Price Gouging.... Pontiac dealers are at it again!
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,713
From: The Golden State
Not allowing test drives is the best way not to sell a car. And it's not just Pontiac dealers. Back in 1998, an non-enthusiast friend was looking for a sporty coupe. He didn't like the Camaro (too low to the ground, too ... well, the usual complaints), so I took him to a Toyota dealer to look at the Supra. No test drives until you sign something (I guess you could back out if you didn't like it at that point, but we never got that far). My friend wasn't interested in the attitude, so we went to the Ford dealer and he bought a Mustang.
I found it ironic that you could go to a BMW dealer and take a $60K 540i for a test drive, but the Toyota dealer wouldn't let you do that in a $30K Supra.
You can bargain around the ADM, but you can't bargain around a no-test-drives policy.
No sitting is even sillier. Why did the dealer order the car?
I found it ironic that you could go to a BMW dealer and take a $60K 540i for a test drive, but the Toyota dealer wouldn't let you do that in a $30K Supra.
You can bargain around the ADM, but you can't bargain around a no-test-drives policy.
No sitting is even sillier. Why did the dealer order the car?
Although he did assure me they wouldn't be marked over MSRP when they did get them.If that "manager" says they haven't been even made yet, that manager should look for a different line of work. The G8 is the most important car Pontiac has launched since G6 3 1/2 years ago (yep, that long already), so he should have at least some knowledge of when it should be shipped.
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,132
From: Santa Clara, CA
I took a G8 GT for a test drive today. It's priced at MSRP. I just stopped to look, but the dealership owner convinced me to take a test drive.
Some Pontiac dealers actually want to sell these cars.
Some Pontiac dealers actually want to sell these cars.
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From: The Golden State
Everybody I've spoken with who've locked one up already paid MSRP. Maybe it's just California at it again with their usual weirdness. 
Virginia:
So I had a doctor's appointment today and had to take the back way to get to the data center after the appointment. I pass the local Pontiac dealership and decide to go and see if they have any G8s in stock. They have a beautiful G8 GT loaded. It is Metallic Grey (the color I would want) and it has the whole sport package. Very sharp looking car for sure. Overall, I like the exterior of the G8 better than my GTO but the interior wasn't that much better than that of my GTO. In some areas, I like the GTO interior better. Anyway, I ask the sales guy if the '09 GXP is still on track and he says yes. I tell him I look forward to the GXP and that I may trade my GTO in for it. That effectively lets him know to leave me alone to look over the G8 GT. This is where is gets good. The sticker price is $31,xxx. I was shocked. Great deal for all of the features you get. Then there is a little sticky next to the sticker that says "A.D.M. $6995" which brings the total price to about $38,500 (I could probably step into a decent 335i for that price). I then go up to the front desk where the salesmen are gathered and the conversation proceeds as follows:
Me: Does A.D.M. mean additional dealer markup?
Old salesman: Yes it does.
Me: Why are you charging a $7000 markup?
Old salesman: Because this is the 1 of the first 888 cars in America
Me:
You know there are other dealerships that do not have a markup right? I would rather just wait a few months or a year.
Young cocky salesman (in a sarcastic tone): Well there are other dealerships getting the markup so we are keeping it as is!
Me: Yeah, good luck with that (as I exit the dealership literally laughing)
What is this dealership thinking? Did they not learn from the GTO? This is a working man's performance sedan. No middle class working man is going to fork over an extra $7000 for a car that is going to be mass produced only to have that extra $7000 plus the normal depreciation hit right when driving it off the lot. I just thought that by now dealers would understand that they should be pushing these cars and getting them on the road. Asking for a $7000 markup especially with these gas prices is just nuts. I bought my GTO from this dealer back in '05 and got a great deal. It just gets me mad.
On a side note, a lady was admiring my GTO in the parking lot and told me how nice it was
.
Me: Does A.D.M. mean additional dealer markup?
Old salesman: Yes it does.
