MrBurner

well, as many of you know i work at a ferrari/jaguar/porsche/rolls royce/bently/aston martin dealership...the other day, i found out that my job benifit is that i get cars for cost plus $500...that is not the greatest deal on new cars since they don't mark them up too much but on used cars, car dealerships rape people...what brought this into my head was that my boss brought up this 97 540i 6spd w/ 80k miles and told me to drive it around...he said 'this thing is fast for such a big car'...so i drove it around and asked about how much a car like that would cost w/ my discount...he said i could get that car for between $10k-15k (he wasn't exactly sure of the purchase price)...so this got me thinking...if i sell my max, i can probably get about 26-27k for it...with that money, i can buy a much nicer used STICK SHIFT car...so i got to thinking and unless it is an extremely rare car, i can probably get something that a dealership would normally sell for $40-45k for the price i get for my car...so i can't get a new m3 or something because they are in such high demand, they sell for more used than they do new...

so for right now i am holding off on doing any mods until i look into this a little farther

my other boss just bought a 99 or 00 chevy blazer fully loaded for $15k w/ low milege (he said the car retails for about 30k$)

we own a lot of dealerships around...

acura, aston martin, audi, bmw, chevy, dodge, ferrari, ford, honda, jaguar, land rover, lexus, mercedes, porsche, rolls royce, volvo...i'm sure there are others, those are just the ones i can think of off the top of my head

so here is what i am thinking about

99 bmw m3
97 toyota supra tt
honda s2000
older (under 97) acura nsx
audi s4
bmw 330ci
older viper
mitsubishi eclipse
blah blah blah

all would be used (since i don't get such a great deal on new cars) and my requirement is a manual transmission...if i got an eclipse i would have plenty of money left over to mod but eclipses are fairly common and i would much rather have a supra to do stuff to (that would be a really fun car to work on)...the m3 is within my means since most dealerships seem to sell them for around $40k so my discount should bring that down to around $27k or so depending on the situation...the s2000 would have to be used and that is not a very likely car to get since it is really small...i would love an s4 but it is hard to find a used one and even if i could find a used one, they probably gave the owner more than 30k for it...330ci manuals are hard to find new let alone used and a viper is a very very far reach, but some of the 94 or so (?) vipers go for under 50k

i am 6'3" and 185lbs. i need a car to fit me and i want something that is sportier and possibly faster than the max stock and it has to be a manual...i would prefer a smaller car than the max (maybe a 2 seater)...all opinions are welcome and please input other cars i should consider

i love my max, but i will have to part w/ it eventually...i'm not even sure if this will be the time to part with it, but i'm just thinking it would be financially intelligent for me to do this while i still have this job and its benifits

Weasel

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a good plan, but how are you going to get $26k for your car? Dealers don't like mods when you trade in.

MrBurner

i can sell it in autotrader for that...just need to find the right buyer...my sticker price was 29,100 and i have seen stock maximas w/ the same options w/ 12k miles go for $27k...i have 22k miles but 12k invested and many original parts (not all or else i would just part the car out)

jopa

You should just sell it here on the Maxima site. I advertised my Probe GT on the Probesport site and had 8 responses in 2 hours.

Eventually one of the first replies bought the car.

Good luck, you are right about dealers and used cars, if people only knew how much they mark them up they would be amazed.

annimax

Cool! Put us in on a group deal! HeHe

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Generally speaking, it is not economically wise to trade in a new car in less than 5 years of ownership. However, it seems that you have the rare chance to get an awesome car at a great price. In this case, if you can get a good price for your maxima and have no negative equity in it, then it would not be so bad.

As for the car, it seems like a tough choice. If you can get the TT supra, then that woud be awesome. They are really rare and hard to come by. Just make sure you fit comfortably in the car you buy. I am also around 6'3" 190# and a car that fits well is important to me Good luck, and let us know how it goes...

2000MaximaSE

You already know what i think.....

Adam

AznWontonboy

what do you think?

2000 SE

Hey Mr Burner, I will buy you Y-Pipe!!

