How much to chrome wheels?
08-22-2004, 12:50 AM
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'05 C230K SS
How much to chrome wheels?
Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this forum, just bought a Diamond Black/Ash 2005 C230 Sedan, loving it! I'm glad to see such an active forum for MB and specifically C-class owners, this is great!
It's my first car. That being the case, I'm wondering if I got a reasonable deal. I think I did ok having had no experience buying a car before, but thought I would ask to see what you guys think.
As it came from the factory, the car had an invoice of about $33K. The dealer then applied a chrome finish to the stock 5-spoke wheels. I liked the look and the chrome really helped sell me the car. I paid about $34.3K. There was a supplemental "sticker" on the car showing an "MSRP" of $1400 for the chrome wheels. The problem was, since chrome wheels is not a factory option, none of the normal invoice pricers (like Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book) could tell me what the dealer's cost for chroming the wheels was.
After I bought the car I read an article online that it usually costs somewhere around $800 to chrome a set of 4 wheels that size. So if I take $800 as the "invoice" for the wheels, then the total "invoice" for the car would be $33.8K, meaning I paid about $500 over invoice for the car. I give the dealer credit for putting together a nice package, so I feel ok about that price. Plus, being new to cars, I probably never would have thought to take my wheels out to get chromed myself. And the dealer has said they'll cover the chroming for 4 years under warranty, same as the rest of the car.
Has anyone out there ever had their wheels chromed? How much did it cost? Did I actually pay more than $500 over "invoice"? Any feedback out there would be much appreciated for a newcomer. (Btw, any discounts like c-spot are factored out of the numbers I used).
DN2K5
I'm new to this forum, just bought a Diamond Black/Ash 2005 C230 Sedan, loving it! I'm glad to see such an active forum for MB and specifically C-class owners, this is great!
It's my first car. That being the case, I'm wondering if I got a reasonable deal. I think I did ok having had no experience buying a car before, but thought I would ask to see what you guys think.
As it came from the factory, the car had an invoice of about $33K. The dealer then applied a chrome finish to the stock 5-spoke wheels. I liked the look and the chrome really helped sell me the car. I paid about $34.3K. There was a supplemental "sticker" on the car showing an "MSRP" of $1400 for the chrome wheels. The problem was, since chrome wheels is not a factory option, none of the normal invoice pricers (like Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book) could tell me what the dealer's cost for chroming the wheels was.
After I bought the car I read an article online that it usually costs somewhere around $800 to chrome a set of 4 wheels that size. So if I take $800 as the "invoice" for the wheels, then the total "invoice" for the car would be $33.8K, meaning I paid about $500 over invoice for the car. I give the dealer credit for putting together a nice package, so I feel ok about that price. Plus, being new to cars, I probably never would have thought to take my wheels out to get chromed myself. And the dealer has said they'll cover the chroming for 4 years under warranty, same as the rest of the car.
Has anyone out there ever had their wheels chromed? How much did it cost? Did I actually pay more than $500 over "invoice"? Any feedback out there would be much appreciated for a newcomer. (Btw, any discounts like c-spot are factored out of the numbers I used).
DN2K5
08-22-2004, 12:55 AM
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'09 A4 S Line
When I bought my car, I requested that the wheels be chromed and the dealer charged $1k. But I negotiated $1k off the sticker price, so it's like I got them free I guess. Congrats on the new car!
08-22-2004, 01:17 AM
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'05 C230K SS
I would post pics but being a "noob" there's not a mod on the car so you might as well look at the stock photos on mbusa.com to see what my car looks like. 
Actually, the color is really nice. I don't know why they call it "Diamond" black, because it's got a deep bluish tint. Most of the time it looks like metallic black, but in the bright sun, or at certain angles, you get a hint of very dark iridium-looking blue. I think the color is new for 2005. I love it.
I think if I took a picture it might be hard to capture the blue (might just look black), but maybe if I get some time I'll give it a try. Unlike my car, my camera is old and suck.
