https://www.midcityengineering.com/p...s-benz-ecopcm/ -- for the eco off.

 

West Covina MB advertises G’s at sticker but won’t sell them for that. It’s a tactic they use to try to initiate contact with interested parties.

 

Eco start/stop is easy - disconnect the current sensor at the battery's negative terminal (under the cargo area floor board). LKA was a custom hack - removed switch module and added circuit that emulates pressing the disable button each time the ignition is started.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but generally ADMs are not advertised online. They are mostly asking ~50k over MSRP on the 550s. They are not “flying off the shelves” because dealers are happy to keep them sitting while waiting for the right customer. You may be able to negotiate down to 30k over, but even then who knows if they’ll accept.

 

This is unfortunately true, and as long as the advertisement lists the price as the vehicle's MSRP, this does not constitute an offer price or false advertising.
Caveat emptor.

 

Which probably explains why the dealer has 15 examples on its lot.

 

I have changed my mind regarding the G and am instead looking at a Mercedes car. I contacted -- online I clicked on Get the Price button -- the dealer for well, its price for the car. The dealer does list the sticker price. But of course as you state any ADM is probably not listed.

Will be interesting to see what this dealer -- in southern CA but not West Covina -- comes back with for a price.

 

I hate this feature of mbusa so much. That only shows you the MSRP of the vehicle. In this current market that makes for a mess with market adjustments on certain vehicles and in better times, doesn't show discounts from a dealer.

 

I'm reluctant to call the dealer that has a car I'm interested in because it might complicate things if my local dealer calls the dealer to work out a swap. The dealer may want more money for the swapped car or he may refuse the swap thinking he might have a live one on the line, so to speak.

But I did get in touch with a much more distant dealer to try to learn what price it was asking for a similar model of car. I mean it lists the car's MSRP but as you and others have stated any ADM is not disclosed, at least initially.

My plan is to when I talk to my dealer indicate what I will be willing to pay for the car. If there is any ADM and if the dealer must get all or even some of this then I know and can tell the dealer to not bother. I will make it a *point* to let the dealer know I have other cars on my list and will move on and buy a car at some other dealer (and not a M-B dealer).

The Challenger is fast (485hp mated to a 6-speed manual transmission) and a bit raw. But I long for (among other things) the much better German interior. (I got spoiled with my Porsche cars.) The 485hp looks good on paper but it is not usable on the street. It could be worse. I traded a Hellcat (707hp!) for the Challenger. Even my Porsche Turbo (420hp) had more HP than I could make use of except in very remote locations and then only for a the briefest of time.

 

Oh, i wanted to thank you for calling the West Covina dealer. I was reluctant to in order to avoid tipping my hand. I got spoiled living in northern CA where I had access to a number of dealers and could "shop" and collect price info with relative ease.

But not here where i live now. So remote there is no ZIP code, just a sign at the next town over pointing in my direction and saying "Over yonder".

Well, maybe not that remote but certainly remote enough that I do not have access to the several M-B (or Porsche) dealers I had access to in northern CA.

 

if it comes with adaptive suspension the ride is akin to that of a 63 and moreover won't be able to put springs if you chose to lower it. if your drives involve highways there is no GT that comes close even though its reputation is built around off-road

 

Your style of car buying worked just fine pre shortage. Now, not so much.
Every Mercedes dealer has more customers for the high end cars then they have cars. The dealer knows they will sell the car, the goal is to maximize the revenue for that car. They may not get another one for a long time.
It also makes dealer trades very difficult. Most dealers will want to sell their own rare car rather then trade it away, unless they get another rare car back. I would simply contact the dealer that has the car you want and ask them their pricing policy and if they will sell to you if you are out of their area.
I wouldn't be asking for a discount because the dealer probably won't take you seriously if you do.
What car are you trying to buy?

 

‘Shopping around’ for a G is a waste of time for you and for the dealer, you’ll see by the courteous dismissal of your request. Not because dealers are jerks, but simply due to timing of your request (to be fair, I’m uncertain that you’d have had better luck before, when the line was 20 people long to buy one).

your best bet is to establish a proper relationship with a local(ish) dealer, preferably a GM

 

Yeah, today's car market is like nothing I think I have ever seen. Oh I have seen a particular car model come in hot but not models hot across the board.

I talked to a distant dealer about the car I wanted. I could show and (probably) buy it but dealer swaps are off the table. No dealer wants to give up any of his stock unless it is to a customer as in private individual and not another dealer. Heard the same thing from my local dealer too.

I worked some numbers on the logistics of buying from a distant dealer and the numbers aren't good. For a one way rental to a 200 mile distant dealer is almost $600 miles. Maybe not the end of the world when talking about a car that lists for upwards of $60,000 but still I can see the deal falling through and me paying another $600 to get a way rental back home.

 

To be sure never tried to buy a car with buyers lined up (figuratively or literally).