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

Sedan
-------
I would go with a 5-series BMW w/manual trans. Ideally an M5, but a little out of your price range. You can find some 540s with the M-performance package and those are DAMN nice.
Sports Car
-------------
The Supra would be best for performance mods though. Those engines can withstand ungodly amounts of power and boost before requiring ANY internal mods.

------------------------------------------------
99 M3 - Not unless it was under $30K.
97 Supra TT - Hell YEA!!!
Honda s2000 - No way.
NSX - Look cool, great handling but high insurance and only the larger engine displacement years had ANY *****.
S4 - Not sure, but the bi-turbos are fast. Just expect to replace the clutch after every race. Ha,ha.
330ci - ONLY if it has the M-sport package!
Viper - Bad *** car, but maintenance nightmare. Those first couple year Vipers required thousands of dollars in tune-ups EVERY 6K miles. Plus, no way I'd pay that much for insurance.
Eclipse/Talon - AWD with turbo ONLY! Good bang for buck and moderate insurance costs.
blah, blah - 300Z TT, '97 C5 Corvette, RX7(pretty small)

Menasor

iTrader: (2)

TT...Oh Yeah!

MrBurner

i'd love one, but it might be difficult to find one of our dealerships with one w/ low milege...i don't want anything with over 40k miles

2000 SE

Sounds like your really thinking about doing this Mr Burner.

warrlocked

To the RIGHT PERSON your car might be worth what you think (around 25k) but good luck finding that person. Most people would rather buy a new untouched car for that much money. Heck man, a very well loaded 2002 Max will probably go for around what you would like to get out of your Max!!
When it comes to an Eclipse...I think you can do much better than that. They are major "throw away" cars. Most of the people that drive them only have them because that is all they can afford...they drop in value very quickly.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

Supra. great car and you can mod it as much as you wish or care to spend. You can drive it stock and get a kick out of it, or drop a load of cash and take it to 900+ hp. I dont think any other car on your list has that kind of potential (bolt-on mods and affordable).

Evangelo2

MrBurner,
I would definetely do it. I have been on the waiting list for the new M3 for a month now. I test drove it and that car is AWSOME!!! The 540 6 speed is also sweet. I can't believe the price though, 10-15K. Make sure that the car is clean but if I were you I'd definetely pick it up. You can just resell it and make a quick profit.
-Evangelo2

mike-777

I think you are in denial about the value of your car. In my area (Seattle) 2K Maximas are in the paper for $23.5 with similar mileage, are SEs loaded and not selling.

I too paid $26k for a loaded SE that stickered for $29K.
With 8k miles I would be lucky to get $23k for the car. Dealers will only give $18k on trade.

These cars depreciate fast. Anyone who knows the invoice on new cars can buy a new one for essentially what you think yours is worth. Remember, asking price in a paper and what they change hands for is very different.

Dave B

Sorry, but you won't get 25-26K for a used 2K Maxima. Unfortunately you are gonna take a harder hit than most because you paid more than most. Loaded 2k auto SEs are going for 20-21K. Used 2ks at dealerships are more expensive, but that's to be expected. When it comes to mods, you NEVER get back what you put in. You'll be lucky to get 1/3 the money you put into your car. That's an unfortunate fact when it comes to modding a car.

I don't quite understand how a 97 540i can be 10-15K. That seems about 10K under what it should be. I understand that most dealers buy at auctions, but 10-15K for a clean title a 97 540i seems way low. I really don't think most used car dealers have a 200% markup on their cars. Even Ford only makes 15K off their 50K SUVs. I can't imagine a dealer is gonna make more money per car, especially used, than the maker themselves.


Dave

MrBurner

as i said, i get cost plus $500...so i get it for what the dealer bought it from the person for plus $500...on used cars, the dealerships rip people off (some cars more than others...as was said, a dealer will pay someone 19k for a fully loaded 2k and turn around and sell it for about 25k...this is on a fairly new car...)depending on the car and the situation will depend on the price i can get it for, but the 540 did have 80k miles (very high for a 97)...depending on the car will depend on the markup of the car

max'n out

Heres my thoughts on these cars.
99 bmw m3 ... Nice great car lots of fun great aftermarket but expensive to reapair
97 toyota supra tt ..Very fast small storage space
honda s2000 ...YOu don't want that Im 6-3 220 and it hurts me to get down and in to them. My knees hit the dash. No trunk.
older (under 97) acura nsx ...You don't want that there a pain in the *** I know a Guy that has one.
audi s4 Exellant car very fast good aftermarkt nice trunk
bmw 330ci great car expensive to fix
older viper ...NO
mitsubishi eclipse ...Thats a big step down
blah blah blah
I say sell the max for what it is worth about 21. Sell the mods for half.Well just my thoughts.By the way My last moded car thats what i did with and went well.

