lightonthehill

Mick7 and Blulytes - Winter Frost, Cafe Latte interior, Premium and Tech packages, splash guards and mats. MSRP is $38,335. This car was made in September, before the price hike, and this same car is now arriving with a MSRP of $39,240. I got Lisa (my dealer's internet manager) down to $34,524. That is over $500 below invoice, and I got things like free oil changes and the right to order parts for cost as part of the deal. I could have done very slightly better at two other local dealers, but I have dealt with Nissan South (aka Nissan of Union City) for almost 13 years, and with Lisa for almost a decade, and they always treat me right. For instance, they are giving me above market value for my '04 SL trade-in, and she is sending a flatbed truck to Rome GA (almost a hundred miles away) to pick up my car. There are probably a dozen close dealers, but that was the closest one with exactly what I wanted.

I am excited!

rkurlander

Wow. You finally did it. Congratulations. Mine is now almost six months old. Wish I had your patience...could have saved a lot of money.

CT Maxima

Many thanks to this board for pricing information on the 09 Maxima. It allowed me to negotiate a very good price knowing what others were getting around the country.

I just picked up my 09 Max SV + Premium + Mats/Splash/Truck Organizer. The MSRP for this configuration is $37,505. and the Invoice is $34,052.

Selling practices vary from venue to venue so I think the best determinant is "dollars under invoice." I paid $32,930 out the back door which includes tax, tags and a trade-in for a 1990 Maxima. Connecticut has a Dealer Conveyance Fee of $299 and I received $1,500 for the 90 Max.

If the Dealer Conveyance Fee is legit (and not extra profit), my price was $1,989 below invoice. If the fee is ignored, then my price was $1,690 below invoice.

I do know that Nissan did have an end of the year support program that amounted to $700 per Maxima.

Money aside, this is an awesome vehicle!

maxud

CT,
first of all congrats on a new car!
Which dealer did you buy from? I am not aware of Connecticut Dealer conveyance fee. As far as I know it is the same thing as a doc fee, and the price dealers charge for it varies widely from $100 to $399 (thats as high as I saw it, some could charge higher). The fee is a profit for the dealer, but essentially includes stuff like doc and prep.
Did you say it right, you traded 1990 Maxima? That's one old car, how many miles did it have?
Enjoy,
Max

maxud

Light,
Congratulations on your purchase, I have exact same combo, except charcoal leather. Awesome car. I enjoy reading your posts about having a great dealer nearby who treats you right. I would say that I never experienced such thing until my latest purchase. Too bad the dealer I bought the car from is a little too far away for any kind of service.
You opened my eyes for alternative ways to bargain the car price down. I never heard of anyone before getting a deal to buy parts at dealer cost. Will definitely keep it mind for the next purchase
enjoy your car!
Max

CT Maxima

I went to the same dealer as you did: Bruce Bennett. In fact, Scott was my salesperson.

Conveyance fee or doc fee, same difference. I'm sure in other states there are similar type fees. To clarify my previous post: Once you know the price relative to invoice, everyone in the US can relate to it. To this, is added "real" fees such as sales tax, tags, etc.. "Semi-real" fees such as dealer prep, doc fees, conveyance fees, etc. are also added. Inasmuch that real fees and semi-real fees varies throughout the US, they only add confusion when comparing deals.

My 1990 Max had 135.5k miles. It is still going strong. But at close to 19 years old, it was time.

mls277

I pretty much have the same car just the sport instead of the premium package. Nothing more fun than getting a new maxima.

lightonthehill

maxud - Thanks! I got the cafe latte interior because it is lighter than the charcoal, and summers are seven months long and hot as blazes here south of Atlanta. I have had frost interiors for at least thirty years, but the Premium package in the '09 Winter Frost isn't available with a frost interior.

I also use other methods of bargaining, but didn't mention them because they would not apply to many folks. Such things as reminding them I have gotten all scheduled service, warranty work and repairs done only at their service department for 13 years; am trading in a vehicle which they will be able to certify (real cream puff), which means they can sell it for a few thousand more; have bought from no other dealer for over a dozen years; send them very nice letters thanking them for outstanding service (which they post either in their waiting room or on the wall of the salesroom); send them copies of my glowing responses to Nissan's 'satisfaction questionaires' after each purchase; send them prospective customers, having made those folks promise to tell the people at the dealer that I sent them; I keep their service department informed as to what problems are showing up here on the ORG, and what, if any, solutions are working (they still use my writeup of how to pin down and fix the roof leak in 6th generation Maximas): give them a list of the Maximas that I find unlocked or with windows down on their lot during my early Sunday morning Maxima perusals; have made myself very familiar with many details in Lisa's life (she is the person I always negotiate my car deals with); well, you get the picture - I am the world's greatest brown-noser.

I also cut them some slack. I make sure Lisa understands I can beat her price at many other dealers (I actually can), and I want her to feel she got as good a deal with me as I got with her. She remembers me much more fondly if I let her make a reasonable (but not TOO reasonable) profit dealing with me. So I am actually 'bonding' with them more than negotiating. As a result, there have been many times I popped in or phoned with a minor problem or question, and everyone rushes to help. The hood is popped, mechanics are called from the service bays, and I am usually out in five minutes. I know them all by name, and they are my friends.

