Buying Advice Should I what the dealer has on his lot or does it really matter for the best price?

[AuburnAlum]

First, thank you for all the helpful items in this site/forum. It has been extremely helpful for someone that knows little to nothing about tractors and is now looking to buy a 40+HP tractor.

To the point. I have settled almost on the tractor I am looking for (Kubota). Are dealers willing to do a better deal on what they have on the lot over having to get it elsewhere? I like this dealer and would rather do business with him. He is also not a huge operation but again seems to have a great staff and has been informative and diligent.

Thank you in advance!

 

[TripleR]

I would expect my dealer to at least try find what I want, from what I've been told, dealer don't own or floor plan their machines. Now you may well have to pay a bit more for transportation as someone has to move it between dealers, or a model may be at the end of a production run.

 

[Farmer495]

I was told by a Kubota dealer that they are discouraged from selling new equipment outside their "territory" You may or may not get a better deal anyways....

 

[TripleR]

I talked to our Kubota dealer about that and zones or territories exist here in the USA, but they include large areas and multiple dealerships. My first dealer had to go outside the area, but I didn't pay extra, he may have just wanted the business and ate the added cost. It as just a BX, so I'm sure the costs were minimal.

Barlow's sells new tractors throughout many states and often beat the local dealers prices.

 

[GManBart]

First, thank you for all the helpful items in this site/forum. It has been extremely helpful for someone that knows little to nothing about tractors and is now looking to buy a 40+HP tractor.

To the point. I have settled almost on the tractor I am looking for (Kubota). Are dealers willing to do a better deal on what they have on the lot over having to get it elsewhere? I like this dealer and would rather do business with him. He is also not a huge operation but again seems to have a great staff and has been informative and diligent.

Thank you in advance!

Unfortunately, there's no real easy answer for this....it depends. How long has the tractor been on the lot? Tractor dealers get a period of time with the machine on the lot before they have to start paying interest on it to the manufacturer. The length of time varies between 3 to 12 months from what I've read here. On the flip side, if it's been on the lot a long time, and they really want to move it, they might be willing to sell it for limited profit to avoid having a really old tractor on the lot.

As far as getting it elsewhere, it depends on whether they'd be ordering it from the manufacturer, or trying to get another dealer to do them a favor and ship it to them. If it's from another dealer, it's hard to say what might happen.

 

[murphy1244]

I saved 2k by walking away from his offer and pointing out that my machine has sat on his lot for a year. He called me back on the 29th of December to close his year out.

 

[ultrarunner]

Tractors/Automobiles/Trucks is one of the few areas where almost no one pays the same price...

Your could be neighbors going to the same dealership buying the same tractor in the same week and unless you talk to each other... chances are you each paid a different negotiated price.

It really comes down to how well you negotiate and how wide you are willing to cast your net...

I've found my best price by knowing exactly what so the only negotiation is over price.

 

[whizdbiz2]

... from what I've been told, dealer don't own or floor plan their machines.

That statement confuses me a bit.. if they don't own it (don't buy it outright) or don't floor plan it (i.e, finance their inventory), that says to me the mfg. puts it there for the dealer to sell? What am I missing?

 

[murphy1244]

That statement confuses me a bit.. if they don't own it (don't buy it outright) or don't floor plan it (i.e, finance their inventory), that says to me the mfg. puts it there for the dealer to sell? What am I missing?

I hear tell Kubota will tell the dealer what he is getting and will put it there for 18 months free. Not saying this is fact.

 

[jenkinsph]

Tractors/Automobiles/Trucks is one of the few areas where almost no one pays the same price...

Your could be neighbors going to the same dealership buying the same tractor in the same week and unless you talk to each other... chances are you each paid a different negotiated price.

It really comes down to how well you negotiate and how wide you are willing to cast your net...

I've found my best price by knowing exactly what so the only negotiation is over price.

I agree with the above.
I go to the dealership and tell the sales person exactly what I want with the order numbers for the add ons. This aids in making sure I get what Iwan't. It also sends a signal to the sales person that I am informed about the tractor and purchase. I also bring in a small cashiers check for $1000 to place the order and an additional larger cashiers check to complete a 25% down payment. I show him this check also which I will hold until the tractor is in and paperwork is finalized. This shows the dealer that you are a serious buyer with money in hand. He needs to get the price low enough to make the deal close. If he does then I buy, if not I walk. So far it has worked well for me and discounts on new ordered tractors run from 15% L&G to 20% on industrial tractors.