2000MaximaSE

I just looked the car up on kbb.com and its TRADE IN VALUE is 24k so i dont think your getting a 540i for 10-15k zach.. We can all dream though.. Right now i have a S600 and a 911T in my garage

Adam

MrBurner

well i went around to a bunch of our dealerships after work tonight (well after dinner, and all of the dealerships were closed)...so i just looked around the used car lots...i have pretty much realized that my hope of a supra is not going to happen so i am trying to move on (i still really really really want a supra)...so at the audi dealership they had a 2000 s4 in a bright yellow color for a sticker price of 37k...i am going to find out how much i can get that car for and i'll take a test drive after work tomorrow...that was the only audi i found that i wanted (they had a few new s4's, but that is a little bit too much $...so at bmw they had a bunch of m3's but i am not a huge fan of the old bodystyle...too boxy for me but i heard they are really fun to drive so i might take a test drive of one of those tomorrow as well (depending on how long audi takes)...i am also considering a used 330Ci or maybe (maybe) a 328 but probably not...i just like the bodystyle of them...so right now the s4 is on top followed by an m3...i also found out that i can only get 1 car per year with my employee discount and my parents want a 540i 6spd so i told them if i can't find a car within the next month (i move in a month) that they can use my employee discount to get themselves a car and i would wait until the next year to get my car so i'm kinda in a rush to find a new car here...i'll let everyone know how the test drives go

2000MaximaSE

screw it all, just make a track scooter like im going to.

Adam

MrBurner

so you decided on the scooter over the pimpin caddy? you know where my vote was going...just picture your 1970s caddy on dubs...or maybe you could pimp it on hydros and some nice 12" gold daytons...bet you can't do that w/ the scooter...o well...come on, you are now tempted to get hte caddy now that daytons came into play

2000 SE

Mr Burner, Will your y-pipe fit my car? I was thinking that the two cars are different in that mine is a Cali and yours is a FED!!

MrBurner

no, but you can always spend $50 extra and do phils cali-fed conversion

RussMaxManiac

You won't get anything near 26k for your car especially with what you have on it. Put it back to stock, you will get more for the car, and the most is probably 20k.

av_audi

1. "He wasn't sure"? He probably just fed you a "loadful" it, just like he probably often feeds his customers. Before selling your Maxima, make sure the $10-15K 540i is indeed a "sure thing." Somehow, I have a hard time imagining a car dealership giving employees frivolous $10K benefit packages. I don't see them passing up $10K just like that, unless there is something else we don't know about you.

2. 27K for your Maxima??? Get real, 2001 are selling for below invoice right now, with great finance rates. A fully loaded spanking new 2001 Maxima can be had for $26k.

3. Don't forget to correct your finance equations with insurance premiums, maintenance costs, and repair costs. You think that 540i clutch replacement will cost you just $50 more than for a Maxima? Think again.

MrBurner

he is my manager...he is not a store manager, he does not make commission, he is not a salesman...he makes no money if i buy or if i don't buy that car...and even so, i don't want a car with 80k miles on it and the bmw has already been sold...

