Dealer strategy

[kenzaoe]

I must say first this forum has been a priceless trove of information. Thank you all for contributing.

So I am looking at leasing an SE for 3 years, but I am dreading the painful and excruciating dance at the dealerships. I am not in hurry. I am just looking to get the best deal.

What has been your approach/ strategies with the dealerships?

 

[judah8750]

Find a dealer that has too much inventory. The local dealer in Ventura CA for example has 5 SE models all with the the DC fast charge upgrade. (For the love of all things holy, get an SE with the upgrade!!) It's the end of the year and everyone knows better models with longer range are coming. They are going to need to dump them sooner than later. if you look through the posts you can get an idea of what to pay. It's advisable to never put money down upfront because of the liability if you total it. Negotiating a lease can be excruciating so prepare to negotiate for a full day or even two. Try and get everything talked about upfront as well because if you shake on the deal then they hand you to financing and start up-selling you on maintenance and wear and tear policies etc... So negotiate the entire deal upfront and be prepared to walk out, they will call you back with a better offer.

 

[JoulesThief]

I'd do all my negotiating via emails, in writing, on the internet. Sept 30th is end of a sales quarter. I'd shop bids hard right now, and be willing to drive 100-200 miles to get a smoking deal from what ever dealer wants to earn your business. Have all your ducks in a row, no trade in, and your down payment in hand to make the comparisions simple.

I am very glad I got the LED head lights, leatherette seats, cruise control, special interior heater and all that, that come on the SEL's. Several have complained about stains on the fabric of the seats of the SE. YMMV, I bought mine, didn't lease it, but I am a long time loyal VW owner. Suspect I will keep mine for a long, long time, I am taking excellent care of my battery.

 

[kenzaoe]

just got myself a 2016 SE

0 down
drive off $1200
$150/month (tax included)
36 months
7,500 miles/year

 

[JoulesThief]

just got myself a 2016 SE

0 down
drive off $1200
$150/month (tax included)
36 months
7,500 miles/year

what will all the fees be when you turn it back in at the end of the lease?

 

[kenzaoe]

just got myself a 2016 SE

0 down
drive off $1200
$150/month (tax included)
36 months
7,500 miles/year

what will all the fees be when you turn it back in at the end of the lease?

the usual disposition fee of $350

 

[johnnylingo]

Agree with the major points from judah8750 and joulesthief. Look for a dealer that's high on inventory and wait until end of month.

I'd also add to that the dealers always try to cook the numbers which makes leasing confusing and stressful, but just like buying, it really boils down to how much they're discounting off MSRP. Seeing as we're at the end of model year and the 2018s will get a huge range boost, it's reasonable to expect at minimum 12% right now and I'd push for closer to 15%. So an SE with quick charger with MSRP of $31,500 should have a "sales price" of around $27,000 and so on.

 

[lombard955]

I agree that this site has been really helpful. Thanks to everyone who contributes.

I am currently negotiating for an SEL. At least one of the dealers that I am talking to is quoting a base price "including rebates." While the availability of rebates will change my overall cost of ownership if I do get the debate, it should not be factored into the "base" price, right?

 

[Jntgould]

just got myself a 2016 SE

0 down
drive off $1200
$150/month (tax included)
36 months
7,500 miles/year

Wow! What dealership? Anything special to get such a low drive off?

 

[cctop]

I agree that this site has been really helpful. Thanks to everyone who contributes.

I am currently negotiating for an SEL. At least one of the dealers that I am talking to is quoting a base price "including rebates." While the availability of rebates will change my overall cost of ownership if I do get the debate, it should not be factored into the "base" price, right?

Are you buying or leasing?

If you're buying, neither the federal rebate ($7500) nor the state rebate ($2500 in California) should be included in the price because the rebates go to you.

If you're leasing, the federal rebate will be included because it goes to VW not you. But the state rebate still goes to you and should not be included.

 

[bizzle]

Without knowing what he means by "included" I have found dealers don't want to negotiate because they will point to the incentives and argue that you are already getting $10K off and far below invoice and the manufacturing costs. The only time I got them to budge was during the first month of the loyalty cash from the TDI scandal and dealers were sitting empty for a bit. I had been trying to negotiate a deal on an eGolf since the first day they rolled off the trucks.

There are a couple dealers that have been listed on these forums with great sales, but who knows what happens when you're actually at a desk ready to sign, but the standard operating procedure has been to include those incentives (and even deduct them from bottom line pricing on the web without indicating that they're incentives) and refuse to deal much on these and other EVs.

 

[JoulesThief]

Without knowing what he means by "included" I have found dealers don't want to negotiate because they will point to the incentives and argue that you are already getting $10K off and far below invoice and the manufacturing costs. The only time I got them to budge was during the first month of the loyalty cash from the TDI scandal and dealers were sitting empty for a bit. I had been trying to negotiate a deal on an eGolf since the first day they rolled off the trucks.

There are a couple dealers that have been listed on these forums with great sales, but who knows what happens when you're actually at a desk ready to sign, but the standard operating procedure has been to include those incentives (and even deduct them from bottom line pricing on the web without indicating that they're incentives) and refuse to deal much on these and other EVs.

There were a few of us that got a "once in a lifetime" type of deal on an e-Golf from the VW dieselgate scandal to around the end of 12/2015, on old dealer stock 2015's, if you were a current VW or TDI owner. Whether or not it becomes a rarity is another matter. I bought new, because I found a dealership that had exactly what I wanted in an SEL e-Golf, for a great price.

There were two must have features bundled into an SEL that I was just going to have to pay for. The heater being non resistive, and most importantly, the low energy consumption LED headlights, far better visibility than Halogen.

 

[lombard955]

Thanks cctop. We plan to lease, so that is helpful to know about the federal rebate.