sal

I just got back from the dealer and I put an order in for the c230k, they quoted me 27k, which includes dealer fees,c1,c7. While I was there it sounded good but now that i'm home and able to see on the mbusa site it's only $600 less than msrp. IS THIS GOOD,AVERAGE,or HORRIBLE?

avlis

I paid MSRP (got a free CD Changer though) and that's with $5000.00 in options. Plus I had to wait 5 months for it to arrive.

Buellwinkle

You got money off! I'm jealous. I paid full msrp but I got a pen and a keychain for free. They did offer to put a CD Changer in my car for only $975, an alarm, high tech wax and sell me an extended warranttee but I passed on these generous offers as it was too much to think about all at once, afterall the average adult has an 8 second attention span. What was your question?

Lynn

You got a pen and keychain? Wow! After paying MSRP for two cars, I was offered a CD changer for $1200, lifetime car washes for $600, and the opprotunity to buy an extremely overpriced extended warranty.

Alvin

I'm so glad I'm not the only one the paid MSRP :-)

renncpe

Lynn,

Did they offer you the MB extended warrenty or a diffrent one. I thought the MB warrenty was a good deal for 1year and 50,000 miles. We allways have a couple in stock but we don't sell below MSRP on the other hand we don't try and load the customer up with paint sealent or other products like that. Does your dealer offer a free loaner Mercedes fleet for service or repair?

Randy

Flashman

If it is $600 less than MSRP and it "includes" any dealer prep fees ($300-500) then it is a good deal, not the best deal, but not a bad deal. Think about it, it would be same as if the dealer gave you $900-$1100 off, but still made you pay regular dealer fees.

AndrewK

We were quoted $28,800 for Black, C1, C5, TeleAid for Euro delivery (no dest. charge). Thats $800 under MSRP, not sure about fees.

MB-BOB

Dealer Prep fees? Really? I assume you're talking about fees other than nominal paperwork fees, or lame-o profit "packs" like pinstriping, etc. I'm not saying it ain't so elsewhere, but I've never paid any Dealer Prep fees, whether for my Mercedes or any other car. Ever.

The cost of removing plastic shipping protection and washing your car before delivering it to you is part of the negotiated price of the car or MSRP if the dealer is unwilling to discount. Any dealer who charges more should be lined up against a wall and shot, along with any customer stupid enough to pay such charges, rather than running (not walking) to the next dealer down the road.

E55 KEV

I know this advice is a little too late, however, you should have had invoice amounts in hand when you walked into dealership. All negotiations should start at invoice and not MSRP. A minimum good deal is to split the difference between invoice and MSRP. The maximum good deal is about 5% off MSRP (for Mercedes).

Ethan

Are you sure that the $600 less isn't MSRP minus the Bose upgrade which I believe is $610.00 dollars. Maybe the car you built on the MBUSA site included the Bose upgrade, and the dealer's car doesn't include that option. Anywhich way, you'd still be paying full MSRP if that's the case. Just a thought

MB-BOB

Just having a little fun...

Each time I read here about folks in the DC area or Southern California getting huge discounts for their MBs, I keep reminding myself, "Well, I guess I've finally found a tangible reason why I would ever consider living in either place!"

Is it just me? (That's a rhetorical question.)

Sorry folks, a little too much caffeine this morning.

sal

No it's not, I had selected the bose upgrade option but wasn't impressed with it, would rather get an aftermarket system.

Flashman

Just about ALL dealers try to charge these type of fees. Most pre-print them in their purchase forms. So if you are walking out of dealers at the first sign of these, you will have a hard time finding a dealer than doesn't have them.

However, like everything else, this is just something else subject to negotiation. I'm more than willing to pay any dealer fee, but I ask for an equivalent matching discount in return. For some weird reason dealers seem more comfortable with that idea than to actually waive the fee itself (maybe that's so that they can honestly claim to another customer "EVERYONE pays this fee!").

But it is not something I think a dealer should get shot or one should get angry about. My personal pet peeve with this fee is that it is NOT a documented fee. Only CarMax has big signs that say "we charge $375 delivery on all cars". Everyone else waits until after you have a deal worked out to introduce their dealer fees.

I want a car for a "set price" and that's it. No surprises.

MB-BOB

Rick, I must be lucky. Beyond the negotiated price of the car, in TX I paid (on the pre-printed purchase form):

1) TX and County Sales Tax (Govt. Mandated)
2) TX Inventory Tax (State Mandated, about .0165%=$6.60)
3) Title App. Fee (State Manadated=$25 or so)
4) Documentation Fee ($30)

That's it.

Had a Toyota dealer try to run a "Dealer Admin" fee past me last Oct. $113 for a lame-o coupon book. I told them to shove it sideways, and they wrote it off. Among the 13 cars I've bought in 30 years, that's the only time a dealer attempted to soak me what I think you're describing as a "Prep" fee.