outie

Hi, I went to dealer asking for a car with the color/spec/packages that I really want.

He looked at the computer and told me that there's only one car available but it's out of state. He said if I want it they'll have to transport it to my dealer for a fee ranging from 800-1500. He also said with this kinda arrangement, the car has to sell for MSRP and no discount. Is that true? I hope the salesman is not trying to jib me for transportation fee when they already have it hiding somehwere in their inventory.

Thanks!

JohnAMG

The dealer shouldn't charge you for the transportation fee. I have bought new and preowned cars from dealers who had to locate my cars from out of state dealer without any additional fee. AND you can negotiate for a discount too. Your dealer is pulling a fast one on you and I wouldn't buy anything from them if I was you. Good luck.

John

outie

Thanks for enlightening me. I will be asking other dealerships before I make the purchase.

If anyone else has experienced this kind of situation please share it! Thanks.

MTI

Everything is negotiable. If they say it's not, walk away.

Brunelleschi

The dealer had to transport my car in from 4 states away and was perfectly happy to do it. There was never the slightest mention of any added cost. Somthing sounds shady here...

Chappy

My AMG came from North Carolina. I paid less than MSRP and the dealership did not charge me extra for the shipping, per my request. Everything is negotiable.

deuce zer0

i am starting to think that sales people really dont want to sell any more cars. With most of everything i hear being complete bs, i am surprised more people are not turning and walking away.

MTI

Big ticket, comission based retail sales are all games and if you have to know how it works to play it. Doesn't matter if its cars, home appliances, real estate, boats, or planes. Anyone can just walk into a store and pay MSRP or higher for some rubber, plastic and metal, whether it's a Kenmore or a McLaren, but for the rest of the world, the art of negotiation is a skill that everyone should develop.

revstriker

I agree.

Anything a dealer can possibly make you pay more for, they will. After all, their job is to sell the most cars for the most amount of money. You have to understand all of this when you are shopping for a car (or any other big ticket item). They will always try to include expensive add ons, or charge you for things like advertising. There is NO WAY I would pay extra to help recoup the money the dealer spent on advertising (after all, they invest this money to bring in more buyers, of which I am one of), or to pay extra to have them ship the car to the dealer.

MTI

While we're on the subject, I think the original poster may have given the salesperson/dealership a clue that he was willing to "be plucked." While I'm just speculating about the events, take these tips to heart if you're going shopping . . .

1) Be an informed shopper. With the 'net, you can price pretty much anything before you step foot in a dealership. You can even check inventory across the country if you don't mind sitting at the PC with a beverage for a few hours.

2) Don't immediately let the salesperson know that you're only interested in one particular model, option group, color, etc. If you go in with a "list of musts" the salesperson is being signaled that you're willing to pay for your preferences.

3) Always remember, the dealer wants to move his inventory first, since they're carrying the bank loans on the cars on their lot on a monthly basis. You'll always make the best deals on the standing inventory, not on special orders or transfers.