After much tire kicking and looking, we've decided that the PT was the way to go. We've been shopping for quite a while and we were all prepared - even paying for the thing outright, cash - ready to put pen to paper today.
Knowing full-well that they were to be scarce, and completely prepared to order and wait for one, we headed out to a local Chrysler dealership this afternoon. They just happened to have two in stock - both black. Of no real concern really as we were there to place an order for a Patriot Blue Cruiser.
Anyhow, we take one them for a spin, check it out a bit...it's stickering for $20,950. Not bad at all. A Limited Edition and it's loaded. We sit down to order ours and finally get around to pricing. As I suspected, there's a premium - right now, it's an additional $4,500 for the two on the lot. That's about a 25% markup.
Again, of no real concern as we're ordering ours. Right? So we thought...
The waiting list, according to a salesperson who was obviously a little too eager to sell me one of the black Cruisers on the lot, is about 8 months right now. I can accept that - even if she was stretching a bit to her benefit. Do I expect to wait that long? No...but it's no big deal if we do though. With Chrysler building as many of them as they can, and with as many orders being placed as there are, a Blue Limited has a relatively good chance of showing up with an owner changing his/her mind beforehand. Again, we're in no hurry either. My wife's driver is still fairly new and we're both very patient. Besides, as I learned with the SS, waiting and anticipation can be half the fun of this process and now she gets to custom order her car just how she wants it.
So here comes the real kicker - after about 15 minutes of the "let me chat with my manager" bit, she comes back with "the best they can do" - they want to charge me an additional *minimum* of $2,000 just to order the thing. This amount can and will change too, at will, before the car even arrives. In other words, give us your deposit, we'll order it and decide on a final premium when the time comes.
Literaly slipping my checkbook back into my coat pocket I explained that, in my opinion, you pay a premium to get your hands on an available rare vehicle right then and there - something they actually have while dealer X down the street does not. It's a premium because you can't FIND it anyplace else and you absolutely have to have it right now.
With the way I order my cars, as I assume is the case with most of you, dealers have very little work to do...not to mention the fact that I won't let them wash or detail upon arrival. For example, my SS was on the dealer's lot for less than 30 minutes. They had to do very little for their green.
I ask for a copy of the bid so I can shop around and she actually snatches it away from me. "Forget it." They can't do it. Company policy. I ask "If I write you a deposit check right now though, I can take a copy of this for receipt?"...and of course, I can. She interjects "I wish you would just buy the Black one back there" for the third time in less than 30 minutes.
I state my intentions to shop around - to see if all local dealers are charging premiums. If they are, and we decide that we still want to order one, then I'll be back to give them my business (at this point however, my wife and share the "there's no way we're paying any premium for THIS car - in three years the streets will be saturated with them).
They begin bully tactics - implying that if I order from anyone else, I may not even RECEIVE the car. That nobody else can even order the thing. And that I should buy the Black one, damnit. Please. Right now. Nevermind that it doesn't even have the options we want let alone the right COLOR.
After again describing how rape-like charging a potential customer a premium for simply ordering the damn thing was (and wonderful as the PT may be...as fresh and as endearing as it is right now, it's an econobox and a relatively cheap one at that. I felt as if I were haggling over a 550 Maranello) and hearing more of her BS, we walked out.
It was pretty sad. They would have made a little money off of me today. Without a premium, I would have settled at around $19,500 - $20,500. As a customer ordering right there, knowing full well what I was buying, they would have made money when the car arrived for no more than a few minutes of work.
We'll be test-driving an Audi A4 on Monday.
------------------
o 2001 M6 SS Onyx/Ebony (#1225)
o Every GM Option (Deleted = T-Tops & ASR)
o Every Y2Y Option including 1LE/g-Force TA KDs/Dual-Dual/Auburn/ZR1 5 spokes/grille)
o !CAGS / Hotchkis STB / MTI Lid+K&N / SLP ATM / Ripper / 80-series Flow /
[This message has been edited by Art Schroeder (edited 03 December 2000).]
