///M3 XTC

Not including any options. I know the initial demand has gone down. How negotiable are prices with dealers?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

Silver_Lana

I am quite curious as well. Has the price become more flexible as time has passed?
Also it would be interesting to see what effect, if any, the new Nav and software updates have on the price of existing units.

Cheers!

WayneE

On my new '04, I was only able to negotiate $5k off the sticker price of the vehicle. I think that you would be able to negotiate more if you were to buy during a slower market, like winter

I paid $92k on a $97k sticker.

///M3 XTC

That's not so bad. What dealer did you get your car from? I'm in the Northern Virginia area so if it's a local dealer, I'd be willing to check them out.

Jeffrey

WayneE

Younger Mercedes in Hagerstown. Ask for Matt Hill. If you call, tell him that Wayne Edelen referred you. I don't get anything, but it may help when I order my next car

I bought my last Mercedes from Euromotorcars in Bethesda, MD. Not only did I have a horrible experience, when I had issues the sales and service team told me to go pound sand. It took a well directed letter from me to Mercedes to get my issues resolved.

I have used Younger in Hagerstown for service and sales since that incident at Euro. I've been extremely pleased with their service/sales staff (Younger, that is).

mikek

Unfortunately, LIST. Mine only has one option...tire pressure monitor. Ordered in Oct and received early this month.

Gunther

We have four dealers here in Atlanta. Two refused to discount at all - but were happy to order my car at list (NO THANKS).

The other two did offer discounts. We also negotiated a better discount by getting $ off of the extended warranty. That's an area that every dealer has TONS of wiggle room.

///M3 XTC

Thanks WayneE, we did end up going to see Matt Hill and ended up buying from him. And yes, we told him you referred us and he said he remembered you and to say thanks.

Thanks again,
Jeffrey

WayneE

That's great, Jeffrey! Congrats Matt called and thanked me for the referral. I hope you guys had a good buying experience from their dealership.

Silver_Lana

Any changes or flexibility in price yet?

Going to be ordering one soon and I'd like to know what is available out there.

tomd

Dealer discounts are about $2500-$3000 off of list here in western New England. A little better than the nationwide average. Dealer invoice is only $6,000 less than MSRP, so a $5,000 discount is basically dumping the car.

lexusfan

My dad's car only had only two options parktronic and keyless go, it was an '03 SL500, and he only got $750 off MSRP, this was last August. My mom saw the SL55, and after that day, believe it or not, she got on my dad's case for not getting the 55 or 600...he finally traded the 500, for a SL55 with only Pano roof and Keyless Go...he got about $1900 off MSRP, but his 500 depreciated like hell! GL with your decision, and if you don't have a problem with used, there are some real nice ones at the Starmark site at reasonable deals.

tomd

Can I ask how much depreciation he suffered? Was it a private sale, or a trade? I'm asking because I have an '03 SL500 (5k mi. semi loaded) that I'm giving up to buy an '05 due in in Sept. Thanks

lexusfan

Hey Tom,
The SL500 was a trade in. The sticker was about $93K, we got it for about $92.5K, my dad thought it was an average deal judging by what most of the SL's were going for. It had about 4K miles on it when we traded it in for the SL55, and we got a little less than $80K....we did better on the second SL, but still it was a bad deal. Good Luck with what you do.

allenjdmb

your circumstances, but I just cannot see buying a new one of these when there are so many nice very low mile used ones out there. Do your homework, know your seller, and you can own one of these cars for somewhere around $12-15k off the 03 MSRP. Thank your idiot friends at DC/ MBUSA for flooding the market with too much prioduct.

tomd

I agree. To an extent. The intial demand for the 5th gen SL has been filled and prices are, of course, dropping. But I talked with the local MB rep who gave me some valuable insight. The typical SL500 buyer has an income of about $350k/yr. The SL600 buyer; about $500k. And most of these buyers don't want a used car (especially 600 buyers), at ANY discount. Hence the huge depreciation on the SL600. In my own case, a $14k loss on my 2 year old car is about 7% a year. Not great, but not any worse than any other car (try a Lincoln, at about 20% a year). And while $14K is $14K, I just don't want a used car. Maybe it's the new car smell? (not)

allenjdmb

You are precisely the customer they are looking for. I wish I could buy exactly what I wanted new, but my circumstances are going to have to change dramatically for me to do so. And I'm not sure when the money comes if I'm still going to be able to write a check for $100 ish k, knowing it turns into 90k in less than a year, probably sooner in such a depressed marketplace as we have now. Again, just a difference in a manner of thinking (and still too damn much product).