|
|
|
07-27-2009, 06:57 AM | #23 | |
My gift Registry: M2
119
Rep 1,432
Posts |
Great link, thanks!
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-27-2009, 03:18 PM | #24 | ||
All your 1 are belong to us!!!
20
Rep 658
Posts |
Quote:
Quote:
Also, the typical order docs are signed by you and not the dealer, which means your "deal" can't be legally enforced as a contract by the buyer (not that it would be worth it for either you or the dealer to try to enforce it anyway). If it's a true "buyer's order," it should itemize the price of the car and each of the taxes and fees to be paid on delivery. Every dealership uses this type of form as the purchase contract upon sale, and I would insist on it if I were special ordering a car. That's not typical, so you likely either missed them or were able to negotiate them away. If not, you might give us the name of your dealer, since a dealer that doesn't charge any fees is an extreme rarity and some folks here might want to give them some business. The doc fee discussion comes up all the time on car boards, and always degenerates into an orgy of boiling blood, self-righteousness, and suspect information. There's no question that doing all of the paperwork and dealing with the DMV can be time and labor intensive and that the dealer's efforts there have value, and that they also use this fee as a profit center. IMHO debating whether paying this fee is appropriate, how much of a fee is reasonable, and the other ethics and merits of this issue is like pissing into the wind (very messy and entirely pointless.) When you boil the issue down: 1. A document fee is almost universally charged by dealers to buyers during the sale of a new or used car, and anyone that thinks they're going to by a new BMW without the dealer attempting to charge a doc fee of some amount is likely smoking the good stuff. As mentioned, some states cap the doc fee at a certain amount, so if you can easily travel to a dealer in a capped-fee state you may be able to save some money or draw some additional negotiating leverage from your willingness and ability to do so. 2. You can easily avoid all of the anger and surprise people talk about by verifying the type and amount of all fees early on during negotiation. When you're comparing deals, you should be comparing apples to apples, that is, total out the door price and cost of financing if applicable. If you're dealing out of state make sure the dealer applies the correct tax rate so there isn't any confusion later. You won't be paying state fees (registration, etc.) buying out of state since you'll be doing all of that yourself in most cases, so account for those if you're working with dealers both in and out of state. 2. Most dealers use pre-printed purchase contracts, some of them have the doc fee amount written in. The doc fee is typically taxable just like the car, so in the end the dealer can charge me a $10,000 doc fee if it wants as long as that fee is accounted for in the total cost of the car. The only thing that matters in the end is whether you could save money by buying from a different dealer and whether it makes sense to do so (unless you want to wave your bill of sale around and brag about how you got over on the dealer by refusing to pay a doc fee). 3. If the dealer tries to slip in any fees that were not disclosed before you came in to take delivery, stand up and leave. They will disappear from your purchase contract like magic It really is that simple. Get multiple quotes, do your negotiation outside of the dealer, compare the total cost of the car (including the financing or lease terms), insist on full disclosure, and be prepared to walk away from dealers that don't deal honestly with you and you'll have a much better buying experience. |
||
Appreciate
0
|
07-27-2009, 03:27 PM | #25 | |
All your 1 are belong to us!!!
20
Rep 658
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-27-2009, 03:36 PM | #26 |
Brigadier General
369
Rep 3,547
Posts |
I got pricing from 5 dealers. I separated their prices into the vehicle, what I called paperwork fee, and the taxes & tag (paid to the state). The paperwork fees ranged from $284 to $602. The 602 was an out of state dealer that would have charged less if I had done part of the work. I was OK with that part but they were high on the vehicle. Other than the one at 602, the range was $284 to $339.
Nothing that is extra after an "out the door" price is set is reasonable. If this had happened to me, I would have reviewed my prices and probably gone to the next guy on the list. In negotiations, it pays big time to have a backup plan. Jim
__________________
128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09 |
Appreciate
0
|
07-27-2009, 07:08 PM | #27 |
Major
133
Rep 1,416
Posts
Drives: M-Sport 128i, 328xi, 3.0CS
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New England, USA
|
When I ordered our 128i the paperwork fee was $50. By the time I paid for it the fee had increased to $200. Sounds low compared to what others are reporting.
__________________
'09 128i - Black Sapphire Metallic\Coral Red\Glacier Silver\N51 DISA\6MT\Navigation\Premium\M-Sport\Heated seats\Xenon\Headlights\iPod\Smartphone\Euro Delivery
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|