[pcgeek86]

Hey folks,

I'm looking at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG model. The car is priced right around the area that I'm looking, but the optional packages on the vehicle cause the price to rise quite significantly, very quickly. Given this fact, I'm obviously going to have to sacrifice some of the features that I would otherwise be interested in having. However, since this is such a high-priced purchase, I'm also interested in ensuring that I get the car configured in such a way that I'll be happy with it.

I would imagine that trying to negotiate down the base price of the vehicle will be somewhat challenging, given the limited supply and high demand. Where I do see some opportunity for all of us as buyers, is in the options area. The options are vastly overpriced, in my personal opinion, and I therefore see some wiggle room for dealers to sell the vehicles. One idea I've though about is going into the dealership, prepared with a list of the optional packages that I want, and the price I'm willing to pay for each one. Once the seller is provided with this information, it's up to them whether they agree or disagree to the deal. Has anyone else tried this?

If they aren't able to wiggle at all, I probably forego the idea of purchasing this car. There are some other brands I'm looking at, with similar features and sportiness, but without the premium price tag.

On a slightly different note: Will this car be available for pickup in the EU? I would love to pick it up over there and enjoy better pricing (no delivery charge), while simultaneously enjoying the European countryside.

Cheers!

 

[Sue Esponte]

Hey folks,

I'm looking at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG model. The car is priced right around the area that I'm looking, but the optional packages on the vehicle cause the price to rise quite significantly, very quickly. Given this fact, I'm obviously going to have to sacrifice some of the features that I would otherwise be interested in having. However, since this is such a high-priced purchase, I'm also interested in ensuring that I get the car configured in such a way that I'll be happy with it.

I would imagine that trying to negotiate down the base price of the vehicle will be somewhat challenging, given the limited supply and high demand. Where I do see some opportunity for all of us as buyers, is in the options area. The options are vastly overpriced, in my personal opinion, and I therefore see some wiggle room for dealers to sell the vehicles. One idea I've though about is going into the dealership, prepared with a list of the optional packages that I want, and the price I'm willing to pay for each one. Once the seller is provided with this information, it's up to them whether they agree or disagree to the deal. Has anyone else tried this?

If they aren't able to wiggle at all, I probably forego the idea of purchasing this car. There are some other brands I'm looking at, with similar features and sportiness, but without the premium price tag.

On a slightly different note: Will this car be available for pickup in the EU? I would love to pick it up over there and enjoy better pricing (no delivery charge), while simultaneously enjoying the European countryside.

Cheers!

Where are you located?
Are there a lot of MB dealers in your area?

I think you'll find that there are a number of threads in this forum on possible group buys. If you read through a few of the different threads you'll find a lot of great information. Whether dealers are going to offer discounts TODAY is like throwing darts at a wall blindfolded, a top a 6" platform 100' in the air surrounded by a shark filled ocean. If you're adamant about a discount today then you're running against some serious headwinds. You might be successful. You might not be. It all depends.

Just keep in mind that you're talking about a car that is receiving A LOT of hype, isn't yet on the market, is intended to be a low volume model AND which seems to be running into serious supply/demand issues because of the hype and excitement already in the market. None of the other alternatives you're likely thinking about have this "problem" --- in fact, they're mostly mature models (unless you're talking about waiting for something like the S3...which, also, isn't on the market and won't be for some time.)

-Eric

 

[Superjak95]

Hey folks,

I'm looking at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG model. The car is priced right around the area that I'm looking, but the optional packages on the vehicle cause the price to rise quite significantly, very quickly. Given this fact, I'm obviously going to have to sacrifice some of the features that I would otherwise be interested in having. However, since this is such a high-priced purchase, I'm also interested in ensuring that I get the car configured in such a way that I'll be happy with it.

I would imagine that trying to negotiate down the base price of the vehicle will be somewhat challenging, given the limited supply and high demand. Where I do see some opportunity for all of us as buyers, is in the options area. The options are vastly overpriced, in my personal opinion, and I therefore see some wiggle room for dealers to sell the vehicles. One idea I've though about is going into the dealership, prepared with a list of the optional packages that I want, and the price I'm willing to pay for each one. Once the seller is provided with this information, it's up to them whether they agree or disagree to the deal. Has anyone else tried this?

If they aren't able to wiggle at all, I probably forego the idea of purchasing this car. There are some other brands I'm looking at, with similar features and sportiness, but without the premium price tag.

