Does anyone knows if there some type of discount on the 2009 model i would like to trade mine if they give at least 15000 off the msrp?

 

Looks for posts by Chokaay. He and his friend just bought E350's recently at around $12k below MSRP I think.

$15k .. maybe if its in some really god awful color w/ zero options.

 

now thats what i call a great price! $15k below MSRP. My local area, there are so many E350s on the market.. only a handful of E550 or E500

 

Either that, or you live in an area where MB sales are WAY below average (for example, NOT SoCal), AND your local dealership hasn't sold an E-Class in 3 months... just kidding... sort of...

Seriously though, I think 15K below MSRP could happen by the end of the year. If you look at past trends, last year people were getting GREAT deals on '08 models in October-December 2008 (and even better deals on remaining '07 models), so I think a similar pattern will emerge this year for the 2009 models as well (remember that Spring & Summer are typically "car buying season", so you'll probably be able to get a better deal in Fall or Winter). The catch is, whether there will be any more cars available in your area in the configuration & color you want by then! (Local inventory levels are an important factor to consider when determining how the dealership will negotiate with you.)

Another factor you should take into account are the incentives MBUSA will be offering in the future. During the "Spring Event" (until 6/1/09) they had 1.9% APR Financing + MB Financial Pays Your First 2 Months Payments (up to $1,500 on E-Class) + $6,000 Market Support/Incentives. I don't know what it is now (since the reps I've been in contact with haven't been notified of any new promotions yet as of yesterday), but everyone I spoke with is expecting the APR to go up (since the % is apparently linked to some bond market or something), and the 2 Free Payments to possibly go away. They also think that the Market Support Cash may or may not be as good (depending on how MB sales did in May 2009, which is most likely better than April 2009, which was better than March 2009, etc). I've noticed the trend in the past year or so is that MBUSA is slowly moving away from Cash Incentives, and instead focusing on Financing Incentives (so they can at least make some interest out of the deal). The MB reps I've spoken to also noticed this as well...

And another factor to consider is the future financial environment we'll be in when you purchase your vehicle. Inflation is inevitable, and the U.S. Dollar will become weaker in the future. Not only that, but costs for various car-related services are already rising. In California, sales tax already increased by 1% (makes a BIG difference when you're talking about a $50,000+ vehicle), and the CA DMV fees just increased by a few hundred dollars. I was also told that MBUSA's "destination charge" for vehicles delivered to dealerships are also going to go up in the near future, and the prices on the vehicles themselves will eventually go up as well (there have already been 2 price increases on Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the last 12 months... the latest one increased the price of the 2009 E-Class by around $800 I was told... depending on the configuration).


Therefore, even though in the future you MIGHT be able to save $15,000 off the future MSRP, that doesn't mean your vehicle will be $15,000 cheaper than TODAY'S MSRP (but will probably be somewhere in between probably... depending on how late you purchase your vehicle, how desperate the dealerships/MBUSA are, and given that the dollar doesn't take an unpredictable huge dive off a cliff in the future).


So basically, if you're NOT "hurting" for a car right now and can wait a few months until October-December 2009, AND the extra $3,000 savings mean that much to you, AND if you won't regret it if the MB dealerships in your area runs out of the configuration/color you're looking for (or 2009 E-Classes for that matter), AND you think it's worth the gamble on inflation and fee-increases, then I'd say WAIT UNTIL FALL-WINTER 2009 and see what promotions (and vehicles) will be around then.

But if you're "hurting" for a car right now AND/OR the extra $3,000 savings doesn't mean that much to you, AND/OR if you WILL regret it if the MB dealerships in your area runs out of the configuration/color and/or 2009 E-Classes (because you hate the 2010 design or some other reason), AND/OR you don't think it's worth the gamble on inflation and fee-increases... then I'd say START LOOKING INTO PURCHASING A VEHICLE NOW, EVEN IF YOU CAN'T GET $15K BELOW MSRP ($12K-$14K isn't too shabby either).


A wise friend once told me that in car buying, you should NOT focus on the "cheapest/best" deal, because prices are ALWAYS changing (sometimes daily) and that you'll drive yourself crazy and waste lots of time trying to stay on top of things (especially if you start calling dealerships in other states to compare prices). Not only that, but the longer you wait, the more prices will go down (especially when newer models come onto the lot). Instead, you should find the exact vehicle you want (color, configuration, etc), and set a price for yourself that you feel comfortable in paying for that vehicle. If you CAN negotiate the price of the vehicle below the price you set, then you know you should buy the vehicle (once negotiations are done). If you CAN'T negotiate the price of the vehicle below the price you set, then you know you should walk away (and try again later if you feel like it). This method worked very well for me, and I'm satisfied with my purchases (even if other people can get it for cheaper than I did... since there were very few cars available in my area with the configurations I wanted at the time and if I didn't purchase soon, they may not be there in the future).


Just my 2 cents...

 

+1.

fwiw, I paid $12.5k off MSRP on the last of a color I wanted (Flint Grey on Black) There were still around 125 or so black and white left in the country and only 4 grey. So that meant less bargaining in my mind, because as chokaay says you have to take those things into consideration. And I decided I really wanted the last of the W211 body style.

I was offered 1.9% thru MB Financial (even though that's not mentioned on MBUSA's website for this model) I declined and still got the discount (6k in trunk money if financed.) So again, as chokaay says, these things can change overnight.

You can also write off up to around $4500 in taxes (in CA) for next year's return.

You can fight forever to get the best deal but sometimes you need to settle for what's comfortable for you and just buy the damn thing. Otherwise you might never get it.

 

Nice! That's the color I got too (although not an E63). My E350 has P1, Pano, Sport Pkg (unfortunately no Flint Greys in my area had P2 at the time, so oh well... ).