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Chevrolet Equinox: Prices Paid & Buying Experience

490 messages,  Last post on Mar 09, 2012 at 4:45 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Equinox, SUV

    

Messages Page 48 of 50

#465 of 490 Ok, here's my deal, hope I did well by jingles99

Dec 30, 2010 (9:22 pm)

My 2003 Chev Malibu was totaled in a rear end collision, I was rear ended. Anyway, the striking drivers insurance is paying $8200 for the Malibu, which is alot more I would have gotten on a trade in. In PA, the insurer is required to pay replacement cost, not just book value. So that is one good thing that came out of this. I purchased a 2011 Gold Mist LS, from local Langhorne dealer. List was 23,730. Only option was the bluetooth package. Was able to get them down to $22,250. Went with the 0%/1500 rebate from Ally Financing. Brought the price down to 20,750. Also had $600 in GM card rebates applied, bringing the price down to 20,150. Refused to pay for the added dealer pin stripe, which was $89 bucks. They threw in the pinstripe for free, and first oil change. Would not budge on the $120 doc fee. So, with the $8200 total check, was able to get it for $11,950 before tax and tags. Must say, I am really impressed with the vehicle. Nice ride, and nice interior. I think I did ok on this deal. Any thoughts?

#466 of 490 Information to know before you buy by klrss

Jan 10, 2011 (8:11 am)

Incase someone was in the market for a new GM/Chevy product, I wanted to share some info for you to read before you buy.
I bought a new 2010 Impala LTZ a few months ago. I have 6,000 miles on it now. I have been having this bad sulfur/rotten egg smell from the exhaust since about a week after I had it. I finally brought it into the shop and they said they found no issues, and it is probably bad fuel. I questioned the fact that I can run the same fuel in my 2011 Kia Sorento, and my 2009 Civic without the smell, so I don’t think it is the fuel. They told me there isnt anything they can do and again advised that I run a tank of quality fuel through it and see if that helps. So, I did what they said. I actually ran three tanks of Exxon through it, and one tank of shell, and the smell never went away. I called GM customer service and they asked if I was getting fuel at the same stations, or if the stations were close to each other. I told them yes, except the shell, which was across town. The gm customer service lady said " well, maybe the stations are getting the same fuel, and you might need to try other stations". I could not believe it! My car smells like rotten eggs...my two other cars run fine on the same gas, I tried higher grade gas like shell and Exxon and still no change, now they want me to drive all over town trying different fuels!!! I tried to get them to understand that I have NEVER had to worry about what fuels I use in any car that I have owned, and I have owned many GM cars in the past, and that they need to look at this Impala. So the customer service lady said to bring it back in and she would tell the dealer to look at it again. I take time out of my day, bring it in, I asked for a loaner and they didn’t provide one, which just added to the fun of it. They looked it over and called me and told me they still didn’t find anything wrong, and didn’t smell it this time at all. Wow! I can’t believe they didn’t smell it! ( or maybe it just looked better on the paperwork for them not to smell anything). I picked the car up and they gave me a TSB Bulletin that basically said that the smell is caused by high sulfur fuels and instructs the service dept not to replace parts because it is a fuel issue. I tried to get them to explain why my car smells, but other new GM cars do not, but they still said it was a fuel issue.
So, my warning is that if you get a Gm car or truck that smells like sulfur/rotten eggs, GM will not fix this and you will have to endure the smell. I really didn’t expect to pay 25k for a car that smells horrible. I put my trust and money into GM/Chevy, and that was a mistake. Now I get to smell sulfur when I pull up to the drive-thu’s ( banks/Fast food), and have family/friends who follow me to places tell me my car stinks, and clients who I have in the car tell me " have that fixed, it is the catalytic converter"...etc.
I would highly recommend that you go with a Kia, or Honda, or some other brand that actually can burn any fuel out there without it smelling. Gm seems to not want to disclose that their cars can not burn today’s fuel cleanly, because if they did, there would be many folks that would not buy...including me! I hope this helps someone who feels this service issue would be important to them if they purchased GM.

#467 of 490 Re: Information to know before you buy [klrss] by roho1

Jan 10, 2011 (9:00 am)

Replying to: klrss (Jan 10, 2011 8:11 am)
So the Chevy dealer never checked the catalytic converter? The whole scenario seems odd to me.

#468 of 490 Re: Information to know before you buy [roho1] by klrss

Jan 10, 2011 (4:40 pm)

Replying to: roho1 (Jan 10, 2011 9:00 am)
No unfortunatley they didnt. The dealer really didnt want to look at it in the first place. They asked me if I had a check engine light, and I told him no, and so he tells me " then there isnt anything wrong..if it isnt running right it will throw a code". The first time I brought it in, they ran it on the " machine" and it came out fine. The must have smelled it, since they told me it was bad gas...but I was smelling the smell when I still was running the first tank of gas from the dealer about a week or so after I had it. It IS an odd senario..and I cant understand why they wont look at it. I bet I could go out and find a new car on the lot that does NOT smell...but they insist is isnt the car and if it smells then it is bad fuel. Just crazy! I just loved how they show me the TSB, and in the TSB it tells the tech NOT to change out the cat. So, because of that, they wont even try. He told me, " we cant just start replacing perfectly good parts to see if one is not working". Nice.. And I know this is not an Impala Forum, but the TSB applied to cars and light trucks, so wanted to pass it on.

