About to buy a Cruze Eco...?

[compy222]

my wife and i have now test driven and thoroughly liked the 6 speed manual Cruze Eco. It was very comfortable, easily the equal of her 2010 malibu 2LT. and we are very attracted to the fuel economy numbers because we drive a lot.

here are the areas i need advice.

1. my father is a GM employee, so we would get 750 towards our purchase (EVA or employee vehicle allowance). i'm not sure if this is in addition to other rebates or 2.9% financing? MSRP/sticker on the car is 20,120, so i assume it then becomes a no-haggle price on the car once you do the EVA and applicable rebates? Edmunds TMV says the invoice on the car is about 19,347. My guess here is that once they apply the 750 off, it quickly becomes "thanks for trying to negotiate, but this is your price." basically, EVA seems to give you the invoice price...what does this mean for me as the buyer - can i still walk in with a blank check from my credit union and make an offer for less?

2. if the pricing is relatively fixed based on using the EVA money, then obviously the big battle comes to the trade-in value of the malibu. i know the ball park it needs to be in...probably around 13.5k based on its age, mileage, condition, and use of 3 major trade-in guesstimating sites (the numbers go from 13.1k to 13.9k).

how do i maximize this dollar amount? will going in at the end of the month and being a bit recalcitrant to get the deal done work...perhaps getting a few quotes from a couple dealers, picking the best one, then go in at the end of the month?

3. we do plan on financing the car. our local credit union does 2.99%, and Ally does 2.9% right now. any advantages to one over the other? my wife has ally on her current malibu now and has had very good luck with them. i have a local credit union that i like...should i push a straight cash price from the dealer? then just go with their financing later. this gets back into the...what can i get from them if i'm getting the car at invoice, if anything?

4. the final question is the biggie (and the eternal question) with the 2013 models just around the corner, should i wait past the current rebates/deals (of which none help me) and see what the July incentives are? most deals get a lot better in mid to late july as stock needs to turn over for the next model year. lastly, anyone have opinions on waiting for the cruze diesel in 2013...GM hasn't released the final dates for the sale-able diesels yet, but i expect sooner.

[compy222]

okay, so i answered some of my own questions.

EVA is in addition to the preferred price (basically about 500 bucks off MSRP). preferred price used to be called GMS or supplier pricing. GM is now, as of today, offering an additional 500.00 in bonus cash PLUS EVA/Pref Price. So the MSRP is 20,120. preferred price is 19,726. then you get the 500.00 bonus cash and the 750.00 EVA, so minus another 1,250 off the preferred price.

that brings you to 18,476. (this doesn't take into account any trade-in equity we have and taxes).

After pulling the edmund's TMV numbers, the dealer invoice cost is about 18,500. this means we're basically going to get the car for dealer invoice and i don't see that number being significantly negotiable beyond a few hundred bucks...unfortunately. plus cruze eco's are selling pretty well, even if 2013's are coming soon.

still looking for insights on trading in or waiting until a month from now when 2013's start showing up...

[compy222]

it's apparent the car purchasing forum has no pulse at all...this place is dead!

i've now got some numbers from two dealers...of course they both have a fair amount of dealer fees and other annoyances.

Dealer #1
- offered 13k on my trade (too low)
- final buy price was 19,836.37

the equation was preferred price plus tax, then minus rebates (1250), and plus a 145 doc fee and 23 plate transfer.

Dealer #2
- where we originally bought the malibu from and know the salesman
- offered initially 12.5k over the phone for trade...talked him up to 13.3k after he "talked to his used manager," ha! (still too low)
- final buy price was 19,909.41

the equation was identical, except this dealer charges a 190 doc fee and 42 dollars to do a plate transfer (they do instant titling which costs more $).

i'm calling a 3rd dealer today. my goal is to get 13.9k for the trade (which would give us a 1,500 down payment/equity) and have them waive all or part of the doc fee.


