bdpdx

I picked up a 2017 AMG C63 S Coupe today and I'm so stoked!

First a huge thank you to all the people that answer questions on this forum. I've learned so much and the time you've invested really paid off in a big way for me. I sincerely appreciate it.

One of the most important things I've learned here is that you can pick up a new C63 S for ~12% off retail. In my initial efforts I found this hard to believe but I started calling dealerships up and down the West Coast where I live and even a few on the East Coast to see what I could find.

In less than a day of searching I had a dealer offer me 12.25% off MSRP for a reasonably loaded model they had in stock (I had a few guys basically laugh me off the phone, but in the end all they really managed to do was fail to clear inventory). I say *reasonably* because the car I chose is configured with the Premium 2 package and doesn't have an illuminated star. I never cared a whit about the Premium 3 package because I don't feel like I need any of the assisted-driving features, and while I would have liked the illuminated star it's just not enough of a value-add to outweigh an almost $11K discount. So *reasonable* was actually perfect for me and I feel like I got a sweet deal.

The car I got is black. My first choice was a matte grey that isn't even offered, followed by Selenite Grey, and third by Obsidian Black. I saw a post on here where a matte grey wrap was added to a black car and it looked amazing. If I decide I just have to have grey that's what I'm going to do, and the money I saved easily covers the cost of the wrap so I feel like it's a huge win.

Now some ideas on what helped:

Before I called a single dealership I priced out the car I wanted on mbusa.com. I figured I'd spend up to $95K MSRP if I had to.

Then I called a credit union and got approval for a loan. In my case I have decent credit and planned to put $30K down and finance the rest. The credit union approved my loan at 2.69% for 60 months.

When I started calling dealerships I asked for someone in sales, then told them I was hoping to get a custom build slot to get a car built to my exact specifications. I also asked them to let me know the best price they would give me. I let all the sales people know I was talking to other dealerships and I was very polite. I emailed each rep a list of the car I wanted with all the options and told them I was already pre-approved for financing and was ready to pull the trigger. I didn't discuss any discounts with anyone at first, just asked them to tell me what they could do.

Most emailed back and said 1-2% off MSRP. One said 6%, and finally one said 12.25%, but that had to be a car in-stock because they'd already used their build slots and didn't have any coming up for a while. One guy in Seattle was amazing in that he researched a bunch of different dealerships around the country and found the cars that closest matched the spec I was looking for. I would have bought from him but once we got talking and I told him about the ~12% discount he bowed out and said they couldn't match it. Great guy though and he did give me the names of the dealerships that had the cars he could have traded with (after I knew the deal had fallen through with him I called all those places too). If anyone wants a recommendation for a very solid sales guy in Seattle PM me. I think he'd take care of you.

The car I found in Portland had an MSRP of $87,795. It looks like:

2017 AMG C63S Coupe
27 miles on odometer
Obsidian Black exterior
Black Nappa w/ grey accents interior (looks amazing!)
Carbon fiber trim
Package 2
Night Package
Red brake calipers
AMG Performance Seats
AMG Performance Exhaust
19" front /20" rear black cross-spoke forged wheels
Parking assist w/ 360 degree camera

Once I got to the dealership they said they'd rather do the financing if possible because they make some money on it. Doesn't bother me so they ran the numbers and came back with a rate of 2.64%. That's better than the credit union rate? Sign me up!

So the total cost was $77,041 + $423 in miscellaneous fees (DMV, processing, etc.). I feel like I got a hell of a deal.

The dealership I picked this car up at is in Portland. They have one more AMG C63 S Coupe and it's more loaded than mine (p3 package + extras). It has a white exterior. If you're in the market it could be an amazing car if they'll give you the same discount (I can't guarantee they would but it'd be worth calling them--there's no sales tax in Oregon). Remember you can always wrap it to a different color. PM me if you'd like me to make an introduction to the right people.

