• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

When to buy?

M

magnuman

New Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2004
Messages
1
I want to purchase a new 2500 Avalanche.
From what I've been reading today, the March incentives are over and new incentives are going down.
Does anyone know what the new incentives are going to be?
Is the old addage about waiting until the end of the month valid?
Is there any purpose in waiting till this model year is almost over?
I have not bought a new car in sometime and need as much help as I can get.
I will be buying in the San Francisco Bay area.
Thanks.


 
What city are you in? Depending on the competition, you may be able to save instantly.

For me, I saved a bundle (thousands) by waiting until the end of the model year. The same week that the 04's arrived at the dealerships in So. Fla., I finished shopping and showed up with a check for what I wanted to pay for the 03 (five miles on it). If you can hold out, do so; but look and see what's out there. Also, there are people here with GM certificates that may put a good dent in the sticker price.
 
The GM in the Driveway program has been extended with some big changes.

First, each employee is entitled to two certs a month.

Next, you must provide your date of birth and the last four of you SS number to the employee.

Last, the employee then can generate an authorization number which you present to the dealer for your discount.

HTH
AVid
 
You forgot to mention that you have to be a DIRECT relative now. No more giving out Certs to friends. :C:
 
Geez, anyone want a new sister?!!? What a bummer, now I'm going to have to figure all this out again. Someone on another post said the rebate had increased to $4500.00 on the website GMsupplierdiscount.com. I looked and sure enough it says 4500.00. Anyone who is on the inside know if this is true? On this family member thing, do cousins count?
 
Corsagirl said:
Geez, anyone want a new sister?!!? What a bummer, now I'm going to have to figure all this out again. Someone on another post said the rebate had increased to $4500.00 on the website GMsupplierdiscount.com. I looked and sure enough it says 4500.00. Anyone who is on the inside know if this is true? On this family member thing, do cousins count?
Click to expand...
Go girl
Where there's a will there is a way
Good luck
 
Forbin said:
You forgot to mention that you have to be a DIRECT relative now. No more giving out Certs to friends. :C:
Click to expand...

Not true...Check the GM family First web site. It states it is available to all. This program is not the same as the employee discount that is only available to close family members.
 
Well lets see I get bad karma for posting something that I read on the web site. I'm bummed too as my dad wants one and I work with a GM employee.

Where does it say that it is open to all? I see everywhere it says Family Members only. Then in the FAQ it says this.

How do I obtain an authorization number for eligible family members?
After logging on to the home page, select 'Employee Vehicle Purchase Program' from the bar on the left. Click 'Obtain Authorization.' Then follow the prompts. You will enter your family member's date of birth, the last four digits of his or her Social Security number and his or her relationship to you. After confirming the information you entered, you will immediately receive the authorization number, which you can give to your family member.
Back to top

Who is eligible for the GM Employee Discount?
Eligible participants in the GM New Vehicle Purchase Program can share their discounts with any of these eligible family members:
Spouse
Children
Stepchildren
Grandchildren
Stepgrandchildren
Parents
Stepparents
Siblings (including full, half and step)
Mother-/father-in-law
Sons-/daughters-in-law
Brothers-/sisters-in-law
Click to expand...
 
I believe the KEY WORD here is GM EMPLOYEE Discount vice the GM in the Drive Way certificates.

But I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time, just ask my wife! LOL
 
chevydan said:
I believe the KEY WORD here is GM EMPLOYEE Discount vice the GM in the Drive Way certificates.

But I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time, just ask my wife! LOL
Click to expand...

You are absolutly right. They are two different programs. Forbin posted the rules for the employee discount. The GM in the Driveway discount is different. The rules are on the GM in the Family web site under "GM in the Driveway"

I didn't give you any bad karma. Never gave anyone bad karma. If I can't be nice, then I'll just be quiet. (y)

If anyone wants a GM in the Driveway authorization number and you feel comfortable with sending me your date of birth and the last four of your social sec number, I will be happy to get you one. I'm allowed two a month. Please reply only in PM or e-mail, not in a public post.

John (AVid)
 
Just to be clear, here is the direct quote from GM:

Let?s go for ?More in ?04.?
GM in the Driveway enthusiasm is contagious!
Do you know someone in the market for a new vehicle? You can help boost sales and market share ? and our company?s success ? by sharing the GM in the Driveway discount.

The GM in the Driveway discount is perfect for people who otherwise may not consider buying a new GM vehicle. So share this valuable discount with friends, neighbors and extended family who are shopping the competition!

GM in the Driveway has met with tremendous success ? more than 56,000 sales in 2003 alone. And now there has never been a better time, or an easier way, to share GM in the Driveway discounts with potential buyers. Read on to learn about this easy new discount process!

What?s new
Now there is no need for certificates! Simply use the new online process to obtain GM in the Driveway authorization numbers. It?s similar to the new GM Employee Discount process. You will need your prospect?s date of birth and last 4 digits of their social security number to obtain their GM in the Driveway authorization number online. Each eligible GM employee will receive 2 GM in the Driveway discounts per month, so be on the lookout for potential prospects!

 
Well ok then Avid, it's good that it still works but GM didn't update their standard home page. I'm just a little steamed that someone gave me bad karma because I posted that.

I went to GMFamilyfirst.com and I clicked on FAQ which brought that up. Then I was OH CRAP! I can't get one.

But if it works GREAT! So GMSupplier pricing still works then?
 
Only Good Karma My Friend, have just hit you with it! Agree no Bad Karma should have come from that.

