thecutter64

ive seen cars on Auto trader listed in authorized MB Dealers in other states. How would i purchase one if interested?

Should i contact the Dealer Directly or do i contact my dealer and have them do an exchange? I’ve never done this so thought i’d Ask.

MalibuScott

Why would you contact "your dealer"? Has he signed you to an exclusive purchase arrangement where you have to buy a Mercedes through him?

If your dealer doesn't have what you want to buy, you buy it from he who has it for sale.

eball77

I guess they don't teach common sense in school.

how do these people get in position to buy these cars?

thebishman

I've purchased many cars out of state and just bought my GT R last Saturday out of state. Find a car you like and email/call the dealership. Make the deal. Some dealerships will do everything via FedEx but some like my GT R dealer needed me to come to them to sign the papers, and then they reimbursed me for the airfare. Drive it home or have it shipped. Easy to do.

surfah

I would only use your local dealer as a 3rd party if you have a vehicle for trade-in. Otherwise executing the out of state transaction is the same as buying local. Typically documents are mailed via Fed-Ex, signed and sent back with a return envelope. I would highly recommend inspecting the vehicle with your own eyes, you can't really trust pictures. You may be on the hook for transport but if you're getting significant savings from an out of state purchase it will be worth it. You will be responsible once taking delivery of the vehicle for vehicle registration and safety inspection which may take up an afternoon. You will need two trips to the safety inspection, the first for a temporary safety check necessary to register the vehicle at the DMV and then once registration is received, a final safety check for the safety sticker.

MalibuScott

The closest dealer to me (and the dealer to whom I brought several of my prior Mercedes-Benz cars for service) is located in Calabasas. I found the GT I wanted 425 miles to the North and the Internet manager flew down to Burbank Bob Hope Airport to have me sign the documents and then shipped the car to me. When the car is serviced I intend to take it to the Calabasas dealer. Since service is a profit center for the dealer I anticipate no problems. But beyond that, the dealer's franchise agreement with MBUSA requires it to service my car.

thecutter64

it’s not about common sense . Every car I’ve bought is from s local dealer. When he doesn’t have my specs , he looks around and trades with other local dealers. I️ have never gone out of state for a new car.

my dealer details the car and hands it over. If I buy a car in Texas and have it shipped to NY, where do they drop the car off? Is the car shipped in an enclosed trailer? Is it prone to scratches, dings and dents? What about dust and dirt? I need to get it detailed before I drive it for the first time.

Do i register it with the DMV? Do I get the plates ? Do I get them before or after I️ get the car?

not so straight forward . I’m sorry.

MalibuScott

There is only 1 Mercedes dealer in your entire state? Must be North Dakota.

After you find a car you like, you ask that it be shipped under cover. You tell the shipping company wjere you want it dropped off and you get a window of time when that will happen. When it arrives you drive it, with the paperwork you have gotten from the seller, to your closest DMV office and pay the license fees (and any taxes that might be due).

Hard? No. Can you pay someone else to do it for you? It sounds like you have been doing so.

If you're buying a new car and live in a state with a strong Lemon Law, you will want to buy the car in your home state.

thecutter64

I’m looking for specific build. There’s one 1100 miles away in another state. I have lots of MB Dealers. None have a yellow GTR in stock nor do i want to wait a year for a custom build.

MalibuScott

Thius makes the asnwer even easier. While your dealer would be delighted to help you, it will come at a cost. The out of state dealer won't enter into a trade with your dealer as GTRs are not easy to come by and most dealers want more than MSRP. Getting two dealers involved will predictably lead to two mark ups.

The out of state dealer will almost certainly have had experience selling cars to out of state buyers and someone at the dealership will know how to walk you through it.

Ignore your own dealer and give the out of state dealer a call and find out how much over MSRP the dealer wants. ($25-$50K is currently what they're asking.)

slk55er

I've purchased several cars from out of my state of Utah, including Illinois (CLS550), New York (GT S) and California (CLS63S & CLA.) All have involved a trade to an authorized MB dealer. I drove or paid to ship the trade to the dealer and the purchased vehicle to me. Actually, I am in the process of trading my GT S to a dealer in Santa Barbara, but that is another story.

Sales Tax is another issue and depends on your state. Utah gives credit for a trade so for example, if you are buying a $60,000 vehicle and trading a $20,000 vehicle, you pay sales tax on $40,000. If the trade in is worth more than the purchase price of the new vehicle, you pay no sales tax.