#469 of 490 2011 V6 Purchased by colt_hero

Jan 11, 2011 (5:51 pm)

MSRP $26815 (V6 with Pioneer system and 18" wheels - neither of which I wanted but they ream it down your throat). Dealer discount to $25500. Loyalty rebate of $1000, GM "points" of $4200. Tax of $300 (flat in this state). Out the door $20,700+ (including tax, tag, title). By my standards this is a lousy deal, but I think it's the best I could do on an Equinox right now. By comparison, my '02 Impala was purchased for $12,200 (from a $22,040 MSRP). Granted, $1000 more in GM dollars that time, but the dealer discount was also bigger and so was the rebate. I think it's only a matter of time before the rebates start showing up on these Equinoxes. The inventories are more plentiful now (than in 2010) and the sales will start slowing down (I think they already have). So if you don't need to buy right now, I'd sit back and wait a while. The pricing is going to soften up with better rebates and dealer pricing going forward.

#470 of 490 Owner Loyalty Cash by krisdriessen

Jan 18, 2011 (2:44 pm)

On the Chevy website, it says that if you own a 99 GM car or newer, you are eligible for $1000 loyalty cash. Supposedly Saturns are included as a GM car. But a local dealer is saying no, full MSRP or nothing. Am I wrong?

#471 of 490 Re: Owner Loyalty Cash [krisdriessen] by ray80

Jan 18, 2011 (2:59 pm)

Replying to: krisdriessen (Jan 18, 2011 2:44 pm)
Well 99 or newer Saturn does qualify for loyalty cash per the loyalty website. If its a salesperson saying that, go in in ask for a more knowledgeable salesperson.

#472 of 490 Re: Owner Loyalty Cash [krisdriessen] by wallyuwl

Jan 18, 2011 (3:19 pm)

Replying to: krisdriessen (Jan 18, 2011 2:44 pm)
Find another dealer. They are trying to squeeze you. And it isn't even them, it is GM, who takes the hit on incentives like that. But to ask for full MSRP is theft at this point in time considering the supply of Equinoxes has increased drastically. You should be able to get one for at least $1000 off MSRP, PLUS any incentives right now.

#473 of 490 Re: Owner Loyalty Cash [krisdriessen] by colt_hero

Jan 18, 2011 (3:50 pm)

Replying to: krisdriessen (Jan 18, 2011 2:44 pm)
It's a '99 or new GM vehicle that qualifies. Saturn is a GM vehicle, so it qualifies. But dealerships will do anything to squeeze money out of you. When I bought my 2011, I knew I qualified for the $1000 Loyalty Rebate. But I let the salesman play his game asking me if I owned a '99 or newer GM car, then looking excited like I was going to get a great deal. The "deal" was $1000 off MSRP!
 
Nice try.
 
When making your offer, all you can do is use those bogus Edmunds numbers. I say they're bogus because they come from GM (they HAVE to), and why would GM be honest about what it really costs them to build their cars? What they WANT is for you to THINK you're getting a great deal. But the reality is those numbers HAVE to be padded and even if you nail a deal at invoice, the dealerships are STILL laughing all the way to the bank!
 
So go to Edmunds and build your car and calculate the invoice price including destination charge. It'll probably be around $1300 below MSRP. Make an offer BELOW this number (a few hundred bucks) and work UP to it. THEN deduct the $1000 Loyalty rebate from that (plus any other discounts you might have like GM 'dollars'). If you qualify for multiple discounts, say the USAA rebate (if it's still on), call GM first to find out which rebates can be used together. You don't want to be caught flat-footed at the dealership with a salesman giving you bad information (always in their favor, by the way).
 
As for the dealer you're dealing with ... try another salesman. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater just yet. And if you're a woman, I'd bring a man in with you. Just a guess, but I think women making deals by themselves end up with bad deals. You have to be nice with these people (a woman's strongpoint), but you can't let them run the show. And don't be afraid to walk out if you feel you're being pressured. The car you want is probably sitting at multiple dealerships. Get a price from all of 'em. It doesn't matter where you buy the vehicle, you can get it serviced at any dealership.
 
OH - forgot to mention .... make sure you ask UP FRONT what the dealership's stupid "doc fee" or "admin fee" is. This is a scam that dealerships started about 20 years ago. It's a way to tell you the vehicle costs $X, but then write you up for $X + fee. It's very common for these fees to be as much as $300 - $500 !!! And it's all legal. All the dealership has to do is charge everybody the same fee. But if you KNOW about it and factor it into the offer so you know what the ACTUAL cost of the vehicle is, it's no problem. If you can buy a $20,000 for $15,000, the "fee" can be $14,999 as long as the vehicle only costs $1.

#474 of 490 We bought an Equinox! by krisdriessen

Jan 19, 2011 (4:46 pm)

Well, at least we wrote up the paperwork for it. Now the dealer has to look for one already built to our specifications. We *did* qualify for the GM loyalty cash for the 99 Saturn, did not qualify for the special financing (ALLY) for people with credit scores under 580. We also bought the extra protection for both the exterior and interior as we expect to keep the car for at least 7 years and, here in the great Northeast, winter road salt is a real concern.
 
I'll let y'all know how it works out.

Messages Page 48 of 50

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