Avalanche Wannabe

[Awesomebase]

Hello All!
This is my first time on the forum, so please don't be too hard on me! I'm looking at getting a new Avalanche in the next couple of months. I see that the new 2003 models are coming out, and I'm interested in that model but am afraid that I won't get the same kind of discounts that can be had with the 2002 models. I saw on this site that the new models will be available in early August. Does anybody know if the current promo of 0% financing for 36 months will apply to those models? In the adds, it does say that the promo goes until the end of August and that you need to take delivery by Sept. 3rd, which seems to imply that you can "order" a new Av (not that there is a shortage of them on the car lots), but, I like the new look of the cladding and matching color. I also like the idea of the rear-seat entertainment system.
That aside, has anybody attached a winch to the front of the Av? I find it odd that this is such a difficult accessory to find. Your help would be much appreciated. My apologies if these questions are too simplistic. Thanks in Advance!

Oh, one short question... what kind of discounts are people getting off of the MSRP? What methods are you using to get a good price? Any special packages or things I should know? I really like the Z71 model... everything I need.

 

[steelheadchaser]

Welcome to the club. Member Matts_U.A.V. fab'd his own front receiver for a removable winch set-up. Winches have been mentioned in a couple of threads. Try searching under "winch" and go back 150 days or so. Warn or Ramsey will hopefully be coming out with one. There are some bumper manufacturers said to be working on custom bumpers for the Av as well. These may include winch mounting provisions. Keep in mind that the frame configurations are different between the 1500 and 2500, so the receivers and winch bumpers will be different between the two models.

As far as discounts go, you should be able to pick up a 2002 model for invoice or possibly a bit lower, depending on region. Finding exactly what you want may be difficult this late in the game. I don't believe pricing is out yet for the '03's.

Things you should know? Yes, there are a few. Closely inspect for any signs of leaking (again, try a search). Look under the rubber door seals at the top of the doors for any signs of rust from metal filings left over from a sloppy roof rack install, if so equipped. I'm sure others will offer more advice. I can't really think of anything else since my Av has been problem free! Good luck and good hunting!

 

[Awesomebase]

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I'll do a search for those posts where a "winch" was mentioned and catch up on those details.
It would be cool if the 2003 models had some more information on them. I imagine that there won't be too many deals on them while there are still 2002 models taking up space on the lots. I just hope that a lot of the 2002s that go out the doors are replaced with 2003s and not more 2002s. Here's hoping!

 

[sparky]

I would not expect any deals on the 2003 models, and be prepared to have 0% only applied to 02's at least for a while

 

[pdxkevin]

Welcome aboard ! !

The deals the 2002's are getting will probably be availible on the 2003's in about a year. ?But come one... can you or do you really want to wait that long?

 

[nh_mark]

Awesomebase,

Welcome from another newbie.

I just got a 2002. With discounts I paid under 30K (29997) on truck with a sticker of over 38K.

I got a Z71, power bucket seats, power sunroof, driver convienience package and roof rack.

Also, I think I read somewhere that some of the standard equipment on the '02 was going to be optional on the '03 model.

Good luck,
Mark

 

[TXAVy]

I just got a 2002. With discounts I paid under 30K (29997) on truck with a sticker of over 38K.

NICE work nh_mark! Can you list here what rebates and discounts you used to get the price down over 8K?

 

[OrlandoAV]

Pretty much the same deal as I got.

Dealer invoice is close to $32k on a fully equiped Z71 (w/ sunroof) - $2002 rebate puts you under $30k (sales tax will bump you back up to $32k) and if you have GM MasterCard you will get the cash-back portion instantly.

Like I said in another post: if you find one with a soft cover on the bed, you can use that to negotiate a lower deal. I was able to lower them by another $300 (there is also a rebate on the factory sticker, about $200 if I recall.)