------------------
96 SS #597 M6
60' 1.70
12.12 @ 114.2mph
------------------
2000 SS #6593
www.msu.edu/~milbran1
Onyx exterior, Ebony Leather interior
T-tops
M6 w/ Hurst
SLP Skip Shift Eliminator
Y2Y: SS car cover
Key fobs and dash plaque
Alpine 3DA-7987 3 disk
2 MTX amps
Infinity 6 1/2s
MTX Thunderform F-body enclosure with 10" sub
As you know exactly what you want, have you looked into buying online?
------------------
On the other hand, my local Saab dealer is more than willing and very eager to find the exact car I want, at invoice even!
They are really nice there. They beat the hell out of all the other dealers around me.
Good luck. Buy one in Canada, no premiums!!!
Kevin - I know what you mean. The salesperson and dealer can make a world of difference when you're shopping...suddenly our other car options looked very nice indeed (Maxima, A4, Jetta). If you know exactly what you have to have, as we all here did with our SSs and TAs, then it's a bit different.
June 2001!? Wow! I guess we may really be looking into something else. I wouldn't mind playing the waiting game until the PT phenomenon settles down (ie: the new Beetle) before making a move. But my wife has been waiting patiently for quite a while for her new car now and that's the real impetus.
------------------
Jim Mac
'98 Silver SS #108
How do you like your Saturn? That came up as an option but we haven't driven one.
) But it runs very nicely, has good pickup (182 HP), decent gas mileage (22-26), some very handy features (such as split fold-down back seats, valet locks for the trunk area, etc.) and fits the bill for a commuter car. We drove it up to Vermont recently and it really was a comfortable ride up there. Tax, title, license, lock, stock and barrel we paid about 23K for it.------------------
Jim Mac
'98 Silver SS #108
Just a warning, I'm not saying they are all lemons... But it is built upon the Neon chassis and is definitely no where near a speedy car... Plus don't get silver, it's just too common =)
------------------
Owner of TT Performance Parts - www.thetechs2k.net
1999 Bright Red WS.6 Trans Am
- Competition Cam (218/224 528/535 114)
- Joe Brusoe Ported Heads
- Flowtech Exhaust Cutout
The PT would be for my wife and in any event, she isn't like me and doesn't need excessive power - considering I drive her car perhaps once in a blue moon, it won't bother me that often either. If anything, it would act as a nice contrast to the SS that would make jumping back in her all the more fun!
But the Maxima was a blast to drive - 222HP in that ride made for a fairly decent performer.
I ordered in July of '99, took delivery in October. Out the door, including tax, license, and LoJack was $31K.
I'd keep looking if I were you.
------------------
Cheers,
Steve SSOA F00-1363 CCSD #204
00 Camaro SS Lt. Pewter, neutral leather, M6, Hurst, PEG2, ASR, defogger
SLP chrome rims, D-D exhaust, Bilstein, Castrol, cover, mats, fobs
BMR STB, SLP !CAGS, AAM diff cover, Chrome Hood Insert, Zaino
Dyno's at 312 RWHP, 321 RWT
96 K1500 SWB Silverado 350 5 speed 3.73 axles Z71 G80 etc.
"It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave..."
Moody Blues
quote:Ahhhhh.....but my SS is silver, and one of the reasons I got that color is that it can go a long time without a wash and still look clean!
Originally posted by TT Performance:
Nex.....Plus don't get silver, it's just too common =)
After trying to keep my black '87 Monte Carlo SS clean, all I can say is that I'll never buy another dark colored car again unless I don't give a damn about it's appearance. My Silver SS has gone months between washings (at times) and still looked damn good. (Of course, it's a garage queen, so the only thing it'll get on it is dust! )------------------
Jim Mac
'98 Silver SS #108
Tom
quote:Oh, bite me!!!
Originally posted by 99Hawk#196:
Yeah Jim, Silver stays clean for 3 weeks....until you get a couple of guys to Zaino itTom
And it was longer than three weeks, more like the whole summer! And that's because I'm a lazy SOB!
------------------
Jim Mac
'98 Silver SS #108
You might try posting your experience on the message forum at http://www.ptcruiserclub.org and see what the experts over there have to say (that's the equivalent of the SS people here).
They even have a couple of Blue ones in the "for sale" area.....One Auto and one 5-speed.
Good luck!
------------------
Cetera (Teri) Heino
1999 SS #0069 and everything else.
[This message has been edited by HTWLSS (edited 04 December 2000).]