On a slightly different note: Will this car be available for pickup in the EU? I would love to pick it up over there and enjoy better pricing (no delivery charge), while simultaneously enjoying the European countryside.

Cheers!

I was thinking the same that the options are highly overpriced etc, and was considering just getting a base CLA 45, but then I learned about Star Advantage (Baloon financing), and added every option to my order except for Carbon Fibre. Thanks to this I'll probably pay less and I'll be paying for 48 months afterwards I can either finance the baloon amount, pay it off with cash, or trade the vehicle in for a new one. So truly if you want a lot of the options etc then you should consider baloon financing

 

[pcgeek86]

Where are you located?
Are there a lot of MB dealers in your area?

I think you'll find that there are a number of threads in this forum on possible group buys. If you read through a few of the different threads you'll find a lot of great information. Whether dealers are going to offer discounts TODAY is like throwing darts at a wall blindfolded, a top a 6" platform 100' in the air surrounded by a shark filled ocean. If you're adamant about a discount today then you're running against some serious headwinds. You might be successful. You might not be. It all depends.

Just keep in mind that you're talking about a car that is receiving A LOT of hype, isn't yet on the market, is intended to be a low volume model AND which seems to be running into serious supply/demand issues because of the hype and excitement already in the market. None of the other alternatives you're likely thinking about have this "problem" --- in fact, they're mostly mature models (unless you're talking about waiting for something like the S3...which, also, isn't on the market and won't be for some time.)

-Eric

I'm in Chicago, and there are quite a number of Mercedes dealerships in the area to choose from.

Yes, I have seen the group buying threads, but I have not come across one for Chicago that I can remember. The only one I saw was in California, I think. I would be willing to get in on a group buy, if it was in the Midwest region (maybe Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, or Ohio) I recognize that the car is limited in supply, demand (hype) is high, and so on. I'm maintaining the perspective that this is a business deal though. We are buyers, and they are sellers. If the demand is there, I'm sure they will continue to produce and sell the cars. I'm not looking to rush into this purchase, but rather approach it intelligently, such that I get a price on the vehicle that I'm comfortable with. The worst answer that a dealer can tell me is "no, we can't honor that price."

I checked out a dealer today, and they only had one order for the CLA 45 AMG. Another dealer I talked to a couple weeks back, had several, though I didn't actually see them. The dealer I checked out today actually printed me off the configuration of the one that was ordered.

I don't have any firm expectations about discounts from dealer to dealer. There are obviously a lot of variables and experiences. What I'm trying to do is gather other people's experiences, and see if they've approached the matter in the way I described in my first post. If not, how else might you have negotiated the price? Do you think it's reasonable to go into the dealer with an option list and show the prices you're willing to pay for each one?

Cheers!

 

[audi4t]

Hey folks,

I'm looking at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG model. The car is priced right around the area that I'm looking, but the optional packages on the vehicle cause the price to rise quite significantly, very quickly. Given this fact, I'm obviously going to have to sacrifice some of the features that I would otherwise be interested in having. However, since this is such a high-priced purchase, I'm also interested in ensuring that I get the car configured in such a way that I'll be happy with it.

I would imagine that trying to negotiate down the base price of the vehicle will be somewhat challenging, given the limited supply and high demand. Where I do see some opportunity for all of us as buyers, is in the options area. The options are vastly overpriced, in my personal opinion, and I therefore see some wiggle room for dealers to sell the vehicles. One idea I've though about is going into the dealership, prepared with a list of the optional packages that I want, and the price I'm willing to pay for each one. Once the seller is provided with this information, it's up to them whether they agree or disagree to the deal. Has anyone else tried this?

If they aren't able to wiggle at all, I probably forego the idea of purchasing this car. There are some other brands I'm looking at, with similar features and sportiness, but without the premium price tag.

On a slightly different note: Will this car be available for pickup in the EU? I would love to pick it up over there and enjoy better pricing (no delivery charge), while simultaneously enjoying the European countryside.

Cheers!

I'm doing ED

5% discount from Mercedes - 2% discount from my dealer - no destination fee (save about another 2%)

My wife and I are flying over and spending 2 weeks traveling - Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany

I am using FF miles for the flights

 

[outsider]

I'm in Chicago, and there are quite a number of Mercedes dealerships in the area to choose from.