Most dealers I talked to were quite reasonable about starting from dealer invoice and negotiating from there. The same cannot be said about a Z06 or the 35th Anniversary (final) Camaro, $2500 and $3000 over MSRP respectively ... they tried to nickel and dime me for those (I guess with good reason, someone obviously will drop that kinda dough -> )

But I'm crusin (in mud) in style and have a much fatter wallet now

 

[Chief]

Although its pure speculation I think the deals will be on the 03. Remember GM is locked in mortal combat with Ford and this is the best chance they've had in 25 years to pass them up in total overall sales...GM is going to keep the heat on, you watch...again - IMHO...

 

[nh_mark]

NICE work nh_mark! Can you list here what rebates and discounts you used to get the price down over 8K?

Of course the current $2500 went to the dealer. About 6 or 7 weeks ago the dealers around here were advertising $7500 off Silverados and Avalanches, I think this was a GM to dealer incentive. When the $2500 deal came out the prices stayed the same.

My guess is that GM is still giving dealers 7500 off and now there is 2500 off that the dealer is pocketing. Of course this is just an assumption but it makes sense, the price never went back up after the 7500 deal was over.

You can see an example of the prices at http://www.betley.com then do a search for new vehicles and select the Avalanche. This is not where I bought my truck, the dealer I went to beat Betley by throwing in the Sunroof, Driver Conv. package and roof rack for $110 more than Betley.

-Mark

 

[Awesomebase]

Hey guys!
Thanks for all the info! I was away at a wedding for the weekend and what an experience that was!
Anyhow, I'm really amazed at the kind of discounts that some of you are getting! That is really incredible!
May I ask some advice on what the best bargainng position is? Here's the deal... I want to get a good price, but I also want to get the 0% financing for 3 years. I have a couple of things going for me on my trade-in. One is that the car is in superb condition. The other is that it is paid well over its worth, so the difference can help reduce the cost of the 3 year loan (i.e. use as part of a down payment).
Should I be trying to get the best discount on the truck first without mentioning where I'm going to finance it? Or should I look at online sites and take quotes to dealers on those packages? I would really like to get a Black Z71 version of the truck, and, after looking at the differences in the 2002 and 2003 models, it didn't make much sense to me to go with the newer one now, since there seems to be very little difference (except for the supposedly better braking and the nice double-din size stereo space in the console).
If somebody could post the kind of package they received and the price they paid for it, that would be great! Any advice on getting the best deal would also be appreciated. Thanks to all!

 

[nh_mark]

Awesomebase,

My .02...

Don't talk about trade at all when you go in, get the best price on the Av before you even mention your trade. If possible don't even take your car to the dealer. Also don't talk about financing.

Once you have agreed on a price for the Av then talk about the trade. This is not going to be easy keeping them seperate, the dealer is going to hound you about the trade and the financing. Keep telling him that they are three seperate things. The dealer makes money on all three, how much is up to you.

Once you have agreed on the Av and the trade then you mention financing. Although if you are going with the 0% then the dealer is not making money on it but traditionally they do.

My experience...

I had a 2000 Silverado, I owed roughly 20,000 on it. I got the price on the Av (29997) then told him what my trade was. He said he would give me 18,500. I told him that I was not taking anything less than payoff and that if he gave me what I wanted then I would sign papers on the spot. He kept trying to get me to take less because the 29997 that we agreed on did not include the drivers conv. package or the rook rack. He said I'm giving you $800 worth of free options. I told him that I didn't care about the options and that if he wanted to get me the Av without those options then I would be happy. He thought about it for a little while and came back and said he would give what I wanted.

I had my own financing but the dealer was able to beat the rate, not much but it was less so I went with them.

In the end I am paying 2.00 per month less than I was for my 2000 Silverado.

One last thing that I should mention. It's better if you can shop around, go to a few dealers. I have been dealing with a particular dealer in my area for the past 11 years, they are a smaller dealer than the one where I bought my Av and they couldn't touch the deal that I got. Larger dealers do more volume so they are able to make less per deal because they make more deals. I had a friend call yesterday about my trade, they want 20,900. They are only making $900 on it and thats if they get full rpice.