Me: Why are you charging a $7000 markup?
Old salesman: Because this is the 1 of the first 888 cars in America
Me:
You know there are other dealerships that do not have a markup right? I would rather just wait a few months or a year.Young cocky salesman (in a sarcastic tone): Well there are other dealerships getting the markup so we are keeping it as is!
Me: Yeah, good luck with that (as I exit the dealership literally laughing)
What is this dealership thinking? Did they not learn from the GTO? This is a working man's performance sedan. No middle class working man is going to fork over an extra $7000 for a car that is going to be mass produced only to have that extra $7000 plus the normal depreciation hit right when driving it off the lot. I just thought that by now dealers would understand that they should be pushing these cars and getting them on the road. Asking for a $7000 markup especially with these gas prices is just nuts. I bought my GTO from this dealer back in '05 and got a great deal. It just gets me mad.
On a side note, a lady was admiring my GTO in the parking lot and told me how nice it was
.Yeah, same song, second verse. Same Pontiac dealership here that went from "Don't touch" and $5,000 ADP on GTO (and where I purchased my GTO for almost $8,000 off sticker 9 months later) is doing the same thing with their G8 GT. No test drives and $5,000 ADP sticker. Maybe I'll go back and see them in September, when the 2009 models are out, gas is $4.50/gallon and unsold G8 GTs are stacked up to the rafters.
I'm sure there's a few dealers out there that actually want Pontiac to survive and realize that they actually have to SELL cars in order for this to happen. But there is obviously a whole heap of Pontiac dealers that don't get it.
Then again, since most Pontiac dealers are now also Buick dealers, perhaps they are relying on the hot sales numbers Buick's cars are generating and feel they can do without Pontiac.....
....er.... nevermind...cancel that.
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,132
From: Santa Clara, CA
I picked up the March 29th Orange County Register when I was in L.A. a couple of weekends ago, and in it I found a dealer that was advertising five G8 GTs for $1000 under MSRP + a $1000 Conquest rebate (for net 2K off).
So some dealers are trying to get away with silly prices, while others are just trying to sell cars.
I plan on taking the OCR to my local dealer, even though we're nearly 400 miles away. After all, for $1000, it's worth a trip to the OC.
So some dealers are trying to get away with silly prices, while others are just trying to sell cars.
I plan on taking the OCR to my local dealer, even though we're nearly 400 miles away. After all, for $1000, it's worth a trip to the OC.
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I picked up the March 29th Orange County Register when I was in L.A. a couple of weekends ago, and in it I found a dealer that was advertising five G8 GTs for $1000 under MSRP + a $1000 Conquest rebate (for net 2K off).
So some dealers are trying to get away with silly prices, while others are just trying to sell cars.
I plan on taking the OCR to my local dealer, even though we're nearly 400 miles away. After all, for $1000, it's worth a trip to the OC.
So some dealers are trying to get away with silly prices, while others are just trying to sell cars.
I plan on taking the OCR to my local dealer, even though we're nearly 400 miles away. After all, for $1000, it's worth a trip to the OC.
I have to agree that the dealers in this OC area are willing to deal and want to move the volume. They didn't seem to gouge the GTO's I saw either in 04-06. But they did put aftermarket "rims" on them and added that to the sticker price. So I'm sure there was some extra for the dealer in that.
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,132
From: Santa Clara, CA
Hmm maybe it's time for me to take a test drive. Although I'm set on the Camaro I find the G8 very interesting.
I have to agree that the dealers in this OC area are willing to deal and want to move the volume. They didn't seem to gouge the GTO's I saw either in 04-06. But they did put aftermarket "rims" on them and added that to the sticker price. So I'm sure there was some extra for the dealer in that.
I have to agree that the dealers in this OC area are willing to deal and want to move the volume. They didn't seem to gouge the GTO's I saw either in 04-06. But they did put aftermarket "rims" on them and added that to the sticker price. So I'm sure there was some extra for the dealer in that.
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