Thanks for the great info, guys.

I already made mistake #1 by telling them I had pre-approval...though that didn't seem to stop them from trying to negotiate monthly payments through THEIR banks. I didn't want to talk payments with them, I wanted to talk car price. I didn't point out to them that the MT car was lacking in two things in comparison to the other two G37S('s) on their lot; tech and a spoiler. I will probably use that this coming weekend as leverage.

My credit union also threw something new into the mix. Their "new" pre-approval system requires that they have a bill of sale before they can approve me for the amount I requested and other details (payments, interest, etc.). I will contact them tomorrow for clarification. I wanted to be as well prepared as I can be before a purchase, unfortunately I haven't done enough research in regards to the financial side of it.

 

Pre-approval doesn't require a bill of sale. In fact, it doesn't even require that you know what make and model you're getting. It's just a "can I afford this much?" question and a piece of paper saying "yep, you can". The actual approval process does need a bill of sale and lots of specifics, but not pre-approval. If they want all that for a pre-approval, I'd go to a different bank/CU.

 

What they mean is you do an option contract at the dealership which is a back up contract incase you do not come through with your credit union. You then take your paperwork to your credit union and it reverts to them. Btw since they already know your preapproved tell them what your rate is and see if they can do better, if they can then go with them.

 

Hello again, gentlemen. I went in today and test drove the car. Needless to say, I can see why everyone on this forum loves their G37 so much. I made sure the car didn't have anything out of place and whatever body work they did was acceptable, not perfect, but acceptable. I also noticed the car had some very noticeable curb rash and a good sized chunk of tire missing from the sidewall. I used it as my bargaining chip.

All that aside, I threw my best offer of $25,000 on the table with a $5,000 deposit. I was 100% committed to buying the car but unfortunately we couldn't come to an agreement on price. They dropped the price to $26,400 from their $28,000 and it seems like that's the best they can do (for now, I assume). They returned my deposit and now I move on to another car.

To give credit where it's due, I probably wouldn't have made it this far without the info you've all given. Again, I really do appreciate it all. If anyone who is looking to buy is reading this thread, notice that we've gone from planning a budget to negotiating a deal. I honestly didn't think I would progress in this manner.

 

give it a bit of time, you will get a call from the salesperson, the negotiations are not done 1600 off is just not even close from a fresh car

which dealership is it btw? Let me try to negotiate a deal for you

 

It's funny, a week after I finalized the deal elsewhere, I still got a call from the original dealership. I missed the call, but out of courtesy, emailed the salesman. He replied he still couldn't beat the price, but was curious if I had ordered the car. I didn't directly answer his question, other than to say if in the future I was in a market for another infiniti, i'd give that consideration to that dealership.

Suppose I could be an @ss and tell him no, just to see if he can better his price...

 

lol, and I would appreciate the help kaotic.

For now I want to entertain the idea of going down my list (I made a list) of G37s until I've exhausted the list. I don't want to throw all of my cards on the table and find out I *could* have gotten a better deal elsewhere (though at the same time I could also do worse).

Jsolo:
I've had a similar experiences as well. I believe it's best to go in dignified and leave dignified without rubbing it in anyone's face. Unless, of course, your salesperson was a completely disagreeable person...

 

if your salesperson is an *** then by all means make him feel like ****, if they are polite and spend time working with you then be courteous, simple Now remember when you tall a dealership that you bought a car already or are ordering one or whatever, they can and will say anything to make you feel bad you didn't buy from them, i.e well my manager changed his mind and I could have done it for 1k less. Its all bs of course. Most respectable sales people will not do this though.

 

Hello again, all.

I've decided to, altogether, skip this dealership that I've been working on for the past week or two. The more I deal with them the more it becomes apparent that they are really "just another dealership" and I leave every time feeling somewhat ridiculed. They pretty much go through the motions to try and make a sale regardless of what I was searching for in the first place. They've even gone as far as to have their colleagues from other dealerships contact me and offer my asking price for a G37X Sedan. I just don't feel comfortable buying from them now, even if they were to sell the car for what I was asking.
I feel as though it's a waste of each others' time talking with them as they seem to drown me out and ignore what I'm saying. "I'm offering 'X' amount, can you sell the car for that price?" I think it's a simple question and I ask it just like that each time I visit, but somehow they get to talking about whether or not I can come up with more money or if I've ever paid more for something worthwhile. It's almost insulting. I have nothing to prove by stating this, but I CAN come up with more money and I HAVE paid premiums for worthwhile products. Anyone who has a job can come up with more money. To add to that, is it wrong to try and pay less for a premium product? Do I HAVE to pay more and not bargain shop? Then again, maybe I'm taking it the wrong way and probably over-analyzing it.
To be frank, though, I've never felt this way working with other dealerships (small, large, independent, factory, or otherwise) and purchasing cars. I have to admit, it's a new experience. Negotiations usually go smoothly and I can typically get a "yes" or "no" answer by the second visit. I've visited this dealership three times without making any headway. In fact, we've gone in the negative direction as they've raised the price of the car $4,000 above their original asking price (now $32k wowza!). That's Infiniti certified territory.

Regardless, I have several similar cars lined up this weekend and I am confident I WILL take home one of them without much negotiation. Wish me luck (again)! </rant>

 

Wow bad practice at that dealership. Yeah right move in just skipping them completely, here is food for thought too, if they treat you that bad while you are trying to give them money, just think what would happen if there was an issue that arose with the car. Sure it would not be fun

 

Good news! Snagged one today and looking to finalize payment sometime in the next weekend (or so). I dragged the little woman out to Connecticut this morning to look at 2 more Gs but I didn't even need to look at the second one. Car was listed for $26,000 flat but I sealed the deal at $25,051 and some change. 35k miles, nav, tech, spoiler, NO 4WAS (I didn't want it), new brakes, and brand new tires. Everything down to the color and the old voice command programming was what I wanted. Some minor body damage here and there from parking lot scuffles but it's in pretty good shape. I remember seeing this car back in JUNE of this year with an asking price of $28,900. I kept my eye on the car for the past few months until they dropped the asking price to where it is today. I'm certain they would have budged a bit more on the price but something inside me told me to just get away with what I can as long as it fell in my budget.

The dealership was great too, laid back and no pressure. Straightforward; "yes" or "no". Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but here's the link. Any positive or negative feedback regarding this purchase is greatly appreciated (even if it's a bit too late to discuss lowered pricing at this point).

kaotic, you were a great help throughout this experience and as I stated earlier, I probably wouldn't have gone the distance without you. This also applies to the other posters who gave their own experiences and advice. I'm glad to have signed up and posted at this forum and I'm looking forward to an intro post in the next week or so.

Link to the car (dealer's site):
2008 Infiniti G37S Coupe

 

Nice job to find the car that you wanted. I did the same thing and sometime luck needs to be involved. I just bough my G37x sedan on Friday afternoon. Had been looking for about 6 months and then this deal fell into my lap. Car was just listed. It is a 2010, 23k miles, Nav and Premium packages. Also has a lot of the little added accessories. In almost flawless condition. Asking was $28k and we settled for $26,500.

Dealer was a Jeep dealer. No idea what they had in the car I do not think. They did not take the nav and premium packages into account. So obviously I jumped on the deal and have not stopped smiling. Guess it pays to be patient and lucky also.

 

Luck played a big factor, I'm lucky no one got to the car before I did in these past few months.

I have to admit, the anticipation and the hunt for the perfect car for the perfect price is part of the fun. Acquiring the car is ho-hum in comparison.