Dealer behavior and Transaction Prices in Georgia

[amtoro]

I'm being held hostage by Larry Rich Nissan in Lagrange, GA!

The dealership has not replied to my request for quote, so I called them and they told me very bluntly that they will not reply to my quote until they know if the person who requested his before me will buy it or not and that they can take as long as they want to reply.

I can not do anything on my dashboard until they reply, and as they already told me they want $3000 over MSRP plus fees, destination, preparation, etc, I know I will not go with them.

Please post your experiences with other dealers in Georgia and, if you want, the trim and price with which they replied.

 

[rnkepler]

They can only hold you hostage for a short time. If they don't respond within 24 hours you can request a quote from a different dealer. If possible you should call the dealers ahead of time to know what to expect before you RAQ.

 

[amtoro]

I will be waiting at the 24hr limit and see if my account allows me to cancel that request and place another one; I was not sure of how it works in case the dealer does not reply. The customer service person at Nissan could not give me an straight answer about it. :|

Does anyone have comments about the dealership in the Atlanta area? this salesman said that they talked to most of the other dealerships and pretty much they all agreed on asking $40,000 + dest. for the SL models.
(AKA: price rigging)

 

[derkraut]

I will be waiting at the 24hr limit and see if my account allows me to cancel that request and place another one; I was not sure of how it works in case the dealer does not reply. The customer service person at Nissan could not give me an straight answer about it. :|

Does anyone have comments about the dealership in the Atlanta area? this salesman said that they talked to most of the other dealerships and pretty much they all agreed on asking $40,000 + dest. for the SL models.
(AKA: price rigging)

WOW! That is really sad. As soon as 24hrs have passed from your RAQ time with this dealer, you should call CS and have them reset your dashboard so you can RAQ with another dealer. But before you RAQ, call the dealer and get a clear understanding about the "out the door" price.

My dealer out here was just the opposite: very courteous, responded to my RAQ within 30 minutes at our agreed-to price, and delivered the car at that price with no surprises.

I guess some of those "good ol' boys" down there in GA aren't so good?? :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[amtoro]

I guess some of those "good ol' boys" down there in GA aren't so good?? :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

It seems that way...

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

...they told me very bluntly that they will not reply to my quote until they know if the person who requested his before me will buy it or not...

That makes no sense. He is thinking he gets a certain allocation and doesn't understand his best play is to garner as many reservation holders as possible.

Can you say "doofus" ?

 

[BrendanDolan]

But before you RAQ, call the dealer and get a clear understanding about the "out the door" price.

Great advice. Don't negotiate via the dashboard. Call in advance, work out a deal, and then confirm that verbal deal my requesting a quote, and making sure everything lines up to your satisfaction.

Not to mention, that dealer sounds a little clueless. It sounds like he's worried about allocation, but doesn't know how the system works. :lol:

 

[kevintari]

At least they're being upfront about the markup. The scumbags at Cerritos Nissan in CA sent my quote, and then months later tried to reneg on it and hide thousands of dollars into my lease.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

$3,000 over MSRP?? no way. there were minimal reports of price gouging on the Leaf on the West Coast, lets not allow the East Coast to get away with it!

 

[leafkabob]

this salesman said that they talked to most of the other dealerships and pretty much they all agreed on asking $40,000 + dest. for the SL models.
(AKA: price rigging)

Lack of competition among dealers will create problems like this. In Arizona, the early orderers found that dealers weren't willing to negotiate. They promply went to out of state dealers and placed their orders. By the time I placed my order in December, I was able to find a dealer willing to negotiate. Of course the first thing out of my mouth was that I would not hesitate to buy out of state if I couldn't get the deal I wanted.

And don't be afraid to counter offer. If your dealer gives you an offer you don't like, call them and tell them that before you go to another dealer, you want to give them another chance. But be willing and prepared to move on and not waste any more time. Good luck with your order.

 

[dbassett]

Both dealerships I worked with in Atlanta were selling at MSRP (Nalley and Capitol City Nissan). There was a dealership in Chattanooga offering $500 below MSRP and would ship the car to Atlanta, but it was not worth the hassle for me.

Hope that helps.

 

[amtoro]

Thanks for the tip! I will try contacting them.

 

[jimcmorr]

I am planning a move to GA in early September and I find this information very helpful. Thank you!

I viisited my daughter a couple of weeks ago and went to Carriage Nissan in Gainesville to chat about the LEAF. We didn't talk money but after the dust settles on my move I will go talk with them again. Hopefully, we will not have to resort to an out of state buy but I will do that if need be.

 

[mossyleaf]

...they told me very bluntly that they will not reply to my quote until they know if the person who requested his before me will buy it or not...

That makes no sense. He is thinking he gets a certain allocation and doesn't understand his best play is to garner as many reservation holders as possible.

Can you say "doofus" ?

Is it Doofus of Rufus? :lol:

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Mossyleaf, either they don't get it or I don't. Is it not the case that the cars are going to dealers based on which dealers the reservation holders select, rather than based on some allocation? Seems like dealers are trying to make as much as possible on each sale which is all well and good, but at the expense of having more reservation holders come their way. Isn't 100 sales at $3k profit is better than 10 sales at $4k profit?

Also, when the reservation sales are done, will future Leafs go on allocation? And will the dealers that sold more during the reservation sales period get a bigger allocation?

 

[amtoro]

The allocation system allows a certain number of vehicles to be ordered by the placeholders through each dealership, that may vary by geographical location or expected demand in their area of influence.

A dealer that wants to make an excessive profit will not only not receive any orders that month, but it will lose that month's allocation as they do not accumulate from month to month. In that case, the word will go out and the next placeholders will go to the dealers that received orders and used up their allocations (because they treated their prospective customers with respect), not to the greedy dealer.

It seems that they think that they will be receiving cars in numbers of 1, 2 or 3 per month and that the customers will come because there is high demand and low offer and they will have LEAFs sitting on their lot waiting for buyers.

Guess what? The customer decides where his or her car goes to, if we need to wait a bit longer we will and we will go to the reasonable dealers and leave the others with no orders, no cars and maybe no allocations at all in the future because they have not sold any number of cars.

 

[dbassett]

Capitol City Nissan in Atlanta got their demo car this past week and my wife and I test drove it Friday night. Kelly and the staff were very helpful and very excited about the new car. Just wish I could have taken it home.

...until November...

 

[rslatkin]

I saw Capitol City's demo Leaf out front this weekend when I drove by! Nalley Nissan in Decatur also has their demo Leaf, I had a fun test drive.

 

[iae786]

Hello all. I am new to this forum.

So I just decided to order the leaf. This thread has been helpful. Thanks.

I am in the city of Atlanta (ITP for locals). The leaf site dashboard says that several of the city dealers have already met thier allotment so I have to expand my search to other dealers. Any recommendations? I am in touch with one dealer and he is offering me MSRP. Some friends who bought a leaf in CA said that his dealer offered him a 1k off MSRP.

Just suggestions for good dealers and who to avoid would be good. Any tips for getting a good deal would be good too.

Thanks.

 

[amtoro]

Be prepared for MSRP but do not accept more than that; also, do your research regarding payments before talking to the dealer just to be sure they are not adding more fees than is required. Are you planning on buying or leasing?

I chose leasing as the federal tax credit comes right off of the MSRP which means I'm not borrowing that money until tax season, and I'm also putting down the $ 5000 for state credit to avoid paying interests on those too.