Yeah, love the dealer markups. Considered buying a v-8 Camaro when they first came out. Dealer said he could get one but it would be 10K over list. This was while GM was in bankruptcy. I howled. He countered, the 6 cyl model only had a 2500 markup over list. I just walked over to the Hyundai place and bought a genesis coupe for a huge savings and have never looked back.
It really burns me when a dealer pulls that “take it or leave it” bs.
In ‘65 I told a ford dealer I’d buy a new ‘65 Mustang that was in the showroom if he’d knock $100 bucks off the sticker, he said no way. I said if he didn’t I was going down the street and buy a new Olds Cutlass, he still refused so I bought the Cutlass.
My story, my college rommate and I had both just gotten jobs in our indutry, he had gradutated and I had 1 yr left. We both had college beaters on their last legs and were carpooling to shop for cars. Two young males looking at sports/sporty cars - him single and me engaged but still wanting something sporty.
We went to the Mazda dealership and both were looking at the RX7. There was a line item called "surcharge" for $10k (in 1985) on the window sticker. We asked the guy "what is that for?". He said "we know you'll pay it to get a Mazda". We both turned and left without another word and him running after us "but, wait"...
He bought a new Mustang that day. I bought a Plymouth Turismo the next. He putted around in the 'stang to save gas money. I zipped all over in the Shelby-tuned Turismo and had a blast until a new baby caused me to trade for a 4 door a few years later.
There is a dealer in Rochelle Il that I used to pass by every couple of weeks, and they had an early release of the Challenger when it came out (sorry, I’m a Mopar man). A nice one, black on black RST 8. So, I pull in, and the sticker is on asking I think 42 for it, then the sales guy comes out, and we start talking. He says he can let me have the car for 75k......
He explains that they aren’t making any money at that price, because they had to reserve the car and yada yada yada...
6 months later, I drove through Rochelle again, and the car was still there, so I pulled in, they were selling it at 42k, but it wasn’t on the metal display ramp anymore, but it was all prepped, polished, the tires were even shiny.
I took it for a test drive, and when I got back, I looked at the odometer and it had over 9,000 miles on it. The salesman said it was still new because it wasn’t titled, and the owners wife was driving it.... GREAT, an RST8 hemi motor, driven by and broken in by some schmuck, selling for new car price.... with 9,000 miles on it...
...and the American car dealers wonder why they are getting their arses kicked.