Actually, the color is really nice. I don't know why they call it "Diamond" black, because it's got a deep bluish tint. Most of the time it looks like metallic black, but in the bright sun, or at certain angles, you get a hint of very dark iridium-looking blue. I think the color is new for 2005. I love it.
I think if I took a picture it might be hard to capture the blue (might just look black), but maybe if I get some time I'll give it a try. Unlike my car, my camera is old and suck.
08-22-2004, 03:00 AM
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2001 C320ss, 2005 Ford F150 Supercrew, GSXR,
Originally Posted by DiamondNoir2K5
Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this forum, just bought a Diamond Black/Ash 2005 C230 Sedan, loving it! I'm glad to see such an active forum for MB and specifically C-class owners, this is great!
It's my first car. That being the case, I'm wondering if I got a reasonable deal. I think I did ok having had no experience buying a car before, but thought I would ask to see what you guys think.
As it came from the factory, the car had an invoice of about $33K. The dealer then applied a chrome finish to the stock 5-spoke wheels. I liked the look and the chrome really helped sell me the car. I paid about $34.3K. There was a supplemental "sticker" on the car showing an "MSRP" of $1400 for the chrome wheels. The problem was, since chrome wheels is not a factory option, none of the normal invoice pricers (like Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book) could tell me what the dealer's cost for chroming the wheels was.
After I bought the car I read an article online that it usually costs somewhere around $800 to chrome a set of 4 wheels that size. So if I take $800 as the "invoice" for the wheels, then the total "invoice" for the car would be $33.8K, meaning I paid about $500 over invoice for the car. I give the dealer credit for putting together a nice package, so I feel ok about that price. Plus, being new to cars, I probably never would have thought to take my wheels out to get chromed myself. And the dealer has said they'll cover the chroming for 4 years under warranty, same as the rest of the car.
Has anyone out there ever had their wheels chromed? How much did it cost? Did I actually pay more than $500 over "invoice"? Any feedback out there would be much appreciated for a newcomer. (Btw, any discounts like c-spot are factored out of the numbers I used).
DN2K5
I'm new to this forum, just bought a Diamond Black/Ash 2005 C230 Sedan, loving it! I'm glad to see such an active forum for MB and specifically C-class owners, this is great!
It's my first car. That being the case, I'm wondering if I got a reasonable deal. I think I did ok having had no experience buying a car before, but thought I would ask to see what you guys think.
As it came from the factory, the car had an invoice of about $33K. The dealer then applied a chrome finish to the stock 5-spoke wheels. I liked the look and the chrome really helped sell me the car. I paid about $34.3K. There was a supplemental "sticker" on the car showing an "MSRP" of $1400 for the chrome wheels. The problem was, since chrome wheels is not a factory option, none of the normal invoice pricers (like Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book) could tell me what the dealer's cost for chroming the wheels was.
After I bought the car I read an article online that it usually costs somewhere around $800 to chrome a set of 4 wheels that size. So if I take $800 as the "invoice" for the wheels, then the total "invoice" for the car would be $33.8K, meaning I paid about $500 over invoice for the car. I give the dealer credit for putting together a nice package, so I feel ok about that price. Plus, being new to cars, I probably never would have thought to take my wheels out to get chromed myself. And the dealer has said they'll cover the chroming for 4 years under warranty, same as the rest of the car.
Has anyone out there ever had their wheels chromed? How much did it cost? Did I actually pay more than $500 over "invoice"? Any feedback out there would be much appreciated for a newcomer. (Btw, any discounts like c-spot are factored out of the numbers I used).
DN2K5
08-22-2004, 03:20 AM
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'05 C230K SS
Hey Drew,
Thanks for the reply. I don't feel bad at all. Just wanted to get an idea of how much the dealership made off the item.
You are absolutely right, it was worth it to not have to find a wheel shop myself, bring it in, and wait to have them installed, etc. ****, I wouldn't have even thought of doing it if the dealer hadn't already had them on the car. It was worth it to just have them on the car already as I drove it off the dealer's lot. All in all, I got the car for $2500 under sticker so I'm happy.