Granted, only those being brown-nosed can love a brown-noser. But whatever works.

lightonthehill

In 1999 and 2004, my dealer's non-negotiable 'document and prep' fee was $499.50. When setting up my '09 purchase Friday, I found my dealer's document/prep fee is now $599.50. Yes, most of this is profit. But they do a real good job of getting the car perfect before releasing it, and there actually can be quite a bit of paperwork when we buy a car. Of course making a little profit with this fee sometimes gives them leeway to reduce their profit on the sale price of the car.

CT Maxima

First, congratulations on your new Max. If you're like me, we're just waiting for the obligatory 1,000 miles break in period to pass so we can see how the car can really go.

I do not begrudge any dealer for charging doc/prep, conveyance or any similar "soft" fee. It's up to us, the consumer and the market to determine what is the proper amount for these fees. One of the great benefits of this forum is for potential buyers to know where the market is. It is far easier to negotiate a price if you know what the dealer's floor is.

Nissan chose to price compete in this horrible (for them) market by providing extra discounts to their dealers. These amounts are generally unadvertised and obviates the benchmark feature of invoice price. To help future Maxima buyers, I chose to present my deal on a "dollars less than invoice" basis. They can then ascertain if any soft fee is applicable to their deal.

lightonthehill

Well-put. Yes, Nissan has an 'extra incentive' discount of $700(?) on the Maxima at the moment, but, like you said, those things come and go. So, although it is nice to be aware of them, it is probably best to present our deals here in reference to the known invoice price, which, ignoring that one price hike in October, should remain constant over the long haul.

netjack

nice..so 3 buyers from this forum bought cars from Scott at Bruce Bennett!

CT Maxima

Did you buy from Scott also?

I have a funny story. I also shopped at another Nissan dealership in southern Connecticut. They have nice people and are easy to deal with. However their quotation for the Max was at invoice price. I said to them there were better prices, in fact very much better prices in the market. They asked for my data source. I e-mailed a link to this thread. They read it and said that this thread is bogus because the prices reported were way under invoice. Nice guys finish last for they just don't get it.

mls277

Wow you showed them this thread and they still wouldnt budge? How much lower did you get the car from the bruce dealership than the other? What was the dollar amount? I'm surprised dealership would let a few bucks get in between them and a deal.

CT Maxima

It was not a deal to be made. They were $2k apart.

mls277

Wow 2k...

maxud

Every time I shop for a car I find dealers that are willing to deal and others that stick to their numbers, no matter how crazy they are. Over time I realized that talking to the later variety is a waste of time. No amount of convincing and haggling would change their mind. Thankfully internet plays a huge time saver, since I don't even bother to reply to the crazy quotes.

btw, CT you got PM from me.
Max

mls277

I got a little over 3K off sticker back in September. I could have saved a couple hundred more at another dealer, but to me the way a dealer treats you is a big deal...many friends and family buy from this dealer and they have nothing but positive to say. The Nissan I bought from also happens to be the closest to me. I did a lot of shopping at many different brands and there are places I wouldn't walk into for 5k off sticker...Glad everyone out there is getting good deals in general.

netjack

Yup. Find my posts above; I got a great price thanks to Maxud.

airwolf09

I just picked up my 09 Max SV + Premium + Mats/Splash a week ago. The MSRP is $36,850, I paid $32k for it. Original, I was getting the 9 Max SV + Sport package with technology + Mats/Splash/spoiler MSRP is $37,580 which I get for $32.6K but swapped out to the Premium Package after 30 minutes of getting the car as i hate the noise and the suspension transfer everything from the road to the cabin.

mls277

airwolf how did you get the color screen without the tech package? is that a premium package thing? I'd love to swap out my non-navigation console for a tech package setup but I keep hearing Id be better off to trade the whole car for one with tech package...thoughts

airwolf09

The premium package come with the color screen as standard.

airwolf09

do you have the color screen w/o navigation system or the Orange screen?

it is possible to convert the car w/o navigation system to have navigation but it is costly and i'm not sure how good is the nissan GPS is as i only have the car for 30 mins then change to the Premiun package w/o Navigation. below is what it takes to convert non-navigation to a navigation.

It works out to be cheaper to buy the car with navigation from the factory...

28395-9N00A SW ASSY-I 1 $194.10
28091-JK61A DISPLAY U 1 $688.33
28185-9N72B DECK-CD 1 $494.45
25915-1AA0D CONTROL A 1 $3477.23
25391-9N00A SW ASSY-P 1 $340.66
25975-9N01A ANTENNA A 1 $78.83


These are just the main components needed there is probably additional pieces required, (wiring harnesses, clips, interior trim, etc.)

There is no evidence your car is prewired for the system so you will probably also need.....

