSRP...
Why $65? Probably because they discounted it just enough so buyers could say, "Yeah, I got it for under sticker." That's to rope in the buyers who proudly maintain, "I never pay retail!"
When I'm shopping for an Edmunds car I like to use the Dealer Locator feature. I fill out the request for a free quote and fire them off to local dealers. I always list my cell phone number on the leads form and usually don't answer the opening salvo of calls. In this case, I got four calls from dealerships within four hours. Most of the messages assured me they had the car (or could get it -- beware the "dealer trade").
The sales people would love to have you physically come down to the dealership so they can sweat you in a little sales office and squeeze extra money from you. But if you maintain your distance and work the deal on the phone and email you can usually get what you want in less time, for less hassle and for less money. But old habits die hard. One internet sales woman, with an authoritative British accent, lectured me on the necessity to test drive their car and she could then "find out what I was trying to accomplish."
What made the C300 hard to shop for was that we wanted an odd combination of options: the multimedia package (very popular) and the 18 inch AMG wheels. Whenever I found a car with the multimedia package it didn't have the wheels and vice versa. Then, when I found both, it was a color we didn't want. Finally, an internet saleswoman assured me she would trade with another dealer and have the car that night for me to pick it up. Guess what? The trade fell through and the car never arrived.
Eventually, the same saleswoman got a new shipment of C300s and one matched our needs. She matched our TMV price and I bought the car.
This morning I went out to take this picture and I thought how hard it had been to get the 18 inch wheels. But, now that the car is ours, the extra effort was worth it. I think it's nice to know we got what we set out to buy.
- Posted by
- Philip Reed October 3, 2007, 6:38 AM
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- Car Buying
so you did not try to get anything more then just TMV. IMHO seems like you got taken for a ride.
I LOVE those AMG wheels!
Opfreak: And what a ride it was -- this is a nice car.
What do you think a good price would be for the car? Rather than $65 off MSRP maybe $200? Or do you think this car would sell for invoice?
Blackadder: Yeah, the wheels are sweet. It was worth the wait to find the wheels.
I personally dont get so attached to a model that i have to buy just that one.
Which is why I will probably never own a 'hot' car.
My target is ussually invoice including all taxes and fees (depending on rebates).
But your probably right, if you want this car you have to pay. I just couldn't bring my self to let a dealer make that much profit. (everything between invoice and msrp, and then the holdback).
My fiance however wants me to put the new c on my shopping list. and when I saw your article I was hoping you'd give me some hope on the price. Maybe next year when the model year ends i'll get lucky.
Unfortunately, I tend to get so attached to a model that I have to buy just that one (if I need it and can afford it). I never buy something I'm not in love with, unless I can't afford it, of course. Fortunately, I'm generally rather thrifty with money and so I'm usually able to wait if I feel the current situation wouldn't allow a good price.
sometimes it just depends on the exact model you want too. When I bought my 06 legacy I was adamant about getting the special edition wagon (sunroof w/o leather!) with a manual transmission and looking at alot of inventory they were extremely hard to come by. turns out a dealer about 40 miles away had one left and because it was a manual wagon (doesn't sell well hence why Subaru did away with the legacy wagon manual in 07 and all together in 08) I got a smokin deal on it. I knew what it was worth and they fought me for about 30 minutes but then I got what I wanted! Since I usually shop for manual cars and because dealerships treat them like the plague... I usually get a great deal on the exact model I want.