I guess I had my doubts regarding the temperature of the new (and used) car market but after dipping my toe in first the G market then the AMG C43 market... Ouch! The market is hot!

 

C43s aren't that bad right now. We have two it seems like we can't get rid of and they're priced well.

 

2022 AMG C43. As I mentioned in other posts I had given up on the idea of buying a G. After some thought even at "sticker" it doesn't make sense for me. Too much of the wrong type of vehicle for my needs.

 

There did seem to be a fair number for sale. But the nearest one was 187 miles away. Yeah, not a continent away but still a bit of work to get up to the car and (hopefully) work out a deal. I thought about just buying it over the phone and having it shipped to me but that's not my style.

I know this won't go over well, but I bought a new car yesterday. A 2022 BMW 230i, Brooklyn Grey. Could have been worse I guess. I built one and I ended up picking Portimoo Blue. Has the Tacora Red Vernasca leather interior. Has the M Sport package and some other packages. Every package I wanted but the one that included the limited slip differential and big brakes. But I decided since I was not going to race the car or even drive in marginal traction conditions an LSD was not that necessary. Also, big brakes are cool (the ones on my Hellcat were cool but huge) but add weight and cost like the dickens to replace. For example the Hellcat front brakes run about $2K and when I traded my Hellcat in at 27.5K miles the front discs were very worn. Not that hard on brakes usually but that car was very heavy and with the 8-speed automatic pretty much had no engine braking to speak of.

Dealer indicated I could wait 6 months for the car to be built. Sure everything a dealer tells you is intended to get you to pay as much for the car as possible and to buy it as soon as possible, but I did some research and 6 months wait is not a dealer fairy tale. Decided my Scat Pack with 18 months of warranty left and with just over 8K miles was worth as much as it ever would be.

Also dealer was quite unconcerned over the fact the car had been in an accident. I had pics of the damage. Example:


Plus I had copies of the repair invoice/paperwork. Just 2 months after I bought it the car was hit while parked -- actually hit twice, 2 different days -- and just cosmetic (easily replaceable sheet metal and plastic) was damaged. No vital fluid systems damaged. No steering/suspension or even wheel/tire damage. Figured might as well move on from this car while the market was hot enough to not really care that much. But the car was repaired correctly. I made sure of that.

Local dealer just got the 230i in the day before yesterday. Hadn't even had time to detail it. Salesman took me for a test ride and as soon as I got in the passenger seat I noticed the dirty windshield.

So I bought the 230i off the lot.

Not to worry, though. The car was properly detailed for me.

Yeah, quite a step down from a C43 let alone a G550.

The thing is I decided on a smaller/lighter car not another behemoth. That's not quite fair to the C43 even the G. They are more substantial vehicles for good reasons. The G is (for my needs) like using a 155mm howitzer to go rabbit hunting. It works but...

As for the C43 I'm sure it would have been a good car. All is not lost. I could end up with one in a couple of years. I don't plan on keeping the BMW for long. Just trying out different cars for a while.

 

FWIW, I just bought my G from a MB dealer out of state. They don't have to charge you the sales tax in the state you purchased it. They got me a temporary registration and tag from that state, then when I registered the car permanently in my home state, that's when I paid the sales tax.

 

so you went from a G to a BMW 230....
what in the world

 

LOL

 

It was entertaining to watch your progress unfold. Enjoy the car. Going to take me some time to process how you ended up with a 230 . I'd have thought perhaps an M2 Comp. That would have been an interesting choice...

 

Correct, I have purchased my last 11 cars out of state.

Only one time did I pay pay sales tax in the dealerships state. Their sales tax was the same as my home state and I did not have to pay anything to my home state so it was a wash.

Normal priced it’s for me is buy the car for X price. Bring in title and sales receipt to my local DMV, pay sales tax and whatever other fees the state charges…

 

Thanks.

BMW dealer was an unknown to me. Mercedes dealer next door has been great. I really wanted a Mercedes. But no stock.

I bought the 230i as a 1st BMW to see how the BMW dealer is. Today I made an appointment online to bring the car in for an early oil/filter service. It will have just under 600 miles. But my SOP is to change the oil early and "often" from new through break in and a bit beyond. I plan to have the oil changed at approx. 600 miles, again at 1200 miles (end of "break in"), then at 5K miles and every 5K miles thereafter.

The online site told me I had an appointment -- even sent me an email and text confirming this -- but I couldn't get back online to see for my own eyes. Had to run an errand so stopped in at the BMW dealer to check. SA check and he found no appointment had been booked. So I booked an appointment in person. The SA was nice. I think the service will be fine.

So in a year or so when the supply of vehicles improves I'll look into trading in the 230i for something else. Something "M" ish... Well, the 230i has the M Sport package and it is surprisingly quick. That 295 foot pounds of torque plays a role. Or I might get an AMG Mercedes.

 

Yeah, I know. Quite the 180 degree turn. I really don't know where I got it in my head I needed a G. Sure the G is awesome but...