Yes, I have seen the group buying threads, but I have not come across one for Chicago that I can remember. The only one I saw was in California, I think. I would be willing to get in on a group buy, if it was in the Midwest region (maybe Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, or Ohio) I recognize that the car is limited in supply, demand (hype) is high, and so on. I'm maintaining the perspective that this is a business deal though. We are buyers, and they are sellers. If the demand is there, I'm sure they will continue to produce and sell the cars. I'm not looking to rush into this purchase, but rather approach it intelligently, such that I get a price on the vehicle that I'm comfortable with. The worst answer that a dealer can tell me is "no, we can't honor that price."

I checked out a dealer today, and they only had one order for the CLA 45 AMG. Another dealer I talked to a couple weeks back, had several, though I didn't actually see them. The dealer I checked out today actually printed me off the configuration of the one that was ordered.

I don't have any firm expectations about discounts from dealer to dealer. There are obviously a lot of variables and experiences. What I'm trying to do is gather other people's experiences, and see if they've approached the matter in the way I described in my first post. If not, how else might you have negotiated the price? Do you think it's reasonable to go into the dealer with an option list and show the prices you're willing to pay for each one?

Cheers!

That strategy won't work at all. Options are where the manufacturers make their money and are not necessarily passed onto the dealerships. Historically, options actually have relatively lower margin compared to the vehicle. That's why dealers really don't care about how heavily or thinly loaded the cars are as long as it's optioned in a sellable way ( No purple car with a brown interior, red seat belt and no panoramic roof.) I really am not realistically expecting to get any discount but will try anyway when the car gets here. It appears Audi4t's idea of European delivery is the way to go. That saving of 9% is equivalent to buying the car 3% below invoice...I will be in Europe for a couple of weeks during November but cannot coincide delivery as they don't even have a release date yet. Too bad.

 

[milazzo]

That strategy won't work at all. Options are where the manufacturers make their money and are not necessarily passed onto the dealerships. Historically, options actually have relatively lower margin compared to the vehicle. That's why dealers really don't care about how heavily or thinly loaded the cars are as long as it's optioned in a sellable way ( No purple car with a brown interior, red seat belt and no panoramic roof.) I really am not realistically expecting to get any discount but will try anyway when the car gets here. It appears Audi4t's idea of European delivery is the way to go. That saving of 9% is equivalent to buying the car 3% below invoice...I will be in Europe for a couple of weeks during November but cannot coincide delivery as they don't even have a release date yet. Too bad.

Couldn't agree more. The buyer always wants to work from invoice up and dealer MSRP down.

 

[noreason]

I was thinking the same that the options are highly overpriced etc, and was considering just getting a base CLA 45, but then I learned about Star Advantage (Baloon financing), and added every option to my order except for Carbon Fibre. Thanks to this I'll probably pay less and I'll be paying for 48 months afterwards I can either finance the baloon amount, pay it off with cash, or trade the vehicle in for a new one. So truly if you want a lot of the options etc then you should consider baloon financing

Hey Super,

I think you meant 'pay less cash flow' but with the higher overall interest paid. Just wanted to make sure you know that balloon financing means you get to pay less up front but you're still paying the full interest on the full price of the car. If the interest is low, say 3-4% financing - then the increase in interest payment isn't that high... maybe you end up paying $1k more in interest over 4 years and you still have to deal with the balloon amount at the end.

It's always cheaper/better usually to pay cash up front or as much as it up front to avoid interest costs. Run the numbers through excel to come up with results that fit your situation.

Good luck with your car purchase.

 

[Superjak95]

Hey Super,

I think you meant 'pay less cash flow' but with the higher overall interest paid. Just wanted to make sure you know that balloon financing means you get to pay less up front but you're still paying the full interest on the full price of the car. If the interest is low, say 3-4% financing - then the increase in interest payment isn't that high... maybe you end up paying $1k more in interest over 4 years and you still have to deal with the balloon amount at the end.

It's always cheaper/better usually to pay cash up front or as much as it up front to avoid interest costs. Run the numbers through excel to come up with results that fit your situation.

Good luck with your car purchase.

Well you can always trade in the car after the 48 months for a new AMG and not worry about the baloon :wink: also you'd have already have a couple thousand dollars for down payment thanks to the trade in.

 

[dragonman4]

Well you can always trade in the car after the 48 months for a new AMG and not worry about the baloon :wink: also you'd have already have a couple thousand dollars for down payment thanks to the trade in.

