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by paintstripper 2848 days ago
Maybe it's because the process of buying a car sucks. I spec'd out a Shelby mustang last year and then called up a local dealer to start talking to them about it. They quoted me $40k ABOVE the price on fords website.

Put money down on a tesla instead, was exactly the same cost on the website, very happy.
2 comments
mikestew 2848 days ago
Maybe it's because the process of buying a car sucks.

I've been buying new cars on and off for going on 35 years. As a control, the buying process sucks neither more nor less than it did decades ago (but it does still suck). So there is another factor at work.

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EpicEng 2848 days ago
>They quoted me $40k ABOVE the price on fords website

That's... very hard to believe. What were the curcumstances around this? Obviously Joe Schmo dealer isn't going to tack on 40k and expect to make any sales.

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mikestew 2848 days ago
That's... very hard to believe.

I believe it for models with low production numbers like a Shelby. Quote $40K above list, maybe some sucker will buy it. With the assumption that this is very unlikely, you'll still have a halo model sitting on the floor until you decide to drop it to MSRP and get rid of it. Dealer either gets more than it's worth, or they get a nice-looking marketing write-off for a while.

I'm thinking of the Ferrari 458 sitting on the floor of the local Chevy dealer in central Florida where Mom takes her Corvette. It's been there the last couple of years I've visited. How many $250K Ferraris are sold in central Florida? Doesn't matter, the dealer's got the money to let it sit on that showroom floor, and it sure looks cool.

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EpicEng 2848 days ago
That's kind of what I was getting at. If supply is low then if course you're going to pay more than list price, but that's hardly a typical situation.
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