I plan to buy an xB on Wednesday. In preparation, I sent in requests for a BCP to some local dealers. One contacted me back: "Great news! We have a BCP on the lot. Come take a test drive!" However, it is a 2004 model. It just doesn't seem fair for me to pay the same price. I understand it's the same car for the most part, but I would just feel like i wasn't getting a BRAND new car, right from the get go. Something would be lost there. What would you do?

I feel like I'm going to be quite talked into a 2k4, it looks like both dealerships in my area are trying to push out the last few 2k4s they have, and they both seem to have BCPs in their inventory. What CAN I do? Would I have any leverage to actually haggle on a Scion?!?

 

If you are willing to wait for a 2005 then do it. Especially if they are not going to go down on there price. There has to be some leverage there.

 

I can assure you that having a 2k4 model doesn't make you late to the game nor should you feel shortchanged that the 2k5 model year is coming soon.

Look at it this way, I assume the state of NY hasn't been selling scions for more than a month now so you can rest assured that the 2k4 BCP xB hasn't been sitting on their lot and rotting for the last year or so.

Whether or not they want to reduce the price of a 2k4 compared to a 2k5 really doesn't matter anyways, scion franchises don't sell like the old fashioned traditional way of haggling and negotiating. sticker price is pretty much the price that the car will be sold at.

 

Right, im well aware of the non-negotating nature of scion. But - no one ever said they couldn't "inflate" my trade in by $500 bucks because I'm going to take that 2k4. Not that I couldn't get the extra 500 by default somewhere else, trade-ins are always a toss up.

It is interesting to note that another scion dealer in the area is offering a discount on their scions - exactly $465 off.

 

Sounds like they're waiving the delivery charge on that one. I'd wait for '05 though, I got my '05 a couple weeks ago and while the '04 isn't missing much (fully swiveling air vents is all I think), when you later go to sell it or trade it in a few years the model year will make a difference. If you keep it for 10 years it won't be much of a difference, but money is money.

 

wait for the 05's

 

Wouldn't registration be cheaper on a 04 because it's technically a year old?

 

I would do a bit of negotiation theater. And I would do it today, tomorrow at the latest, before the end of the month.

Have them write up your 2005 order, work out the numbers, let them figure out that it's going to take how ever many weeks long to fill and have them price out your trade-in.

Then, casually, almost as an after thought, I would tell them that if they were motivated to move that in-stock box before the end of the month, you'd be willing to take it, if they made it worth your while. Suggest they could add another $1000 to your trade-in and then they would be able to close out the month with the sale.

Be prepared to close it on the spot if you take this direction.

 

I like that idea, it's sort of what I have been thinking myself. If you've seen my other message board posts recently, I've got $5,000 in cash ready, along with a decent - ballpark $4,500-$5,500 trade. I'm certainly ready to move if the price is "lowered" in any way since I'm going to take the 2004 (for more bargaining power, I happen to know they have a 2005 on the lot sitting next to the 2004). The question is, is if I should take it at the SAME price as a 2k5, if that is RIGHT in the eyes of the dealership, or Scion in general, and if this dealer won't get really pushy that I want the exact same car in the exact same color with the exact same transmission but with a different model year number tied to it. I really dont wan't something that negative to cmoe of this, because my parents own a car from this dealer and are very happy with service after the sale (lots of freebies in terms of maintenance). Perhaps former and continued business will be a bargaining chip as well. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow night!

 

naoki,

Stand firm. You're in the right position. It IS more desireable to get a newer model year even if they are the same feature for feature. Four years down the road, the book value on the 05 you order tomorrow will be higher than the 04 you buy tomorrow. I'd try and bargain hard ball, but because of the crazy Scion no-haggle policy, the only place you can leverage is your trade-in. Cash down, plus trade plus finance on the balance is no different than a 100% finance to the dealer; they want to sell you a car tomorrow, before the end of the month. And an order isn't the same as a sale, especially for the sales guy, even more so if it goes another fours week or more to fill the order.

The dealer won't mind you playing tough. They get it all the time. They know how to play it and everytime someone comes in and doesn't try and haggle, or does it ineffectively, they're pitching a softball in a hard ball game.

Good luck! Perfect timing by the way.

PS: You don't need to bring up the valued customer bit. That would play well to the owner if they're focused on building long-term relationships, but the sales guy and his manager have a number to hit. Tomorrow, close of business day.

 

I had never even taken into consideration it was the end of month... good timing, but not on purpose!

 

I had a similar situation on an 04 xA. I had the exact car the customer wanted, except they wanted an 05. I just said "no problem". They waited about 2 weeks and got there 05. Someone came in 2 days later and bought the 04. No worries!!

 

Finally the dealer perspective! Not what I wanted to hear in terms of 'haggling' on my trade or leverage in my situation, but it's nice to get the idea that you weren't concerned about ordering a car identical to one you had on the lot, just cuz your customer wanted an '05. Eases my mind a bit... of course... the car sitting on the lot DOES look mighty good... I mean, it is literally THERE... damn impatience.

 

An update from trying to get my xB last night: No dealers in the area would bite on giving me a remaining 2004 for "less" by giving me more for my trade. So since they weren't willing to haggle on my trade, I took the highest price given - $4200 - and ordered a 2005, due in next week. (I was looking for at least $4500 to make getting a 2004 instead worth my while)

Although I was scared of selling my current car myself, I decided to try it today, so my Dad called the local paper for an ad, and I placed an ad at autotrader.com. My parents got ____ed at me for "wasting" money by trying to sell my car over the internet. Well, I posted that ad 3 hours ago and 2 hours after that, my 1999 Olds Alero was sold for asking price - $5750, a bit more than it was valued by KBB and $1550 more than I was going to get from a dealer.

I sold my car to a very cute 17 year old girl who just left my house after a test drive. I'm incredibly excited; and I'm not talking about the sale of my car! :twisted:

 

Something else to chew on.

If you get the 04, You got the ability to say that you got one from the first year that they were sold here. If you plan on keeping it for a long time like I do, it could mean something later when the xB is out of production, and ppl start looking at them as collector cars.

 

That COULD end up being true, could not... cars are hard to judge as investments, the xB perhaps a little better than most because of it's uniqueness and recent interviews with the VP or whoever who states that he doesn't see the xB as sticking around for that long.

But unlike you, I hope to have this car only for a year or two, so I want it to keep as much resale value as humanly possible. The 04 would have been only been worth it to me at a "discount" vs. the 05. Come'on, is it FAIR to offer the exact same price on two cars that are the same model, but one model year apart? It just doesn't SEEM right, as much as you and I know that they are essentially the same car.

 

As far as value goes, although you'll get dinged for the Model year, you'll get an add for low mileage.

For example:

2004 Corolla S - 12,000 Miles = 12625

2003 Corolla S - 5 miles = 12225

I just used the Corolla as a comparison and kept the same criteria for both except the year and miles. That number is the trade-in value, the private party value was slightly closer - $345 difference.

Not that huge of a loss but something to ponder.

 

Congrats on the sale. Now you just have to do the purchase.