Novice car buyer needing advice getting a 2013 Nismo
 

Greets!

I'm an RX8 owner that is looking to move on to the joy that is the 370Z. A month or two ago I went around test driving various similar vehicles and decided that the Z was the car for me. I've got my heart set on buying the 2013 Nismo in "Magma Red" with the Bose audio package.

That said, I'm definitely a novice when it comes to car-buying, price negotiation, etc. I just left one of my local dealerships in Phoenix after having been given the price of $48k (for just the car, before all the fees,tax,etc). Is this a reasonable price? It seemed high to me, but the dealer assured me that they couldn't do better.

What should I expect to pay? Does anyone have any advice when purchasing this car?

Thanks in advance!

-n

That number is a bit high, even for a Nismo. I purchased my 2012 Touring w/sport package and navigation a few weeks ago for $43K out the door(car plus TT&L). I suggest doing your research online and then shop around several dealerships. You want to pay as close to invoice price as possible.

Thanks for the response! Glad to know I'm not completely off base. The sales guy was claiming that their invoice for the nismo was ~45k, which doesn't match what I've seen online (at least on edmunds). "It's a rare model/color, we can price whatever we want" etc.

Grr.

-n

Depending on the rarity of the car in your area, you might be better off just ordering one. Otherwise, they may be tacking on additional shipping charges, etc..

Look at truecar.com to get an idea on pricing.

Sounds like the dealer is tacking on several thousand because it is a new model and a new color. They have just started coming into the US. I ordered my 370z three weeks ago to be built. The dealer told me only 50 have arrived in the states. All Star Nissan is going to sell me a Touring model close to their cost. The hold back of 2 or 3 per cent will be their profit.

LOL they offered you the car 5k over MSRP before TTL. What a crock.

How does one go about ordering one to be built? What do you end up paying? MSRP? Who handles the sale? I may be interested in taking that route and being done with it instead of playing all of these silly sales games.

-n

agree - that's too high

Call around and find a motivated dealer that will give you a commitment on a price before you even go there. Once there, work them for an even better price. My wife negotiates all day at work, so watching her work the dealers on every aspect if our last two cars was an absolute joy and I learned alot. Negotiate the price, the terms, the trade, the warranty, the accessories, everything. And be prepared to walk out at any time. Sure its work but the satisfaction of knowing you got the best price for the ride you wanted is great. And the dealers still get their piece, just not as much. There are plenty of people that will go the easy route and just pay what the dealer asks after negotiating a little. Don't be one of them. Good luck!

Have the dealer show you the invoice, so you know how honest they really are. They don't pay invoice for the car, they get it for less, so even at invoice they are making money. Good luck!

Lots of dealers in your area, but also expand out your search to Tucson. I drove from San Diego to Yuma to get the car I wanted at the right price. If you are willing to wait a couple months, you'll increase your chances for a good deal.

You guys are awesome... thanks for all the advice! I'll have to keep posting about my purchasing experience. See what you guys think. =]

Yes we are...once you get your Z you will be too! J/K. Keep us posted and good luck with the purchase.

The one I just ordered makes my 3rd Z. Bought 2 off the internet and went out of state to get both. Autotrader and Cars.com are two good sites. The Infiniti G37 I am driving now was purchased by contacting USAA. If you have a realitive or friend who has been in the service, have them get a price for the car you want. The dealer will contact you with the same price USAA quoted you and it will save you thousands. There are other buying sevices other than credit unions but most are not worth fooling with. I always try to deal with the sales manager or the general manager. Internet contacts are just order takers. Salesman who have been working at a dealership less than a year or two are worthless also.

Good luck finding the NISMO. Another tip is to find the dealers cost and deal from that figure up rather than the MSRP. Extended warranties are worthless also. I had two Z's for 6 years and never would have collected a dime on an extended warranty.

Looks like you want a car in a specific color that has a limited edition. Might have to order it since this model is new to the market. I would say $1,000 over dealer's cost or less would be fair. The dealer will also make around another thousand bucks on the mfg to dealer's 2 to 3 per cent hold back. Between $43k and $44k is what you should pay for Nismo.

If you decide to order, ask to see the sales manager or the GM. It will take a couple of months and they will probably require a deposit of one or two thousand bucks. Don't mess with a salesman. All that will do is p!ss you off. You also want to see a build order and the dealer's cost.

So the latest out the door price I've gotten is $47,500. The other dealers in the area haven't been able to come close to this price. The only problem now is actually finding the color I want with the bose audio option. There aren't any available in Arizona .. and the dealer my sales guy tried in California isn't returning his calls.

It looks like the best option at this point is to just order one and have it built for me. Looks like I'll be waiting until November for that, but would save on shipping.

Also, I've posted in the Audio/Video forum a thread about bluetooth streaming. If you guys have any experience with that on the Z, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks again for all the great info!

-n