blurrz

Dear Board:

I was at my Dealer today to look at E classes.. and I was wondering what your opinions are on what i was told.

At first i wanted to get a 2004 E320 4matic with nav, but on the dealers lot i found a nice 2003 E320 with the following options:

E320 $46,950
Tectice Grey $655
Ash Leather
Standard leather str wheel/shift knob
Panorama Sunroof $1,500
Harman Kardon $700
Factory istalled cd changer $400
E5: Launch Promotion package $875
Standard Radio Package
E3: Sport PAckage $3,800
Subtotal: $54,880
Destination and Deliver $720
TOTAL: $55,600

Now, i have bought 2 other benz's from this dealer (98 ML320 and a 99 E320), so they gave me a decent discount at $1,688
making the car $53,932.00

the dealer has a bunch of W211's on the lot (around 12) and i was expecting a better deal on a car on the lot.

I was told "the 2003's are still in prodcution and we are not dealing, you are a special customer... blah blah blah" basically BS in my book.

I was told the invoice of the car was $52,700, or basically they said that their profit is 6%, can anyone confirm or deny this?

If anyone can point me to any other literature that would suggest an invoice of less then this i would be greatful.

Now, given this information (I am in NE ohio by the way) should i expect more of a discount or should i be happy that i got what i got?

Now if im not goign to purchase this car on the lot, they said they would give me $1,500 off a 2004 order, which i got them to put in writing.

Comments or suggestions? Thanks for the boards wisdom

Best regards,
OG

Tezta

you can find the invoice price on carsdirect.com just spec out your car and it will have MSRP and invoice prices.. i always use that site to see if dealers BS..well its almost a given that anyone selling you something will BS even just a little bit.

MPTLPTR

I think it would be foolish to pay more than $1000 below invoice on a 2003. E classes in LA have been going for $2k below invoice. Smaller markets may not have as much of a discount but with the '04s just around the corner there's no reason to pay that much for an '03

KrispyK

Any predictions of what the expected discount would be on the upcoming '04 models?

blurrz

I was given a $1500 discount for being a "good customer" of the dealership. sales manger said that they rarley deal becaus of the high demand, but $500 is forseeable.

I would jump on the e320 they have on the lot for 50,000 but they said their cost was 2,700 more then that.. again i dont know if the are lying or not

KrispyK

OK, I've got a few data points for you to consider.

My dealer said he'd write up a contract for $1,000 over invoice on an '04 E500, that'd arrive around November. I have no idea whether this is good or not.

On the other hand, he'll give me only $2000 off MSRP ($1,700 over invoice) on an '03 with NAV. Said that's because NAV is rare on the '03s, and the demand is rather high.

(This is all in the greater New York metropolitan area).

I just spoke to a San Jose dealer, and he's willing to take $2,000 BELOW INVOICE on an '03 E500. And that's just for starters, I think, and I would bet I could get a little more off. It costs about $800 to have a car shipped from SF to NY, so quite frankly, it makes more sense for me to buy one there and have it shipped here.

blurrz

Ok, thanks for your pointers, can you pass along the dealer info in SJ along with the salesman's name.. 2000 BELOW invoice is a great deal on a 03 500 likewise on an e320. and if it only costs 800 dollars to ship it i would jump on that.

I think because im in such a small market (relatively speaking cleveland is rather small) i think that is why im getting such a bad deal. Where as in california they are having trouble moving cars becasue they have such a highnumber! again thanks for your help

if it would be easier to private message me with the info and if it would alright for you to give me your name so i can bring up what the dealer in SJ told to you so i dont get the run around i would appreciate it

Dr Chill

Call all the closest competing dealers and then use one's price versus the others to get them lower. If they wont give you serious prices over the phone, then tell them you are not interested in buying from them. A 2003 E320 should go for invoice at most at any dealership.

Zandorf

what's the launch promotion package?

blurrz

It is the E5 package that was mislabeld i guess.. MBUSA.com says its the value added package..

RJC

Give David Wachs at Glauser Mercedes Benz a call, he is a very high ranking sales person within MBNA, he will make you a very attractive deal and he is great to do biz with.

blurrz

Can you please provide his contact information and where the dealer is located?
thanks!

OG

Lakerholic

Out in Southern California, the dealers are giving bigger discounts that what you were quoted, however you really have to shop around to find a dealer willing to discount heavily on the Sport models (E3 package). I was able to get my 03 E320 Sport, with E2 and Factory installed CD Changer for $1992 BELOW INVOICE. The actually capitalized cost (I leased) was around $48,520 or thereabouts... on a $53770 MSRP car.

I've heard that dealers are discounting more in California than anywhere else, the dealer I leased from had at least 30 W211s on the lot, but only 4 E320 Sports, and 2 E500 Sports....

If you can wait, try back in two weeks when it's the end of the month and they need to make their sales look good... plus, you have something going for you: September is right around the corner, and that means 04s... and no dealer wants 03s sitting around when the new model year comes out, because that will mean even heftier discounts.

Good luck to you.

konigstiger

Purchase:
I purchased in February 2003 @ $1100 below invoice. Sent an email to every MB dealer nation wide, presented the lowest email quote (respect warrants non disclosure) to local dealers and the last dealer matched it. First dealer (Costco member) claimed the quote was ridiculously low – need I say more? The second verbally promised to match the offer however when I returned with my wife to finalize the deal they backed down. The owner (family owned) claimed that the new E class was just too hot to sell below MSRP – right! Thanks for the latte but I gotta go! Took a ride over to third and last dealer where I was immediately greeted by the sales manager because all his salesmen were busy with prospects. He handled the sale. Long story short, he did his thing and I did my thing. Thirty minutes into our each “working the room” there was still a $500 divide. I signaled to my wife (who by now has sat in every vehicle in the showroom) and moved my checkbook back into my research binder. Noticing this, he asks me to wait for a minute or two while he talks to the general manager. Gimmick or not, he returns literally with sweat on his brow and tells me we have a deal matching the quote presented.

RJC

David Wach's pvt line is 941 544 1122 they are located in Sarasota Florida and ship all over the US. David will do everything he can to make you happy but he is a very very busy rep if he does not call you back keep on him.

Nanky

$1,500 under invoice or better on the E320 is common in the So. Cal area. Looking at the dealer's price sheet only a couple of weeks ago, the discounts on the E500 are not as much because there appear to be fewer of them left. E500s were about $1,000 over invoice.

ElDiabloJoe

In November 02, when the 03 E's first started arriving, the launch promotion package was the folding rear seat option for only $100. I'm sure glad I have it, I've needed it a few times for larger/longer items.

EDJ