“What would YOU pay?” (Optioned out ‘17 RS)

Local Ford dealer has a ‘17 RS lingering on the lot. It’s got the RS2 package (kinda want,) sunroof (do not want,) and track wheel & tire package (do not want.)

Their sticker says FORTY THREE THOUSAND berkeleyING DOLLARS. “Internet price” is $39k; still crazy high to me, especially considering $41k buys a 2018 with a LSD.

I talked to a guy at the track with a blue ‘17 RS2 a few weeks ago. He claims he bought his IN ‘17 for $32k. No way to confirm whether or not that’s true.

I kicked tires on it Monday, but didn’t have time for a test drive. Hope to drive it this week. If I fall in love, I’d like to come armed with a “walk out” number.

What does the hive-mind say? Is $30k realistic? Maybe even a number that starts with a “2.” At that price, I’d likely go for it (assuming I love the car.) But I don’t want to waste their time if that’s an unrealistic offer.

Somehow I don't think they'll accept anything under 32K.

I have a feeling 32k will be pushing it honestly, I work at a Ford dealer, and those things are treated like the golden scepter here, your location may vary (new england) id say a more realistic number would be closer to 36-38 but YMMV

I doubt they’d go lower than mid 30s. You’ll have a hard time finding a decent used one for a number starting with a 2.

Yeah, I would imagine they "know what they have" and wouldn't budge below $35k.

Might not hurt to try at the end of the month, they may flex a little more to hit a monthly sales goal.

Barring any incentives from Ford to clear it out of there, regardless of how long it’s been on the lot, they won’t sell it for less than they paid for it. You just have to figure out what that number is. 

Its hard to come out ahead buying a leftover that has a lot of pricey extras that you would skip if you were to order a new one to your own specs. 

In reply to poopshovel again :

Didn't you kind of go through the same sort of thing with a CTS-V? To me, this represents a pretty substantial chunk of change. Buy the car that you really want to own.

jstein77 said:

Somehow I don't think they'll accept anything under 32K.

I'm with the RS owner on this one. 

Woody said:

In reply to poopshovel again :

Didn't you kind of go through the same sort of thing with a CTS-V? To me, this represents a pretty substantial chunk of change. Buy the car that you really want to own.

VERY good point. Aside from the RARE “berkeley off” hwy jump to Hyperspace, I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE the auto in the V...and the non-recaro couch cushions...which contributes to considering the RS. Thanks to all for the input.

 Sales guy gave me his cell number. I might just ask him “In the interest of not wasting your time, what’s the ‘magic number?’”

In reply to tjbell :

Out of curiosity, are there a bunch of 17’s on the lots up your way? There’s a ton of them here. If I love it, I might hit a few other dealerships. Big reason I’d consider this one, in spite of options I *don’t* want, is that the dealer is 5 minutes down the road. I live in a rural area, so I’d rather not have to drive 40 miles for any maintenance/warranty/recall stuff.

In reply to poopshovel again :

You know you can service them at ANY dealer, right?

Buy them where you want, take it to the dealer that you TRUST to do the work.

I test drove a focus rs a few weeks ago. Really got to beat on it. I was underwhelmed by it. It was exactly how I expected it to be, maybe hitting it around a track will amaze me. To be fair I felt the way about the Evo X.

In reply to yupididit :

In Sport, Race or Normal mode?  Normal mode is default, you have to select Sport, Race or Drift each time you start the car.

Sport or Race makes a huge difference in how it feels to drive.  Much more responsive and eager.  Normal is almost boring to drive.

It is still a bit heavy for its size and the suspension is a bit bouncy.  Luckily the latter is easier to fix with smaller diameter wheels and better valved dampers.

So for the OP, I'd say get the race wheels and tires, sell them to some kid in an ST, etc.  Buy a set of 18" wheels and good street rubber and enjoy a slightly better ride with more tire width on the ground.

It was in Race mode. One thing I had no problem was the suspension, I dont understand what people were complaining about. Maybe because I dd a rough excursion but the RS was a lot more comfortable than I thought it be. 

I liked it but I was expecting it to be a little more fierce than it was. It is an excellent car.

id pay ~35k assuming lower mileage... but start with the magic # question

In reply to yupididit :

Depends on the roads you travel on.  Thanks to the recent ice events here in PDX and the people who insist on using studded tires, our roads are junk and it can be a bit butt clenching when you hit a pot hole or nasty road seam.

