How long did it take you to find your 2012 Tiguan?

[Fishblmp]

How long did it take you to find theTiguan that you wanted? I've heard mixed reports on availability and it's hard for me to verify (I don't live near any nearby dealerships to see in person). I'm planning (hoping) to pick up a 2012 SE Tiguan in two weeks after I get back from a holiday trip. I'm not sure if it's premature or not to contact dealerships in my area NOW or if I should wait until I'm back. I am trying to do an all-internet transaction (ie dealing with the internet sales team rather than an in person dealer) Generally speaking, is it wise to wait until I'm back from my trip before reaching out about available Tigs? Or do you think it's better to reach out now and if I find one then hope they can hold it for me via a deposit (do dealers even hold cars via deposits?)

[BarryT82]

Contact them now so you can negotiate the price down more. The longer you have them waiting and the closer you get to the end of the month the more they're wanting to sell it.

[Techvet]

I would agree that you should contact them now. Tiguans are hard to find regardless of where you look and color choices/trims are probably going to be limited with individual dealer stock. For the past couple of weeks I've been glancing at dealer lots whenever I drive by one and Tigs really do seem to be few and far between. Our 2012 SE is on order because the dealer (a large exclusive VW shop in metro Atlanta) didn't have many coming in and my wife was specific about her color choice. Dealer trades are always possible, but I'd bet most dealers won't do that this far out unless you plunk down a $1,000+ deposit and even then it might not go through if your dealer doesn't have something the other dealer wants in exchange. The bottom line be prepared for a wait and the sooner you get in line the better!

[Fishblmp]

Thanks for the tip. My situation is odd because we are closing on a new home on Friday (week from today). We were told to not to make any purchases (especially big one like a car) until we close. So what happens if a dealership responds to my inquiry with an acceptable offer? Do dealers hold cars for 2 weeks if I place deposit? how can I be sure that they would not sell it even though they have my deposit?

[Techvet]

I've never asked one to hold a car for me that long so I don't know. As with any sales-based business, dealers have monthly quotas that extend down to individual sales personnel (including internet sales). Accordingly, there are quarterly and annual sales goals as well. Commissions and dealer hold back $$ are all tied to these numbers. Let's say that your 'dream Tiguan' is sitting on the lot today. You want it, but so does another guy. You can't buy until maybe the second of December, whereas the other guy can close the sale the day after tomorrow. I could see where a dealer might let the car go to the person willing to do the deal now, simply because both he and the sales person could get credit this month versus next. Even with a deposit on board, the dealer may rationalize that he could always try and get you another car via a dealer trade and unless your deposit is very specific/somehow tied to a particular VIN number then they can probably play it either way.

If you're only talking a week or two and the time frame falls within the same calendar month then this scenario may be moot. None the less, having someone ready to do the deal now verses anytime in the future is a very powerful motivator.

[kosta15auto]

Thanks for the tip. My situation is odd because we are closing on a new home on Friday (week from today). We were told to not to make any purchases (especially big one like a car) until we close. So what happens if a dealership responds to my inquiry with an acceptable offer? Do dealers hold cars for 2 weeks if I place deposit? how can I be sure that they would not sell it even though they have my deposit?

To purchase my 2012 took me 4 min to choose it and another hour to drive off the dealer. I traded in my 2009 Tiguan for something better than what I would have sold it privately. They desperately wanted to sell another VW for the month on October 31 and I had no problem keeping my old one.
I know that the boys need toys and you are not patient but take care first closing on your house and then buy the vehicle. Nowadays is difficult with the banks and they check you out to the very end of the process.
Good luck!

[Fishblmp]

To purchase my 2012 took me 4 min to choose it and another hour to drive off the dealer. I traded in my 2009 Tiguan for something better than what I would have sold it privately. They desperately wanted to sell another VW for the month on October 31 and I had no problem keeping my old one.
I know that the boys need toys and you are not patient but take care first closing on your house and then buy the vehicle. Nowadays is difficult with the banks and they check you out to the very end of the process.
Good luck!

