Jim Brady

My wifes C350 lease is up and she drove an E350 thought is was a little slugglish, then drove the E550 and it was just right.
The dealer has one coming in that's the right color and highly optioned with an msrp of 71K. What's a reasonable discount?

I'm finding that there are not a lota cars to choose from as the production is down or the units are going to other countiries. Even though the economy is in the tank the supply side is down giving the dealers a little more leverage.
Thanks for any info.

RNBRAD

Depends. I couldn't even drive one cause they are selling faster than they can get them in. That means not much of a discount if any.

DHI

In Montreal, Canada, there was literally no inventory, making all color and finishes difficult decisions to make for a buyer.

While vacationing in the SoCal area, Hoehn Mercedes in Carlsbad had an impressive inventory of cars. I could now understand how some new w212 owners got theirs with $5k discounts.

There's a thread that already exists on pricing. Check it out.

303E550

I paid a few thousand less than MSRP, but I also paid cash. When I bought mine a few months ago, I was lucky to find a 550 at a dealership almost fully loaded with the paint and interior I wanted so I didn't have to order one, but I would have waited if necessary.

Jim Brady

Thanks for the info, I had the dealer run an inventory and only 4 Obsidian Black in US! I know as soon as I pull the trigger I'm going to hear about all the great deals someone's brother in law's sister got on a green E550 that was a W211..

303E550

Unfortunately you can't worry about that. The dealer will almost always have the upper hand - just pay what you are comfortable paying for the car and move on. Nobody but dealers actually make money reselling these cars, so don't beat your head against a wall and enjoy the car!

emilner

Around here most people are getting about $6k off sticker for 350's and 550's

vapers

I did Amex car buying (Zag dot com) and I got a great deal without having to negotiate for it. I am a card member but I don't think you need to be (zag has a link for overstock etc. too).

DHI

That's awesome!
I wish we had something like that in Canada.
Order of Engineer's in Quebec had a fleet program a few years ago but it was put on ice.

jinx420hat

Thats were I got mine at.

Jim Brady

Thanks, I checked it and if you don't care about color you can get a good deal.
None of the dealers had the color I wanted in stock.

SoCal208

Mercedes Benz of Anaheim (Calibers MB before) send me email last week, $2000.00 off the window sticker price of any W212 E class car. Go check them out, you are just stone throw from them.

emilner

That is very expensive, you should be $6k or more off sticker...

MB550

Hello. Dealer invoice (just to give you all an idea to assist you ) is approx $4.5 to $ 5k under MSRP on an E550 with a P1 and an option like Parktronic (as an example) .

Their(new car dealer) true net cost on an optioned car like this is probably closer to the $ 6K off MSRP range taking into account all possible savings(ie dealer hold-back $ etc)

The more options a car has, the more profit they have in it of course.

Getting like $5 K + or more off MRSP on a car like this is an excellent buy for someone who wants it , as you are essentially in the invoice / not far over invoice range.

On an E350 (not a super loaded option one) getting this amount off is even stronger, as they have less profit in it than on an E550.

PS-Some people who had a previously leased E350 etc were also given a special additional $ 2k off to move into the 2010's, so this might be where some were saying they got like $6 or $7 K off( $4 or $5 K + the special additional $2k )

I hope this information is helpful.

Jim Brady

Thanks for all who responded. I picked up an E550 tonight Obsidian with Allmond Beige Leather P2, night view, total msrp was 72K, I got it for 67,400 from Fletcher Jones and they threw in chrome wheels as my wife likes a little bling. Great buying experience. I do a lot of traveling and the free parking and airport shuttle was a big deal for me as I spend about 2k a year parking and they wash it every time you drop off for the shuttle. Only Obsidian Black on west coast but she got what she wanted.

bugatti

Congrate on the new car.
Wife gets what she want, can't put a price on that.
What about the parking and shuttle?

Jim Brady

What about the parking and shuttle?[/QUOTE]

Fletcher Jones dealership is near John Wayne airport. They have a shuttle service if you've bought the car from them where you drop off the car, they shuttle you to the airport (about 3-4 minutes) when you return they pick you up and your cars ready and washed. If you're gone more than a day your cars parked in an indoor facility. Oh, and you don't pay for airport parking and the service is free. I tip the driver of course.

