Hey Rat.

Yeah - In short I used a broker because I was not going to waste any more of my time putting up with the crap the dealers were giving me. I have a 328Ci coming off lease which I ordered through BMW. Excellent experience, excellent service, I will probably end up getting another Bimmer at one time or another. I forgot how bad the sales tatics were with Nissan and Toyota dealers.

I wanted to order the car for late Jan or early Feb delivery. I didn't care when exactly it came in, just wanted to know when to expect it. I started shopping in November. 5 dealers, 4 of them wanted anywhere $2k to $4k for their BS "market adjustment". The one that wanted MSRP wanted a $2500 non-refundable deposit. Those guys are crazy if they think I am giving them 2.5K of my money for 3 months. Nissan Sales Managers are total A-HOLES. (sorry, but that is the way I see it.) They can take their markup and non-refundable deposits and shove them up their a$$.

I contacted the broker. They ordered the car for MSRP, ironically, come to find out from one of the dealers I visited. The whole process was smooth, car came in sooner than expected, except for the options mistake. I blame myself for not being more involved with the ordering process. I did not call NNA to confirm the correct options had been ordered. I should have. I was used to the last ordering process, my 328Ci BMW. They e-mailed me all the information on the car. Kept me updated all along the way from VIN updates to the name of the ship she was coming over on. With the Z, I figured I was in good hands since Nissan created a pre-order program to appease loyal, meticulous, attentive former Z owners. I assumed it would go smooth and did not communicate very often with the broker. My mistake. But, I am extremely happy with the car, the broker but NOT the dealer which I assumed would try to keep the broker's customer happy since the broker does give this dealer volume.

As my next vehicle if I find I go back to BMW I will probably not use a broker. BMW service is excellent, they make SURE you are happy and will bend over backwards to do so.

If I choose to buy another Nissan I will definitely go through the broker making sure if I order the car I know exactly what is being built.

Live and learn - life is full of compromises - I feel fortunate for alot of things. Being able to drive a Z is just one of them.

 

Thanks Grayfox!

The car just keeps growing on me. I like the splash guards now. Someone make it stop snowing and get a little warmer so I can go out and enjoy it!

So I am NOT bummed anymore!! whoo hooo!

 

Drake,

Your experiences parralell my own. Broker cuts thru all of the BS, saves on blood presure, & gets the best local price. Actually I think the broker takes some of the blame on the options screw up. He should have obtained a print out of the order.

On a Beemer, if you can get a straight deal w/o the broker I understand going direct. I just can't stand dealing with the lying, uninformed salespeople and their scum sucking salesmanages found at all of the dealerships around my neck of the woods.

LOL!

Enjoy the Zzzzzzzzzzz; terrific cars.

 

Drake,

Which dealer did your broker order from? I went to Falhaber today, and those guys were about to make me walk out of there TODAY with one. I just went in for an oil change on my Frontier LoL

I wanna wait a couple of months tho - I JUST started working @ P&G on the 31st.

 

"I think they all come from the factory with splash guards already installed whether you order them or not. At least that was the case a while back."


That wasn't the case for the preorder. The SG's were a port installed option meaning they ALL came from Japan without them and if they were ordered, they were installed on US soil at the port the car arrived at.

 

I just picked up my SS Touring two Fridays ago and was absolutely pleased with the whole deal. My salesman (Mike Kong-Jeff Wyler - Fairfield) searched the area for a car that met my specs and found one at a sister dealership. It had just gotten off the truck and had the plastic off the outside but was not prepped at all in the inside. We were going to pick it up Wednesday but since it was snowing at the time, we decided to leave it parked. When I picked it up that following Friday night, I managed to avoid getting any any salt on it and got it into my garage safely. That weekend I detailed it myself which was absolutely nothing. In fact, this is exactly what I wanted to do in the first place to avoid anyone from scratching the surface. I froze while washing it but it was worth it. It is in perfect condition with 40 miles on it. My next task is to determine who to take it to in Cincinnati to get a clear bra fitted. I also want to get a set of shop manual Cd's which seem to be no longer be available. I can't wait fro the roads to de-salt and the weather to get warmer!

 

Correct, Dr. B. I believe it was cars arriving in the November/December timeframe started having SG's, which created a prob. for the dealers: they either had to try to charge the customer for them or give them away.

WayneTN

 

350z,

My broker ordered it through Busam in Tri-County. Good luck at P&G. What department do you work in? Just curious.