Agreed. I DEFINITELY won't be moving my money until we have closedon the house. I am actually patient with this process (I've been looking for a car for several weeks, doing my homework, etc). I am just in the dark as to wait times people are experiencing. What stinks is that I'm traveling to CA for thanksgiving week and I've heard that there are more of the Tiguan SE out that way than where I live. I wouldn't be able to drive it back home the 2500 miles if I did find one there.

[bcsotfo]

I spent a couple of weeks researching. Had a little difficulty locating a SEL that wasn't already sold. Saw a tv commercial advertisement on "truecars.com" to help search for the car you want within your geographic area along with a guaranteed price. What the heck, I tried it and imediately got responses from 3 VW dealers. I ended up going through a dealer who not only honored the truecar price but reduced it another $500. They threw in window tint and nitrogen for the tires. Had to travel roughly 78 miles to that dealer but it was a savings for me, (2K). Then took advantage of the .09% sign and drive offer from VW. I did hear it takes time to get/locate a SE with sunroof/nav and SEL's especially if you want a certain color.

[Fishblmp]

I spent a couple of weeks researching. Had a little difficulty locating a SEL that wasn't already sold. Saw a tv commercial advertisement on "truecars.com" to help search for the car you want within your geographic area along with a guaranteed price. What the heck, I tried it and imediately got responses from 3 VW dealers. I ended up going through a dealer who not only honored the truecar price but reduced it another $500. They threw in window tint and nitrogen for the tires. Had to travel roughly 78 miles to that dealer but it was a savings for me, (2K). Then took advantage of the .09% sign and drive offer from VW. I did hear it takes time to get/locate a SE with sunroof/nav and SEL's especially if you want a certain color.

Good to know. Thank you. Leave it to me to be one of those looking for SE with sunroof and Nav (tho, I'm looking for one that is AWD, not sure if that's as popular).

[C Jayhawker]

In the KC area there are about 4 VW dealers, all pretty small. Each had about 6-10 Tigs in stock at any one time. Between all 4, I was able to find the exact one I wanted (specs listed in my profile). I was able to negotiate a good deal by waiting until the end of a fiscal quarter, when they really wanted sales.
I think the trick is to make them know you are a serious buyer. Tell them what you want and how much you are willing to pay. It may take a day, it may take 2 months, but eventually they will come down to your price (assuming its reasonable). I would wait until after your trip though. They didn't seem to want to talk price with me when they knew I was a few weeks away from being ready to purchase.

[creanium]

Here in the Denver area, we pretty much had our pick of Tiguan SE 4Motions. The wife and I were undecided among 3 different colors for the Tig and we walked into the dealership and they had one of each color for us to check out (all SE 4Mo). So we were able to walk in and drive away with the exact Tig we wanted.

Paid $100 over invoice, and they even threw in the monster mat kit, first aid kit, and cargo organizer mat for free. So really, we paid below invoice once you factor in the throw-ins.

[TIGSEL]

We lucked out with ours. Dealer had exact combo sitting at the port. We immediately locked it in and it was delivered in less than 2 weeks. Wealso paid invoice with 0.09% financing for 66 months. In reality it can take months to get an SEL/4mo especially if you are looking for a specific color combo or live in a snow free area.

[garethusa]

mine was on the dealer lot. night blue metallic with beige se nav+panoroof. i didn't pick it up for a couple of weeks though as i was selling my jetta tdi first.

easily got it for $500 under invoice at 0.9%/60 mo thru vw credit.

i love my blue tiggy. we are still bonding.

[bebopper]

We placed our order with our local dealer (who we have been dealing with for more than 10 years) this past Wednesday. They did not have an SEL 4Motion in Pepper Gray with Black interior in stock. Thursday morning they called to say they got one from another dealer and asked what time we would like to pick it up on Friday. Per my request the car was delivered with a fresh 4 wheel alignment and it had less than 100 miles on the odometer. It shows a Feb 2012 build date, so it was no more than 9 or 10 weeks off the assembly line.

Bottom line, it was 51 elapsed hours from deposit to delivery. I am pleased and impressed.