But here's the catch -- some states want their sales tax, independent of your situation. Or they may collect what they think the tax due in your state is, forward it to your state's DMV and leave you to settle up with your DMV when registering the car. Here are some specific examples from my experience:

- Traded a CLS63S for my GT S to MB of Rockville, LI New York -- shipped both car via PlyCar. The trade's value was less than the new car (GT S), so the NY dealer collected the estimated Utah tax. Turns out they collected several hundred dollars too much, so I was due a refund from UT which I did receive several weeks after registering the GT S.

- It's worse in California -- no surprise! I am currently trading my GT S for cash back and a CPO GLA250 (waiting for the next generation of MB's with the 48 volt accessories and 70,000 rpm electric turbo.) Obviously, the GT S is worth more than the CLA250, so I owe no UT sales tax. However, California wants CALIFORNIA sales tax on the full purchase price if the purchased vehicle is DRIVEN AWAY in CA, independent of any trade in. And the CA tax is 11-12% vs. the UT 6.35%. So if you are buying a CA car from out of state, you should have it shipped rather than picking it up and driving away. In my situation where the trade's value is more than the purchase and no UT tax is due, the MB dealer is struggling to comprehend that no tax may be due and expects to collect the estimated UT tax. I am expecting that they will eventually determine that in fact, no UT tax is due and that they will not insist on collecting any.

In any case, you can see that Sales Tax is another issue that you need to consider and resolve as part of any out-of-state purchase. Hope this helps.

Wassaby

Every dealer has different process when it comes to deal out of state. Call the dealer you want to buy the car and ask how they do it.

cnterline

I live in NY and bought my GTS from MB in Arizona , figure out the numbers on the phone wire them the money have the car shipped simple the only part that can get a little complicated is registering it in your state everything went smooth for me but they’ll give you I believe a 60 or 90 day temporary license plate so if you can’t get it done in that amount of time somethings wrong lol.Good Luck , also I would stay away from notifying your local dealer of what you’re doing because then they will try to locate a similar car so they can get the sale which happened to me but I said no thanks .

FourT6and2

How is registering a car you bought out of state more complicated than registering a car you bought in-state? Not trying to argue, it's a serious question as I've never gone through the process.

Wassaby

I will try to answer because I deal with this kind of situations.

So let assume you're from NY zip code 00000 and you buy a car from Oregon. Every county and city has some or zero auto sells tax and registration fees when you buy a car. Some states require the dealer to collect the sales tax upfront when you pay for the car and then dealer will pay the tax and registration to your DMV if that is not required then you pay dealer just the price of the car and you pay the tax and registration at the DMV when you register the car.

Temporary registration is valid just in the state from where you buy the car so If you pick up the car from the dealer you get a 3-6 day temporary to get home you park your car in the garage and you go to DMV to get a temporary again to be able to drive in your state.

The dealer will send the Title to DMV in 3-4 weeks so that my put you out from temporary and you will have to wait for licence plates.

Some dealers are using third party companies that have access to every DMV data and they take care of the registration.

Anyway is complicated and you have to have patience with the process. I can advise you to make sure you discuses from the start with the dealer how they do it so you can be confident they know what they doing and the best person to give you answers is the financial director.

Good luck.

fastmd

You guys are overthinking this, it's easy. Don't worry, if you find your car it will be fine. I do this almost monthly and my not so bright asst even got the hang of it.

guynamedsean

is she hot?

thecutter64

Sounds like a big hassle. I would prefer to plunk down the cash and have the dealer work for his commission. I’m not running around to DMV and waiting on line several times. My time is valuable .

TT255

I have been purchasing and/or leasing vehicles from out of state for 15 years...it is literally easier than walking into your
local dealers showroom...I have never had to go into DMV for anything, the inexpensive DMV service the dealer usually uses has everything completed. Sometimes I have my cars shipped to my door, other times I have driven my trade in and picked up new car (only if within 200miles). Many here are overthinking the process... it is usually a pleasure... I have dealt with a range of dealers , from BMW to Porsche to Nissan to Mercedes to Lexus... they were all a breeze on my end. Hope this helps!

Mike Bender

We specialize in Leasing, financing, trade-ins, and lease terminations!

we can deliver ANY MAKE AND ANY MODEL to anywhere in the U.S.

aer

I bought mine from a Florida dealer, had it shipped last Wednesday, got it in San Diego yesterday. Was easy peasy