There's been a pretty active thread for folks responding that they paid MSRP or below. In point of fact, the thread's now so long that it's a bit unwieldy, and it's now difficult to summarize.
Most of the forum members are getting their Solstices for MSRP. I would advise you to call more dealers, and find one at MSRP. Then, take a deposit acceptance form something like this with you...
Here's a reprint of a couple of posts that I've made multiple times:
The time you place your deposit is the perfect time to get an agreement to buy the car at MSRP. After you have given the dealer the deposit, you will not have very much leverage, but if you haven't placed your deposit yet, take a form something like the following with you...
I've posted this a few times before, but it bears a repost...
Take the following form with you to the dealer BEFORE you give them your deposit.
Quote:
2006 Pontiac Solstice Deposit Acceptance
In consideration for a $500 refundable deposit to be applied to the purchase price, -*insert-dealer-name-here*- agrees to offer (subject to availability) -your-name- a 2006 Pontiac Solstice at MSRP without a dealer or market based price markup. This MSRP price point will apply to a unit purchased as a special order, a regular order from their dealer's regular allocation, or to a purchase from dealers available stock.
Once you give them your deposit, and you have nothing in writing saying MSRP, you'll be subject to the mood and market pressures of the dealer at the time you can finally place the order and/or go to take delivery and sign the final purchase agreement. As I have said before, AFTER you have given them your money, they will have almost NO incentive to agree to MSRP without markups.
Now, the standard disclaimer applies, I am not a lawyer. However, this should give you a starting point to get your MSRP agreement in writing.
Best of luck!
Now, a discussion of how to find a dealer willing to sell at MSRP:
Call around to the dealers BEFORE you go down to place your order. Ask them these questions:
How many units do you have in your 4 month allocation?
Of those, do you have any which are not already promised to customers?
Can I purchase the car at MSRP without a dealer or market based markup?
If you get affirmative answers to the above, make a note of it, and keep calling.
To get the list of dealers, use the Pontiac.com web site and put in your zip code. If you need to seek dealers further away, you could put the dealer's zip codes at the edge of the circle into the find a dealer interface and spring board further out.
Don't be afraid to call a lot of dealers. If you don't feel comfortable talking to one, then say, "Thanks for your time. It was nice talking to you." and hang up. There ARE good dealers like our very own Conejo148 and Small Dealer. You just have to look a bit. Again, if you get a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, walk out. It's your money, and you have the power and the choice. Don't ignore your instincts--they're probably right.
For good dealers, consider making it a road trip. You'll need to make two trips, one to place the deposit and check out the dealer in person to see if you don't get that sinking feeling. The second trip, you can rent a car one way back out there, and drive your brand-new Solstice home... Sweet! Christen the car with a road trip....
Even if the dealer is a long ways away, you can still use a FAX machine to send the deposit agreement over to him, and ask him if he will sign it when you get there with your deposit. That way, you'll not surprise him, and you'll be better able to gauge how serious the dealer is about offering you a Solstice at MSRP.
Hope this helps.
Post Script: I improved the language of the agreement slightly from previous incarnations...
Best of luck.
I hope some folks find this discussion and the deposit agreement useful.
Also, take a look at the top of the gen sol forum, see the important sticky section, that's how the mods decided to organize the stickies. I'll place a link in there.
__________________
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You can find me at the lake -- RODEOSOLSTICE @ YAHOO.COM
When I ordered my Aggressive in December it was at MSRP but I used my GM points for a discount. When the car was delivered last Friday the sticker was about $400.00 higher than the original quote. The dealer held to the original quote.
Well I paid MSRP but that is deceiving since I had bought Neon from the same dealer just 8 months before for $6,500 and only drove it to work and back and they only gave me $1,500 for it and I paid about $500 dealer fee that we have since found out that the other dealer in town did not charge so I am not sure how the answer the MSRP question???? Yes I paid opnly MSRP but they got more money out of me in other ways:
They did give me $500 for the certificate I go for going to the Auto show in m otion but that still does not cover my the other money lost
All of my Solstice sold(11?) have been sold for MSRP and will always be sold. If you buy accesories at the time of purchase then you get a discount and your first oil change is on me(even synthetic if you so desire).
I am hoping I can convince the General Manager to sell me mine for Employee price, but I will more than likely end up paying MSRP!!!!!
I paid over because I was told (never had it in writing though) that I would get MSRP. Then days later I was told that it would be $2,500 over. I didn't at that moment think to shop around. Months later after I found this forum and found out that Pontiac wanted to sell at MSRP and also how long it was taking to produce cars, I figured that it was too late to order somewhere else and have to wait even longer. I guess the only good news (only for myself) is that the dealer is selling at $5,000 over as a rule and they let me go at half that because the salesman had already told me something else.
So the bottom line for me ended up being how badly did I want the car and was I willing to pay to get it sooner.
The VIN was right also. (102244) the 22 is my daughters favorite number (it is somehow mystical and good luck, 21 is not!) next 24 is my birthday, then finally the 44 is how old I was just three days before the car was born.
