[Bulldog66]

So I am working a deal and got several strange charges on the invoice. Seems like complete BS

Price: $35,875.00
Customer Rebate: - $500.00
Price: $35,375.00
Perma Plate: + $499.00
Theft Protection: + $289.50
Windshield Protection: + $299.50
Vehicle Selling Price: $36,463.00

Sales Tax (estimate): + $2,811.69
Tag/Registration Fees (estimate): + $27.20
Documentation Fee: + $499.00
Balance Due (estimate): $39,800.89

 

[PureAdrenaline]

Dealer add ons...total bs...these items cost them vitually nothing to add...huge profit in these...should have disclosed them before final papers...they would eat at least half of that or I would walk...I made them remove almost all of my add ons...

 

[TomM]

Those are just fancy terms for "Salesman's boat payment" and "Sales Manager's Alimony"

 

[fiathead]

The dealer I bought from had a lot of that type of stuff from time to time when I've looked at cars on their lot. When I bought my car, the only dealer charge they tacked on was a $20 documentation fee. Some dealers are really unscrupulous.

 

[Greg]

I am a little uncomfortable with some of those charges. A $499 documentation fee seems extreme. It's paperwork that they have to do to sell you the car and that amount is just way too much. If it were me, I would walk away over that alone.

Greg

 

[JFernald]

So I am working a deal and got several strange charges on the invoice. Seems like complete BS

Price: $35,875.00
Customer Rebate: - $500.00
Price: $35,375.00
Perma Plate: + $499.00
Theft Protection: + $289.50
Windshield Protection: + $299.50
Vehicle Selling Price: $36,463.00

Sales Tax (estimate): + $2,811.69
Tag/Registration Fees (estimate): + $27.20
Documentation Fee: + $499.00
Balance Due (estimate): $39,800.89

I would tell them that it is BS and that I will only pay the MSRP - $500 FCA rebate + legitimate, state imposed, sales tax and registration fees. Perma Plate, and Winshield Protection are BS. Theft Protection is usually BS, unless they can show you and explain to you that it provides benefits. Some dealers, and some lenders, like to have special coded dots applied to certain parts of the car so they can trace them, even if a chop shop has already dismantled it. You may be able to get a better deal from your insurance company or lender with the theft protection, but they need to explain this in detail.

 

[frankmar]

So I am working a deal and got several strange charges on the invoice. Seems like complete BS

Price: $35,875.00
Customer Rebate: - $500.00
Price: $35,375.00
Perma Plate: + $499.00
Theft Protection: + $289.50
Windshield Protection: + $299.50
Vehicle Selling Price: $36,463.00

Sales Tax (estimate): + $2,811.69
Tag/Registration Fees (estimate): + $27.20
Documentation Fee: + $499.00
Balance Due (estimate): $39,800.89

Holy smoke that is in US 38,800 us in Canadian that would be 56k, I paid mine 45,500 tax in Canadian, for Abarth with deluxe package, + Abarth car cover + tag tracking system +lock nuts + 3 oil changes and and 7 yrs 0% financing.

When I agreed to final price it was tax in, and not a penny more. Tonight fore sure I'll sleep comfortly. >>>

 

[hefbadr]

I'd be very curious as to what "Windshield protection" is. A guardian angel hovering ahead of you?

I worked at a dealer in a past life, and we made more profit from all this poly razzmatazz sealants, protectants, rust proofing
AND undercoating and every other gimmick the "after sales" department could sell. Many times this stuff was "already on the car" which gave you no choice if that was the car you absolutely had to have. Walk away.....and of course with each addition up goes the sales tax.....

 

[JFernald]

I'd be very curious as to what "Windshield protection" is. A guardian angel hovering ahead of you?

I worked at a dealer in a past life, and we made more profit from all this poly razzmatazz sealants, protectants, rust proofing
AND undercoating and every other gimmick the "after sales" department could sell. Many times this stuff was "already on the car" which gave you no choice if that was the car you absolutely had to have. Walk away.....and of course with each addition up goes the sales tax.....

I would think that because the windshield is fairly expensive, the "protection" is a special insurance in case you need to replace it. This should be covered by your regular policy's comprehensive coverage, unless you have a high deductible. If so, that's still a pretty hefty tag for the coverage.

 

[LongBeachJim]

"Windshield Protection" is a sonic radar repellant which keeps bugs from hitting the glass. At high speeds it will often benefit the cars driving next to you as well.

Seriously, if you're willing to do a nationwide search you might find (as I did) a 124 around invoice with no add-ons. As we move into winter it's a buyer's market.

 

[JFernald]

Holy smoke that is in US 38,800 us in Canadian that would be 56k, I paid mine 45,500 tax in Canadian, for Abarth with deluxe package, + Abarth car cover + tag tracking system +lock nuts + 3 oil changes and and 7 yrs 0% financing.

When I agreed to final price it was tax in, and not a penny more. Tonight fore sure I'll sleep comfortly. >>>

No smoke there, holy or otherwise. The MSRP quoted seems within reason, depending on the options he is getting. Apparently, the car he is looking at has more options, or different options than yours. Using the FiatUSA.com build & price option, I was able to load up an Abarth that priced at $38,620, before tax, title & license. His comparable price is only $35,875. The low end of the price range would be $29,190. (All prices include the $995 destination charge.)

 

[hefbadr]

LongBeachJim:

When driving in the dark, does windshield protection also repel bats? Is it compatible with the heads up display my dealer is offering????

