Went today to buy the car I have been looking for. 2003 max Se 6spd(boy are these becoming impossible to find in the northeast!)with sunroof , mats, splash, trunk mat..MSRP..$27,355..Dealer called me and offered it to me for $21,000 flat plus tax and tags..i said i'll take it and gave him a deposit on the phone because the last two they had were sold before i could get to the dealer(if you are looking for a 6spd and find one do not hesitate, or it will be sold!)i have bought 2 other cars from this dealer so i trusted him with my $200.00 deposit and they are very reputable. Sales manager tells me the car is coming in FROM< ANOTHER DEALER AS A TRADE WITH SOME OTHER CARS!.No problem..Car comes from a reputable dealer 30 miles away..HERE is the problem!! 1)..car comes and it has 160 miles on it..i'm very ****ed!! should only have about 40 with trip from dealer, so this tells me that it was used for a couple of test drives at other dealer..plus there was no floor mat on the floor and it was filty(driver side)
2)..Found about 3 rock chips on the front bumper with that great Nissan painT!.largest is about half the size of a dime and there were some scrathes on the top of the rear bumper that were down past the base coat from people just shoving the dealer plates on it..WHAT SHOULD I DO?? Manager said he will do what is right and try to take care of it and said he was ****ed that he took in a car with 160 miles on it..What should i ask him to do>? i don't want to repaint..i would rather he take money off..nothing is that bad that i could not live with it..but what $$$ amount is reasonable to ask?? he seems reseptive to how i feel since i am a 2 time repeat customer..Has anyone had a similiar experiance like this>any advise??How much should i ask for.i'm going back to see it Monday all cleaned up.. pleasE!..Thanks guys! yout the best!

 

Tell him to repaint it or tell him you want him to knock $1500 off of it, because that is about how much it will cost to repaint the front rock chips and license plate marks..

he'll probably opt to sell it to you instead, since he knows you are a sure thing and can pay right then and there...

then take your $1500 savings, put a nose bra/mask on it, and pocket the rest ($1400)

 

I agree with maxcosity--aim for the stars! Demand AT LEAST $1500 off because of all the damage. At this point, you have the bargaining power since (1) he needs to sell this car now to make room for 04 Maximas, and (2) the car has damage on it, so if he doesn't sell it to you, he's going to have to repair all the damage, which is going to prolong the time they're holding the car (i.e. paying interest to the bank for it).

Basically, shoot for a heavy discount, and I think you can get it in these circumstances.

 

Great advice!!!! Thanks!--- i'll try for at least 1,000..I agree i would ratehr have the money?? what if he does not want to to give in for 1,000?..do you guys feel that anthing less i should walk..also what do you think about the 160 miles on the car??? it was demoed many times in my opionin at the other dealer...but he traded for it, saying he did not know it had the mileage...... any thought? Thanks again!

 

Bull**** - dealers never NOT know what they're buying. I'd go for the skies, as was posted earlier. If the car was demo'd, it's a used car in my eyes. I wouldn't buy it for any less than the 1000-1500 being discussed. If he won't sell it, walk - my guess is he won't let you get far.

John

 

Tell him you'll give him $18k. When he balks start walking. Along with demos the car was likely driven by a manager for a few days. He will pull you back they always do. He'll probably say something like $20,250 then you say $18.5k at which point he'll go talk to his manager and come back and say $20k. Then you say $19k and thats it. He'll balk again then you get up and start walking. He'll call you back again and you'll have a deal.

To bad you couldn't have done this on Monday, end of the month thats good for at least another $500.

Good luck!

 

Maximaman,,thanks for teh good advice..i am not dealing with nay sales managers but with teh general manager directly..would you change your appoach in any way regarding this info?.aLSO, HOW SHOULD I GO ABOUT THE 160 miles?? the drive from teh otehr dealer is 30 miles, so 130 (minus what 5-8 from factory) gives me about 125 miles to account for..what should i say? is it technically a demo with more then 100 miles on it?..i just want to sounf very educated so that he knows that i know the drill andi do get the best price..thanks agian!!

