I've contacted 15 dealerships in the GTHA (Toronto - Hamilton Area). Actually, I went so far as Pickering to the east and Orangeville to the North.
The rules were simple: 2018 eGolf comfortline. Base model. No charge for special paint. No tech package. No driver assist package. No letherette. No extra options, protections etc. 36 months lease at 20,000km/year (60,000km total)
Here are some results:
- One dealership refused to give me an email quote. Insisted I come in person to get a quote. This is the only dealership that did this! Sounds like high pressure sales tactics to me. Needless to say that she's out of the running from my business
- One dealership included Fuel ($65) in the quote. LOL! The only dealership that did that.
- Several dealerships tried to include wheel locks. Between $49 to $75. Why are the prices so different for something like wheel locks?
- A few dealerships tried to include winter mats for $100. I didn't ask for this!
- One dealership, in an effort to get me a lower quote, didn't include Freight & PDI ($1645). This is pretty much mandatory. Seems like he was trying to pull a bait and switch.
- 2 dealerships tried to pass "Vehicle return silver" for $259. Whatever the heck that is. At least they used the same price
- 2 dealership tried to include "Volkswagen anti-theft". One for $158 the other at $149
- One dealership tried to include "Tireguard protection" for $259.
- Once dealership, same that tried to include "Tireguard", tried to include VWOL for $43. WTF is VWOL?
- Admin fees, sometimes quoted as "documentation fees" can range from $349 to as high as $595. And you'll get the "I can't change that" excuse when you tell them they're too high. Most dealerships asked $395.
- A few dealerships actually didn't pay attention to the 60,000km (total) and quoted me for 75,000km and 90,000km. Obviously this means the quote will be higher. It's a tricky way to squeeze in a higher quote without having any extra dollar figures show up in the details. Pay close attention to this.
So the Takeaway is:
- Review the quotes VERY carefully.
- Salespeople can be very sneaky. Be aware and look for their sneaky tricks to get a few bucks
- Do your own research. Do like I did:
1 - Use Excel.
2- Get a lease calculation spreadsheet online as a baseline.
3- Call, or email all the dealerships in your area. And get quotes
4- Enter the quotes on your spreadsheet. It's easier by email as most will attach a PDF of the quote
5- Analyze each dealer's quote
6- Follow-up with the sales person and show them where their mistake is, like adding Fuel (what a clown!), and other fees which seem too high.
7- Repeat 4-6 a few times to narrow it down
8- You can then find the best quote and the most most honest salesperson. Dishonest example: The guy who quoted without the Freight & PDI in an attempt to get the best quote. Yeah... without that extra $1645, the due at delivery is pretty low
- In the end, what you really want to focus on is this: ($monthly payment X Months) + Due at delivery. Just makes sure all those numbers are as accurate as possible.
- DON'T BE EMOTIONAL! Don't bend to pressure tactics. Take a scientific, mathematical and systematic approach to each dealer you contact.
To avoid any liability, I can't list the quotes, dealership names and salespeople I dealt with. But I will show you these which should ALWAYS be on your quote:
- Freight & PDI : $1645
- OMVIC : $10
- A/C TAX: $100
- Tire stewardship : $17.75
- PPSA due on delivery : $43.5
if you don't see those exact numbers and items on your quote. That's a red flag. Find out why.
Things that vary:
- Residual value. i've seen as low as 38% and as high as 43%. Look for about $15,477.85
- APR. Usually around 0.99% at the time of this writing.
- Administration fee: I've seen as low as $349 and as high as $595. The more common number is $395.
I hope this helps. And again, don't ask me for specifics with Dealership names, salespeople and their actual quotes. Do your own research and you'll find similar results I'm sure.
The rules were simple: 2018 eGolf comfortline. Base model. No charge for special paint. No tech package. No driver assist package. No letherette. No extra options, protections etc. 36 months lease at 20,000km/year (60,000km total)
Here are some results:
- One dealership refused to give me an email quote. Insisted I come in person to get a quote. This is the only dealership that did this! Sounds like high pressure sales tactics to me. Needless to say that she's out of the running from my business
- One dealership included Fuel ($65) in the quote. LOL! The only dealership that did that.
- Several dealerships tried to include wheel locks. Between $49 to $75. Why are the prices so different for something like wheel locks?
- A few dealerships tried to include winter mats for $100. I didn't ask for this!
- One dealership, in an effort to get me a lower quote, didn't include Freight & PDI ($1645). This is pretty much mandatory. Seems like he was trying to pull a bait and switch.
- 2 dealerships tried to pass "Vehicle return silver" for $259. Whatever the heck that is. At least they used the same price
- 2 dealership tried to include "Volkswagen anti-theft". One for $158 the other at $149
- One dealership tried to include "Tireguard protection" for $259.
- Once dealership, same that tried to include "Tireguard", tried to include VWOL for $43. WTF is VWOL?
- Admin fees, sometimes quoted as "documentation fees" can range from $349 to as high as $595. And you'll get the "I can't change that" excuse when you tell them they're too high. Most dealerships asked $395.
- A few dealerships actually didn't pay attention to the 60,000km (total) and quoted me for 75,000km and 90,000km. Obviously this means the quote will be higher. It's a tricky way to squeeze in a higher quote without having any extra dollar figures show up in the details. Pay close attention to this.
So the Takeaway is:
- Review the quotes VERY carefully.
- Salespeople can be very sneaky. Be aware and look for their sneaky tricks to get a few bucks
- Do your own research. Do like I did:
1 - Use Excel.
2- Get a lease calculation spreadsheet online as a baseline.
3- Call, or email all the dealerships in your area. And get quotes
4- Enter the quotes on your spreadsheet. It's easier by email as most will attach a PDF of the quote
5- Analyze each dealer's quote
6- Follow-up with the sales person and show them where their mistake is, like adding Fuel (what a clown!), and other fees which seem too high.
7- Repeat 4-6 a few times to narrow it down
8- You can then find the best quote and the most most honest salesperson. Dishonest example: The guy who quoted without the Freight & PDI in an attempt to get the best quote. Yeah... without that extra $1645, the due at delivery is pretty low
- In the end, what you really want to focus on is this: ($monthly payment X Months) + Due at delivery. Just makes sure all those numbers are as accurate as possible.
- DON'T BE EMOTIONAL! Don't bend to pressure tactics. Take a scientific, mathematical and systematic approach to each dealer you contact.
To avoid any liability, I can't list the quotes, dealership names and salespeople I dealt with. But I will show you these which should ALWAYS be on your quote:
- Freight & PDI : $1645
- OMVIC : $10
- A/C TAX: $100
- Tire stewardship : $17.75
- PPSA due on delivery : $43.5
if you don't see those exact numbers and items on your quote. That's a red flag. Find out why.
Things that vary:
- Residual value. i've seen as low as 38% and as high as 43%. Look for about $15,477.85
- APR. Usually around 0.99% at the time of this writing.
- Administration fee: I've seen as low as $349 and as high as $595. The more common number is $395.
I hope this helps. And again, don't ask me for specifics with Dealership names, salespeople and their actual quotes. Do your own research and you'll find similar results I'm sure.
