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2003-2009 Nissan 350Z

What kind of games will the dealers play?

Old Jun 20, 2002 | 04:16 AM
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Question What kind of games will the dealers play?

It has crossed my mind to wonder about our vicious little friends at the dealership.
We are all pretty sure that once these cars hit the market the dealers will make a heck of a lot more than MSRP on off the lot sales.
What will keep them from hosing the folks who pre-ordered?

There will probably be more than a few buyers willing to offer substantially more than MSRP, and they won't care how the dealer "acquired" the car.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 07:03 AM
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Sorry if I sound paranoid or hostile but I am just worried that after all of this waiting my dealer is going to do his best to get a better price for my car.

Does anyone have an opinion on this?

I would appreciate any esponse that might add to my peace of mind..

Thanks
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 07:17 AM
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well, i guess everyone wants to give their dealer the benefit of being honest. BUt after hearing stories in this forum, and witnessing that jibberish that my dealer tells me, i would be very cautious.

The part that will keep the pre ordered crowd protected is the contract and the pre-release forms.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 12:34 PM
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"we'll deal with that" means that he'll probably sell the car first
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 03:16 PM
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I think a number of us went out of our way to find dealers who we thought would treat us fairly, even if that meant buying from one who was not near by. I used a local consumer watchdog magazine to find the dealer in my area with best reputation for customer satisfication with the sales process. After going there and meeting the sales staff, I felt fairly confident that I made the right choice.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 03:36 PM
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I'm sure they'll think up some way to try to screw some of us out of our orders. Here, in Upstate SC, I was not impressed with any dealer calls or visits I made. I had to go to Charleston to get in my order. Down there they acted as if they wanted to do business. I'm still a bit leary, but I've got the order form copy that indicates I put down $1000 and I've received #1 confirmation from NNA(where is the other one( ). I figure you've gotta try to trust them for peace of mind if nothing else.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 04:39 PM
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I went the dealership that left me feeling the least uncomfortable. (sort of like finding the porcupine with the shortest quills to stuff down your pants)

But they still lied to me once (the old "you can't order here and somewhere else, or Nissan will cancel your order), tried to charge me 20% over MSRP(got it for MSRP), and I have received two confirmation letters of the same style withing two days of each other.

To say that I am leary of them would be a vast understatement.

I figured if folks gave some thought to what tricks might be out there we'd have a better cahnce of dealing with them if they came up.

Remember "Forewarned is better than forearmed" (I think that is the right quote)

Thanks for the replies.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 05:56 PM
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I had the same fit of paranoia when I ordered my car. I had the salesman and the new car sales manager sign off on being charged MSRP only. If they try to renege on the deal, I will sue them for breach of contract. I don't think it will happen since I have bought 2 Maximas from them and from the same salesman. I live in a suburb and they are the only Nissan dealership. They rely on customer good will and know it would be stupid to shaft me.

Boomer--BR/FR
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 06:23 PM
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My only concern would be if you were planning to finance the purchase through the dealership. They could come back with an inflated interest rate trying to get you to pass on the purchase. Since most dealerships I've dealt with require you to pay in full for the vehicle within 72hours of notification, they could sell the car out from under you (above MSRP) if this happened and you were unable to get the cash/financing from another location in time.

Likely? I don't think so -- but possible.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 07:14 PM
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I have a feeling that the dealer is going to play some games as well (Ali Babba and the 40 Thieves). They originally wanted $3K over MSRP, but I came to a verbal agreement with the sales manager since I found a dealership elsewhere that offered it to me at MSRP (but would require me to ship it).

If my dealer does start playing games, it's quite likely that I'll walk away and find another car.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 07:24 PM
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Default Re: DEALER GAMES

Originally posted by Boomer
I had the same fit of paranoia when I ordered my car. I had the salesman and the new car sales manager sign off on being charged MSRP only. If they try to renege on the deal, I will sue them for breach of contract. I don't think it will happen since I have bought 2 Maximas from them and from the same salesman. I live in a suburb and they are the only Nissan dealership. They rely on customer good will and know it would be stupid to shaft me.
And your waste of time and legal expenses would be better served just finding another dealer. These cars are NOT going to be scarce, they're bringing 30,000 to the US in the first year. That's how many corvettes they sell in a year, and the 350Z is not a corvette.

The Z is a bargain import sports car being sold by a company trying to recover from a highly tarnished image (think up to about 1998 Nissan). They want to sell as many of them as they possibly can and you'll find them under MSRP by the end of the year without a doubt.
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Old Jun 20, 2002 | 07:29 PM
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I doubt any dealer will sell a Z below msrp for All of 2003. I had a hard enough time trying to find one that would sell at msrp, and no one has even seen one in person (until recently), let alone driven one.
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Old Jun 21, 2002 | 12:31 AM
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Someone mentioned this site a while back. Go to peoplefirst.com and check out the rates and how quickly they can get the $ to you-like overnight for $15. The rates look pretty good-slightly <5% for 12-36 mos. They have some kinda "blank check" deal. Says you can use it like your own check up to the approved ;oan amount. No way my bank can(read that will) beat that. Gotta read the fine print but, I think that's where I'll finance. Hope this helps.
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Old Jun 21, 2002 | 05:16 AM
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I suppose there's the potential for some shady actions by some dealers. But I hope Nissan NA discourages any shenanigans in the same manner they brought the hammer down on dealers who thought they would charge more than MSRP for pre-orders. Bottom line is if you pre-ordered a 350Z and Nissan has your name in their database, then I doubt you'll get screwed even if it takes you more than 72 hours to pick up your car.
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Old Jun 21, 2002 | 05:29 AM
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The thing that worries me most is getting screwed on a trade-in. I've had my car up for sale now for over a month but the market for used cars is very soft. We have no leverage at all if we have a trade-in. I only hope that by the timee September rolls around it's long gone. Anybody else planning on trading in a car?
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Old Jun 21, 2002 | 05:55 AM
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There is another thread on this site that started discussing a 72 hour rule. If the buyer doesn't pay for his car in 72 hours the dealer will presume he has the right to sell it.

That is the kind of creative thinking that I am worried about!!

Scenario: Car arrives on the 15th of September. Salesman can't "read" your phone number. Whoopsies, it's the 18th of September and you haven't paid yet. What do you think happens next......?

If my dealer hoses me I don't think I'll walk away quietly.

I'll squeal loudly enough to be heard in Tokyo!!!
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