2012 LR4 at Cost—anyone get a deal on their 2012?

[grizzld]

Hotdog, that's so interesting you said that about non-region. Dealer said that to me too, and I was dubious. Couple weeks ago, I contacted CA, particularly Santa Monica and they were willing to sell me a car. Just that they didn't have any that had my specs—so I'm not so sure it's the truth.

I contacted a dealer out of state, and they respectfully declined to sell me a new LR4. Said they'd be more than happy to sell me a pre-owned model.

 

[hotdog]

For what its worth, I was also "told by a dealer" that the LR4's regularly went for premiums to MSRP in ritzy Sth.CA locals like Beverley Hills, etc

 

[uhur]

LR4 at cost??? You ever heard about how economy works, sir, and the fact that a dealer needs to make profit to stay in business?

People who try to by a 60k truck at invoice (or 500 over) and then demand red-carpet service treatment make me puke

 

[grizzld]

LR4 at cost??? You ever heard about how economy works, sir, and the fact that a dealer needs to make profit to stay in business?

People who try to by a 60k truck at invoice (or 500 over) and then demand red-carpet service treatment make me puke

uhur,

You raise a valid point. My wife has purchased from the same Audi dealership for years. She usually gets some sort of standard discount off MSRP ($500-ish), and is perfectly content with the transaction because she's treated as royalty. Win-win in my book.

The problem comes when the dealer/service dept. doesn't live up to their side of the bargain. This has never been a problem with my wife's dealership, and because of this, she shows them fierce loyalty. We calculated that with direct purchases and referrals, we've accounted for 11 car purchases from that particular dealership.

It's amazing how price becomes a non-issue when businesses truly take care of their customers.

 

[uhur]

For me, luxury car ownership has always been a two-step experience. I like to pay a fair price (that includes allowing the dealer to make reasonable profit and not coming off as a total dbag who squeezes every penny). The key word here being "reasonable", so doing homework is essential. On an LR, total front end markup being around $5k, $2500-3000 off the sticker as a "courtesy" discount is reasonable in my book. If the dealer obliges, it is then an easy deal for them, no hassle. In return for an easy, painless retail transaction, I do expect exemplary service afterwards. That includes loaners and fair prices on parts and non-warranty items. If the dealer fails to provide good service, this relationship immediately turns sour and the price for them is hell to pay (customer satisfaction surveys, contact with the GM etc)

In the last 5 years I purchased 3 cars from the same dealership (the last one being an LR4). So far, this arrangement seems to work well

 

[grizzld]

^^^^^ Well said...

 

[mateored]

LR4 at cost??? You ever heard about how economy works, sir, and the fact that a dealer needs to make profit to stay in business?

People who try to by a 60k truck at invoice (or 500 over) and then demand red-carpet service treatment make me puke

Your point would be a fair one if your premise were accurate, but it is not, so you might want to dismount from your high horse.

When people say "cost," I assume they mean the invoice price. If you've ever had the opportunity to see the complex accounting transactions that take place between the manufacturer and a car dealer (known by the misleading name "parts account"), you would know that the invoice prices only one of many transactions that needs to be taken into consideration to figure out the economics. The dealer will NEVER show you all of the relevant transactions. One of the most important examples of this is the dealer holdback. Another is special dealer incentives. But there are many other dealer credits (and costs) that remain hidden or obscured. In addition, except for the rare hot new car, dealers make most of their money on repairs (especially warranty work), parts, accessories and used inventory. So, even if you were to buy a new LR4 for "cost" (whatever that is), the dealer will still have lots of opportunities to make a profit from your warranty work (esp. on a Land Rover!) and by selling other services and accessories, not to mention your trade in. (As one example, the dealer offered me $4,000 for my old car on a trade in, which I declined. I put about $1,000 into a good detailing and removing some small dents, and sold it privately for $12k - so you can see one way dealers expect to make money.)

Bottom line is that you will never be able to know the true economics of a car sale.

 

[uhur]

Do you know the true economics of a sale when you purchase a $1k suit from a department store? or a $100.00 pair of jeans?

One could spend much time agonizing over the unknowables of it all, or pay what is "perceived" to be a good deal based on relevant information available, fully aware that profit is made...and then based on that, expect a superb after-sale experience.

That said, it's just me ...please feel free to nickel and dime your dealer of choice ad nauseum, if that floats your boat

 

[mateored]

Do you know the true economics of a sale when you purchase a $1k suit from a department store? or a $100.00 pair of jeans?

One could spend much time agonizing over the unknowables of it all, or pay what is "perceived" to be a good deal based on relevant information available, fully aware that profit is made...and then based on that, expect a superb after-sale experience.

That said, it's just me ...please feel free to nickel and dime your dealer of choice ad nauseum, if that floats your boat

I'm sorry, I don't understand your point at all. I'm not commenting on jeans or a suit, and none of that matters. You tried to make a moral judgment that people shouldn't try to pay less than "cost" for their Land Rover on the ground that the dealer needs to make a profit. My point is that you (and the rest of us) don't have any idea at all what the true cost of the car actually is. And you (but not I) failed to account for the dealers' numerous other profit centers. In other words, there is nothing immoral about paying less than invoice for a car. Particularly for the LR4, which is in phenomenally short supply, the dealers won't sell them at a true "loss," whatever that means.

Your comment about me wanting to "nickel and dime" my dealer in order to "float my boat" is absurd and wildly inaccurate. If you aren't willing to admit to the fact that you got called out on a point of which you know very little, you should probably not have responded at all.

 

[grizzld]

So, I've been to my dealership a few times in the past week to look at the LUX's in person. Spoke to a salesman I've dealt with in the past about ordering a LUX with the Heavy Duty Pkg and Satellite Radio. He never brought up numbers or anything -- just said it was $1000 to place and order and to let him know when I was ready -- no pressure or urgency at all, which I appreciate.

My question, since I've never "ordered" a vehicle, is when do you agree on a selling price? I kind of got the impression from him that we wouldn't talk hard numbers until the vehicle arrived because packages, options, colors, etc. might change over the course of the 3-6 months it takes to receive the vehicle.

Also, how accurate is the pricing info at sites like Edmunds and TrueCar? TrueCar says invoice on my configuration is $57,523 while dealer cost is $56,545 (MSRP is $61,425). My thought was to start out somewhere in between the two and hope to end up $500-$1000 over invoice.

Thoughts or advice?