I'm loving the car, but after discovering this forum and reading some threads, mod-envy is setting in! Maybe I'll "refresh" the car for Christmas.
DN2K5
Thanks for the reply. I don't feel bad at all. Just wanted to get an idea of how much the dealership made off the item.
You are absolutely right, it was worth it to not have to find a wheel shop myself, bring it in, and wait to have them installed, etc. ****, I wouldn't have even thought of doing it if the dealer hadn't already had them on the car. It was worth it to just have them on the car already as I drove it off the dealer's lot. All in all, I got the car for $2500 under sticker so I'm happy.I'm loving the car, but after discovering this forum and reading some threads, mod-envy is setting in! Maybe I'll "refresh" the car for Christmas.
DN2K5
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08-22-2004, 03:25 AM
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2001 C320ss, 2005 Ford F150 Supercrew, GSXR,
Originally Posted by DiamondNoir2K5
Hey Drew,
Thanks for the reply. I don't feel bad at all. Just wanted to get an idea of how much the dealership made off the item. You are absolutely right, it was worth it to not have to find a wheel shop myself, bring it in, and wait to have them installed, etc. ****, I wouldn't have even thought of doing it if the dealer hadn't already had them on the car. It was worth it to just have them on the car already as I drove it off the dealer's lot. All in all, I got the car for $2500 under sticker so I'm happy.
I'm loving the car, but after discovering this forum and reading some threads, mod-envy is setting in! Maybe I'll "refresh" the car for Christmas.
DN2K5
Thanks for the reply. I don't feel bad at all. Just wanted to get an idea of how much the dealership made off the item.
You are absolutely right, it was worth it to not have to find a wheel shop myself, bring it in, and wait to have them installed, etc. ****, I wouldn't have even thought of doing it if the dealer hadn't already had them on the car. It was worth it to just have them on the car already as I drove it off the dealer's lot. All in all, I got the car for $2500 under sticker so I'm happy.I'm loving the car, but after discovering this forum and reading some threads, mod-envy is setting in! Maybe I'll "refresh" the car for Christmas.
DN2K5
But after being at today's meet here in California, I think I was vaccinated 
I am once again happy with my car..
08-22-2004, 04:10 AM
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2001 C320ss, 2005 Ford F150 Supercrew, GSXR,
Originally Posted by DiamondNoir2K5
What do you mean? Mod-overkill?
I had mod-envy and have been going crazy trying to find this and that etc... After seeing 37 other MBZ at the meet, I realized once again that I like my car...Period. If I do another mod it will be because I want it and not from mod envy. More important is to be proud of what you have....4 wheels beats 4 heals anyday.......Post your pictures........
08-22-2004, 04:42 AM
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'05 C230K SS
Hey wait a minute Drew. You told me to be happy with my purchase, which I am, thanks. But being a diligent noob, I was reading through old threads so I don't repeat questions, and I found a post from you a couple weeks ago about a Penske e-mail offering $500 under invoice, and you said it sucked! And I've found posts here and there talking about $1K-$2K under invoice buys. Honestly, I could have gotten a much better deal, couldn't I?
Not that it will diminish the enjoyment of my new car. I'm just chalking it up to first-time buyer's inexperience. Thanks to some of the stuff I've read here, I'll be a lot better prepared the next time I buy a car (which won't be for a while).
I'm curious, I remember the dealer mentioning since the 2005's are new (this was beginning of August), they didn't have any incentives. But I read a post that said incentives were about $2200. Do dealer's ever really not have incentives that would allow them to go under invoice? Did the dealer just make that up?
But being a diligent noob, I was reading through old threads so I don't repeat questions, and I found a post from you a couple weeks ago about a Penske e-mail offering $500 under invoice, and you said it sucked! And I've found posts here and there talking about $1K-$2K under invoice buys. Honestly, I could have gotten a much better deal, couldn't I?Not that it will diminish the enjoyment of my new car. I'm just chalking it up to first-time buyer's inexperience. Thanks to some of the stuff I've read here, I'll be a lot better prepared the next time I buy a car (which won't be for a while).
