I just tried this deal in Southern California and I cannot seem to replicate it. I called just about every dealer here and this is what happened.
Not all dealers will have E300s for various reasons.
Some did not call me back
Some thought it was too crazy of a deal and wasn’t possible. Specifically, the selling price was really really low. The price they were advertised or asking was around 48-50. They don’t know the OP got a selling price of 42,xxx.
The only dealer that gave me anything was House of Imports in Buena Park. This is what I was offered
Selling price: 41700
Mileage on said car: I believe 5000
Security Deposit: 3500
Drive off: 1500
Mileage: 12000
Monthly: 387 (Did not tell me if it included tax or not)
Does anyone have more information on the rebate? I am curious if you aren’t in the military or know anyone who has that qualified to get said rebate. I read on the USAA website that, that one isn’t even offered to you unless you are a vet or know of one. PenFed requires the same, BUT you can donate to some foundation and there is a chance to get into their credit union. I also wanted to know the requirements of said rebate. If someone manages to get in, is there some waiting period after joining in order to get? What is required exactly?
That’s a very good starting point. The rest is finesse. I’m in the same boat, I’ve been working with dealers and no one can seem to come as low as the 42k price.
It’s easy with PenFed - just join one of two (you must be enrolled for 12 month to qualify for discounts):
Voices for America’s Troops
$17.00 (one-time only, non-refundable dues.)*
More Information
– OR –
National Military Family Association
$17.00 (one-time only, non-refundable dues are tax-deductible.)*
More Information
With USAA - only you or member of your family qualify you, not someone you may know.
Here is the deal sheet with all the information. I blocked out the dealer’s name, partial VIN and my information. Otherwise, everything else is intact.
Hope this helps those of you whose dealers are saying it’s impossible.
Of course, this was just for this one car. So I cannot even say whether they would do this again on another car; they may not. But they did it on this one. And it did include a $2,000 PenFed rebate. I had to give them the control number from PenFed (chose them over USAA due to better post-purchase incentives).
So is there room for profit in obtaining this deal and then flipping the lease? Does Mercedes allow lease transfers and if so, are you still liable (like for infinity)?
My dealer is stuck at $49,900 as well before the fleet rebate of $2,000. I will continue to try and beat them down as my other lease does not end until November so I can wait for a good deal. They have an abundance of new e classes in the area so I am guessing some more incentives will pop up when the 2018’s start rolling out.
For a loaner believe it or not. This is my local Benz dealer, I will slowly work my wat outside of this dealer, maybe better deals to be had in Southern Illinois outside of the Chicago metroplex.
I also went to my local dealer that had 2 loaner cars. I was able to get them to drop it to $49k from the sale price of $51k, they didnt wanted to budge anymore. The only problem was that they were trying to screw me over on the monthly payments. I was quoted $675 a month for 36 months and 10k miles.
Car is still available. I backed out after he played games with the numbers and tried to say that was he best he could do. Literally the only difference is that my tax rate is 1.5% more than OP.
He refused to honor a $795 acq fee that @amasih negotiated above.
Wanting to clarify here on getting the PEDFED discount. No one really really went into detail.
YOU MUST BE A MEMBER FOR 60 DAYS OR THE CODE NEEDED FOR THE DISCOUNT WILL NOT BE GENERATED
Applying for an account took mintues. All you need to do is register, apply for one of the two foundations and the cost is $25, which $5 will be in your savings account.
To actually get the code, you need to go on the main website
Go to the right and look for a box that should say “SAVE UP TO $4500 on Meredes Benz Vehicles” and click on the log in.
Log in
Go to price a new car, put Merecedes Benz and your zip code.
Build the E-Class, select the color trim options that you want but I don’t think it matters
When that is done, click on the orange button “VIEW MEMBER PRICING ON LOCAL INVENTORY”
Fill in your email and phone number and click on the same orange button “VIEW MEMBER PRICING ON LOCAL INVENTORY”
At the last screen, there should be a barcode and a big button to print.
I did this a few times but the “control code” would never come out. There was a fine print on one of the screens that mentioned that you must be a member for 60 days. I tried this a few times even with help on the phone with PENFED. So looks like you gotta wait 60 days to receive any benefits. So this deal is good for only specific circumstances. Closest I got was 360 ish with tax. My salesman said if I got the discount, it’ll lower the monthly by 40-60 per thousand. I could of probably got this if PENFED didn’t need those 60 days. I’ll wait and see if what happens in late August.
The MB offer is available to any USAA member (regardless of if they were the one who actually served). And @amasih is correct - in order to become a USAA member, you have to be current or former military or the child/spouse of a USAA member. My parents & I are members and looked into eligibility for my cousin but not possible.