I also need to harp on a horrific experience i had yesterday just stopping by a dealer, Team One in Charlotte, MI. Sorry for the long CSB...but here it goes:

i pull in, find the Cruze i want to test drive (a second test drive just to be sure). i park next to it on the lot in my s2000 on a very sunny 90* day. i have to go inside to find a salesman...no big deal, i wouldn't expect anyone standing outside in the furnace. salesman starts talking to me, very non-chalant. doesn't use his name or even introduce himself. i ask to drive the cruze, he says no problem. i give him the stock number (the first hint that i'm probably not a moron). he doesn't ask for my DL, information, or anything first (seemed a little unprofessional, but whatever). i tell him very specifically on the way to the car, its 440pm and i need to leave by 530, i'm not buying today, just comparing prices and getting a second opinion on the car. he says, again, no problem. all i could think was...wow this is low pressure, nice! anyway, test drive is great, a longer 12 mile loop, but i notice the car is brand new and has 392 miles...interesting. anyway, it wasn't the color i wanted, so i discussed a dealer trade with him. again, no problem, we do it all the time.

we get back to the dealer and i ask him to run me a few numbers on final buy price for the car. i tell him i'm not sure i'm going to trade the malibu in, but we can look at the numbers. i've found this gets the best initial response for higher initial offer. he grabs the vin i had and runs it. we're now getting short on time and i'm serious about my deadlines. instead of running back and forth to the sales managers office, he just asks me to come walk over to it. i say sure.

great...now i'm in the box. i know how this works...so i know its going to be 15 minutes of fun.

i walk in and Mr. Fast-Talk is all over me. He's their general sales manager and the gm is right next to him. handshakes all around, etc. he starts with a simple phrase, you're looking for a new Eco manual, but I just got a trade in this morning from an older gent that had an Eco manual. its a 2011, silver on black, with no accidents, one owner, 9500 miles, he drove it to florida and didn't want a stick anymore so traded it in for a verano. okay great i say, what's the price. he goes, i'd do 16,000...i'm thinking i just got a big win, but already alarm bells are going off - that should be an 18-19k car. he continues...i said, if i decide to do it today you'll give me 14k instead of 13k (my initial quote) on my trade and you'll CPO the used eco.

he looks at the numbers, then the gm, nods, and says that works for us. alarm bells are really starting to ring now. the deal is just too good and these guys are the stereotypical dealer clowns with the gold chains and machine-gun mouths. i then ask him to print me off the buy sheet with all the numbers for both the new and used ones. he does. then comes the moment he realizes the jig is up. i look at the print out and say out loud to him..."190 bucks for the doc fee? on a used car, you're killing me with the statutory maximum." at this point, he knows i'm not a moron and he trades another look with the GM. and goes, "well you can sign now and its a done deal." the high pressure spouting continued for another minute or so before i lost my patience.

I stand up at that instant, "sir, thanks for your time, i have to get home with my wife to discuss this matter. i will gladly look at the used one on the way out though." he promptly pretends to not know where it is on the lot, in the "shop," or being test driven. nice...clowns.

here comes the kicker: i walk out the back lot to look at it with the salesman, and its not a cruze eco. its not even an LT or LS. furthermore, the rotors are rusted to all get out and the car has been sitting through the last rainstorm (three days before). its been there for several weeks from the look. furthermore, it was a completely base model. stripped of every option, 1.8L non-turbo motor, steel wheels, no features at all, etc. the car brand new in 2011 would have been about 15.8k dollars. i look at the salesman and say, its not an eco...his response, "are you sure?"

those dickweeds thought i would be dumb enough to sign on a car and buy it without looking at it. so they would have made probably 3-4k on the trade-in (figure they gave the old guy 12.5k) and then taken my trade, CPO'ed it and gotten 17k for it. one small snow job could have netted them 7-8 THOUSAND dollars out of my/the other guys pocket. i'm actually going to call the area dealer services rep from GM (who my family knows well) and mention it to him. if they tried to do that with me, imagine what would happen with someone who doesn't know how a dealer works.



so, TL;DR -

team one chevy in charlotte, mi - don't deal with
salesman was unprofessional
management are the type of jerks that give dealers a bad name
tried to fast sell me on a used non-eco, lied to me that it was an eco
used high pressure, lame sales techniques a trained monkey could see through
overall fail on their part.