 

I dunno....when I bought my car, I originally was getting a Majestic blue 03 Maxima with just sunroof as option. Upon taking delivery of the car, I noticed a HUGE key mark running along the whole driver side quarter panel back to the door.

I refused delivery with the salesman noting damage and I said, sure I'll take it, if you knock off some $$$. He said no dice but then again they had 50 03 Maxi's on their lot. He told me he had another same color, same options but later found out it was in the repair shop cause some idiot test driving it decided he'd ram into another car.

I ended up looking on the lot and saw this 03 sterling mist with titanium package and he gave it to me for the same price with the additional $800 paid up front by check when I picked her up.

I'm glad that majestic blue had a scratch..I ended up with the better car anyway!

 

If the problems don't bother you, get him to take off $1500-$2000. Now you really have to think about this. Are you going to be ticked off ever time you wash the car and see the flaws. I know i would be because i didn't cause them and didn't have to buy the car. If you can live with it cool, if not, get your deposit back. Don't even bother with them painting!

 

I wouldn't worry about 160 miles. You are getting the car far below invoice. If you walk someone else will walk in and buy it. The dealer will always win.

 

The 160 miles aren't a big deal if you get a good discount for it. Really I don't see why so many people are paranoid about having more than 5 miles on their brand new car they bought. I think it's a status thing.

I got my 2k GLE with 106 miles on it. It had been sitting on the lot for 10 months and they were trying to dump it for the 2k1's coming in. I got $2,000 extra off because of the miles...sweet deal. From now on I'll buy any new car with a hundred or so odd miles on it. The discount highly outweighs the "status" in my eyes.

 

The reason why most people here worry about substantial miles on a "brand new" car is because, chances are, those miles come from test drives and/or sales managers driving the cars. What this means is the car was flogged from the start, and the break-in procedure wasn't followed. So, for the people who believe in strict break-in, like myself, they tend to want cars with barely any mileage. For the people who don't follow break-in procedures themselves, they could care less if the car was redlined umpteen times before they bought it.

That being said, I got my car with 50 on the odo, and that was because of the swap. The swap dealership was 30 miles away, so it had about 20 before being swapped, which is no problem with me.

However, if you get a heavy discount for the mileage, I think it's worth it, cause you're still under warranty, and if anything breaks because of the "improper" break-in, you'll get it fixed.

 

Since your dealing with a manager I would ask him up front if you give him a number are you going to be hageling or not so you know to start lower. Also ask him what he thinks the damage would cost to get fixed before you give him your 1st number. If It's a reasonable number add $500 to it and ask him to knock it off the 21k. Having on seen the damage I can't tell you what it would cost to fix. After thinking about it over night it is a 6spd good luck finding another and a good touch up guy could airbrush it. But if it's to much for that then 19-19.5k would be my limit.

When I got mine in May of 02 it came from another dealer also... On a flatbed right in front of me. With 3 miles on it. But there were many more available then. Now it's up to you. 160 isn't that bad and some people think you should break it in hard. You'll never know but as long as no one was bouncing the rev limiter it's all good.

 

I dont think I'll *ever* buy anything Nissan again.. but if I did, I would *NEVER* put a deposit down on a Nissan lot. I dont even want to get into my story.. Sometimes I think I should have walked away from my $500.. It was an omen.. not really of the car but of the dealerships.

 

Sounds to me like he is trying to deliver a car which is below the standards that you want for a new car.

Since the interior was dirty, the miles were high(er), and the paint was chipped... this is sounding more like a case where you can either (1) walk away without satisfaction or (2) keep this one and get discounted.

If you truly want a new(er) car that is clean and has no chips, then don't budge. Suggest that he locate another 6-spd and have it shipped... you may have to wait longer, but in the end it would be worth the hassle.

If you want to keep this one, now you are talking he should thoroughly clean the carpet (and replace if it won't come clean), REPAINT the front end because of the chips (or throw in a nose mask and discount the price of the car), and discount the price due to the high(er) mileage.

True, if you walk someone else will buy... but it all depends on what you want to insist upon as the standards you are buying.

