leadfoot

Shopping for a new ML63 and it seems a few dealers are willing to sell at invoice.Are sales that slow and has anyone paid under invoice.Are dealers getting some type of kickback if they are selling at invoice.Sorry for the stupid questions but I would love some help so I can try to get a great deal.....

kokanee

I don't know what it is like elsewhere, but MB makes so few ML63's that it seems the allotment for out city is pretty much presold. In other words they don't have many sitting looking for a home so there is no need to discount them. When you drive the ML63 you will see (I think) that it is amazing performance for an SUV and good value when compared to competitors (what competitors?) Perhaps the looming recession hasn't set in here yet. Last time I was at my dealer it was still many months waiting to get one.

SCH

Sales of the ML63 appear pretty soft in Northern California. I have an E55 wagon and have been debating whether to purchase an E63 wagon or the ML63. Virtually no E63 wagons around but most dealers seem to have several ML63's on the lot and are willing to deal. You can look in the lease forum for confirmation but it appears Mercedes is also doing a reduced rate lease deal on the ML63 this month. I have not started talking numbers yet with dealers.

Whoopsy

As I understand the dealers finances the new cars they get from the manufacturers, and the manufacturers pays the dealers the first month's payments, and even if the car is pre-sold and didn't spent a single day on the dealer's lots they still get that first months payment. So the dealers still makes money even if they sell AT their invoice.

For some manufacturers there are also kickbacks on top of that but those are normally only for slow selling cars.

Remember the US is in a recession and a lot of the people do not have the disposable income to buy a MB truck anymore, hence the excess supply on the lots.

Here in Canada, especially on the West Coast, the economy is BOOMING and millionaires are made almost everyday, there are just way too many rich people lining up to buy premium cars and trucks, especially specialty models like AMGs. Too bad MB is too slow to react and still limit our supply of AMG models. Here in Vancouver MB allocated 23-24 07 ML63s and the number is the same for the 08s.

ehaser

What is the major economic boom in canada? I was just passing through Vancouver and I did notice a lot of nice luxury homes and cars? Is it the strong dollar? Real Estate? You don't have a really large financial market? no? Just curious? Where do you think the canadian economy is doing well as far as job sectors?

Thanks! Nice Selection!

Whoopsy

Out here on the west coast, we have a well established tourism market plus a resource based trade like soft/hard wood and paper, fishing, hydro-energy export, that couple with the strong dollar create a more stable base than the financial/manufacturing heavy east coast economy. With the booming asian economy like China, Vancouver is a much more attractive location than the east coast cities, shorter travel time is one of the key advantage, better weather is another, so we attract more of the fresh money from Asia and it drives the real estate market. That in turn puts more money in people's hand and turn the money wheel more.

With real estate going strong, the construction sector is kept busy and the coming Olympics helps push the contruction business even more. In simple terms, we don't really need a big financial market to keep the money wheel turning.

You will also be surprise how many Hollywood production are made here, both TV series and films, Vancouver is nicknamed Hollywood North for that.

If financial market keep going down, people WILL pull the puck and the money will either go back to Europe or come west, and the east coast will suffer even more.

kokanee

Add to that that Vancouver rates in the top few of the world's most livable cities (#1 by Economist mag, #3 by Mercer Quality of life). If real estate wasn't so high it would probably be the top. I believe current growth is between 40 to 80 k people per year. 300 cranes in the air!

Dr. No

Go for the ML 63! You will love it and if you can get a discount on the deal, even better!