[DCubed]

That last experience was pretty bad. But you seem to be agonizing over just a few hundred dollars and spending a lot of personal time. I understand everyone wants to squeeze every last dollar out of a deal but it comes to a point where its just too much headache. It seems the dealers are all within a few hundred dollars and I do not see anyone dropping their pants at the end of the month as they know you have all the discounts at your fingertips and they know you are informed.

[compy222]

That last experience was pretty bad. But you seem to be agonizing over just a few hundred dollars and spending a lot of personal time. I understand everyone wants to squeeze every last dollar out of a deal but it comes to a point where its just too much headache. It seems the dealers are all within a few hundred dollars and I do not see anyone dropping their pants at the end of the month as they know you have all the discounts at your fingertips and they know you are informed.

i agree.

i did have a person come look at the malibu for sale (private party) yesterday. that would be great as you're looking at a big difference on trade-in vs. a private party sale. they're going to let me know later today or tomorrow. if not, we'll run a couple dealers against each other on numbers. we're leaning towards the dealer we bought the malibu from originally. i assume the salesman will enjoy a repeat sale, i assume we'll do pretty well with him.

did a little research on the diesel model, we're looking at Q2 of 2013...so quite awhile from now. and i doubt they will be under 22k, let alone 18k (after discounts).

also, Michigan blows for trading in...you have to pay the full boat in sales tax every time!

[TORQUED!]

I work at GM, have been a GM guy for 20 years, I also tried to trade in a vehicle to purchase a cruze, we too were inquiring about the cruze diesel, no one could tell us when it would make it to the US. We needed to purchase a vehicle due to our situation, we ended up with a better deal buying a jetta sedan tdi than if we would have bought a cruze. I am like you, they basically say this is your price, take it or leave it. We left it thinking that if the Jetta turns to a pos we will just get rid of it when the diesel comes in a cruze. so far we LOVE our Jetta and I am very happy to have gotten it. Being that I work at GM, don't think I didn't get comments on buying a VW, but GM'S loss.

[deagle]

well, the first question is if the cruze is "easily equal" to the malibu, .. is there a specific need to get rid of the car and into another monthly expense ?

is there a big difference in fuel economY ?

you're doing everyting right in securing financing, but i'd wait until the end of the yr ..... its only halfway through, and it'll be around the corner soon

[compy222]

well, the first question is if the cruze is "easily equal" to the malibu, .. is there a specific need to get rid of the car and into another monthly expense ?

is there a big difference in fuel economY ?

you're doing everyting right in securing financing, but i'd wait until the end of the yr ..... its only halfway through, and it'll be around the corner soon

payments would be about 100/less a month...insurance is near equal.

the cruze gets 42mpg hwy. the malibu has averaged about 29 its whole life (we do mostly highway). the malibu now has 43k on it and we're 2.5 years into payments on it. basically, i'm worried if we run the loan to zero on the malibu, we'll be left with a car worth about 7-8k that has close to 100k on it. it will need brakes and tires, etc., etc., etc. seems like we can get a brand new car for less money that won't have any of those operating expenses for another year or two. furthermore, my wife is now driving over 100 miles/day roundtrip, meaning a 10mpg bump in FE or more is HUGE...like 40-50 dollars or more a month. so we could probably save around 150 dollars a month just in gas and payments for a brand new car. the malibu is a nice car, has nearly every option, including sunroof and leather. is it 400+ a month nice...no. it has been pretty reliable, but it did have a few "minor" issues under warranty. out of warranty, it would be over 1k in repairs. stupid stuff like a busted internal door lock switch, a faulty airbag sensor, etc.

i know we could wait until the end of the year...i'm just not sure how much we're really going to be saving...maybe 0% financing, but i kind of doubt that.

[DCubed]

also, Michigan blows for trading in...you have to pay the full boat in sales tax every time!

I would go with the sales guy you have bought from before if he has been good to deal with, even if its $50 more to go with him due to knowing if the proverbial poo hits the fan he will be in your corner. And about the tax thing....we get the same crap here in CA, its a wonder why we are broke, one of the largest car markets in the free world due to lack of public transit and full tax paid anytime a car is sold should just balance the books on that alone.

