18th Dec 2010, 09:30
Yeah, read the fine print on those ads. They are getting your money somewhere. They are probably listing that price with a certain downpayment included. These are tried and true techniques by dealers that have been around for decades, and it is how they get you to go in to the dealership. Why don't you call them and ask if you can come in and pay that price and drive away with a new Fusion. Let us know what they say. Better yet, give me their number. I'd love to get the actual details of that deal.
There is no way any dealer is giving cars away for such a loss. Why sell them in the first place? The invoice is over $18K on a base manual car. It just doesn't make sense unless the car is a turkey that no one wants. Maybe that is the case here?
18th Dec 2010, 09:23
Not sure why you're not sure when I said the NYC metro area is where I live... So your dealers are letting Fusions sell for about $1,500 under invoice? Huh. Things are definitely different in the south, and dealers have no interest in making any real money there. I used to sell Fords, and there is no way we'd let any car go for that much of a discount. Like I said, I should order up 20 of them and make a fortune reselling them up here for more money! The only thing I can figure is the one they are advertising is an absolutely stripped base with a manual tranny, which no one wants, and then they upsell you to the AT car when you get there. It is an old fashioned bait and switch technique, but it apparently is still working.
Also, on the used Fusion. There are over 600 around here right now, and they are as low as $7,995 for a base model with around 90K miles on it from 2006. The best deal I found was a 2007 V6 car with 69K on it for $9,995, but I didn't scour all 600 of them, so I am sure there are more like this one. These are dealer cars, so they are anything but "banged up", and are reconditioned and in as good of condition as possible.
Really, around here the Fusion is just another car. It ranks about the same or lower than the Camry or Accord for market value here. The Accord is more desirable here really, as is any import. NY is where the money is, and wealthy people don't drive domestics as much as Acura's, Lexus', BMW's, Mercedes...etc. etc. I see at least three to one imports everywhere I drive here, and the Fusion is very ordinary and not a standout. Heck, BMW's are as plentiful as Corolla's here, and are just everyday commuter cars, so no one cares much about a domestic car like the Fusion.
The market is pretty strange where you live, if they are truly giving Fusions away for so much under invoice, and then jacking the price on used ones so much above book value.