I have been known to do similar, as I said above, just ask my wife!
 
OK this is a completely new concept for me... :-[

Is the 'driveway cert' going to save you more than if you negotiate a great deal at the dealership for maybe 400-500 below inventory?

What about through a broker? Is it less? Can you use it with a broker?

Very interested... got one or two family members looking at AVs... one may be ready in the next couple weeks... so please layout how this works.
 
These certs are supposed to be over and above any incentives in place at the time. As far as I know it is valid at the dealership level only.

If it were me, I would negotiate the best price I could and then ask the dealer what the 'GM in the Driveway" program would do for me.

I have heard many different stories about this program. Some have said they can get a better deal without one. I kinda doubt it, but I will take their word for it. It almost sounds that some dealers are keeping the discount for themselves. No proof or accusations, just wondering.
 
How long are the cert's good for?

What happens if they get the cert but can get a better deal without it? Does anyone loose out on the cert not being used or can it be passed along?

How long does it take to get the cert?
 
I believe the current program expires Dec. 31,2004.

If you can get a better deal without it then I would go for it.

The cert cannot be passed along. It is only a number that belongs to the person I got it for.

When I get the info that I need, I log on to GM's site as an employee and should get the number at once. I will then send it on to you by any method you would prefer. (PM or e-mail)
 
I used the GM in the Driveway certificate Dec 27th, 2003. Let?s put it this way Sticker was around $44K, GM Driveway Cert Price was around $37K.

Took the 0% for 5yrs, traded in my 2003 Z71 AV, no money out of my pocket, and had a minor bump in my payments. I got a $500 buck additional discount for driving over from NJ to PA.

(Didn't take the other discounts as the Financing Bumped the payments up too high for some quirky reason, dealership owner was puzzled too. He could not make the #s work better, so he said stay with the 0%.)

Not sure could have beaten them any better. Oh best of all there was NO HAGGLE just walked in got the deal bought the truck and left.

Not a day has gone by when I drive the AV, that I don't silently thank the fellow site Member that sent me the GM in the Driveway Cert. This AV is 100% better than my 2003 Z71 AV.
 
Wow Thanks guys!

Pdxkevin, from what I understand (Gah I'm so timid with that bad karma)

If you are getting a NEW like made in January car with the Cert the dealer probably cannot beat it. Well if he is going out of business and the manager needs to sell 15 cars by the EOM or he will lose his job, then you might get a better deal :)

BUT if you are getting an older car such as a 2003 I think the dealer can beat the cert price as that car hasn't move.

I don't have a current password for GMSupplierdiscount.com but if you can get one then you can see what the Cert price is when you go in to make a deal.

But lets put it another way....Cert Price...takes 1 hour to do the whole deal. Haggle, go back Haggle, Go back....takes a week. and you may get the GMs price. But you have to do a ton of research and stuff. It's up to you.
 
Don't worry about the karma thing...sent some :love: to ya myself. (y)
 
Forbin said:
....But lets put it another way....Cert Price...takes 1 hour to do the whole deal. Haggle, go back Haggle, Go back....takes a week. and you may get the GMs price. But you have to do a ton of research and stuff. It's up to you.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for all the great info and help! Good Karma all around!

What type of research? since I will probably have to do the legwork...
 
Here's another clip from the GM site:

What is the price I pay?
The special GM in the Driveway pricing is the same as the price our preferred suppliers pay. Your friends can also combine their discount with current incentives to receive the maximum value possible! Remember, this offer is only valid through December 31, 2004.

Here are some actual pricing examples:

2004 Chevy Malibu LT
Discount Example?

MSRP (sticker price on vehicle) $23,495.00
GM Supplier Discount Price (on dealer invoice) $21,801.87 ? ?
Total Value $1,693.13


2004 GMC Envoy XL SLT 2WD (shown with optional headlamp washers)
Discount Example?

MSRP (sticker price on vehicle) $36,530.00
GM Supplier Discount Price (on dealer invoice) $33,537.97 ? ?
Total Value $2992,03



* For Saab pricing, please see your local participating Saab Dealer. EV1, HUMMER (except H2) and medium-duty vehicles are not eligible for this program.
? Prices, equipment and specifications are subject to change without notice.
?? Tax, title, license and optional equipment are extra.


Hope it helps.

 
I purchased my Av in late November, a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I visited multiple dealerships starting in late October. I work for a GM supplier so I went in with that and also the GM in the driveway and got pricing. I then went back and went to different sales people and worked my own deals without mentioning the discounts. In every case I was able to negotiate a better price on my own. I ended up buying my rig with a sticker of $42,240 for $33,000 even. The best I could get with the GM supplier/In the driveway was $34,150. In the case of my final deal, I got them to $33,500 and then I walked away. They called me back a week and a half later and came down to the final figure.
 
Not bad! $9,200+ off.
But of course your timing was good (Right before a holiday and at the EOM / EOY) so my desperate dealer case applies. His manager REALLY wanted to sell you that car (Remember that Managers are the deal makers, the salespeople just make a commission)

I only got mine $8000 off then the NEXT week the ad was for $9250 off. /doh. (BTW I never saw them sell it that cheap AGAIN) But the GM pricing was $8500 if I remember right. If I had GM Supplier then I would've got my car in 1 hour instead of 3 weeks + 4 hours....hehe

Well I hope my Dad will be happy with his Silverado (Not an Avalanche? /doh! My dad just wants a plain old truck... ) when he is ready to buy it.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top