[compy222]

so we're pretty much there on the deal. we've decided which one of the two dealers we want to go with.

we picked the same one we dealt with in the past. its a small crew, only about 5 salespeople, so its a nice, more consulting based atmosphere. they were about 50.00 more money in total buy price. i got 14k for the malibu on trade, which was right where we wanted and i thought it should be. we spent 4 hours on saturday cleaning it all up, polishing and wet sanding a couple small scratches, washing, cleaning the wheels, full interior detail, etc. it really looks like a 14k dollar car and we got that for it.

final buy price, out the door after our remaining equity as a down payment will be about 18,480.

as a final note, i'm still working through financing. we found a bank willing to do 1.99% on a new car for 60 months, which is a great rate in this area. the dealer said they'd do 2.49, but i'd save the 6 bucks a month all day if it just means stopping at the CU in person to sign a few docs on my way to the dealer.

we'll see how the deal goes on saturday.

[compy222]

I would go with the sales guy you have bought from before if he has been good to deal with, even if its $50 more to go with him due to knowing if the proverbial poo hits the fan he will be in your corner. And about the tax thing....we get the same crap here in CA, its a wonder why we are broke, one of the largest car markets in the free world due to lack of public transit and full tax paid anytime a car is sold should just balance the books on that alone.

MI raises $75 million a year from 6% on cars that is constitutionally restricted to go to roads...and our roads SUCK.

also, we did go with the guy we bought from before and it paid off big this morning:

i got a call from him saying he couldn't locate the exact car we wanted, summit white, titanium interior, with no convenience package. my heart sank as the convenience package is very common and is over 500 bucks msrp. so he located us one with the convenience package, then promptly proceeded to keep all the numbers the same. basically, they gave us a $500 options package as a throw in. so that was awesome.

for Bud Kouts in Lansing.

[lilfleck]

so we're pretty much there on the deal. we've decided which one of the two dealers we want to go with.

we picked the same one we dealt with in the past. its a small crew, only about 5 salespeople, so its a nice, more consulting based atmosphere. they were about 50.00 more money in total buy price. i got 14k for the malibu on trade, which was right where we wanted and i thought it should be. we spent 4 hours on saturday cleaning it all up, polishing and wet sanding a couple small scratches, washing, cleaning the wheels, full interior detail, etc. it really looks like a 14k dollar car and we got that for it.

final buy price, out the door after our remaining equity as a down payment will be about 18,480.

as a final note, i'm still working through financing. we found a bank willing to do 1.99% on a new car for 60 months, which is a great rate in this area. the dealer said they'd do 2.49, but i'd save the 6 bucks a month all day if it just means stopping at the CU in person to sign a few docs on my way to the dealer.

we'll see how the deal goes on saturday.

How do you shop for other auto rates? Do you have to run your credit each time?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[compy222]

How do you shop for other auto rates? Do you have to run your credit each time?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Yes, try to do it all within 10 days. And try to limit the overall number. The dealer pulls your credit. However, they take your info and shop it to banks. Each bank you go to will pull once, then each dealer. So we had two pulls total, plus a third verification pull from the dealers bank right before we made the deal.

No real complaints on the car so far. I will be taking it in for a couple little tweaks soon though. The rear brakes are very poorly adjusted, the e-brake lever nearly goes to vertical... It seems to stumble just a touch under hard acceleration, not sure if it was just a bad tank of gas or the 100 degree heat...but a spark plug gap check is in order. A common problem is too small of a gap, usually .023ish, best results are closer to .035 according to Cruzetalk. And I'm pretty sure a recall hasn't been done on it yet for the heat shield underneath that can catch leaking oil and burn. fun stuff to do this week!

To date we have averaged 34.4mpg over 70 miles of mixed driving. It's incredible on the highway though, 43mpg+. It's very flat here, so we can just roll right along with that .6 overdrive. It's very quiet, nearly as quiet as her old Malibu. The gearbox is a delight, light and easy throws with a super light and low clutch. Overall, I've been very impressed.

Ib4drumrearbrakeslolwut?

[compy222]