Normally parking is $23-30 @day and your car is covered with jet exhaust when you use the airport parking or the valet service.

I figure I fly 50-60 times a year So with washes and parking I save over $2k not to mention the ease of mind that your car isn't going to be vandalized.

bugatti

Nice service, somebody was thinking in FJ.

sunnySD

Are there any restrictions on buying a car with the overstock.com website? Seems like decent pricing with no negotiation. Or a place to begin with the negotiation process.

petee1997

I would expect you can find deals in the US. MB sales were down 20% for the year. The recession has been extremely severe in the US and I would think most dealers are feeling a lot of pain.

On the other hand there are no bargains to be had in the great white north. MB sales were up 18% for 2009 and are now equal to BMW. My dealer is now selling the W212 for March delivery. They have a couple of demos nailed to the floor but no inventory. This also applies to most models they sell except the B Class and the Smart car. The E is super hot. Go figure, in this economy!

Jorg

I agree with petee1997. When the economic recession started, world wide, at the end of August 2008, I thought this would be a great time, to trade up my cars. Yes, my trade-in allowance would be a little less, but the new car price should be a lot less. I read that MB Germany sales were terrible and that the USA sales numbers were 28% down. Could there any better time to buy a new car????

I went in every month, from then on and never even got an offer on any trade. They were so busy they had no time to even talk. Month Ends went by, Quarter Ends went by and Year End went by, nothing. No interest whatsoever to sell me a new car.

Statistics showed, MB sales in some 160 countries were down, factory workers in Germany were working short shifts and yet in Canada, they had no interest to even talking to me, never mind making a deal. I was thinking of writing to the workers Union in Germany to show them our dilemma, they are working short hours and I can't buy a car.

Statistics showed, MB car sales were down some 25% world wide, except in three countries, Brazil, China and Canada. How can you argue, with the sales department, when they enjoy such a waive of success?

After one year of trying, I was ready to switch to BMW and made one last attempt and had to threaten them, unless we can make a deal. We made two deals and I got screwed. I have nobody to blame but myself, I "forced" them, to make me a deal and they put the boots to me.

I wanted two new cars and paid whatever it took, because I wanted the new E-Class. The end result is, the excitement had worn off, before I left the dealership and now I feel sorry, I even made the two deals.

The new C-Class is no improvement and has some items missing that the previous model had and the 2010 E-Class, all in all, is not a huge improvement over the outgoing model.

Then having the new cars home finally, I spent the next four weeks getting the bugs out, one headache after the other. At least the MB Service Department is assisting me in solving one headache after the other and maybe soon, I will have both cars as flawless, as the the two cars were that I traded in.

So four weeks after I took delivery, I am enjoying the planing, what cars I could buy next. As you can imagine, these two cars are not my first MB cars, but from all the deals I have made so far, these two deals are the worst and the sooner I get rid of them, the better. I want to get the bad taste out of my mouth. I don't mind getting screwed, but I like to get kissed too.

Jorg

Jim Brady

You are correct dealers are feeling the pain, but MB has reduced the supply to the US market and sent inventory to other countries where the economy is a bit better and they can charge more. I know a lot of MB's production is going to Russia and China.
I spoke to the sales manager at the largest MB dealer in the US and he says there are deals to be had but most dealers have cut their inventory so there is less to choose from if you want a specific color or equipment it puts the dealer in a better positon.

petee1997

There is no doubt that MB has cut production. In a way that is good. They are not flooding the market with huge rebates and ridiculous residuals on leases. It's not the way out of a problem. We have seen years of give aways from the North American car companies to daily rental companies,huge rebates to customers, and all for naught. Resale values tanked, customer loyalty evaporated, and finally, two out of three filed for chapter 11. I don't know if MB knows what to do in these market conditions but they certainly know what not to do. If they have the fortitude,patience will work, the recession will end and good times will return.

PS This long personal view of the car market is worth exactly what you paid for it. Nothing......

pdxe550

We ordered a E550 4Matic for European delivery. Essentially you get the car at invoice not to mention a nice little vacation to boot! From a pricing point of view I can't imagine ever buying a car stateside again - that might change after picking the car up on March 1, 2010 but at this point it really seems the way to go. Prior to ANY negotiation your 7% below MSRP and you don't have to pay the $700-800 delivery charge. If you have the time it might be something to think about.