the point of this thread was not for anyone to tell me how much i can get for my car but for people to make suggestions of other cars i might like...i have already taken into account that insurance will be higher on an audi or a bmw and i am fine with that...i just won't mod my audi quite a much because more of my money will be going towards car payments and insurance etc. so please don't say "there is no way you can get X for your car"...a car is worth what someone will pay for it and not what a dealership will pay for it...and a dealership will let a fully loaded 2001 max se (non ae) go for 26...i agree, but the sticker price is still 29...many people do not haggle and if my sticker price is 26k, people can haggle me down to 25 or something like that...i have been considering taking everything off of the car and selling everything seperately and just putting the car back to stock

i would need to find someone with a silver max that will trade their front bumper for my front and sideskirts (i already have a rear bumper)

i would also need someone to give me their stock exhaust plus some money in exchange for mine...i still have my y pipe and entire intake and springs so none of that should be a problem...i should be able to take everything off my car in about a day, but it would be a pain in the @ss so i would rather sell it all as one package...i just need to find a buyer

so i would appreciate it if you wouldn't reply to this thread saying 'there is no way you can get that for your car' or 'there is no way you can get a car for that cheap'...i just wanted to know what other cars should i consider that i might be overlooking www.uag.com is our webpage...there you can find all of the dealerships we own..it would be much easier to go to a dealership in arizona, but i am willing to travel to cali. if they have a great car that they don't have here...


so anyways, i went over to the audi dealership after work today and bull$hitted with a salesman for a little while so i could test drive an s4...according to him, they have stopped making the s4 and tons of people come in wanting to drive the s4 and they are very selective because they don't want to put too many miles on the cars but he said he would let me drive it because i worked at ferrari (i know, a load of bull)...so they were closing soon so he said we would have to go on a short test drive...i only got to take a few turns and only a couple were quick but the car seemed to handle very good...not too much bodyroll and the ride didn't seem too stiff...the car was also very quick...i really liked the interior but the one thing i didn't like about the car was the long shifts...that thing was in need of a short shifter like no other car...the 1-2 shift is very very long...the salesman was telling me about the chips and how they are under warranty...he said they add 58 hp for a stage 1 chip and if i wanted to get into stage 2 or more, i would need over 100 octane gas all the time...he said they sell the stage 1 chips for $1200...i will go over to bmw on friday to test drive an m3

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Chips for Audi are under warranty? hmmm.....I don't know about that...

MrBurner

the guy told me they can install them before i even take delivery of the car

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

interesting.... I thought that Audi didn't want people swapping out their chips for the high-performance ones. Anyhow, thats great!

punkdork

Most aftermarket chips will run you 300-450. APR has a switchable chip so you can set it to "stock" so people driving it wouldn't notice it. I've NEVER heard of dealers offering to chip the cars. If you do that make sure Audi warrantys it and not that specific dealer.

MrBurner

they sell the chip for $1300...not sure if that is the price installed

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

In Fairfax, VA near where I live, a company called Autothority does a lot of performance upgrades for Audis. They are known quite well for their chips and such. They are a bit far from you, but check them out:

www.autothority.com

People have a lot of good things to say about these guys.

punkdork

You can also go to big Audi meets and they'll often install them while you wait. From what I hear its a 5-15 minute deal for the pros.

JimW

Having worked for a large auto dealership in the past, I've never heard of anything like that.
Here's my questions:
If you bought your car cash, then you'll be able to flip it quickly, but if you've financed it, you may owe more than the car is worth as of right now. I don't know the exact book value on your car, but a good rule of thumb is that your car will be worth less than you think it is.
Also, will your bosses be able to pass this deep discounting on to you? If everyone at this dealer bought cars at 1/4 of their market value, this dealer would have a hard time maintaining a profit. Methinks this is an upper-management perk that will be very hard to get backing on.

Desert Pearl

I bet they hold their value as well as a Maxima! While I agree that the Eclipse is a bit out of it's league when mentioned side-by-side with the cars Zach listed above, but it has plenty of potential. Want more proof than my opinion, check out www.heckconsulting.com/dsm/drag.html to see what they can really do. With only a few grand, my Eclipse was pulling (albeit slowly) C5s on the street. Talk about a sleeper!

If you could find a low mileage Supra, a '93-'94 would be the way to go. They were before the OBD-II era and are easier to upgrade (in fact, an upgrade for the 95+ Supras is an earlier model's ECU). Don't even look twice at a '96 model because they are all autos!

Desert Pearl

You could always lop off the front section of the Y-pipe and have it flanged to fit the stock front precat. That'd only cost you $15-$20!!!

Zach, if you do decide to part out your Max, I'll take the rear sway bar! I think the person who installed it should get first dibs!!!