I've bought 6 new vehicles from dealerships in my lifetime, but never ordered one. Now I'm strongly considering a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.
Noticed on Jeep.com that no 2014 Trailhawks on inventory matched my criteria. Should I order a 2015 to get the options I want? I am totally unfamiliar with the ordering process. Suggestions and advice will be most appreciated.
Having never ordered a vehicle, how do you negotiate a price? Seems like you'd be at the mercy of the dealership. TIA.
You select the model and options. Figure the invoice price and work from there. You should do better price wise on an ordered car. The dealer has little or no floor plan expenses, and he gets the money when the car gets there, assuming you pick it up right away. It doesn't sit on the lot waiting to be sold.
Yes, what Bill said - expect a good deal for ordering. Several sites provide dealer invoice : edmonds and kbb.com. Negotiate hard the exact same way you would buying off the lot, and perhaps check w/ several dealers. Alternatively, join treadlightly.org, wait a month and then qualify for their group discount, no negotiating.
I order my C-TH to get the options I wanted - most dealer TH models didn't have the full range of high tech options + V-6. The wait is a killer but worth it.
Today (1 July 2014), salesman offered me my 2015 Trailhawk for invoice+$500. Was tempted to accept, but decided to chill and take time to consider the offer. I've only dealt with one dealership, but from what I've seen here that offer sounds reasonable. The salesman's MSRP and invoice figures were identical to those provided in Milous' 2015 Jeep Cherokee KL - Features, Options and Pricing post.
Opinions, please. Good deal, too much, what do you think? TIA.
Remember that 'dealer invoice' isn't what a dealer pays for the unit. There's a dealer holdback that can be 6-10% of MSRP. This is paid to the dealer after the car is sold. Find a dealer that will deal down below 'invoice'.
Over the phone the salesman agreed to 1% below invoice, which I accepted. I returned to the dealership, but got the common salesman flim-flam story, "My boss said I made a mistake...blah, blah..." Basically he reneged on the offer I had accepted. I walked out the door. The salesman actually ran after me to say his boss said he could sell it at $300 over invoice. I declined, got in my car and left. My dad enjoyed this game with sales people, I don't.
I've decided to wait until September when the 2015s hit the show room floors and I cool off before dealing with anymore car sales people. Being deliberately deceived really gets under my skin.
That's the game a lot of dealerships play. I bought from a dealer up in Idaho, who took about $4000 off an MSRP of $38,155. I couldn't find a dealer here in Cal that was even close to that pricing structure. I checked extensively on Auto Trader and the only Cal dealer I found who might have come close to that deal was Huntington Beach. It was a lot nicer drive to Idaho than down the San Joaquin Valley!
Wifiwanderer same happened to me. Salesman said invoice price was what the dealer paid and it was company policy not to sell under plus he needed to make money (not sure if his money would have been an add-on to invoice price) and I was getting 1,000 off MSRP anyway. Tried to bargain with him but no way.
So I thought I would take the printout home and think things over but he grabbed the sheet said that’s mine, refused to shake hands turned and stomped back to his office.
So like you wait and see, salesman said at this time there was no cash back for the 2015, told him I would sign over all incentives to the dealership but he would not talk about that offer.
2015 Cherokee Latitude 4x4 (KLJM74) $29,780/28,726 plus destination fee $995, Tax and Tags.
Anyone have any advice on how to get the best value for your trade in when ordering? Is their a non refundable deposit involved or can I walk away if the trade in value can't be agreed upon?
Tried to buy a 2014 Limited with all the options on 6/12/2014. Thought we found one, but it was sold before the dealer could get to the other dealer. Ordered a 2015 on the same day. Received a VON number and that was it. I've read that production is to start 8/1.
Concerning the pricing, my dealer has been more than fair. This is the 4th vehicle I will have purchased from him.
When you say pricing was more than fair are you talking about 1% below invoice or something else? My view is any price relative to MSRP is mostly sales pitch. A price relative to invoice I consider serious.
I may return to the buying game sooner than expected. Even though I took my current vehicle off the market, a prospective buyer still wanted to make an offer on it. Advised him that an offer too good to turn down would work come September. If I accept, I'll be back shopping for a 2015 Trailhawk, equipped exactly the way I want it.:thumbsup:
I'm going to be custom ordering a new KL Trailhawk in a little over a month. I wanted to see a 2015 with the changes on the floor before I make my decision. My concern is ordering and getting a locked in price during negotiations. Has anyone tried to combine the Affiliate program through treadlightly.org and other incentives currently advertised such as the graduate incentive found here: National Incentives for military, automobility, summer clearance event & no monthly payment for 90 days program | Jeep ? I'm trying to get my model as inexpensively as possible and hope I can atleast combine those two.
Has anyone had experience with this?
Edit: I did some digging and found the following:
Chrysler Affiliate Rewards Website said:
In recognition of our association, Chrysler Group LLC is proud to offer affiliates like you our special Affiliate Rewards Preferred Price on your next new vehicle purchase or lease. In addition to your Preferred Price,which includes a significant discount on most new Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge, Ram and FIAT® vehicles, you'll also be able to take advantage of most consumer incentives available during the time of sale.
I ordered my 2014 KL using the Affiliate program. The dealer (sales chap) informed me of a $500 incentive (early launch deal in Dec 2013) and applied it - preorder. Your dealer may vary.
I ordered a 2015 Trailhawk in June. Never felt pressured to pay what the dealer first offered. I told the "sales associate" that I had been looking since last December at the Cherokee and was in no real hurry to buy (which was the truth). He, realizing that in order to finally "hook me in" would need to make a good offer. And so it was. Ordering from the factory need not put you in a position where the dealer has the "leverage."