I'm curious, I remember the dealer mentioning since the 2005's are new (this was beginning of August), they didn't have any incentives. But I read a post that said incentives were about $2200. Do dealer's ever really not have incentives that would allow them to go under invoice? Did the dealer just make that up?
08-22-2004, 07:05 AM
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Welcome to the forum.
And yes, stealers sometimes have have this steals. It seems especially in the CA market. Remember that sometimes things are posted that aren't quite what they seem. I've seen people claim invoice when they meant MSRP sticker. On another occasion I've seen someone confuse the cars direct price with being the invoice price. Or prices are posted OTD which have a bearing for a particular locale but aren't applicable across the country because taxes and fees vary widely and most often are handled differently. Not very location has the stealer handle these. A lot of them you'll handle after the sale at the DMV yourself.
All in all what is important is whether you like the deal or not. Whether you like your car or not. Unfortunately there will always be something better down the road. Enjoy it. And watch out for that mod bug.
And yes, stealers sometimes have have this steals. It seems especially in the CA market. Remember that sometimes things are posted that aren't quite what they seem. I've seen people claim invoice when they meant MSRP sticker. On another occasion I've seen someone confuse the cars direct price with being the invoice price. Or prices are posted OTD which have a bearing for a particular locale but aren't applicable across the country because taxes and fees vary widely and most often are handled differently. Not very location has the stealer handle these. A lot of them you'll handle after the sale at the DMV yourself.
All in all what is important is whether you like the deal or not. Whether you like your car or not. Unfortunately there will always be something better down the road. Enjoy it. And watch out for that mod bug.
08-22-2004, 02:56 PM
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The True OG Modded out W203
Originally Posted by DiamondNoir2K5
Hey wait a minute Drew. You told me to be happy with my purchase, which I am, thanks. But being a diligent noob, I was reading through old threads so I don't repeat questions, and I found a post from you a couple weeks ago about a Penske e-mail offering $500 under invoice, and you said it sucked! And I've found posts here and there talking about $1K-$2K under invoice buys. Honestly, I could have gotten a much better deal, couldn't I?
Not that it will diminish the enjoyment of my new car. I'm just chalking it up to first-time buyer's inexperience. Thanks to some of the stuff I've read here, I'll be a lot better prepared the next time I buy a car (which won't be for a while).
I'm curious, I remember the dealer mentioning since the 2005's are new (this was beginning of August), they didn't have any incentives. But I read a post that said incentives were about $2200. Do dealer's ever really not have incentives that would allow them to go under invoice? Did the dealer just make that up?
But being a diligent noob, I was reading through old threads so I don't repeat questions, and I found a post from you a couple weeks ago about a Penske e-mail offering $500 under invoice, and you said it sucked! And I've found posts here and there talking about $1K-$2K under invoice buys. Honestly, I could have gotten a much better deal, couldn't I?Not that it will diminish the enjoyment of my new car. I'm just chalking it up to first-time buyer's inexperience. Thanks to some of the stuff I've read here, I'll be a lot better prepared the next time I buy a car (which won't be for a while).
I'm curious, I remember the dealer mentioning since the 2005's are new (this was beginning of August), they didn't have any incentives. But I read a post that said incentives were about $2200. Do dealer's ever really not have incentives that would allow them to go under invoice? Did the dealer just make that up?
AH dont worry. Back in early '01 I paid 36.5K for my crap class C240. FULL sticker price, no sport, no sport brakes, no sport bodykit and tinted glass. That was my very first MB purchase, if I would have known about the forum back then then maybe I coulda saved major $$. Just be happy now that the deal is over and you cant change anything about it. BTW chroming wheels should be around 100 bux for a wheel for one piece wheels.
