Is it not advisable to ask dealerships if they're gonna have markups?

[NWIguy]

Hi y'all i'm a new member of this club/forum. I've pre ordered a wrb limited brz a month ago on march and I'm excited for when it will get here in our local dealership. The recent update the GM told me is that the cars we pre ordered will start arriving May. So as far as mark ups go I have no idea yet since I haven't really bothered asking the saleswoman I'm dealing with. So is it true that it isn't advisable to ask them if they're gonna do mark ups on the car I pre ordered?

[Subie]

Why did you put money down on a car without getting a definitive answer? You're at the dealer's mercy now. Why would it be inadvisable to ask now? They'll either tell you or they won't.

I signed a sales order stating exactly how my final price would be broken down.

[Dark]

I asked a Subie dealer close to me. Carter in Shoreline. They said they will not put any kind of markup. Don't hesitate to ask the salesperson about markup.

[kevinnivek8877]

the first thing you should have done is have an agreement on the price at MSRP and no markup (at least thats what i did) and have it on paper. i did this with my 500 deposit and they gave me a receipt declaring that the deposit was full refundable and i will buy the car at MSRP + registration fees +tax.

just curious - what # were you on their pre-order list? the car arriving in May sounds too good to be true but if it happens, congrats.

[NWIguy]

well when I pre ordered the car the price wasn't released yet. Then when it was released I asked the saleswoman who dealt with me and she told me the exact price posted here in this forum except the delivery fee was 770 instead of 750. I haven't really thought about the mark ups till my friend told me about it and he was the one that told me it's not advisable to ask.

[NWIguy]

Originally Posted by kevinnivek8877

the first thing you should have done is have an agreement on the price at MSRP and no markup (at least thats what i did) and have it on paper. i did this with my 500 deposit and they gave me a receipt declaring that the deposit was full refundable and i will buy the car at MSRP + registration fees +tax.

just curious - what # were you on their pre-order list? the car arriving in May sounds too good to be true but if it happens, congrats.

I am no. 4 and there are 4 of us who pre ordered so far. They said they have 11 allocated

[Subie]

Originally Posted by NWIguy

well when I pre ordered the car the price wasn't released yet. Then when it was released I asked the saleswoman who dealt with me and she told me the exact price posted here in this forum except the delivery fee was 770 instead of 750. I haven't really thought about the mark ups till my friend told me about it and he was the one that told me it's not advisable to ask.

I don't have an exact price yet since I included accessories with my order. All you had to do (and what you should do in the future) is get a sales order stating that you'll be purchasing the car for the MSRP + destination + TTL, or however it breaks down in your case.

[alluringreality]

Personally I wouldn't order a car without having an agreed on price, such as relative to invoice. Since you didn't take that route, and probably already made a deposit, there are likely a couple things you could do:

1) Wait to drive the car and don't discuss price until after doing so. In this case I'm assuming that you can and would walk away if you either don't like the car or they will not meet the price you want. The risk of doing this is that if you're not willing to walk, which does not seem to be the tone of your post, then you might pay more than it makes sense to rationally consider.

2) If you don't think you would likely be able to walk if you like the test drive, then agree on a price before the car arrives. Just go in and discuss price. Even if you're willing to pay MSRP, then start with some amount below MSRP. The fact of the matter is that it's still a Subaru, and someday these cars will sell around invoice. The main benefit of discussing price without the car being available it might be a bit easier to be more rational and aim for a price below MSRP.

[Capt Canuck]

Tell them you are just finalizing financing and would like the exact OTR amount, itemized.
If you are getting MRSP, job done, no worries.
If you are not, start asking why and bail if there aren't going to give it to you. Ask for your deposit back (if you left one) and happy shopping.

[NWIguy]

Originally Posted by Subie

I don't have an exact price yet since I included accessories with my order. All you had to do (and what you should do in the future) is get a sales order stating that you'll be purchasing the car for the MSRP + destination + TTL, or however it breaks down in your case.

Thank you for your help! I will be calling the dealership tomorrow whether they are gonna have mark ups for this car. One question, when you pre ordered the car did you tell them the options you wanted to add? Because in my case I just told them that I was gonna get a limited wrb brz and that was it. They didn't even ask me what options i wanted to add.

[alluringreality]

Originally Posted by NWIguy

I will be calling the dealership tomorrow whether they are gonna have mark ups for this car.

Personally I wholly disagree with this approach. To me someone asking this sort of question implies that they might be willing to pay above MSRP. I fully believe that a dealership deserves to make a fair profit to keep their doors open so they can service the vehicles they sell, but here is the way I read what you're asking:

DO YOU WANT TO REAM ME?

[NWIguy]

Originally Posted by alluringreality

Personally I wholly disagree with this approach. To me someone asking this sort of question implies that they might be willing to pay above MSRP. I fully believe that a dealership deserves to make a fair profit to keep their doors open so they can service the vehicles they sell, but here is the way I read what you're asking:

DO YOU WANT TO REAM ME?

So u are saying i might as well just wait for the car to arrive check it out and negotiate? Thanks for ur opinion and help.

[eikond]

Originally Posted by alluringreality

Personally I wholly disagree with this approach. To me someone asking this sort of question implies that they might be willing to pay above MSRP. I fully believe that a dealership deserves to make a fair profit to keep their doors open so they can service the vehicles they sell, but here is the way I read what you're asking:

DO YOU WANT TO REAM ME?

Nonsense.. it's a very good question to ask and there is no better time than the present to ask the question. It's all about how you phrase it..

"Hi, Mrs Saleswoman.. Yes, my name is xxx and I have a deposit in on the BRZ. I just wanted to clarify something with you if possible. My understanding is that my price on the car will be MSRP including destination. Is this correct? The reason I ask is that I would not pay more than MSRP and I would be very unhappy to find out later that your dealership is expecting a markup over that price. If that were the case I would cancel my order and find another dealership. If that has to happen, I'd much rather do it now so that I can get a good place in line rather than having to wait much longer. Thank you!".

[FoolCyclist]

Originally Posted by NWIguy

well when I pre ordered the car the price wasn't released yet. Then when it was released I asked the saleswoman who dealt with me and she told me the exact price posted here in this forum except the delivery fee was 770 instead of 750. I haven't really thought about the mark ups till my friend told me about it and he was the one that told me it's not advisable to ask.

Sorry, but your friend is an idiot. If you don't ask, you deserve to pay the $5k mark up. Before I even talked about sending in my deposit in February I had in writing that the cost would be MSRP + TTL. If they try to slide in a mark up, I walk, and I told em that. Believe me, everytime a paying customer walks away and takes their money to the next dealer, the sales manager goes ape shit.