__________________ Deep with everything except XM and OnStar, born on 27 Sep 2005, VIN 102244 (Thanks for the info Cricket!) Her name is Helia, a minor greek sun goddess. I drove her home on 30 Nov 05. WOO HOO!!! Custom license plate "MYSUMMR" That's My Summer (Solstice) for those who can't figure it out.
The other thing I have to say about my dealer is that there has NEVER been any discounts or fee oil changes. They even called me a lier when I told them they had put greasy stuff all over my doors--they are now relplacing the door panels once the did figure out they had done it----
Though I have a form stating that I will only pay msrp for the car, and that it is price protected from the base price and options increase from late december?, The form did have some dealer options printed along with all the car options. They are tinting the car, and doing the "dealer environmental.... package". Acouple of coatings which i'm sure i could do for much less, or not at all, and lifetime interior/leather conditioning. I got the impression that these weren't optional... and i really want the car.
I don't have the car yet, but have it on good authority that i will be charged the amount on the form. The dealer has been great, i was 10of12 in the allotment (4 were taken last thursday), and they were happy to know i was on the forum and new more than they did. I also had a solstice picture book? from pontiac that they had never seen.
The price increases they added are only a little more than the 1000 bucks the base price/accessories were raised by. If that puts me in the over MSRP catagory, oh well, Its still better than a 92 dodge shadow i've been beating into the ground.
Well I paid MSRP but that is deceiving since I had bought Neon from the same dealer just 8 months before for $6,500 and only drove it to work and back and they only gave me $1,500 for it...
This car purchase is quite normal. When you buy a used car from a dealer, it will be a higher price than you would pay if you bought it from a private party. Further, when you sell a used car to a dealer as a trade-in, you'll seldom get even close to the blue book value. Thus, you'll "loose" money on both halves of the sale.
While I would have expected the delta to be a bit lower between your purchase price and the trade-in price, it is only bent a thousand or so on each end and is actually fairly normal--used cars can have quite reasonable profits for dealers, but I digress.
Since this is a separate transaction, it should not be counted in your Solstice purchase price.
The purchase of the Neon was an opportunity cost for you. Given rental rates at $250 per week, your 32 weeks of "rental" Neon was actually about a 40% discount over the $8000 of a straight rental car, so that's not too bad when you think about it that way... Yeah, I know, it doesn't really help much, sorry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LUVnSOL
I paid about $500 dealer fee that we have since found out that the other dealer in town did not charge so I am not sure how the answer the MSRP question???? Yes I paid only MSRP but they got more money out of me in other ways:
They did give me $500 for the certificate I go for going to the Auto show in motion but that still does not cover my the other money lost
What we were really looking for was a market markup, so that's why we said MSRP plus dealer fee up to $500 so that we'd remove some of the ambiguity.
In your case, the certificate is a complete wash from your perspective, so once again, you're clocking in at MSRP.
I am sorry that your Neon experience was so depreciating. I hope that your Solstice smiles will help make up for that.
There's been a pretty active thread for folks responding that they paid MSRP or below. In point of fact, the thread's now so long that it's a bit unwieldy, and it's now difficult to summarize.
Though I have a form stating that I will only pay MSRP for the car, and that it is price protected from the base price and options increase from late December?, The form did have some dealer options printed along with all the car options. They are tinting the car, and doing the "dealer environmental.... package". A couple of coatings which I'm sure I could do for much less, or not at all, and lifetime interior/leather conditioning. I got the impression that these weren't optional... and I really want the car.
I don't have the car yet, but have it on good authority that I will be charged the amount on the form. The dealer has been great, I was 10 of 12 in the allotment (4 were taken last Thursday), and they were happy to know I was on the forum and new more than they did. I also had a solstice picture book? from Pontiac that they had never seen.
The price increases they added are only a little more than the 1000 bucks the base price/accessories were raised by. If that puts me in the over MSRP category, oh well, Its still better than a 92 dodge shadow I've been beating into the ground.
I can't wait for my first new car to show up.
Well, all things are negotiable until you actually take delivery. Since you have a bit longer to wait, give it some time, then go talk to the owner/president of the dealership and tell them that you really don't want the extra treatments to the leather, paint, etc.
Often, the owner won't be quite as dismissive, and you may find that you can get the prep for the car changed to NOT have the dealer options, or at least not the leather treatment and "environmental... package". They'll probably still want to do the paint, or the "environmental... package", but you may be able to keep the leather treatment off of the seats.
Best of luck, and it never hurts to ask--you just have to ask the right person.
While visiting my son in the Phoenix area last Thanksgiving we stopped at the Pontiac dealer in Scotsdale so I could show him the Solstice. They didn't have one to show us but as we talked to the sales person, he told us they were taking orders at $2,500.00 over MSRP. We left there and on our way back home we stopped at Mid Way Auto Team in Phoenix. They had an aggressive in the show room. There was no discussion, they were taking orders at MSRP. A fifteen minute ride across town would save you a lot of money. Shop around. By the way, I came home to greater Cleveland and ordered my aggressive on 12/6/05, it was delivered to the dealer on 1/6/06. They are storing it for me until spring. It's killing me not being able to drive it. Too much salt on the roads!!!!
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