Discount or dealer doc fee waiver success stories?

[Old smart]

Best that I've seen is my dealer paying the VA sales tax (5%) during a sale of lot stock.

[mcmunn]

The Car Sales industry is demand based... One figure I saw when I was in auto sales was an average profit of $800 per car (several years ago, before internet shopping made this run lower)... Smart cars far exceed this average.


In addition, my car arrived on Monday and will be in my driveway tonight... Not having to "floor plan" cars for long periods also helps profitability. (Floor plan is the term for interest paid on financing of dealer stock.) I have personally seen a dealer financial statement. Doc fees go STRAIGHT to profit. The BS explanation you get, means nothing... Let's not get in to the gouging that dealers did with orphans in 2008...

All that said, they are a business... They can conduct that business as they see fit... I can respond as I see it... Such is our beautful capitalist (for now) society.... I remember getting full MSRP for limited edition cars, 3000GT's, RX-7's, ect.... But that was only at first... Over time that will not hold...

To answer the questions about sales... As the only dealer in Georgia they sell a bunch... They advised that they got 3 truckloads on Monday... But they share overhead (as many do), by sharing the building with a Mercedes Benz dealership...

The conversation tonight will be brief and non-confrontational:

1. Can you waive or reduce the $399 dealer fee? Answer - No

2. Can we be assured of high scores on the satisfaction survey? Answer - No

[mcmunn]

5% cut... That is very good... Must be move to clear orphans...

5% on my MSRP would be a $943.75 discount.... Of course 5% after a bunch of add-on's would not be so good...

[Blackbelt]

My brother is the service manager at an area Chrysler/dodge/jeep dealer. He has worked there for close to 20 years. I have bought A LOT of cars there, and i get 'real' employee pricing(the same price as my brother gets). I have bought at least 15-20 used cars as well as 5 new cars from them over the years. i STILL pay their full doc fee on every car i buy. I have *****ed about it and they answer is always the same"the owner will not waive it for anyone, including employees"(my brother pays it too). That said, it is not unreasonable, somewhere around $175, and that includes fees which have to be paid to the state,including a years registration and plate.

I would complain and ask for a reduction in the fee if it were $399 also. If they balk, ask them for a breakdown of what you are getting for the money you are paying. That is not an unreasonable request. Make them try to justify that fee from a business point of view.
I don't remember what i paid for the fee on my smart, but it must have been fair, otherwise i WOULD remember it..LOL

[jwight]

Just a comment; in OH the doc fee does not include any of the mandated state tax, title or registration fees. We pay those plus the doc fees. So, as others have said, it pure profit for the dealer. There's a whole thread on this with all the gory details here.

[mcmunn]

Positive update-

Evidently my complaint did not fall on deaf ears... I received a partial refund toward my 10K service.

Even though it was not a full refund, I appreciate the gesture....