favo

Hey folks,

Anyone care to post about your dealer experiences (sales and/or service) in the Raleigh/Durham vicinity? Positive and negative comments are welcome. I am thinking of buying a Z in the next couple of weeks, and I'm looking for a good dealer.

Thanks,
Favo

Buzz350z

I purchased mine at Southern States Nissan of Apex! I will say I had a wonderful experience and I even talked them $1100 below MSRP. Later

favo

Hey Buzz,
Did you buy off the lot or order your Z?

-Favo

stungeon

I bought the very first 350Z on 8/30 from Southern States of Apex. I got a little pissed at the sales manager but it was an OK experience. They insisted that I leave my car in the showroom for a month until another one came in. I said no thank you and left. My phone was ringing by the time that I got home. It could have been better but it could have been worse. I think most dealerships are fine if you have done your homework and decided where you stand.

Side note, I ordered my orriginal 350Z from Central Carolina in Sanford and felt very good about my relationship with them. They just didn't get my car early enough. Ask for Harry and tell him Conal sent you. He said that he would be good to anybody I sent.

mcclaskz

I bought from Dave Butler at MJ Nissan in Durham. His service is excellent and I know he has 4 on the lot now. I ordered 1/15 last year for MSRP and recieved it on 9/4. He continues to follow up with me even though I live in Wilmington. I would buy from him again and I will only use the service department at MJ Nissan. My family has had 2 other Zs and have used thier part department for over 10 years. I would rather drive 2 hours than go to Wilmington Nissan.

stungeon

I decided against MJ because they required that I buy that service contract...

jnifong

I'm ordering mine through SS Nissan Apex. So far so good. Who'd you deal with from there Buzz and Stungeon? I guess I'll have to do all the talking about price when it comes in. I'd be stoked if I can talk them down $1100!

favo

Stungeon,

When you say MJ requires a service contract, are you referring to an extended warranty?

-Favo

mcclaskz

Yes, it is an extended warraty, but they do not require it. How can they? Personally, I bought one b/c I figured it is the first year of manufacture, and what the hell, but I could have said no at anytime.

stungeon

Favo,

No, not a warranty, it was some kind of service plan where they did so free servicing. It's hard for me to remember the specifics now but it was going to cost between $500-$1000. They may have backed down if I pushed them but there were other dealers ready to sell at sticker with no strings attached. Things may have changed by now. This was last May. You could call and ask. Let us know what you find out.


jnifong ,

My sales person got pregnant and is gone. The sales manager is still there though. He is the one that was a pain.

ncrecordkeeper

Ordered mine from Harry at Central Carolina Nissan as well. Very happy with my service from those guys.

bigdaddy

iTrader: (3)

see leland at southern states nissan of apex. great guys. knows his stuff. they were really helpful and made it a great experience. which was extra nice considering this is the first car i have ever purchased.

wherever you get it from, i promise you will love it. have fun.

favo

Folks,

I ended up buying a DB Touring at Southern States in Raleigh. They had an order cancel, and I was able to get it for $1000 under MSRP plus a better interest rate (4.24%) than I could have otherwise gotten.

George Powell was the sales guy. It was his first Z sale, and he seemed like a pretty good guy. He didn't really have to do much since we here all know more about the cars than the sales people. The manager (Gino?) tried all the standard tricks, but I wouldn't pay for the $995 dealer package of crap. And I did get a free oil change, too.

All in all, it was a decent experience. Didn't feel like I had to take a shower afterwards--maybe just wash my hands.

Thanks for all your advice. Now I will enjoy my car. Woo hoo!

-Favo

asw24sx

Well, I dont have any experience with the dealer's in the Raleigh/Durham area, however ....Modern Nissan in Winston-Salem is where my Z came from.. They were very nice and willing to deal. Although its not near you, its pretty close....Thats where I am from..but I currently live in Raleigh as a student at NCSU!!!

Eric1h

I bought mine from Modern nissan in Winston as well, it was a bit of a drivem but the guys at southern states were complete azz holes, wouldnt even give me a price, until i started the paperwork, so i left, and will never buy a car from them again. Michael Jordan nissan, i spent over an hour and noone would even walk over to help me. I couldnt give my money away. So i went to Modern, they were helpful, friendly and very easy to work with.

bhobson333

I had an excellent experience at CCN Sanford. I ordered my Z special (MSRP) and had a lot of special requirements. I told them not to touch it, just to back it off the truck and call me and wait until I arrived. The guys at CCN were great, they did exactly as I asked. When I arrived it was in the showroom, straight off the truck, 5 miles on the odo. All of the protectant plastic film was still on the paint and seats, it hadn't been touched. I stood around and watched (and even helped a little) as they peeled off the film and got it ready for the mechanic. I went back into the bay and watched and commented as the mechanic (Anthony) went through the checklist and put on/in the accessory parts, and I went along on the test drive. They gave me a better interest rate than my credit union and got me out of there in record time without a bit of hassle or a second of unpleasantness. Heck, they even drove my other car back to my house for me! Overall, they did a great job; I would recommend that anyone go to CCN if you want a Z.

Zonny

I had a couple of bad experiences with dealers when shopping for my Z back in November. The local dealer, Bill Rowe in Rocky Mount wanted too much over sticker and Allen Vester in Roanoke Rapids cost me a half days work, promising to sale me one at sticker and then when I arrived tacking a dealer's mark-up - A$$ Ho__$. Finally, I ran across a LS Touring with all the ops that I wanted on NissanUSA.com at CC Nissan. Call them that morning. They had just unloaded it off the truck. I drove the 90 miles to Sanford, paid cash and drove it off the lot that afternoon. I found them to be straight forward and friendly. I will let them do the first service, but due to the distance will have it serviced locally thereafter.

I dealt with Chris Jones with Lee Nissan in Wilson and found him to be the ideal salesman to work with. Unfortunately, they did not have the color I wanted. I would recommend both CC Nissan in Sanford and Lee Nissan in Wilson. Ask for Chris Jones at Lee Nissan and tell him that the guy with the LeMans Sunset Touring from Rocky Mount recommended HIM.

Zonny

NowUZme

Central Carolina Nissan.

I live in Apex and will not go to SS Nissan in Apex. I was quoted $2k or more over MSRP from two different salesman at different times when I was still shopping back in the September timeframe. Maybe that's changed now as the initial blitz is over. Also, they quoted me full list price for the car cover and any other accessories, rather than the MSRP. It was something like $280 vs $210, or in that neighborhood. Stoopid.

I have taken my 350Z to SS Nissan in Raleigh for service (subwoofer amp fix for Touring model) but I have no experience with their salespeople buying a 350Z. I bought a Maxima from them a few years ago and was satisfied with the sales experience.

Harry at Central Carolina Nissan is great. I would recommend to anyone in the Raleigh/Durham area that it's worth the drive to Sanford if you want to buy a 350Z.

NowUZme

BEAUTIFUL LS 350Z, Zonny!

NiteRaven

favo,

Is your DB Z a Touring with DVD NAV, 6-speed, and all options purchased at the very beginning of Feb, 2003?

I had a $4000 deposit down for that very car, I came in and told them I needed another day to think about it. I come back the next day and they had sold it to another guy. I had them $3000 under MSRP. It took me about a month and 3 phone calls to get my deposit back. What a bunch of jackasses.

I took my money to Southern States of Apex and couldn't be happier. I got the car I wanted for the same deal in under a hour, their service department is great, and so much more modern then the falling apart Raleigh shop.

I'm glad your experience was better then mine, but I think most people will find Apex a great place to buy your Z.

Take care and good luck!