Anyway, even though the roads are still layered in dry salt I could not resist in putting another 40 miles on the Baby today. I also found out during closer inspection they did not leave me with a cigarette lighter in the socket and I did not get the "z" trunk mat which is on my damn window sticker! They had also better be cutting that $120 check for those splash guards which I actually like now.

Nissan North America is going to get an earful about this dealer. I am going to call my broker immediately Monday morning and make SURE he forwards me the customer satisfaction survey if it goes to them.

 

Drake...I'm in IT, workin downtown @ the G.O.

Did you go to Kings Nissan to see what they were talkin about/offering? I've been dealing with Falhaber so far, but since King's is literally down the street from my house I'd like to check them out too. But I havent heard of any experiences with them.

 

Small world guys. I used to work in Server Operations down at the GO but quit 3 years ago when I saw all of IT (called NAIOS back then) going down the crapper.

Every few years P&G likes to re-tool their whole commitment to IT and either outsource everything (like they did with IBM-GS and then Pomeroy) or try to do it all internally. The battle between white badges and yellow badges continues...

Last I head from people I still know at the GO, they will be selling off the entire IT division later this year and "reacquiring" those people as contractors. This was attempted last year but cancelled at the the literal 11th hour due to some "troublesome" financial disclosures which came out about the partner company that was to aquire the IT group.

Glad I got out when I did. Not trying to bum you out, P&G has some advantages, employment security never seemed one of them.

Now, on to the discussion at hand, getting a Z.

I too have been given the run around by the Cincinnati dealers. Falhaber refused a test drive as did Kings Nissan (I was there Friday) without a commitment to buy.

They both also have tacked on a Market Availability sur-charge which (at Kings Nissan) is $2500 over MSRP.

At Kings Nissan I was shackled with a newbie kid salesperson that wasn't too helpful at all and kept looking up trim package info in his little Nissan Guide book.

What's even worse is that I bought my current 91 300ZX from this same dealer 7 years ago. Actually, my experience with them has always been bad. When they originally prepped my 300 they over torqued several of the lugnuts on the drivers side rear wheel and the entire wheel flew off while on the highway the same night I brought the car home. After threatening a lawsuit they did fix the damage and my Z turned out to be the best car I have ever owned.

Seems Dealer arrogance and ego is keeping me from purchasing though. I have no experience yet with Busam Nissan or Jeff Wyler. Drake3, which dealer was willing to sell for MSRP?

Kings Nissan did say that if I order a Z with the options I want that they would sell it for MSRP but they don't expect to get any more until May/June but they couldn't say for sure.

At this point, I just want to test drive the damn thing as I am not going to spend 35k for something I don't know how it handles.

Contrary to my Nissan dealer frustrations is my experience at Infinity of Nissan. When I went there to look at the G35 SC late at night I meet a very nice sales guy who was working late and when I enquired about a test drive he basically said to just come back when they were open. Good to his word, I returned the following day and got to take out a blue G35 coupe although it was an automatic.

I am still undecided between the G35 Coupe and a 350Z but only because of the constant hoops I am being made to jump through in order to get a 350Z. Had the dealers been as accommodating as the Infinity dealer I would have had a new Z back in November. As it is, they are just driving me away more and more...literally!!!

Is it too much to ask to not pay more than MSRP and get a test drive for this car???!!!???

Matt

p.s. Drake3, I would love to talk to you in private (email) to find out more about how the broker thing went and how much you ended up paying as I might have to go that route myself.

 

(sorry..double post)

 

Hey guys,

I will try to give you the rundown of my shopping in November. It has been a while, but I am pretty sure it is fairly accurate.

Kings - order for MSRP - $2500 non-refundable deposit. Would not talk about leasing when I inquired. The salesman asked the sales manager to talk to me personally, but he refused - note again - I did not request it, the salesman did.

Busam - $2500 non-refundable deposit + $2500 market adjustment for ordering.

Jeff Wyler Fairfield - "Nissan is not taking orders - but here is what is coming in..." +$3000 market adjustment.

