Help us buy an Equinox

[tinkabella627]

The best thing you can do is be prepared. Know what you want, and what you can afford to pay for it.

Go to the dealership & test drive it, decide if you want what is available or if you want to order one instead, custom fit to your needs. The Equinox is very much in demand right now, and chances are if you find one with the exact features you want at a dealership, the next dealership down the road will not have that same one.

My only piece of advice, and this is personal b/c my husband works hard to sell cars for a living (works for a Chevy dealership in particular) If you go to Dealership A & spend 3hours of the salesman's time learning about the car, test driving the car, "deciding", and working out numbers, When you go down the street to Dealership B and walk in with the # from Dealership A and ask them to beat it, and they do.... by $200 don't take that deal, please. Why should that dealership get the deal for 10min worth of work? You just took up 3hours of another salesman's,finance manager's, & car manager's busy day to do all of your research, and then you take a $200 cheaper price at the next dealership. ANY dealership will offer you a lower price if you come in with a set #, but please give credit where it is due. Go back to Dealership A, and 99/100 they will match that price, and will have rightfully earned your business.

I 100% agree.. that is what we did and what our decision ultimately came down to was the fact that our first dealer got very snippy with me because he "didn't have time to explain the warranty to me on the phone and if I wanted to know I had to drive back there"... that was where he lost my business, and had he not done that, he had the business.

 

[Keegansmommy]

My mom has an 06 Equinox and we have an 08. Love them both!

 

[superslickdls]

Chances are you probably know someone that can give you an x-plan discount, which is chevy's discount program. You can see the prices here:

gmsupplierdiscount dot com
Log in using Company Code 814292.

It usually the lowest price you can get without any negotiating or haggling.

Also if you have an Amex card, they have an auto purchasing program that is pretty good.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Are you sure about that? I just checked the supplier discount and it is $250 on a 2010 Equinox. I didn't check the employee discount, but the supplier discount (friends) discount is $250.

I was told no discount when I ordered it in November, and the same thing when I picked it up in Feb. Everyone made comments on the price since there was usually no bargaining with the car. They can't keep them on the lot, which I why I ordered mine (plus I wanted certain features for the LT2 and not others).

 

[Jex]

How did they rightfully earn the business if they did not offer the best price up front? If they could match or beat. It maybe they should have offered it first.

The best thing you can do is be prepared. Know what you want, and what you can afford to pay for it.

Go to the dealership & test drive it, decide if you want what is available or if you want to order one instead, custom fit to your needs. The Equinox is very much in demand right now, and chances are if you find one with the exact features you want at a dealership, the next dealership down the road will not have that same one.

My only piece of advice, and this is personal b/c my husband works hard to sell cars for a living (works for a Chevy dealership in particular) If you go to Dealership A & spend 3hours of the salesman's time learning about the car, test driving the car, "deciding", and working out numbers, When you go down the street to Dealership B and walk in with the # from Dealership A and ask them to beat it, and they do.... by $200 don't take that deal, please. Why should that dealership get the deal for 10min worth of work? You just took up 3hours of another salesman's,finance manager's, & car manager's busy day to do all of your research, and then you take a $200 cheaper price at the next dealership. ANY dealership will offer you a lower price if you come in with a set #, but please give credit where it is due. Go back to Dealership A, and 99/100 they will match that price, and will have rightfully earned your business.

 

[TinkOhio]

Thanks for all of the suggestions/tips. So now I have more questions. After researching the car and coming up with the MSRP, what - besides taxes- can we expect to pay in fees? DH already went and was pre-approved for a car loan at his credit union for less than the APR rate offered through GMAC, so now the test driving and other fun starts. I know that we need to find out what the dealers will offer with their "out the door" pricing, but how do we fill the gap between the MSRP listed in Edmunds and the "out the door" price?

Thanks, again, for your help!

 

[mtomlin66]

The best thing you can do is be prepared. Know what you want, and what you can afford to pay for it.

Go to the dealership & test drive it, decide if you want what is available or if you want to order one instead, custom fit to your needs. The Equinox is very much in demand right now, and chances are if you find one with the exact features you want at a dealership, the next dealership down the road will not have that same one.

My only piece of advice, and this is personal b/c my husband works hard to sell cars for a living (works for a Chevy dealership in particular) If you go to Dealership A & spend 3hours of the salesman's time learning about the car, test driving the car, "deciding", and working out numbers, When you go down the street to Dealership B and walk in with the # from Dealership A and ask them to beat it, and they do.... by $200 don't take that deal, please. Why should that dealership get the deal for 10min worth of work? You just took up 3hours of another salesman's,finance manager's, & car manager's busy day to do all of your research, and then you take a $200 cheaper price at the next dealership. ANY dealership will offer you a lower price if you come in with a set #, but please give credit where it is due. Go back to Dealership A, and 99/100 they will match that price, and will have rightfully earned your business.

So, I have to ask ....does your husband NOT take the sale when HE is Dealership B and beats his competitor's price by $200? Are you honestly saying that he sends the customers back to the other dealership since they did all of the legwork for that sale?

I understand why it may be frustrating for your DH, I can't imagine having that type of job.

 

[Jex]

Excellent points as well. I know from experience if it was up to me I would never spend three hours just to find out a dealers bottom price on a vehicle. It's when they.start pulling the old song and dance of bringing everyone in to "meet" you that the time adds up and peoples time gets wasted.

So, I have to ask ....does your husband NOT take the sale when HE is Dealership B and beats his competitor's price by $200? Are you honestly saying that he sends the costumers back to the other dealership since they did all of the legwork for that sale?

I understand why it may be frustrating for your DH, I can't imagine having that type of job.