No not for me but my father. Let me also say I've never liked new car dealerships. He's looking at new Silverado's and all I can say is man they are expensive. And package shopping it seems everything on the dealer lot is fully loaded. He wants a full 4 door 4wd truck without many of the items that are now standard on such a cab configuration. He's asking questions that two salesmen don't know the answers to regarding equipment he doesn't want (no turn signal indicators in the side mirrors), and how to find a truck that way. I've pretty much told him its not going to happen unless its a fleet truck. If two salesmen don't know the answer and the sales manager hesitantly says "we could try", I think the answer is no? Through this experience so far its made me see that most customers walk in and they mostly all want a fully loaded truck. Based on the volume this particular dealer does, how so many people are able and willing to pay $40-$50k for a new truck is astounding to me. Especially up here where winter road salt accelerates the depreciation factor even more.
One thing I hadn't realized until this shopping experience is the stock 5.3's are 355 hp! But I'll still stick with my older used vehicles, at least for now.
In reply to drainoil :
Apples/oranges but Aeromoto recently picked up a new F250 4-door long bed for $33k, so deals are out there. But yeah, everybody wants a pickup outfitted like a high-end Caddy.
drainoil said:
....how so many people are able and willing to pay $40-$50k for a new truck is astounding to me....
No, no no.
They are are not paying $40-$50K. They are only paying $600 a month! That's are almost free!
Instead of buying those three Starbucks fancy coffees a day, you could be driving a new Silverado!
In reply to drainoil :
I'm 69 and even I know you don't shop for a new vehicle at a dealership.
The internet will tell you everything you want to know including how much to pay and what is a good deal.
Infact you do everything short of picking it up on the internet. Heck some of my friends who buy regularly have the salesman deliver it to their house. They tell me they do it that way to ensure no last minute surprises by a sales manager who wants one last shot at making extra profit.
Oh you can try them out and test drive but don't go in thinking you'll get a good deal
low spec trucks are rare just sitting on the dealer lot. Dealers give stupid big discounts on pickups they have just sitting on the lots. This usually means that although you may find that low-spec truck that can be shipped in, it's entirely possible that it will cost you more than an up-optioned model that's camped out in inventory. So - is his distaste for the options truly about the options, or just about the price?
Another option is to look for commercial suppliers. There's a truck center locally that handles big OTR trucks but also sells Ford fleet trucks and vans. They usually stock a small number of low option trucks but their discounts aren't close to the big dealerships because of the reduced volume. And you'd better like white trucks with vinyl bench seats.
I bought one of the last 2016's last February. $41,130 sticker that was knocked down to $28,200 plus tax kicking it to $32,100. I found it on the internet and I flew to Indianapolis to get it. I spent 6 months learning all the deals and packages.
1. For a sticker of $41,000 I expect more. 4WD lever on the floor, steel wheels, only cruise on my steering wheel, black door handles and nothing fancy in the chrome strip department.
2. For a $32,000 truck I'm happy. Healthy sounding V8, 4WD, tow package, able to carry or tow a lot, a real solid feel.
I would never pay a lot for a new vehicle. My bro has a $55,000 Denali that is way sweeter but not worth the coin to me. I need to sell hoses and look frugal.
Do you know anyone who works at GM? Their friends and family discount is pretty decent. GM Family First site Other than that, sounds like he needs to do an email spam blast to all the dealers within 200 miles or so. Specify exactly what he wants, only include responses via email and let them know that he WILL be buying within the next week (or month). If a dealer does have a less optioned one on the lot, he'll probably be looking to unload it quickly. Might be worth blasting the fleet sales dealers/salesmen too, just in case. Just fill out whatever form they have on their website, enter 555-555-5555 for the phone number and see what you get back. Plus, the 2018's are hitting or on the lot, so you have the extra advantage of them wanting to unload.
I did this several years back on a Silverado. I wanted a very low optioned one like your dad. Most of the emails I got back were over optioned models. I got an email from a dealer about 40 miles away for $16,800 on a truck that stickered around $26k. He said he had two in stock, one black (the color I wanted) with the chrome package (which I didn't want) and one tan (probably the last color I wanted) but with the basic black grills and bumper (which I wanted). The black one was $400 more. Told him I'd be there that afternoon. Walked in, met the guy, he showed me the two trucks and let me decide. I ended up with the black one. Went through the paperwork and was driving it home within 45 minutes. Sticker on the truck had it listed at $30k (markup was "fabric coating" and "VIN etching" crap dealers put on), but was from a different dealer. Turns out a dealer in Houston had gone bankrupt and this dealer bought their inventory right as the new models were coming out. I'll admit, I hit it lucky, but if I'd only gone to one or two dealerships, I'd have paid a lot more for an exercise that took me, maybe, an hour or two of my time.
-Rob
A couple of years ago I was casually looking at a new Mustang GT. I did the build thing on the internet and came up with what I wanted at about $33k. Went looking for it at nearby dealers and there wasn't anything even close. Almost all of them were pushing or over $40k. Not only that, they weren't even interested in trying to get what I wanted. The sales manager finally told me that if they got it and I changed my mind, there was almost no chance of them selling it like that to someone else. I would suspect a stripped truck is similar. I'm sure the market is so small that they do not want to stock any.
rob_lewis said:
Do you know anyone who works at GM? Their friends and family discount is pretty decent.
I'm able to confirm that the friends & family discount gets a C7 Z06 far enough below MSRP that a bigger supercharger and tuning would still leave a bit of money left over. It's probably just as good of a discount on the trucks.
The 'Millionaire Next Door' book had I think a full chapter on car shopping. Basically if you're looking for a bargain don't over think it and stay away from new was the message I remember. 
