MSRP Discount
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
2011 GL450
let’s try this again properly. Mind sharing what dealer? I’m seeing $5k-$7k+ avg in SOCAL
Super Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 510
Likes: 71
From: New Jersey
2024 GLE 580
I have one dealer telling me they are marking up the 22 GLE450 by $7500... But this is what he says about that when I balked? Just so you’re aware, it’s a true Market Adjustment, and it will stay with the car through its depreciation. Even KBB and Manheim have factored in these adjustments, and for EVERY manufacturer. Is this true? In any event my main dealer is selling me one without such a mark up.
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 22
Likes: 13
GLE 450
I have one dealer telling me they are marking up the 22 GLE450 by $7500... But this is what he says about that when I balked? Just so you’re aware, it’s a true Market Adjustment, and it will stay with the car through its depreciation. Even KBB and Manheim have factored in these adjustments, and for EVERY manufacturer. Is this true? In any event my main dealer is selling me one without such a mark up.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 931
Likes: 371
From: Ohio
'16 C450, '21 Dad Wagon Pilot, '22 Wrangler 4xe
I have one dealer telling me they are marking up the 22 GLE450 by $7500... But this is what he says about that when I balked? Just so you’re aware, it’s a true Market Adjustment, and it will stay with the car through its depreciation. Even KBB and Manheim have factored in these adjustments, and for EVERY manufacturer. Is this true? In any event my main dealer is selling me one without such a mark up.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 931
Likes: 371
From: Ohio
'16 C450, '21 Dad Wagon Pilot, '22 Wrangler 4xe
MBUSA per se does not mark up over MSRP. Pricing is set by individual dealers who may choose to discount, sell at list or mark up over list. All determined by what the market will bear. My dealer sold a G wagon for $50K over list. Would have been more if it had been an AMG. Somebody was willing to pay it and, as I remarked to my rep (who did not sell the vehicle), somebody on the sales staff is going to have a great vacation. But he pointed out that they would much prefer to have a steady stream of vehicles and deal with lower margins and higher volume than be constrained. Particularly in high end vehicles, transactions are relational. They want repeat business and do not want to irritate their customers to the extent that when supplies do return to normal, the customer is left with a bad taste over prior dealer policies. For that reason, there are dealers who in this market-- and not just MB dealers-- are selling at list taking a much longer view of business rather than the short-sighted command over list. Then there are dealers in such affluent markets where $10K, $25K, etc markups really mean nothing to the buyer. I am just so thankful that I ordered my car in June 2020 and it arrived Oct 2020. By Oct 2020 my dealer was discounting GLE's by $1000 tops. But because he committed a price to me, because I am a repeat customer and because I already started talking about the next car as soon as he put the order into Netstar, he honored the price at slightly below invoice.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,432
Likes: 300
From: Illinois
2021 c300 Cab. Arrived 7/28/21 . 24 GLE 450e.
It's a weird world we're in now. No cars available with a strong market burning holes in people's pockets. My dealership held off for a long time on marking vehicles up but we were left without any GLE and GLS models from mostly West coast buyers looking for a deal. Since then we've adjusted to the market but as of today have only a GLE 350 as our sole new car. The buyers are still out there. In just this month I have one car going out for $100k over sticker and another for $50k over.
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Super Member
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 645
Likes: 204
From: Central Indiana
2021 GLC 300 4Matic
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
Go to the G Class Forum if you want to see some ridiculous deals. When the G Wagon was dropped there was a panic with buyers willing to pay $100k or more over MSRP & used going for way over original MSRP. Driving a clunky vehicle for the Status Symbol and bragging rights is apparently very important in some neighborhoods. 
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 452
Likes: 151
2024 GLE, 2022 GLC , 2022 GLC
Dealers are going to try and hold onto these ,IMHO , ridiculously absurd markups for as long as they can. Then as inventories increase one dealer will begin lowering his prices. The dealer in the next town will see that he too can no longer get these huge markups and he is losing some business to his nearby competitor. He too will lower his prices. Shortly there after people on this forum will be boasting about how great a DISCOUNT they got, and the car buying world will be back to normal until the next crisis. As a firm believer in Economics 101, do you honestly believe anyone trading in a vehicle that they paid a crazy high price for will get a crazy high trade in price when the dealer is deeply discounting his brand new cars? If you bought a stock at an all time high doesn’t make it worth more when you sell it.
If you don’t desperately need a new car right now, it may serve you well to wait a least a few months.
If you don’t desperately need a new car right now, it may serve you well to wait a least a few months.
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 533
Likes: 240
From: Pennsylvania
2021 GLE450
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,016
Likes: 2,198
From: Colorado
'21 AMG53 wDPP & ARC, 19 GLC300 - Former-03 C240,2 ML BlueTecs,20 GLE450 E-ABC,15 Cayenne D,17 Macan
Dealers are going to try and hold onto these ,IMHO , ridiculously absurd markups for as long as they can. Then as inventories increase one dealer will begin lowering his prices. The dealer in the next town will see that he too can no longer get these huge markups and he is losing some business to his nearby competitor. He too will lower his prices. Shortly there after people on this forum will be boasting about how great a DISCOUNT they got, and the car buying world will be back to normal until the next crisis. As a firm believer in Economics 101, do you honestly believe anyone trading in a vehicle that they paid a crazy high price for will get a crazy high trade in price when the dealer is deeply discounting his brand new cars? If you bought a stock at an all time high doesn’t make it worth more when you sell it.
If you don’t desperately need a new car right now, it may serve you well to wait a least a few months.
If you don’t desperately need a new car right now, it may serve you well to wait a least a few months.
Chip shortage continues for another year or so. Auto manufacturers designing new chips to solve their shortages, shutting down production lines. Chip manufacturers building new fabs, probably 1-2 years to complete.
Dealers with 100 - 200 employees, trying to remain somewhat profitable to support them, 15 cars on the lot. They could lay off their employees, but they don't want to do that.
Rock and a hard place.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 791
Likes: 412
From: Fredericksburg, VA
2020 Mercedes GLE350 4Matic; 2023 Tesla Model Y
However, depending on the dealer selling price it still could make financial sense to buy now if you have a trade in. For example, in 2020 a GLE with an MSRP of $75K could be purchased for ~$70K (~7% discount off MSRP, which is a good deal). In this example assume you have a late model trade in that the dealer would buy for $20K. Bottom line, you write a check for $50K. Today, maybe you can get a $5K premium for that same trade in ($25K vice $20K), and you find a dealer willing to sell a GLE at MSRP ($75K). You still write a check for $50K, and you got the same good deal.
When supply/demand returns to normal, the premium on used cars will go away, and so will dealer markups over MSRP. Any amount you pay over MSRP now for a new GLE, you will loose to depreciation when supply/demand returns to normal in a year or two. It is a seller's market right now, so buyer beware....my 2 cents.