I'm really not sure why the dealership I bought from would give me such a big discount other than they maybe felt they needed to clear inventory. They were high-fiving in the back so I'm sure they thought they were coming out ok on the deal. Maybe someone needed to hit a quota. Who knows (if anyone cares to speculate on why a dealership would do this I'm interested in hearing what you think). I can say this shop is a big, reputable place that has been in business for a long time so I think it's unlikely that anything shady was going on.

Overall I can say I had a fantastic experience buying my car.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I'm so excited and can't wait to drive tomorrow!

Fravolafitness

That's awesome! I'm from ny and looking to lease one that's around 85k. Could I get a discount like that for a lease? And what would you recommend I do to get a deal like that! Congrats on the car!!!

Palpatine

Congrats brotha. Welcome to the family.

Palpatine

No reason you can't get the same deal, or better, by leasing. That's a fact.

Vic55

Well played- you basically got all of the car which is called triple net of msrp---there is about 6% in the front from msrp to invoice and then there is hold back which can be up to 4-7% behind the invoice depending on the store and their support (and if they are an AMG performance center it can be closer to the 7%). If the car has been on the lot for a while and they just want to move a unit that is getting ready to be written down I can see it happening. A store in Portland is probably not going to be a heavy AMG producing store so you find your and car and you found the right retailer.

Enjoy and post pics of that machine.


While your payment might be lower in a lease since you are only paying the depreciation plus a money factor plus tax on each payment... the main goal in the lease is to obtain the lowest gross capitalized cost (basically cash price) but you wont pay lower interest rate than what the OP got on the retail installment contract. MBFS has very high standard lease rates associate with AMG models. So in reality even if you got the same deal as the OP- if you leased the dealer would possibly make more money on you thru money factor reserve. Also since you are in NY; that's an upfront state so even if you lease you pay full tax on the price of the car vs other states that only tax the individual monthly lease payment.

The OP did mention there is no sales tax in Oregon and this is true but when buying a car the tax is associated on where one lives not where one buys so even if I buy a car in Oregon and pay no tax once I register the car in California Ill have to pay my associated sales tax. The dealer would just give me a "one way trip permit" and the ball would be in my court to register it correctly.

Fravolafitness

Great info thanks so much! So what would my best approach be to getting the. Eat deal possible on a c63s amg coupe lease?

Vic55

I don't want to derail from the OP's thread but quickly:

Always work the price of the car first and only- the payment is a derivative of such work as the residuals and months are not dealer manipulated. What is in play is how much "rate" the dealer will make on the lease deal over the MBFS buyrate which is set by your tier you score internally with them (blend of Fico and other scorecard attributes proprietary to their model).

Work the price first - that's key. I do think the OP is not in the norm as almost everyone did not get triple net off their car but probably closer to invoice. But for a rule of thumb; whatever car you are looking at assume 6% from the MSRP to invoice and another 4.5% behind the invoice (dealer will almost always not share this unless its an aged unit they want to move).

And yes once you get the price, then work the terms towards a lease but in NY its almost like buying the car because your taxes on the entire car are paid up front (except you only pay the depreciation and the money factor charges). The benefit is still there but the taxation hits the price unless you pay that on the side.

bdpdx

I don't see why not. You just have to do some legwork and contact multiple dealers to find out their best price. If you want a white one PM me, I could put you in contact with the dealer I got mine from as I know they have a loaded one in stock that looks amazing. You'd probably have to pay to get it shipped to the East Coast but you'll still come out way ahead.

The point is to be ready to do the deal, and then make a lot of phone calls and ask a lot of questions. Once you find someone willing to make you a great deal jump on it.

bdpdx

By all means derail away. This is very useful info.

Fravolafitness

Hahaha yes I apologize to the person who created this thread! I own right now a 2016 e400 coupe ans ive been dying to get this 2017 e63s coupe just want to get the best deal possible!!! You it's have all been possible and please to the original poster! Post pictures! I love this car!!! Thanks so much everyone

Palpatine

Vic55 is right... Always negotiate the price of the vehicle down as low as you possibly can. Common sense on a purchase, but finance and lease payments are also derived from the "negotiated price" as well.

