Before I start, I hope that I will receive much help and that my place here will help each other in the future.


I just went to the dealer on Thursday and decided on the '03 GLE model, Sterling Mist.

It took several hours searching for the car in three lots and negotiating the price. Finally got me to $26,550 minus $1,000 instant rebate (don't know where that came from), which excludes the tax.

I made a down payment of $10,000 and three year payment of .9% a.p.r.
I did not purchase the vehicle on Thursday because I wanted to make sure of everything before I make a purchase that will definitely hurt my account.


1) Would these be a "great" deal that you would go for...and why I ask is because the new Model is coming out soon, I believe.

2) I checked out nissanusa.com and I found out that the GLE model offers: Meridian Edition and the Traction Control System. The salesperson did not even introduce this to me. I wonder if I should get the Traction Control, advice please.

3) I understand that GLE comes with standard keyless entry but is that the alarm?


I will post more questions that comes to my mind and please ask questions or advices that could benefit me on my future purchase.
I appreciate your time.



edit: What also bothers me is that the salesperson told me that the Sunroof, rear spoiler, floor mat, and other accessories are required to be with the vehicle because it is a GLE model. Is this TRUE?
I can't accept why I need to buy some floor mat and splash guards :wth: and other accessories...shouldn't this be an "option"? Enlighten me.

 

Umm that is a ****IGN awsome price.. They want 20k for a 99 SE here..to give u a comparison. Go for it I would say. Def best bang for the buck.

 

Dealer will try to sell the cars that are on their lot. If the GLE model you were looking at already have factory installed options (not accessories), you can't really say you don't want them. If you are placing an order for a car and willing to wait 6 months..then that's a different story. Just don't fall for dealer installed accessories...these are the BS. Do not buy them. ie. pinstripes, rust protection and appearance package. Floor mats are factory option. I'm not sure about splash guards.

 

What I really want to know is...if you were in the market for an '03 Max, would this be a great price?


If that is, I will like to take all your words and be sure to find out if I could not include those unnecessary accessories.

Also is the Traction Control a must?


Peace out guys or..goodnight.

 

We got a 2002 GLE on June 1, 2002
We paid 26.8K without taxes
No Options/Accessories, just a basic GLE

Yes It's also the alarm
BULLSH!T My car doesnt have anything besides the floormats which pretty much every car comes with. I have only seen one 2k2/2k3 GLE with a spoiler out of around 20-30 cars. I don't have a sunroof and I have GLE...that should answer this question

If it's 25.5K then it is a good deal! If its 26.5 it's still a good deal with all the accessories you listed (sunroof, spoiler, etc)

.9% Financing is great too

Try to lower another 500 dollars off by saying you might go with the camry xle v6 because of their known reliability/safety or that the 2004 maxima is coming out very soon and say "my resale is going to hurt due to that"

 

Visit these sites

www.edmunds.com

www.carsdirect.com

They will tell you what is standard equipment, what is an option, and give you a very good idea of what a good price is. The edmunds site does not include the rebate in their price. Also make sure to use some kind of finance calculator (also at the edmunds site) to plug in your numbers and make sure you are not getting ripped on the monthly payment. You can sometimes get a good price and then the dealer will hide some extra expenses in the financing. Good luck

 

Only the SE models come with a factory installed spoiler and the sunroof is always optional. It could've been installed at the dealer or at the factory. Who knows. The dealer will try to sell you what they have in stock rather than losing your business to a different dealer.

 

It doesn't sound that good to me, sorry to be negative, and I don't know the exact figures. The strategy with Nissan is that you DO NOT have to be shy about going below invoice and into their holdback. On an Altima, ok, that may be tough. But not on a Maxima. It's an aging car, been out 4 years now and we all know the price drops in the final year. We all know someone who bought 99's for cheaper than we got 98's. So if everything is still the same with Nissan, what you do is take your invoice price as a starting point. Then multiply your list by 3%, that's how much the holdback used to be, and how much profit they're making. Say it's $900, that means go about $500 below invoice and they make $400. Now deduct any rebates that may exist, in your case you say $1000--so you go $1400 below invoice. Keep in mind they may give you a look like you're crazy, and we can't do that. You push them to what you think is their best price, maybe after all the haggling he agrees to invoice. You say thanks anyway, go to the next dealer confident that you can get the former price at worst. That's how buying a car goes in a nutshell. I know when I bought mine the guy swears they were making less than $200 because I was solidly into their holdback by 600-700, and it was over 6 grand off list (4th gen). But either they want that $200 or they dont--at that razor-thin margin there will be dealerships who would rather sit on the car another month, depends what's up with them.

Keep in mind this method will not work with cars that are in demand, ie Europeans, Toyota, Honda. It only works with cars that can't move, like the 5th gen Maxima (some other examples are Eclipse, various Kia models, believe it or not some GM products, etc.). Since you have a good downpayment you are definitely in the driver's seat, not the dealership. It's just like buying a house--do you want to pay the most in the neighborhood, the least, or average? Since all the numbers are readily available, I want to pay the least.