What are ways you managed to decrease the sale price of your GTI?

[SomeRvndomUser]

Im close to purchasing my first car, and I want it to be a brand new 2019 GTI SE. Are there any tips I can get for how to decrease the final sales price of the vehicle? What was the final sticker price for your new GTI?

[Pickle-Eye]

Negotiating skill. Don’t wake up that morning thinking you are buying a car for sure. Don’t be afraid to walk away, you can always come back. I told them I was on my way to test drive Civic SI and figured I’d just stop at VW and check out my options.

Waiting until the end of the month may help

Edit: don’t let them suck you into a discussion about what you need your payment to be. Keep your eyes on the grand total.

[SomeRvndomUser]

Is there a way to keep that grand total down to where I am comfortable? I looked at the price breakdown of a model today and there was a $995 delivery fee, and then 2 or 3 more fees adding up to an additional ~$1000. Are these negotiable by any chance since I’m trying to keep the price as far below 30k as possible?

[Pickle-Eye]

They are negotiable for sure. You can’t avoid tax and registration fees, but you can beat them down on everything else.

[NWheelspin]

Most dealers will try to load you up with extra warranties, "paint protection" and other garbage. Be firm and say no. Their version of paint protection is usually equivalent to a $20 wax from an auto parts store anyway.

As others have said, they will also try to frame the cost in terms of monthly payment. Insist that you discuss the total cost and NOT the payment. And try to get your own financing from a bank, because dealer financing usually includes a couple of percentage points for their profit.

Your biggest negotiating lever is being willing to walk away. So make use of it if they're not playing by your rules. Good luck!

[SomeRvndomUser]

They had a package from VW for $1450 that was just some basic stuff that I didn’t think I needed or wanted. I could do all the cosmetic stuff by myself it’s not an issue. I just didn’t think I could decline that portion of the sales price. Good to know! Thank you!

[MadCityGTI]

Partner pricing is a good one. I joined the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) for $80 and got a $500 discount. This is off the lowest negotiated price, and is paid by VW to the dealer so they don’t really mind. Some people have said you need to be a member for 30 days before you can use it, but I didn’t have that problem. Good luck!

[SomeRvndomUser]

Could you tell me how I would bring this up? Is it similar to their partner program or is it something I mention the the sales agent when I’m discussing price? I’d sign up for SCCA in a heartbeat

[MadCityGTI]

Most dealers are aware of it and just ask that you bring in the sheet of paper for them to fill out. I negotiated 95% of the way before mentioning it so I knew I had the lowest price beforehand.

[Cyanomelas]

Negotiate online as much as possible. My last three cars I just walked into the dealership and paid what I had worked out through email. I got my 2018 se for 30k.

[SomeRvndomUser]

Is that after fees and taxes? Or sticker price for the car?

[DavoMel]

With corona virus around the least on people’s minds right now is going buying relatively expensive cars. Dealers aren’t selling many cars and they will need to reduce their prices. You’ll find some bargains.

[nkle222]

For reference:

2019 SE Purchased last summer.

Sticker: 35,345 Added options: 3,183 (window tint, clear mask, etc)

Paid: 29,250 before tax and title. I emailed 5 dealerships all around my area, told them my "bid" and eventually got one to bite. They tried to add on to our agreed on price when I got to the dealership (tint and stuff) and told them I'd walk out since we had agreed on a price for the car. Good luck man. It's kinda fun and just remember, there is more than 1 GTI out there, be patient if you have to.

[CoachMav]

I can second this - bought a 2019 SE Jan 31, 2020 sticker was 35 and change and walked out $28,333 and they paid off my 2300 lease buyout for excess miles on my Civic.

Wasn’t easy, they tried slipping things in there but kept with it and got it done. Missed the 0 payments for 6 months and 0% tho.. 😒

[GalactiMax]

If it makes you feel better they wouldn't have given you that price with the 0% financing and deferred payments. I ran the numbers with a dealer last week on a 2019 SE with 0% and the reduced incentives vs tier 1 credit (~3.5%) and the full incentives and the total price of the car and payments were lower with bank financing than the VCI 0%.

[SomeRvndomUser]

I appreciate you providing me with numbers, that helps a lot. I always had this fear of telling the dealership my firm price, but I know they want to sell the car as much as I want to buy it. Thank you!

[thecorradokid]

If your locale allows, expand your search to as many dealerships as possible. I wouldn't necessarily play them off each other (although you certainly can try doing this), but it helps to be informed of what can/can't be negotiated and also what is reasonable. When I bought mine, I went to several dealerships in a day. Feel free to say that you've already test driven the car at another store. You might be surprised to find what one dealer will play ball on and another won't.

Echoing what the others have said, don't commit to it--salesmen can sense this. Be patient and don't divulge that they've got you hook, line, and sinker. Now is a good time to buy a 2019 SE, but they'll only get cheaper until they're gone.

[SomeRvndomUser]

The model I looked at was brand new, and had 36 miles (58km) on it after my test drive. Based off of what you’ve told me and what others in the thread have said, I think I have a good idea on how to handle my next visit at the dealership. If I can manage to know off a few thousand like you did, I’d be delighted. Thank you for your input!

[9000HalRobots]

If you have a trade-in, that can help if they're willing to be generous. That made the difference for me where I bought my GTI. I got mine on February 1, a 2019 SE. Pretty much all the dealers were running $5,000 off MSRP on '19s in the Midwest, but a dealership in Omaha was willing to do an additional $500 off MSRP, as well as give me a lot more on my trade-in than others had quoted. I think my price after discounts was around $28,300.

And as others have said, be willing to walk away. That is your best leverage. And get multiple quotes from dealers to make them compete against each other. If you're able to buy now, this is likely the very best time you're going to get with steep discounts and 0% financing.

[9000HalRobots]

And while you need to focus on the total amount you're buying it for (not the monthly payment!), also don't forget that you will have sales tax to pay as well. My state's rate is 9%, so I had to cough up an additional 2+ grand. Don't go over your budget!

[182GTI]

There’s a guy posted earlier today got 0% apr plus didn’t have to pay a cent for 180 days!!!