Quick backstory, ordered a 2014 Trailhawk in 2014 after agreeing on a price. Later, dealership increased their price, then I walked away.
Last week (5 Feb 2016), ordered a 2016 Trailhawk at different dealership after they offered a price I accepted. Later, dealership manager advised the price could go up or drop at time of delivery depending upon active incentives at that time. Was thinking I would just walk, like I did in 2014, if the price increased at time of delivery. However, I would prefer the dealership honor their own price offer that I accepted in good faith.
How common is it for dealerships to "amend" their offers on ordered vehicles when they are delivered? Seems wrong to me, that they can increase a price after a customer accepts their offer, regardless of incentives in effect at time of delivery.
This time, I have gone through the state bar association for a referral to an attorney to see what options are available to hold the dealership to their offer. Any suggestions or similar experiences?
Last week (5 Feb 2016), ordered a 2016 Trailhawk at different dealership after they offered a price I accepted. Later, dealership manager advised the price could go up or drop at time of delivery depending upon active incentives at that time. Was thinking I would just walk, like I did in 2014, if the price increased at time of delivery. However, I would prefer the dealership honor their own price offer that I accepted in good faith.
Wow! Obviously I'm not experienced with buying (ordering) a new car in the USA, but Down Under, once you've decided upon a vehicle, selected the options, negotiated a price and signed the Contract, that agreed price stands.
We ordered in July 14 at a price of $51K. We picked up the car in Dec 14 and paid $51K.
Apologies wifiwanderer if my (Aussie) experience isn't relevant to the US buying / ordering process, but I find it bewildering that US Dealerships can change prices during the build / delivery phase I'm a fairly conservative Aussie, but I reckon that most of my Nationality would never order a car if the Dealer could do that.
All the best for your purchase; here's hoping that it all works out for you and that you enjoy your new Jeep just as much as we love ours :thumbsup:
(Ours is now 12 months old and we've never had an issue. Great car )
I'm currently waiting for an ordered vehicle...my dealer specifically told me that whatever changed with regard to incentives upon delivery, I would get the best one. Even if that was the original incentive in place at time of order. If they are better at time of delivery, I get that one.
I think it's dealer's choice when it comes to incentives at time of order vs delivery. They may be bound to the actual vehicle price you agreed to at order time, but not the incentives on top of that. The dealer only gets the incentives offered by FCA at the time of delivery, so they would have to eat the difference if they dropped off (which is what my dealer claimed they would do).
I'm currently waiting for an ordered vehicle...my dealer specifically told me that whatever changed with regard to incentives upon delivery, I would get the best one. Even if that was the original incentive in place at time of order. If they are better at time of delivery, I get that one.)
Sounds more fair than my dealer advising that the price he offered and I accepted could be increased or decreased by incentives in effect at time of delivery.
I think it's dealer's choice when it comes to incentives at time of order vs delivery. They may be bound to the actual vehicle price you agreed to at order time, but not the incentives on top of that. The dealer only gets the incentives offered by FCA at the time of delivery, so they would have to eat the difference if they dropped off (which is what my dealer claimed they would do).
The way my dealer works any ordered car is the negotiated price is the negotiated price including all rebates at the time the car is placed. if any additional rebates come along before the car is delivered they are applied, if any rebates should go away he still honors what they may have been. no money down, if I do not like the car when I see it he keeps it. I have ordered four cars from him in the last 3 years and I have gotten every one of them within 7 weeks on the button. I honestly do not think it gets any better. best of luck. I am on my 8th jeep now and have never had one once of trouble with any of them, do not beat the crap out of them and maintain them and they will go.
Yesterday, 6:41 AM, my Jeep was in transit by rail at Benicia, CA, (near San Francisco). My guess is it will be delivered to the Fresno area (Central California) dealership, today or tomorrow. Yesterday, I exchanged emails to get its out-the-door costs. Got that figure from the dealership and promptly had my bank crank out a check for that amount. Noticed $7 over agreed price offer that I had accepted. Thought it was odd, but no big deal. Then noticed the dealer's sales tax charge was about $300 higher than the estimate I calculated using California's online vehicle registration costs calculator. The dealer explained the sales tax was based on the pre-incentives price. On afterthought, when a furniture store sells a $1,000 couch for $800, the customer pays sales tax on $800, not $1,000. So, this morning, I cancelled the bank check I intended to use to buy my Jeep.
Next, will do a bit of research to find out if the inflated tax charge was legit. I've read inflated tax charges are a common car dealer scam.
Kind of funny, the $7 mystery charge drew my ire before the $300 higher sales tax. The dealer emailed that Jeep added $7 for 3 gallons of gas they put in the tank and he removed that $7 fee.
Here's the official BOE reply regarding vehicle sales taxes in California:
Hello Mr. Brown,
Cash discounts offered by the retailer are not taxable. Tax applies to the selling price of the item less the amount of the discount.
If the coupon/rebate you are being offered is a manufacturer’s or third party coupon/rebate, tax applies to the full selling price. The tax is computed on the retail price of the item, plus the amount of the coupon/rebate.
Please see page 13-14 of Publication 34, “Motor Vehicle Dealers”:
If you still require further clarification, please feel free to contact us at the number provided below.
If you have any further questions, please contact us between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays. Our telephone number is 1-800-400-7115.
Thank you for contacting the Board of Equalization's Customer Service Center.
Our answer given is intended to provide general information regarding the application of the tax and will not serve as a basis for relief of liability under Revenue and Taxation Code section 6596.
CJ
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