Hope this helps you and good luck!

-Mark

 

[TXAVy]

I've had better luck handling the purchase price and trade in in the reverse order.

Go through one of the many car buying sites/services that all pretty much guarantee you about 1% over invoice or so. This will at least give you a ceiling for how far the dealer can haggle before you have a trump card.

Then talk to the dealer and tell them that you'd like to consider buying, but are worried that you won't get what you owe on your trade-in and that you think you'll probably have to try to sell it yourself first before talking serious with them. When they ask what you owe, tell them it's about $X,XXX (what you really want for it).

Once you have the trade-in price locked in talk price on the vehicle you want. If the dealer won't beat the service price then pull out that guarantee and slap the current rebate price on top of it and you're done.

It's your choice to take advantage of the 0.0% financing. They have no way to haggle on that if you pick the 3-year payoff.

Worst case scenario, you end up paying about Invoice + 1% - Current Rebate - Whatever profit you made on your tradein.

And heck, if they beat the 1% price because of current selling conditions, you're even better off.

 

[Tex]

AwsomeBase,
If you do a search there is a thread called something like "Best price on a Z71". It has a lot of good information. I was able to get a black Z71 with power heated seats in Houston for $27,836 (MSRP was $37,086) I sent out a bunch of internet quote requests and got them down $7250. I then went in and used $1000 in GM credit card credits and a $1000 GM gas tank lawsuit voucher. After all that was done I started talking trade in. I walked away from the first offer and they came back an hour later and asked what I wanted. I got them to come up $900. Don't be in a hurry to accept their trade in offer. It's a hassel to sell it yourself but you can definitely get more money for it.
Tex

 

[RichUF]

hello, hey i have a s10 chevy, it kinda looks like a av, do you think if i keep watering my s10 it will grow to be a av, do you think so.

Are you smoking somthing? Even if I squint really hard I can't even imagine the resemblance to which you refer with my s10.

 

[KeninPa]

it kinda looks like a av, quote]

A few things out there KINDA LOOKS like the AV.

But it is the ride, and the convert a cab features that make the difference.

 

[Awesomebase]

I like the advice for doing the "deal" on the price of the Av first, before talking finance and trade-in. I know that seperating the price on the Av, the trade-in, and the financing is vitally important to getting a good deal.
I'm hoping to nab an Avalanche with the Z71 package and the power-memory seats (seeing as my wife and I are about 12" apart in height and going through the adjustments every time we switch can be a real inconvenience).
I will also take advice on shopping around. Fortunately there are a number of dealers in my area and a couple of more out by where my in-laws live. So, I'm hoping to get a good price on a Black Onyx one . Anyhow, it will be a couple of weeks before I can finalize a deal... some things have to work out with work first.
One note I would like to mention is that my wife wasn't too keen on getting a truck, but I invited her to test drive it with me to see how she fits in it and what she thinks of it. She actually LOVED the ride! She thought it would feel a lot heavier. She really liked that it fit me much better than the Acura I'm driving (I'm almost 6'5" tall). And she was impressed at how smooth the ride was and how well it could turn. The only thing she would miss (aside from the gas mileage) is the Navigation System... that has been a real benefit to us. Other than that, she is good to go.
I checked out the other pricing threads for the Av, but realized that I just don't have dealer pricing, GM Points, etc. that other people have gotten. Other things being equal, it looks like $5000 off is a min. I'm hoping to get closer to $7000 off. Here's hoping!

 

[nh_mark]

One last thing that I would like to add.

When I did the search for my Av I tried GM Buypower and the dealer gave me a quote of 31,118. When I did the same thing through the dealers website I got a quote for 29,997. Same exact vehicle. The dealer used something called Chrome carbook. Both of these quotes were from the same dealer on the same vehicle. Kinda weird huh.

-Mark