Don't let the dealer try to just commit you to a "payment you're comfortable with". That's how they get most people. And they love to sell leases because most people never even know they paid more than they should have.

If leasing... You need to know your numbers before you start negotiating.

You need to know how many miles you will be driving in a year... And you need to know the term (how many months) and current residual and money factor that corresponds with that term. The money​ factor and residual are set by the bank and are not negotiable (unless your dealer is trying to mark it up... Which happens all the time).

If you don't... The dealer will take you for a ride, every time.

Also, I'm assuming you're starting with tier one credit... I think that's over 700 credit score for MB financial... But maybe a little higher.

And another thing... Coupes always lease worse than sedans. Usually lower residual and higher money factor. Double whammy.

I've never heard of the triple net thing... But I've never been in the car business so I probably never should have.

Personally, I just do pricing research beforehand... And then I start calling dealers and see who wants to play. But I only start calling when I'm ready to buy.

The discount certainly varies by the vehicle. And certainly, supply and demand. Since there's not a ton of AMG models for sale at a dealership usually... They​ usually don't want to give huge discounts on them. The dealership likes to make their money on their AMGs.

12.25 percent off on a 2017, when they only have 2 in stock, definitely sounds like a great deal to me... On a c63s.

If it was a c43, I'd say you could do better for sure. But, like I said, for a 2017 c63s, I'd say the OP hit it out of the park.

Fravolafitness

Yeah but how do you know how to negotiate to the best price possible??? Ok for example. I priced out my 2017 c63s at just shy of 87k. How would I start the negotiating ? Do I figure trying to say a specific % off or do o hear his off and I then call up other places to see who gives me the best offer? Or do I try to push it for 10-12% off msrp? I don't want to sound stupid negotiating saying " hey let me get this 87k car for 60k!" lol I just want to know what's a fair starting point. Thanks again guys!

Palpatine

Well, first, I'd see if the dealership has a car in stock that you'd take.

Then, if they do, just straight up tell them that you're a buyer for x amount. And if they say yes... You'll come down and buy the car right now.

X = 10-14% whatever you think you can get off from your research.

Since the OP just got 12%. I'd try for 13%

Or, just tell them that your friend just got 12% off and you want them to match the deal.

Again... Be straight up with them. Tell them that if they match it... You'll come down and buy the car right now.

You can do the same thing in person as well. If they don't do it, you just need to be prepared to walk.

Not all dealerships will match it. But someone will.

Fravolafitness

Great stuff! Also, remember I'm leasing the car so would I still use the term " buy the car" or would i tell them that I want to lease that car? I don't know if it matters or if it's still the same concept regardless if I'm going to finance or lease. But for me I'm an impatient person and don't hold onto cars for more than two years to get a new model. I'm hoping that I love this c63s so much that I'd just lease with an option to buy. For me it's the safest was to deal with a car. Sure I pay more interest but I'd rather pay a little more and have the flexibility to get out just in case I'm not in love with it!

Palpatine

I always lease as well... And saying you're a buyer is just fine.

If you're leasing, you need to find out the numbers (MF and residual) for the term you're interested in, and figure out what your payment should be according to x purchase price.

Also, at least in CA (or at least in my experience), all car leases come with an option to buy at the end.

Fravolafitness

Thanks. Yeah I mean I went in and the mf for the c63s was .00220 which is what they said is standard for that car ( not sure if that's true or not). And the residual was 51%. I hate the fact that it's so low! I'm in Long Island New York and I believe the tax is 8.6%. So I know I'm supposed to know what my negotiated price is but with this information, what's the equation I would need to calculate to see what my lease would be a month? I would be doing a 10 or 12k lease! Thanks guys

Palpatine

I like leasehackr dot com. But just Google lease calculator and there are plenty of them out there.

