I've been shopping dealers in Atlanta, GA. The best I've been offered now is $800 over invoice. Do all dealers charge a fee of around $500 as a documentation (or something to that effect) fee? Or is this BS?

 

There was an earlier thread where another ATL member bought their Z for $1 over MSRP from an internet salesperson at Peachtree Nissan.

Dealers charging documentation fees is a fairly common practice. But like any other dealer imposed fees, the price you pay is always negotiable. Stand your ground, they may even waive it.

Good luck and let me know how things work out for you...I'm about ready to order my ZR!!!

 

$1 over MSRP? That doesn't sound like a very good deal.

 

That was supposed to be $1 over INVOICE not MSRP....my error.

 

Tell them to drop the doc fee or you walk. Paper work doesn't cost that much.

 

That was me ($1 over invoice), but the more I read this forum the more I find that I was screwed on a few items. First and foremost was the extended warranty (which I'm cancelling) and second was this damn "documentary" fee. I didn't even see this one slipped into the deal. Live and learn I guess, but I'm doing a little too much learning on the Z. I need to quit reading this forum or I'm going to have steam coming out of my ears.

Still think I received a good deal, but it could have been better....

 

The doc fee is one of the most difficult things to negotiate, I've found over the years. So much so that a lot of dealers already have it permanently pre-printed onto their form where they draw up the "deal". They'll tell you that it is a fixed fee that is not negotiable and that everybody must pay it. Blah, blah, blah.

Ask them what it covers. List the topics and dollar amounts for each item. I did this once and got about 1/3 of the fee easily dropped b/c it was for processing loans and related paperwork (I was paying cash!).

Keep in mind that, if you buy a Z at MSRP they still make a ton of money (4 figures). If you buy it at invoice, they still make money (3 figures). Whatever you do, don't let them add on dealer extras such as paint protection, fabric protection, undercoating, etc. (those are 99% profit for them and almost no value to you).

Good luck.
WayneTN

 

The Beamer dealer in Atlanta is really bad with this, not only did they try to impose a 550 Doc fee, but also a 600 dealer prep fee(included reprogramming the car from transit mode to drive mode, cleaning the car and so on) Needless to say we told them where to stick their Mini at.

 

I don't mind them making money off me, it's the sneaky way they did that bothers me. Fortunately, I escaped the 'protection' fees and undercoating. Those I knew to be aware of, but the 'documentary' fee just went unnoticed. I haven't filled out the Nissan customer survey, so I'll get to gripe a little bit when that shows up.

I guess what I'm most angry about is not being dealt with fairly. I was willing to pay MSRP for the car. Wouldn't have had a complaint, but the way it worked out is I paid less than MSRP even with the surpluss fees and yet I feel like I was taken advantage of. I'm sitting here laughing wondering why I'm upset, but I still am a little angry.

 

A year from now, this will seem like a very, very small thing in your life. It's stressful buying a car no matter how things go. So they made a little more than you would have liked. So what. Take it as one of life's gentle lessons and move on. You will be a smarter buyer the next time. Enjoy your Z!

WayneTN