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Smart Shopper Documentation Fees
667 messages, Last post on Sep 18, 2009 at 3:24 PM
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Replying to: thebill (Mar 16, 2006 7:36 am) I enjoy putting deals together, whether in my own business or in buying cars. I really enjoy negotiation as a form of sport, and I genuinely hope that some small fraction of the people reading this will realize that negotiation skills are useful, that gimmicks and shortcuts meant to avoid negotiation are generally unproductive, and that negotiating is actually fun and pleasurable when done properly. I'm sure that most people won't learn this -- many people loathe negotiation and will never embrace it as an artform -- but hopefully, a few will learn from this and get something out of it. |
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Replying to: socala4 (Mar 16, 2006 8:07 am) no matter how much i kicked and screamed and walked out...each and every one assured me that one way or another...that fee would be going to dealer. i used to be able to negotiate my way out of it, but no one will waive it anymore down here. |
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Replying to: new57 (Mar 16, 2006 8:29 am) However, ours stay the same, no matter how much you pay for the vehicle. We never raise or lower it. Heck, I even had to pay it when I leased my Ridgeline. Which I leased at 500 above invoice mind you! 500 profit even on a employee and I gladly signed to line! |
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Replying to: new57 (Mar 16, 2006 8:29 am) If the "doc fees" include the cost of your plates and tags (in my home state, "doc fees" are just dealer charges, with DMV costs being entirely seperate), then I could see why at least some portion of it would not be negotiable -- the dealer makes no profit from the cost of the tags, and just passes the money on to the state. But otherwise, it's just markup, and if they treat it as some sort of sacred cow, then you may have to get it indirectly through the purchase price.
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Replying to: socala4 (Mar 16, 2006 8:56 am) the dealer fees...well since i paid 300 under invoice, and the dealer fee was 500, i considered it to be a 200 deal..which is always ok in my book. these fees are very much a sacred cow down here, i was very suprised how rigid they are on this issue. basically the salesperson gets screwed, because i just lower my price i want to pay by the amount of the fee. salesperson will see no part of that fee.
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Replying to: new57 (Mar 16, 2006 10:16 am) Not really. What you are probably referring is "tag & registration" charged by the county. Dealer serves here as a broker and charges certain advance amount, obvioulsy higher than it needs to be just in case. County then probably prorates it until your birthday and the rest gets refunded if there is an overpayment (I once got a check from Tallahassee Ford). Amounts depend on if it is a new registration or transfer. However, on top of it, FL dealers charge a fee, whatever they call "prep", "doc", "dealer's boat contribution", you name it. It runs from $150 (Carmax) to the sky; $699 or $799 is not rare, $300 is quite common. It is a simple profit generator: part of it will cover the clerical costs and say lot planning, etc. They are introduced and jacked up solely to make the customer think they got a better price than they really did and advertise "below invoice" prices (when you add $799 it magically crosses the invoice at a comfortable margin). It can be recognized by sales tax - county registration does not add to the tax base, dealer's fee does, so in fact it is treated by the state as an interal part of the sales transaction price. |
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| I got three quotes out of 15 pontiac dealers who responded. I guess the dealers don't want me to shop their quotes around. So I went to the lowest one today. I was with the internet sales manager for two hours today. We test drove a 2006 vibe. wife didn't like the salsa color. so he looked it up on the computer to find one in either abyss, neptune, or moonstone. he found one at another dealer said he could swap it only cost an extra $60 to tow and for gas. Of course he wouldn't tell me where the car was located. He's offering invoice for the car and invoice for the options ( 4 speed auto, preferred package, monotone appearance package) which brings it to $17868. Edmunds TMV= $18197. MSRP for car and options = $19015. However, there's a $500 rebate on the vehicle. this dealership told me there is also another $500 conquest rebate on the vehicle if you own an import which I do (the other dealerships didn't mention this in their quote but this one did) Another $500 for GM march madness if I buy a Vibe built before 10/12/05. He had no luck finding one with my options closeby. So here's the jest of my deal: Invoice price -$500 rebate -$500 conquest rebate + $60 swap vehicle+ $249 doc fee + TTL. He snuck that doc fee at the end. When he said that, I asked about advertising fee he said there was none. Then said "I'm not trying to screw you over, we charge $249 doc/processing fee for every deal" One thing that concerned me was that when he was looking at cars in the area built before 10/12/05 for the march madness $500 rebate and the cars built in 2006 he was confused at the invoices and had to ask another salesman. The invoice of the car increased by almost $200 of the newer built model but the MSRPs stayed the same on both with identical options. good deal? This will be my first brand new car that I ever bought. Thanks | |
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Replying to: cutehumor (Mar 21, 2006 6:45 pm) And good customers wonder why they don't get internet responses..? ..l.o.l..... Terry.
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Replying to: rroyce10 (Mar 22, 2006 2:15 am) |
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Replying to: cutehumor (Mar 21, 2006 6:45 pm) Are you sure you want a Vibe? The absolute best way to save money is to buy a car that you are happy to drive for 7+ years. Did you look at the Vibe discussion groups to see if other owners like their cars and if they have had many problems? If you are still concerned about paying too much, then you could look at the Prices Paid forum for some more info.
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