If he works with you, you could end up with a service deal (free oil changes for three years, free uncovered warranty service for a year, etc.) and some extras (like the nose mask, or maybe have him throw in an option)... have him coat the paint for free... something along those lines.

Let us know!

 

One more tip: It's AMAZING how powerful walking away can be...

Try it.. you might just see him come back on his knees to you...

If it doesn't work, pretend like you were just going outside to make a call or check out the car again..

 

Make sure you check to see when the car began its service date...My parents bought a 98 GLE new and found out that its warranty was already 6 months old due to its service start-date...Turns out that someone had bought the car and returned it the next day...the dealer then sold it to my parents as "new" six months later.

 

Your already getting a more then sweet deal on the car. It's got 160 miles on it and it's not perfect, the price of 21K flat reflects it.

If you want a brand new, in perfect condition 6 speed, with ZERO miles on it, keep looking and expect to pay near MSRP for the thing.

 

I will let all you guys know! I'm off back to there Monday..I guess if the #'s don't make sense, i will have to walk, but i know someone not very picky and that wants a sheer silver 2003 for & 21K will buy this car....Thanks agian..and if any one has any more insight , Thank You!..

 

The dealership near me is selling new 2003 maximas for 21900 they have alot of 6 speeds in the lot.
Its in middletown,ny

 

I would ask him to give you an extended warranty on the car due to the high mileage. That won't cost the dealership anything but it will help guard you against any hard driving damage that might have occurred in the first 160-miles.

I would also get the car painted for free. The cost to the dealer to paint the car is probably around $500 but they would charge someone else $1,500 to do the same job. It would be better for you to get the paint done from them because to you it is worth $1,500 and to the dealer it is worth $500. This gives you both something to gain.

Oh, and the price is quite good. I wouldn't pass that up.

 

I dont think you are standing a chance in bargaining him down either, 21.9 is almost 3 grtand under the invoice! WIsh I could find a deal like that. Re: 160 miles, personally-dont worry about it. On the damaged paint, tell them to repair it. But with your situation, the dealer will be more open to bargain on free scheduled maintenance for a year/free car washes for life, and a 100K extended wtty for the cost (500 or so)

 

You need to goto lenstoler and talk my son. I know u and u never put up a fight. Remember that blue SE 5spd i wanted to buy? they were givin it to me for 19,500 + t&t.

Just talk to them and let me know if u need to me to go with u and hold ur hand

 

Igor this is bs son. My friend worked as a salesperson. This delaership is in the wealthy neighborhood. They are not discounting any. I cant get Nationwide to give me a good deal too.

 

Whatever u decide to do... don't in no means have the car repainted or even the front, just because of a chip or two. Having the car repainted, being that it is new, will make the car depreciate alot more that with just a chip or two... Appraisers know an original paint from a new paint...

 

I will def not have them repaint it for 2 small rock sratches and a few very small scratches in the rear top bumper..I guess $$$ will be key..so we have scrathes and 160 miles,,..does everyone really agree 1500-2000 off should be expected ?? remember they had two of these cars coming in from diff dealers as trades becuase they knew they could sell them, i missed the one b4 thi sone by one hour as it was sold and while i wa sin the dealer this one cam in from the other dealer they traded for..so 160 miles and scrathes..?? how much
$$$$$??? off?? since 21K was offered to me way before this one came in as i was going to pick up the first of teh two,figures my luck..but if they give it to me for less $$$ then it would realy be a steal. thanks gain to all of you guys,,i was supposed to go see it monday , but now there saying rain all day and then i woul dnot be able to see it all clean ...it was dirty when i first saw it(not preped or anything form the other dealer)

 

If they offered the car to me for 20k flat would you take it? or ask for more such as warranty, etc?...what do you think?. Thanks again!

 

I know Kelly isn't the best site to get info from but this is how the rate a 2002 SE w/160 miles in good condition so with that said 20k is still a good deal. You'll be looking at 6K more for an 03 somewhere else. It's up to you now. Good luck.

 

From that view point look like i can't go wrong to get it around 20K which would be over 7,000 off of sticker!...I'll let yo uknow what happens, but hav eto wait because it's snowing like crazy here in teh northeast..HATE WINTER!!!