I'm confused. Are you leasing or financing? Balloon payments are usually the least preferred way of going about purchasing something since you always end up paying more in the end. Might make sense leasing I suppose to get a lower monthly but if you finance and you trade in after a few years you are still responsible for paying off the rest of the vehicle. If staying with Mercedes they may just roll your old residual payoff into your new one but either way you still have to pay the car off.

 

[superjak94]

I'm confused. Are you leasing or financing? Balloon payments are usually the least preferred way of going about purchasing something since you always end up paying more in the end. Might make sense leasing I suppose to get a lower monthly but if you finance and you trade in after a few years you are still responsible for paying off the rest of the vehicle. If staying with Mercedes they may just roll your old residual payoff into your new one but either way you still have to pay the car off.

With balloon financing I'm actually going to be paying less then financing, and can drive as many km as I want. So I'll be paying off the car for 48 months then I can either finance the balloon amount, pay it off in cash, or trade the vehicle in which would cover the baloon and give me a couple k down payment already for my next vehicle. Basically it gives me a lot of choices, low payments, and not having to worry about the km that's why I'm choosing it.

 

[scott]

With balloon financing I'm actually going to be paying less then financing, and can drive as many km as I want. So I'll be paying off the car for 48 months then I can either finance the balloon amount, pay it off in cash, or trade the vehicle in which would cover the baloon and give me a couple k down payment already for my next vehicle. Basically it gives me a lot of choices, low payments, and not having to worry about the km that's why I'm choosing it.

Welcome aboard, Newbie.

 

[milazzo]

Welcome aboard, Newbie.

Lol nice one Scott. Yes welcome newb


Sent from my iPhone using Mercedes CLA Forum mobile app

 

[dragonman4]

With balloon financing I'm actually going to be paying less then financing, and can drive as many km as I want. So I'll be paying off the car for 48 months then I can either finance the balloon amount, pay it off in cash, or trade the vehicle in which would cover the baloon and give me a couple k down payment already for my next vehicle. Basically it gives me a lot of choices, low payments, and not having to worry about the km that's why I'm choosing it.

So what did you end up putting down and getting for your monthly and what's the balloon payment?

 

[vracer]

Hey folks,

I'm looking at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG model. The car is priced right around the area that I'm looking, but the optional packages on the vehicle cause the price to rise quite significantly, very quickly. Given this fact, I'm obviously going to have to sacrifice some of the features that I would otherwise be interested in having. However, since this is such a high-priced purchase, I'm also interested in ensuring that I get the car configured in such a way that I'll be happy with it.

I would imagine that trying to negotiate down the base price of the vehicle will be somewhat challenging, given the limited supply and high demand. Where I do see some opportunity for all of us as buyers, is in the options area. The options are vastly overpriced, in my personal opinion, and I therefore see some wiggle room for dealers to sell the vehicles. One idea I've though about is going into the dealership, prepared with a list of the optional packages that I want, and the price I'm willing to pay for each one. Once the seller is provided with this information, it's up to them whether they agree or disagree to the deal. Has anyone else tried this?

If they aren't able to wiggle at all, I probably forego the idea of purchasing this car. There are some other brands I'm looking at, with similar features and sportiness, but without the premium price tag.

On a slightly different note: Will this car be available for pickup in the EU? I would love to pick it up over there and enjoy better pricing (no delivery charge), while simultaneously enjoying the European countryside.

Cheers!

I put a deposit on a 45 in April, and I got a signed agreement for $1500 off sticker. I went in the shop a couple of days ago for a short drive (base car), and to look at colors, etc. When talking with my salesman after the drive, he mentioned that no one else is getting a penny off.

 

[vracer]

Sorry, I forgot to add this: If you are going to spend this money, buy the car with everything YOU want. You will keep the 2-3 years longer, enjoy it more, and save money in the long run. (That said, don't forget that additional options add very little to the resale price.)

 

[Superjak95]

Welcome aboard, Newbie.

Newbie no longer cause my account lives again haha

 

[Superjak95]

So what did you end up putting down and getting for your monthly and what's the balloon payment?

I'm putting down 10-15k. Monthly payments Im expected anywhere from 640-780 for 48 months depending on the internet and baloon. ALso don't know what the baloon and the interest rates are yet. I know though that the C63 AMG has a baloon of 29k and has a price similar to my 45 AMG. So anywhere from 25-29 I'm guessing.