re: Advice for factory ordering a vehicle- negotiating tips, deposits, etc.

quote:

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I'm sorry to come off smug, but I'm just really looking for advice from people who have experience doing it.

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I've done this on an allocated product. I negotiated a price up front with the dealer with the understanding that the price could move at any point before we signed papers. Once we agreed on the tentative price of the vehicle, I put up a refundable deposit (applied to the sale if it went through) that the dealership required to place the order against their allotment. That deposit got me right of first refusal on the car when it arrived, but still allowed for the final price to move once the car arrived. The dealer placed the order and two or three months later, I got a phone call from the saleswoman to tell me the car had arrived. I drove to the dealership the next day and all the papers were drawn up for the sale price we'd agreed upon at the outset with the deposit applied. I wrote a check for the remainder of the down payment, signed the finance papers, and drove off the lot with my brand new car built to my wishes.

EDIT: I'm an idiot and responded to an old thread. Point and laugh. Tell my story to the children as a cautionary tale.