Btw, that MF is horrible. But it may very well be the standard rate. And the AMG residuals always terrible.

bdpdx

I just want to reiterate how important this is. I contacted multiple dealers and every single one of them rejected my request to match at 12.25%. They all said, "Go buy that car right now." Some were incredulous over the phone and borderline impolite. Others were polite but tried to get me to see their used inventory or take a test drive or whatever. On all of those situations I "walked" (virtually in most cases as I did my research primarily with phone calls and email).

I have read on the forum that someone else (or perhaps 2 people) also managed to get 12% off so I knew it was possible, but for most dealerships it isn't a good play, so prepare to be rejected. But do be super polite when you are rejected, because that 12% discount comes right out of their pocket. They have to have other reasons to move the car so that a big discount makes sense for them (need to meet a quota or clear inventory, who knows, but things have to line up for them). If you call diligently and meet a few decent reps who are willing to help you (they're out there), sooner or later you will find someone who wants to move inventory and you'll get a good deal.

I strongly suspect people aren't buying cars right now because it's winter and taxes are almost due. If you've got the funds ready to go now is a great time to buy. As soon as tax season is over and spring hits and people want an awesome car for summer there should be little incentive for the dealers to drop their prices.

In any event, doing some homework by making a lot of calls and writing emails will give at least give you an accurate picture of the market at the point in time you start looking. Just remember as said above, you have to be ready to buy so you can close when you find that deal. I learned about the 12.25% discount Thursday afternoon and it was a done deal Friday.

Good luck!

Fravolafitness

That's awesome! Really happy that you were able to take advantage of a situation to save some money! I'm thinking maybe doing it by the end of the month when a dealership might need to reach a quota ? And also I'm assuming it's better to get one as close to your dream build but not letting them know and seeing what they have in stock? I have a couple months before I get it so I want to make sure I have all the angles covered! Please post pics when you get it!

M177ED1

Awesome!! Nothing feel better than getting behind the wheel of and AMG, and knowing you basically 'stole' it!

I bought my Edition 1 for $73,500, you got a hell of a deal!

bdpdx

Wow, you got an E1 for less than I paid. That's bad ***! Nice work.

Vic55

Ill make it easy here:

The coupe residual (S models) is at 50 for 15k. Add 2% for 12k, 3% for 10k and 4% for 7500 miles a year. The sedan starts at 51 so its no big difference.

Tier 1A is the auto approval tier and the buyrate (not your rate but the dealer rate) is .00180. If you do not get this auto approval there are zero tier bumps allowed per MBFS. If you are at .00220 you still could have been tier 1A but the dealer might be making some reserve (the dollar difference between .00180 and .00220 that's in your payment times .70 - its called a reserve split). But I don't know how you scored. The rest is up to you via the price. I don't see you getting 13% off the car, there are no factory incentives on 17 AMG's. There is trunk money on an S63 Coupe and the GTS but those are 16's and that money doesn't have to be shared with you. I think the market has enough cars and you being on the east coast (AMG's don't move off the shelf as fast as they do in the West and Florida) a fair ask is 10%. The dealer will make 2% (there is only 12% to 12.25% if they are an Autohaus dealer and have the AMG center so anymore money off is their desire to absolutely dump an aged unit) and they might make a little reserve too (If its .00180 to .00220 then they are making .48%) but again this is all supposition for you to chew on. Ask them what tier you are. Ask them for a price without any down or fees added. Don't forget there is a bank fee of 795 from MBFS but almost every dealer gets to and will add 300 (max allowable add) to this fee to make it 1095 on leases only.

Good luck!!

Fravolafitness

Awesome stuff! Yeah as for the money factor he just said .00220 but didn't check my credit score. I usually qualify for a lot. My score is around 750. Thanks for all the help guys and hope to give you guys good news soon. Also btw if I'm in NY, would it be worth it to call mb dealers in other states or just call all the ones in my state? I think there's about 7 located in my proximity.