No dealership in the country pays anything close to "invoice" for those cars. With the holdbacks and factory-to-dealer incentive's they're getting, they'll deal down to 80% MSRP. This is coming from someone who has sold cars (myself), who has family in the business, both building and selling. End of the month means good deals, especially with as bad as the summer has been.

It's your money and your car. If you want to spend more of it because you think that someone is treating you with respect while taking more of it out of your pocket, that's your business. The goal of a good salesman is to take as much money out of your pocket and put it in theirs while making you feel good about it. If it means they give you another $100 just so they can take another $2,000 and you'll come back for more, go right ahead.

Enjoy your HHR.

 

JerSSey HHR,

Honestly who cares what others think about what you paid. If you feel good about the price and you got the car that you wanted then pat yourself on the back and enjoy your new bad@ss ride! I am loving my SS and im sure you will love yours. Enjoy the car and welcome to official SS ownership.


SPPD

 

Believe me - I'm not letting anyone else spoil my good mood. I understand what crafty posted and that dealers are in business to make as much money as possible off of their sales. What I object to is the negative tone of his posts, remarking (after the fact) that I got ripped off.

Dude - your message may have validity, but you've got to work on your delivery.

 

Congrats JerSSey!!!

You got a very good deal! I worked for a dealership as well and I know what I am going to ask for....and get without a huge hassle. I think crafty has validity to his post, but I don't have the time or the patience to work a deal that hard.

Basically my formula is to wait until the end of the month, especially around July or August, then ask for Invoice price, minus any rebates, and add some free accessories (vent visors, molded splash guards). I would also add any other discounts including credit card earnings or employee discount (I don't have either). I am also going to get the protection package which will give the salesman a little motivation to make the deal becasue they get bonuses for selling packages, accessories, etc.

This a a VERY doable strategy with minimal hassle. If you have the time, patience, and fortitude, Crafty's strategy is also attainable.

 

It's kind of similar to someone who does mods/improvements/repairs/maintenance on their own house or car, and the question is whether they are better off paying someone else to do the work, and then spending that extra time earning more income. For me, I do a lot of these types of things myself, but for things like oil change, I don't want to spend the time to save a few bucks. It's just not worth my time and hassle. For others, it is worth their time and something they enjoy.

Some people relish in negotiating a price for a car. It's the thrill of the fight, and they want to win real bad. I had a friend who would just get downright nasty with salesmen, to the point of abusive behavior. I just can't conduct myself in such a manner, especially if it is for the purpose of saving $100 on a $25K purchase.

 

Well, I didn't mean to piss in your Cheerios or anything. I just figured since you'd managed to get a lot of rebate money out of 'em you might still have a chance to get that price down a bit more before you signed on the dotted line. I didn't mean to imply that you were getting ripped off since you hadn't taken delivery yet, either.

$100 is one thing, $2,000 is another. When you know how the system works and how you can work it, it's hard to settle for less. It's all in what your expectations are like, I suppose.

 

Is it okay to feel like a kid in a candy store when you're 46 years old? I'm heading to the dealer in a little bit to pick up the SS!

 

Yep. Been there done that! Enjoy it!

 

On an HHR SS that has a MSRP of $26,000 there is about $900.00 profit above invoice. Below invoice there is about $900 as well in holdback. The holdback is paid to the dealership on a quarterly basis from all vehicle sales. All rebates used are disclosed to the customer as the customer must sign the GM rebate form for the dealer to receive payment. All available rebates can be seen at www.chevrolet.com. Some areas of the country may have different available rebates, but the rebate you get is determined by the county in which your legal residence is located. This avoids a customer from traveling to another area to gain more savings giving that dealership an advantage over others. Rebate money is paid to the dealer many days after the dealer has paid off the vehicle and GM Card money may take up to 30 days to get. These are funds that are floated, meaning the dealer is paying interest on that amount until received. I could go on and on about expenses and where the “profit“ goes. The bottom line is this, it’s not that hard to get a good deal on an HHR and know that you were treated fairly and if you like the car, buy it.

 

I've been driving around all evening like a teenager driving his first car. I am absolutely amazed how this vehicle holds the road around turns, and the steering is so responsive. The acceleration and the bright red color is certainly going to put me on the police department's radar screen, so to speak.

The SS makes it very difficult to follow the break in rules....