Every option except OnStar.

How much is reasonable to go over invoice on an ordered car?

Any other advice? I'm going in tomorrow for another try with my dealer.

I'm willing to put down a sizeable non-refundable deposit to assure that I will not back out of the deal (though I plan to finance 100% upon delivery).

Thanks in advance for helping me with <b>my</b> elusive amulet......

-Larry

 

$4k over invoice...just guessing.

 

Actually, now that you brought it up... ;-) ...I think I remember them saying $3K if I had to order. That was a pre-negotiation number too.

Maybe $2,300, toss in the loyalty (800), and $37.5K for the 4.2? I'd have me a new car to look forward to if they said yes to that.

 

a) Keep in mind that by custom ordering, you can buy the car wherever you want... so your dealer has no leverage. It's as if the car you want is available everywhere!

b) Carsdirect.com offers the 2003 S6 at $2600 over invoice. You can definately beat that by $600...

 

The dealer might have leverage in that I'm trying for the trade-in as well.

 

It's still not as if there's only one place you can go -- like it would be if the exact car you wanted were sitting on their showroom floor.

Just went through something similar with an '03 allroad custom order. They hate to admit that there's nothing one dealer has to offer over another, but they know it's true -- as long as you're willing to wait 2-3 months for that truck to arrive!

 

allow it to undercut regular full service pricing. They are like a fleet dept for people who don't buy in bulk. The dealer uses it to move excess inventory already on the lot.

Dealers do have a variety of pros and cons - especially when ordering. You need a dealer who is honest and won't bump your custom order if allocation is slim and another person offers more for that allocated car. You want one who knows how to order and how to check on the status without it being a big production. You want a dealer who won't try to shaft you when the car arrives. You want a dealer who will be fair come trade-in time. You want a dealer who will respect your wishes come delivery time regarding any special requests you might have like not drilling the front bumper ( even though technically it is required by law in some states ).

It's not just the car you are ordering, but the service that comes with it. When a dealer orders a car for regular inventory, they don't have any of those issues to deal with until the car arrives. An Allroad is more easy to come by than the S6 with it's limited allocation.

The trick is to find a dealer you can trust and who is willing to jump through the hoops with you during this time. One who has allocation and is willing to do a custom order for something that might otherwise be hard to sell, should the deal go sideways. You'd be suprised how many dealers turn down special orders outside of their comfort zone simply because they are afraid of being stuck with it. Yes, you can go to another dealer, but those more willing to take a risk, often must charge a little more to cover the occasional broken deal.

When I did custom orders, we would appraise the trade, allowing for average changes in KBB values and miles. We noted condition very carefully on everything from glass, paint, interior and tires. If the trade came back at the time of the sale in the expected condition ( most did ), we simply gave the customer the agreed upon trade-in value. No suprises. Same applied to the customer who was expected to uphold their part of the agreed upon bargain when the new car arrived.

 

All good points =)

 

Just for the hell of it I went onto Carsdirect.com and priced it out.

In my area (NY) they want more than $1,000 over sticker price.

 

What do you think of my idea of signing over a non-refundable deposit? (Non-refundable if I back out, otherwise I do straight financing of my own or through AFS and do get it back..)

Is that something that the dealer would consider a plus?