galinskie

I was just offered $2700 off MSRP for a '08 GL450. Is this good, or should it be more.

nantucketsleigh

No more than $1000 above invoice.

GLDriver

Tha's reasonable. Also depends on dealer. I had paid less than that but again it all depends on situation.

sraj

I don't know if you are willing to look out of state (i.e., NC), but Lee Reavis at
Mercedes-Benz of Winston-Salem (800-489-1217) gave me a great deal and was very pleasant to work with (I've ordered a GL550 at $500 over invoice, $900 with doc fee).

Good luck.

galinskie

Thanks for the quick responses. My dealer is supposed to be giving me an extra good deal because of the dozen or more trips to the repair shop with the last car i bought there. The trade in value of my current car seemed somewhat fair, but the MSRP -$2700 did not seem so "extra good"

MKW

" Doc " ( document ) fee is basically another area dealer pads their profit, as we all know . That's supposedly the fee for the computer printing out your purchasing paperwork at signing. So you basically bought you GL550 at $900 over invoice - OK price this early in the model year , but no GL 450 should go for more than half that over invoice even now. Some local brokers in SF Bay Area even say they will sell GL 450s at invoice , including their fee, for ordered '08s. Big or expensive SUVs are not moving all over the country at this time , so take advantage of that.

MKW

If there is a trade in involved, all bets are off . A dealer will sell you a new car at invoice or close if that's what you demand , then find every little nickel and dime issue with your trade-in to get back profit. People sometimes look the other way on their trade , then brag to friends about how cheap they got the new car for , with the dealer massaging your ego all the way to the bank.

sraj

I know that the doc fee is essentially added profit, that is why I included it. I contacted 15 MB dealers in NC, VA, and SC and only 2 were willing to sell at the final margin I quoted. Nobody else came close. Maybe the Bay Area is different, especially for a GL450, but the GL550 is selling near or even above MSRP in my part of the country.

MKW

Having multiple dealers in our area does help . It's always the same routine, though : " we can't sell for less than blah,blah blah. " You then tell them what the dealer 10 miles away will do . Pause ..." heck we can beat that easily ".
I hear pricing is even more aggressive in SoCal, where MBZ dealers and MBZs on the road are like Chevrolets in other parts of the country.

DaCeptak0n

I cant quite remember anymore but I got anywhere between $250-500 over invoice was the buying price. It came out to $68,500 after all taxes and what not so more or less, got the car at I believe $63,500 when it optioned out at $68K

Talk to my boy Leon @ Ray Catena.

blync

I picked up a 2008 for $1000 under invoice w/ a $50 doc fee. It was out of state (CA. and I'm in Az) so I saved another 2.5% on the sales tax (Ca = 8.2%, Az = 8.1% for in state purchases, 5.6% for out of state purchases). Shipping was $350. PM me if you want the delaer's contact info.

Nevada Jack

I called Lee when I was first looking at the GL and indicated I was interested in the 550 on his voice mail. He never returned the call. I was specific with him and told him I was driving east and could trade my S for the GL. He missed out but I really have a tremendous deal with Greg Wieler in Denver. I was just seeing how far Lee would bend...used your name as a reference.

sraj

I'm surprised. Lee, the sales manager, and his sales associate Mark have repeatedly thanked me for my referrals. I know of at least one other reader of this board who received the same deal on his 550 that I did. I'll try to find out what happened with your call. Anyway, I'm glad you are happy with your deal.

Nevada Jack

Don't bother with following up on the call. I really was just testing the water with him anyway. I have a unique setup with Westminster MB in Denver and believe me it is the best. However I don't discuss figures and specific amounts because each deal is a personal one and depends on the situation and the parties involved.

I can say that anyone who calls Greg Weiler will get the information he wants and needs to make a decision. The dealership in interested in selling cars and not making it difficult to get a fair and good deal.

sraj

While some people may have a special relationship with a dealer and thereby have access to special pricing, I was not in such a position. Therefore, my pricing was also available to other new customers. I put the specific information out there (with the blessing of the dealership), with the hope that others could benefit from it. Having said that, I have come to respect your opinions and observations, so I have no doubt that your dealership would also be an excellent option.

oknish

For a 08 GL 450, I would pay invoice at the most. However, I am in SoCal and have a ton of dealers so it's doable. If you only have one dealer in your area then you do have less negotiating power.

I have had a 550 offered at 500 below MSRP here in LA.

Nevada Jack

Thanks raj. It is beneficial to a dealer to have referrals and especially if they offer great deals as your dealer does. That is why I was surprised that Lee did not return my call.

I am surprised at the large discounts being reported on not only this forum but on all of the various model forums. There was a time (still observed by many MB dealers) that new models and new model year introductions were MSRP for about 4-6 months and then discounts would be available. But lately it seems that buyers on these forums are finding deals of $500 over invoice like it was the end of the model year. We saw one post today of $1000 under invoice for an '08 GL! And this is with very few units on the lot or even if it is a custom order.

I don't know how dealers can continue this kind of discounting...they cannot survive on Holdbacks and incentives. They must have a goal of profit per deal and they cannot maintain that by reducing their up front profit to $500 a unit. This also destroys the resale value (which I guess the manufacturer could care less about.)

Anyway, as I always say...if the dealer is happy and the customer is happy it's a good deal...:-)

oknish

NJ - US car market is heading South in a major way and luxury market is getting hit pretty hard including MB and BMW. Dealers are doing what they can to keep cars moving off the lot and that is why you are seeing the deep discounting.

galinskie

[QUOTE=oknish;2386448]For a 08 GL 450, I would pay invoice at the most. However, I am in SoCal and have a ton of dealers so it's doable. If you only have one dealer in your area then you do have less negotiating power.

I have at least 4 dealerships within 30 miles, (S. FL) unfortunatly they are all owned by Auto Nation these days, so they dont compete as much as when they were independant. The dealership I had bought my last 2 cars from became part of Auto Nation last year sometime. It kind of eliminates any chance of shopping around the competition, when they all are the same company.

stlduckhunter

Does anyone know how much holdback or dealer incentives are on new models? I am not talking about end of year money to move old models.

Nevada Jack

The Holdback on a MB is in the range of 3%...incentives are unknown and are between the dealer and MBUSA.

stlduckhunter

Jack, you are the man! Do you ever take time away from the keyboard to drive that ride of yours?

Nevada Jack

Between the iMac, the MacBook and iPhone I am always in touch with the world scene...:-)

Got to take the S to the wash rack today...rained for three days (showers) and it looks bad!

Stumblefoot

His rep, Greg Weiler, is what makes the dealership an excellent option.

sraj

Well, I talked to my dealership and they can't figure out how they dropped the ball on NJ's voicemail. They are still very motivated, and welcome any referrals from the board. Mark Kendall, my sales associate, is a little easier to reach on a short-term basis than Lee. Lee is the sales manager, and he has a lot of logs in the fire.