Falhaber - The nicest as far as treating me professionally. $1000 refundable deposit. +$1500 market adjustment

Jeff Wyler - Eastgate - $1000 deposit - had conversation with the sales manager - went like this "Why do you think you need a refundable deposit?" me: "Well, the economy is in the dumps and you never know when I may get hit by a beer truck and live..." him: "Well, I will take a deposit and make it refundable, but I don't see why you would not take the car when it gets in." (Obviously this dude was not the top of his class)

No dealer was selling off the lot for MSRP, only Kings would order for MSRP. I was offered test drives from Falhaber and Kings, but both Z's were auto and there was no sense in that. I wanted to feel the 6 spd. (I purchased without a test drive, I relied on my 2 previous 300Zx's and the Z heritage alone) Oh yes, and I purchased a '94 300ZX from Kings too. So much for showing me any good faith for being a loyal customer. That was my Cincinnati Nissan experience. Then I found my broker and now I am driving my Z.

When the car was ordered I talked to Jamie at Infiniti (to make sure I did not want the G35 - not as easy as it sounds). Great guy, drove the Carribean blue auto demo unit. There is NO comparison between the Z and G35C. The Z is a true sports machine in every sense - very tight. G35C is a great, nice car, just not a Z.

Matt, send me a private message with your e-mail. I will give you the details on the broker deal and who to contact if you decide the Z is the one you want.

Drake.

 

Matt,

Yeah I came into P&G knowing the whole story of what was going on with BPSS (Business Process Sourcing Study) because I have interned there for the past 2 summers. I had the option of going to IBM full-time but for some reason, I have never really wanted to work for IBM. Now, it looks as though I may being that the 3 companies being considered are IBM, EDS, and HP. Yeah they decided not to sell off the entire GBS organization (so its not just IT) to EDS because of their big layoff last year. Now, they are gonna sell different pieces of the business to different companies.

Anyway...I was given not one, but TWO test drives on two different occasions from Falhaber - the DB 6MT they have sitting by the road. The first time, all the salesman (Brian Falhaber) wanted was a copy of my license. The second time was just about a week ago, and the salesman (Aaron Harris) wanted nothing, and was fully aware that I had driven it a couple of weeks before. He let me take it out on Ronald Regan and punch it. You should see him - tell him Paige sent u

 

I left a few months after P&G spent millions to *renovate* the Terrace (basement). The kicker was their solution to the fact that we were all 50 feet underground.

>> THE WINDOW TO THE WORLD << which was located just outside the email group area. It was that TV hooked up to a color camera on the parking garages roof.

Yeah, like seeing what the weather looked like outside as I walked around would make me feel better about living in a freaking cave.

The way that company treated their IT people was unconscenable, contractors and Proctoids alike!

I will stop by Falhaber tomorrow and see if I can take one for a drive. I actually live just a few minutes off of Ronald Reagan anyway.

Matt

 

Matt,

I had great luck at Jeff Wyler in Fairfield. They went out of their way to locate a car for me and managed to get one right off the truck without waiting for one. They were also the first to let me test drive one. I got mine for MSRP. Presently, they have 5 cars. See Mike Kong 682-2500 he was excellent to deal with and tell him gary sent you!

 

I am actually dealing with Jeff Wyler right now and they are making me a pretty sweet offer at the moment. Me and my mom are going up tomorrow as she is picking up a new Nissan SUV and I am going to try and get a test drive in a manual.

I finally got to put some road time in a Z today but it was an automatic.

Right now, I am undecided. It honestly felt like (comparing automatics only) that the G35 SC was a better and more sporty ride and seems to have more power although thats purely my "feel" rating.

Things I deffenitely didnt like about the Z was the lousy multi dial temperature control. Those dials are poorly placed and nonintuitive. In my 300ZX I have a digital display that allows me to set the temp I want and also set the fan speed, and heating location. I will REALLY miss that convenience.

I also don't like the rear window visibility. The Z does have a mild clausterphobic feel to it but again this could be me just being so used to my 2+2 configuration and glass t-tops.

After all this time spent I really am no closer to a decission now than I was before. I like the G35's amenities, I like the Z's look and styling but to date neither car has really won me over with a test drive.

Maybe tomorrow will look differently or maybe I should do as my family and friends keep suggesting and just get a SUV...

Matt

 

Matt,

I also had a tough time trying to decide between the G35 coupe and the Z. I was was torn between having 4 vs. 2 seats since my last 2 seater was a 1968 corvette which I sold in 1976. Since then I have been driving family cars. I drove the G35 auto sedan and was impressed and both the auto and manual z. It wasn't until I drove the manual z that I was sold. It was the most awsome ride. I now have one and am really glad I made the decision! Happy hunting!