flcipriano

I just ordered a 2015 ML400 with the intention of trading an older car. It will take 2-3 months for it to arrive. As I am a USAA member, the dealer said I am entitled to the TrueCar purchase price, which "is the best discount you can get". They won't say how much the discount will be until I take delivery, since "manufacturer discounts change over time". They want to take my car in trade, but won't tell me how much they will give me in trade because "the Blue Book and Mannheim numbers in effect at the time of delivery" will determine the value.

So I just signed a contract to take delivery of a new ML with my old car in trade --- and I haven't a clue what the actual cost will be. Is this an unusual situation or is this the way car buying happens these days?

Barry45RPM

There IS a difference between the Tru Car guaranteed Price and the USAA/MBUSA certificate that USAA will issue to you. Don't request the certificate from USAA until you have a firm arrival date on your car as the certificate expires 30 days after issuance. In November the USAA Fleet discount on my ML350 was $ 2500. You can look up the USAA Fleet discount on their website. (Maybe also at MBUSA.com)... but the USAA fleet discount certificate is applied as your cash to the lowest full purchase price on your bill from the dealership. The USAA Fleet discount is made between MBUSA and USAA independent of any other parties.

greasykid

This sounds normal. Just had identical situation 1 month ago. That's why I bought a 2015 ML from stock. Too many variables. If I had temp transportation I would have made my trade now and waited 2/3 months. Ask your dealer if he can make a dealer trade that would work for you.

flcipriano

Last month the USAA website showed a $5400 discount on a MSRP of $78K, with the fleet discount at $2K. From this I would infer that the TruCar discount is $3400. I did print a certificate last month but got the impression that you could get another one in the next calendar year - hope I didn't screw up.

flcipriano

I am going to keep my car until the new one shows up. Since it's a 9-year old Cadillac, it won't make a lot of difference if the valuation changes one way or the other.

greasykid

Just call USAA. They are easy to deal with.

flcipriano

I agree. I have had all of my insurance through USAA for the last 50 years and they treat me very well. In recent years they have become more dependent on affiliates and that has not worked well for us, especially in Florida. I have not yet used them for a new car discount, so we'll see how it goes -- will report back after the deal is done.