After a couple of weeks of digging and negotiating, I finally locked in a deal on a Silverado LT EV. I was deciding between the LT and the Hummer 2X—both had pretty good residual values and decent money factors compared to other trims and the Sierra EV, though the LT was slightly better for leasing.
I reached out to around 30 dealerships within a 200-mile radius, and ironically, the very first one I contacted ended up being the one that met me where I wanted to be. Could I have pushed for an even better deal? Maybe. But they hit the number I was aiming for, and honestly, I didn’t feel like haggling any further and I needed a car (my Mazda engine blew)
I didn’t qualify for any current incentives or rebates, which made things a bit tougher. Fortunately, the dealership’s GM was able to find some supplier codes that helped get the deal across the finish line.
One of the key strategies I used was going straight to the sales manager instead of a rep. I kept it simple—told them my number and asked if they were serious about making a deal. It helped cut through the back-and-forth.
Funny side story: I took my Yukon in for an oil change at a dealership the Friday before I closed on the Silverado. They had a demo 2024 GMC Sierra EV on the lot, so I told them the deal I was working on and said I’d sign on the spot if they could come close (15k one time lease). They came back with a $40K one-pay lease for 24 months—so yeah, not even close. Just goes to show some dealerships aren’t willing to play ball.
One other observation: when I went in on Saturday to pick up the Silverado, I was in and out in 90 minutes. During that time, I noticed that four out of five sales reps were just sitting around waiting for people to walk in. Not sure if that’s a reflection of the current economy or the auto market, but it definitely stood out to me, as you would think they would have decent foot traffic on a Saturday afternoon.
Big thanks to everyone who’s been posting helpful info about these EVs—definitely helped me walk in prepared.
I’ve been reaching out to a bunch of dealers for an RST, and it’s exactly as you describe – some are just absolutely not willing to deal at all, even though they’ve been sitting on the lot for 200+ days at most.
Your average sales guy probably has no clue and sometimes even GSMs. The dealer owner I ended up working my RST deal out with sent me a very long email about how I ‘blew his mind’ and that he had not realized how strong the rebates were on the car. They have a tool from GM that shows them all available rebates by VIN, they just have to get to that step when building out your deal.
In most cases if you present them with a realistic price that is based on rebates + an achievable discount, you don’t have to spend the time educating them.