24010-9N10C HARNESS A 1 $358.55
24168-9N00A HARNESS-S 1 $12.75

ToTheMax09

Hello everyone,

Seems every dealership I've visited thus far has the dealer name 'branded' on the car at the back. I simple detest this. What is the best way to have it removed? I haven't talked to anybody yet but this is a major issue for me.

thanks for suggestions.

dkmura

If the logo is simply vinyl lettering, a razor blade, hair dryer and elbow grease is usually all that's needed. It it's a plastic moulding, you'll have to make sure it's not screwed on and use the same tools to remove it. Sticky residue after you pull 'em? 3-M adhesive remover works wonders, but don't leave them on too long or there may be some paint fading as well.

ToTheMax09

Thanks much dkmura!

rkurlander

"No dealer identification" is written into the contract of any new car I've purchased over the past 25 years. "Detest" is the right word. When you buy a flat screen TV at Best Buy is there a BB logo on the TV? NO. If you buy a refrigerator at Lowe's is there a Lowe's logo on the fridge? NO. Why do people drive around with a dealer's identification trashing their new car? Beats me. I'd be happy to do it if they pay me $5 a day for advertising.

lye83

I just bought the '09 Maxima last Wednesday and I am selling it because I want to buy one with a Tech package. I should have bought it in the first place ...

2009 SV with Premium Package. Precision Gray with Charcoal interior. 500 miles. Selling it for $34,000 obo.

CT Maxima

Ouch! This is gonna hurt.

What is in the Tech package that will cause you to sell so early?

mls277

I've kicked around the same idea actually. I guess it sounds better to save the money but then you realize you want the nav etc.

lye83

Everyime I test drove the car, I did so with the navigation, though I never played with it. They ended up having to "locate" one without a navigation for me, and once it arrived, I was okay with it at first because the car looks great, drives awesome, and has so many features (being that I got the Premium package).

When I was looking at other reviews though, people raved about the navigation. I looked into it more and the features on the navigation system are so sleek and nice. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I actually called the dealership today to see what he can do for me.

Honestly....the only thing the Technology package offers that the Premium package doesn't is the navigation and hard drive. At the time, I reasoned that I didn't need the hard drive because a six cd changer is more than enough (especially since I always use my ipod anyway). I couldn't justify paying almost $2K more just for the navigation system. I'm regretting it now though...

lye83

Exactly

CT Maxima

I have the same thoughts on my Maxima. I absolutely hated the base SV due the amber center screen. I specifically ordered one with a premium package so that I would get the color screen. I know that if I did not get the color screen, I will feel bad about the car for many years. There is no compromise in a man's choice for his performance car.

However, you fell victim to the time pressure of the deal and settled for less. To get what you want, you will take a financial hosing (I guess $5k). With this amount of money, can you not mod the car to have the navigation? My car does not have the Tech package, but I noticed it has the navigation antenna. Yours does too.

netjack

For those that are planning on financing their cars, i have a bit of advice for you which I learned too late and it could've saved me hundreds (I had every angle of the deal covered, except the finance rate which you're left in the dark if you aren't proactive about)..but since I got such great advice here on other things, I thought I'd pay it forward:

If you decide to finance the car, do not let the bastards in the finance dept rape you with "ohh the best rate we were able to get you was 6.8%." My credit rating came out to 800 and that is what I was told. My jaw hit the ground. I was expecting ~4.99%. If my wife wasn't there expecting to pick up her car, I would've walked out. On top of that, the finance manager had the nerve to say the dealership wasn't making a dime on this. I later found out, BankOfAmerica (who gave the loan) gives each dealer 1% commission on the loan.

In any case, if I had gone to the same bank of america to apply for a car loan on my own, I would've gotten a rate of 4.64%. All you do is apply for the loan, get approved, they give you a check to hand over to the dealer when you pick up the car. Even AAA gives you a better loan (4.99%). Luckily, I plan on paying the car off in a year so I only lose around $400 because of this artifically inflated rate.

Hope this helps someone!

mls277

Yeah I got taken for 5.9% myself, I could have gotten 5.5% from my bank.

dkmura

Perhaps the lesson here is to do your loan shopping BEFORE heading to the dealership. Have your financing approved and ready to go when you walk in through the door. If the dealership offers better terms you can consider it, but don't expect it to work the other way around!

lye83

Most car loans have no penalty for pre-payment (meaning, your interest is accrued and payable each month). Could you secure your own loan through your bank, then send the check to pay off the one the dealership obtained for you? Or (even easier), call you bank and ask them if they'd do all the work to pay off the other loan and obtain the title.

netjack

you could but then you'd be obtaining a refi with rates that are higher...

dkmura

It's almost the middle of January and there are no 2009 consumer incentives posted on the A36. Does anyone know if Nissan still has a factory-to-dealer incentive on the Max?

CT Maxima

One can infer from the unit sales in December that factory support was generous. I heard officially that the amount was $700. per Max. However, there are all sorts of other "contests" that result in more dollars.

From my experience, end of the month is a leverage point. Also, high volume car dealers are more incentivize to move metal.

I would target $2,000 under invoice net of any BS payments such as dealer prep, document, conveyance, nitrogen gas, etc.