The fact that I destroyed a tire on a piece of damaged Hwy 101 marked 45mph while doing 35mph says that perhaps it could use a bit more sidewall.

The stock engine tuning and turbo selection is setup more for midrange power, where its usable, but perhaps not as exciting as one that has more top end.

Poopie,

Offer them $30K, or whatever you consider bottom-barrel pricing.   They will say no, give them your phone number.   Call, or stop back in again in a few weeks. (providing you actually like the car)  If they still say no....... come back a couple of weeks later.  Each time tell them---  $30K is my number and I'll buy the car today.   Wear them down.  Every day that car sits on the lot, it's costing them $$$.  The more time they wait, the more $$ they waste.  If you really want to piss them off,  turn their words back upon them......  " Mr Dealer guy,  what's it going to take for you to sell this car today?"    Play their game.....beat them at it.  

You are in the enviable position of not NEEDING the car, you just think you may like it.  Use this to your advantage, and you'll drive them to the brink before they finally relent.   Also, capture the dealer's tears when they finally break down.......car dealer tears are even more potent than the tears of a gypsy!     

yupididit said:

I liked it but I was expecting it to be a little more fierce than it was. 

Nothing is as fierce as it should be these days.  That's the double edged sword of how much cars keep improving.  Unfortunately, most people don't realize that "better" isn't always better.

Half way into the 2018 model year and there are a plethora of 2017's on the ground still?...Especially if they have 2018's in stock at their location too, it sounds like a great way to play the "Whose willing to lose the most money to move a stale car?" game with every dealership within semi-reasonable driving distance.  Also, end of month is good, but end of quarter might be even better if there is enough excess stale inventory to hold out that long.

In reply to poopshovel again :

We have 2 or 3 at my personal work, not sure about other dealers.

I mean you can literally get a used RS2 for ~27K with like 10K miles. With deals and depreciation like that, I couldn't even begin to think about paying sticker + markup on one. 

In reply to Joe Gearin :

I've tried that. It's never worked. They don't care. They set their price and don't care if the car sits for two years they rarely move on their original number. They know somebody will pay it.

That's been my experience.

I heard on the radio today that the average new car sale in American today is $35,000.        I may never buy new again....

Suprf1y said:

In reply to Joe Gearin :

I've tried that. It's never worked. They don't care. They set their price and don't care if the car sits for two years they rarely move on their original number. They know somebody will pay it.

That's been my experience.

In a previous life I sold cars.  I've also helped many people buy theirs.  This tactic won't always work......but I've had it work at least 3 times within the last few years.  Every day a car goes unsold, it costs the dealer money.  At some point they decide to cut their losses and just dump the machine.   Most cars get sold before this point--- but high-end / poor selling cars that are more than a year old?   No dealer wants a new 2017 car on the lot when the 2019 models are incoming.   You need patience, you need to have the mental strength to walk away repeatedly, but it can work.   You may not get them down to your original number, but they will come off of theirs......eventually.   

Stefan said:

In reply to yupididit :

Depends on the roads you travel on.  Thanks to the recent ice events here in PDX and the people who insist on using studded tires, our roads are junk and it can be a bit butt clenching when you hit a pot hole or nasty road seam.

The fact that I destroyed a tire on a piece of damaged Hwy 101 marked 45mph while doing 35mph says that perhaps it could use a bit more sidewall.

The stock engine tuning and turbo selection is setup more for midrange power, where its usable, but perhaps not as exciting as one that has more top end.

The roads are pretty nice in that area now that I think about it. New-back country roads. It's extremely capable car that's for sure. 

Suprf1y said:

 They set their price and don't care if the car sits for two years they rarely move on their original number.

That has not been my experience, neither as a buyer nor in my (brief) stint at a dealership. My best new purchase was a 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata GT.  Stickered at $27k, purchased late March (end of quarter) 2006 for $18.5k.  My worst new sale was a Yellow 2008 911 C4 Cabriolet in NE Wisconsin in the fall of 2009 for around $10k below invoice, which meant something like $20k below sticker.

There is no singular price set in stone on any given car.  There is yesterday's price, today's price, and tomorrow's price..  The price on any given day is determined by the needs of that dealership on that day, and while counter intuitive to the casual observer, that occasionally means taking a loss on one or even a few.