 

[LongBeachJim]

My FiatUSA.com build was $34,035 and I paid $32,790 (fully loaded automatic Abarth sans Brembos). Administration fee was only $99. I'm sure we'll see even better deals before long.

 

[Stelvio]

Should be MSRP, plus tax and title fees, only. The sales tax and fees are set by the state you purchase it in. Many dealers add a documentation fee to do the paper work. Totally negotiable. In my state the law limits this fee to $250. I got my Abarth for MSRP - $2650 dealer discount with .9% 36 month financing through Chrysler (cheapest money I will ever borrow, so I only put $1000 down and financed the rest.) I let him add on the $250 documentation fee as part of the negotiations. ( He initially tried to tell me it was a mandatory state fee, when I let him know that I knew better and that the only thing the state had to do about it was regulating that the fee could not be MORE than $250 and a dealer could charge nothing, if they chose.
The car came with some windshield repair protection (fix a small ding provided it is not in the driver's view), polymer wax job and some other minor insurance BS, but none of it was listed as separate charges and was all rolled into the deal I outlined above.
Don't be a sucker. This is year end and you are be able to get a discount on the car.Fiat is also offering the dealers rebates for loyality (already own a Chrysler) and Military (been in the service). These discounts if applicable come from Chysler/FIAT and have nothing to do with what you should also get from the dealer. In other words, deduct these discounts from the MSRP then ask the dealer for his contribution. Don't be shy, another 15% is not unreasonable. In Northern climes, these dealers don't want to sit on these cars through the winter and no one wants one now since it is not a car you want to drive in the snow. Be a Trumpster, NEGOTIATE by asking for the moon to start with.

 

[frankmar]

Here if you get a windshield crack or breaks, call insurance and they will send you a place of your choice and you pay just $100. We have the NO FAULT INSURANCE HERE.

2 years ago this truck had a debris flying off his truck and hit my windshield, I was able to catch up, he stopped and took all the info. Reported to insurance, fix it and because I reported the truck driver, I was able to get my $100. back

 

[Bulldog66]

Thanks for all the great replies!! I hate how dealers can take the joy out of the car buying experience. I did reply to them saying MSRP, plus legit taxes etc, and said I would not pay for the 4 bogus line items. We will see. I didn't mention he was trying to get 7.9% on ALL terms!!! Without even seeing my very good credit report. Really?! Another major flag. Does he think people wont even look on the Fiat site for promos!!??

Bummer that what is coming in is perfect for me. Abarth, silver, Recaros, Luxury Package and Brembos. (though I would have been fine without the Brembos since the GoodWin Wilwood setups are better)

But I was on TrueCar last night and the other major dealer in Denver call me first thing this morning. Already better service. May take longer, but that is okay.

 

[oliverpull]

They really loaded up the extras on this one! Thery all are just ways of marking up the MSR price. I'd accept none of them. My dealer had a paint sealant listed on mine; I said I didn't want it and they took it off (off the invoice; the sealant had already been applied).

I used the Costco buying service, and there was a doc fee for that. I thought it might be a dealer add-on, but found out through Costco that it was a charge from them to the dealer. And Costco then told me that this fee varied from state to state and that in Nevada, where I bought the car, it should be $400+ rather than the $80 listed on the dealers's invoice (which was for California). When I went in to sign the papers, that charge from Costco had been "corrected" to $437. When I expressed exasperation with this, the salesman, Michael Aguiluz, increased the mfg rebate from $500 to $1,000, making up the difference and leaving me feeling at ease with the deal. Towbin in Las Vegas is a good dealership.

 

[Amante]

When I bought my Lusso Premium manual, I negotiated hard and couldn't get below MSRP. The car was in transit to the dealer when I pulled the trigger. All I got was the $500 factory rebate.

I picked up the car the day after it arrived at the dealer. I found the window sticker in the cubby between the seats, and I also found a second sticker in there, which showed a $1298 fee (!!) for Permaplate, and a $499 fee for ETCH Anti-theft. As far as I could tell, the ETCH deal included a bunch of stickers on doors, hood and trunk lid, showing an 800 number. WTF good is that?? Absolutely none. And the Permaplate? Total BS! When would they have had time to apply it? I think all that $1298 fee bought was a couple of stickers on the windshield and driver's side window.

That extra window sticker also included a $4995 "AMV" - adjusted market value. That would have brought the "total price" to over $39K!!

The dealer never mentioned those extras to me, and I obviously didn't pay for them. If they had tried to ding me for those extras, I would have walked, and they knew it.

They charged me a $275 doc fee, which I thought was a bit of a rip, but I let it go, not wanting to do any more arguing with them. I bought the car out of state, so I had to wait a few days for them to mail the MCO to my home state DMV. Imagine my surprise when the document packet included a check for the title and reg fees - $347! So they came out on the short end of that part of the transaction.

This kind of behavior is typical in the car dealer world. I heard recently that some BMW dealers are *doubling* the MSRP on the new, desirable M2. Dealers care a lot more about their margins than they do about their customers.

I peeled the Permaplate stickers off the windows...

 

[Bulldog66]

Well, they will not budge on the options I do not want to pay for. NOT HAPPY!!! I would avoid them if you live in Colorado. Why is buying this car sooooo stupid difficult?! Is Fiat not in the business of making money?

 

[Bulldog66]

BTW...it is Auto Nation in Denver