FWIW, organization of previously posted information.
Seven Smart dealers (No dealer add-ons reported)
Edison, NJ (according to vanslam)
Winston-Salem, NC (according to Container_Guy)
Sarasota, FL (according to smartfloridadad)
San Antonio, TX (according to mike-in-sa)
San Jose, CA (according to Alan_Hepburn)
Sacramento, CA (according to Smartdavis)
Seattle, WA (according to "BeSmart")
Nine Smart dealers(Forced add-ons reported on orphans...see footnotes) ($2-5,000 more)
1. Portland, OR
2. Denver, CO
3. Bedford, OH (Cleveland)
4. San Diego, CA
5. White Plains, NY
6. Fairfield, CT
7. Annapolis, MD
8. Tysons Corner, VA (D.C.)
9. Dallas, TX
Who else?
FOOTNOTES:
1. $2200 worth of add-ons according to je047bo; LoJack and interior/exterior protection package according to jwight.; $16,750 + tax/license for a $13,990 + $650 shipping vehicle according to "Iceberg".
2. Loaded with add-ons according to "cosmart"
3. Dealer gave vague $18-19k Passion coupes according to "smorris"
Mollie/Molly quoted over $18k passion coupe to "jwight" and "Wile E. Coyote"
4. Several Passion Coupes at $21k
5. Dealer gave vague $20k+ for a base Cabrio base with LoJack, etc. according to "2009Aveo5"
6. $17,302 for a base Coupe Passion with LoJack, 6yr/60k warranty, fabric protection, wheel/tire warranty, dealer required a $1000 non-refundable deposit prior to giving finance rate and trade-in value to "2009Aveo5".
7. LoJack & Fabric according to "Orphan-Beggar"
8. According to "Orphan-Beggar"
9. $2000 add-ons according to "angel"
RATIONALE
The reason for this thread is to inform the public what consumers have experienced at various Smart dealerships. In no way am I complaining about these dealerships. It's simply a compiled list. No whining here. Some people may actually want LoJack (including myself due to where I will be parking the Smart) so this may give them an idea of what kind of add-ons these dealers are adding. It can be negative or positive depending on your perspective. In my opinion, $1200 paint protection (according to Smartdavis), fabric protection, etc. is negative, however a $695 LoJack is positive. Some dealers are said to charge substantially less for LoJack, so this is simply part of being a Smart consumer. Some may view LoJack as a negative, vice versa.
On the flip side, I am also considering other hybrid vehicles such as the 4th generatoin 2009 Prius which is said to be on schedule according to other forums, likely mid-October. Others have posted buying other cars such as the Yaris; therefore this is simply here to make good decisions. The goal isn't to bash dealerships. I agree to many the add-ons is just part of getting an orphan versus waiting months while others would like to know what to expect in order to plan. Some are on a tighter budget than others, etc.
In conclusion, the intention of this thread is not to be divisive but to simply organize the random posts on the subject throughout the forum. Positive or negative is a moot topic as far as the purpose of this thread. In fact, those willing to pay $300 to $2000 to be put on an exclusive orphan list and willing to pay for the add-ons are far more likely to get an orphan; therefore this list can also be used to help those who are more serious spenders to get an orphan faster, yet it can also be used for those looking to deal exclusively with dealers that allow for the customer to choose which accessories they'd like on their Smart.
DEALER ADD-ON PRICES:
LoJack $695 (however someone paid substantially less on a Smart)
Warranty 3yr/36k w/ $100 deductible $395
Warranty 4yr/48k w/ $100 deductible $695
Warranty 6yr/60k w/ $100 deductible $995
Warranty 5yr/100k w/ $100 deductible $1395
Paint Protection $1200
Fabric Protection $?
Clear Bra $?
Wheel/Tire Warranty $?
INTEREST RATES QUOTED:
Smart Dealer 6.9% or more depending on credit
Wells Fargo 5%
Feel free to add...maybe this will be useful to someone purchasing a new Smart.
DEALERS REQUIRING REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS TO BE ON ORPHAN LIST
Knoxville, TN $300
St. James, NY $500
Lindon, UT $1000
N. Hollywood, CA $2000
SPECIAL RULES TO BE PUT ON ORPHAN LIST
Edison, NJ - Requires you to come into the dealer to be put on orphan list
Williamsville, NY - Local residents only
Englewood, NJ - Local residents only
Cherry Hill, NJ - They have to sell to reservation holders in their area or else Smart USA penalizes the dealer 2%
Portland, OR - They honor Oregon residents first, then other state localities
EXPECTED NUMBER OF SMARTS COMING TO DEALER Pittsburgh, PA - 15 in March and 30 in April according to salesperson Matt
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS Sacramento, CA - According to salesperson Nick
I can confirm that, yes, the Denver dealer does force add-ons to the orphans before selling them. I don't know what exactly, or how much it all costs. I had hoped I would find the information here someplace in another thread, but after searching, it seems that no one knows, or at least, no one has posted. So, I will go to the dealer, right now, in person, and ask. I'll report back with what, if anything, I am able to learn.
On interest rates I got 4.9% from the dealer through BofA. They came down from an initial rate of 7.9% after i told them I was approved at 5.2% through Capital One
Okay, back from Denver Smart (and Chipotle). Here's the deal. Buying a car off the orphan list costs MSRP + $645* destination charge + $295* dealer fees/docs + $2,250 for extras. The extras include...
- "Enviroguard", some kind of protection for the internal fabrics and whatnot to prevent against staining and stuff
- a clear plastic cover on the outer front of the vehicle, to prevent against dings from rocks and stuff
- new head unit with navigation; it's a Kenwood/Garmin combo. Looked kinda nice, but not extremely so.
- new speakers in the doors, Alpine 6" 2-way (the tweeter and sub - if present in original customer's order - remain unchanged).
And I think that's it. All in all, personally, I'd rather not buy off the orphan list if that's how much extra I have to be paying. Although, in due fairness, it does seem like a lot of stuff, so if I was tired enough of waiting, I could see going for it. I mean, isn't a BAD deal... but it's not that good either.
*these you would have to pay anyway, regardless of orphan list.
ETA: As mentioned in someone else's post above, getting on the orphan list is free. It costs $99 to order your own car, new. But even that isn't really a "cost", because it's credited towards the purchase of the car.
$2,000 is a ballpark / average for Dallas. On the higher end when they add the powder coated wheels, tint, and lojack. On the lower end for pinstriping, tint, and Lojack. Not all orphans get the same add on's from as far as I can tell. They just all get some add on's. I was just glad I got the lower of the add on's and didn't have to get the wheels to get my orphan.
$2,000 is a ballpark / average for Dallas. On the higher end when they add the powder coated wheels, tint, and lojack. On the lower end for pinstriping, tint, and Lojack. Not all orphans get the same add on's from as far as I can tell. They just all get some add on's. I was just glad I got the lower of the add on's and didn't have to get the wheels to get my orphan.
Chandler AZ has called me with several orphans, and they were straight MSRP with no addons. The Albuquerque dealer was loading their orphans up. - heureka
On the orphans Devon Pa called me about, they all had about $1500. worth of add-ons - paint protection, tire & wheel warranty, lojack just to name a few
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