Anybody need a GM Employee Discount?

[Doug Shepard]

All GM Employees have been given the opportunity to provide one employee discount to anyone thinking of buying a Chevy, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, or Cadillac. This is from today thru July 31. Nobody I personally know is car-buying right now, so thought I'd throw this open to SMC members. I only get one, so it's first come-first served but please dont grab it and not use it in case some other SMC member really needs it. I cant tell you exactly what it comes out to and it may vary by make/model, but in the past when I've gotten the discount for family members I believe it was around $1200 off. PM me if you need it and I'll figure out what info I need to get from you to pass along the discount.

[Ron Dunn]

Very generous!!

[Doug Shepard]

I was able to grab a link with a bit of info that I think is accesible to non-GM users.

http://www.gmfamilyfirst.com/GMEMP/content/media/pdf/flyers/2008_07_discount.pdf

[Al Willits]

Appreciate the offer, we're going from a F150 4x4 to a Chevy 1/2 ton but unfortunately not till probably next spring/summer.
Thanks anyway.
Al

[Butch Edwards]

very decent of you to do this... but no more new vehicles at this home....

[Pat Germain]

Pardon me for being cynical, but that doesn't appear much a savings. Apparently, the discount applies only to the full MSRP price. Note the SUV example also includes cash incentives.

Anyone willing to take some time to do some online research and a little haggling could get the same deal or better without any "Employee Discount"; especially on a big SUVs which dealers and manufacturers are pretty much desperate to unload.

Now, if you could negotiate a price at or just over dealer cost, then apply an Employee Discount, that would be a good deal. This looks like just a marketing campaign to me.

[John Shuk]

I believe the employee discount is off invoice.
very generous to share such a discount with the Creekers.

[Doug Shepard]

I'm not 100% clear on the whole issue myself but I believe John is right. There is a link on that earlier pdf link that has the standard legalese of the employee discount terms
https://www.gmfamilyfirst.com/GMVPP/content/media/pdf/rules_and_guidelines.pdf

For sure this is being done due to the MPG/gas prices and slow sales though - no argument there. And any/all current rebates/incentive do apply - that I'm sure on. There's a link on that earlier pdf link to the current rebates which can vary by your location.

[Pat Germain]

I believe the employee discount is off invoice.
very generous to share such a discount with the Creekers.

Indeed, it is generous. Very cool of Doug to think of his fellow Creekers for this offer. I'm sorry if I sounded ungrateful there. I just wanted to point out that getting an "Employee Discount" doesn't always mean getting a low price for a vehicle.

Also, we shouldn't confuse the term "invoice" with "dealer cost". FYI, an invoice price can be whatever a dealer wants it to be. That's why a dealer can offer a price at "below invoice" and still make a lot of money.

You can find the dealer cost of a vehicle through multiple sources to include Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com. A good way to get the best price of a vehicle is to offer the dealer the actual cost, including options. A dealer still makes money because of a "holdback". When the vehicle is sold, the manufacturer sends the dealer the holdback money. If a dealer won't sell for cost, you can negotiate up from there. Negotiating down from the MSRP can take a long time and get you nowhere.

And never, ever, negotiate based on the monthly payment. Dealers love this. If all you're watching is the monthly payment, a salesman can add all kinds of extras to your purchase and hide it in the details. You can easily end up paying more than MSRP and also end up paying for paint protection, interior protection, rustproofing, extended warranties and credit life whether you wanted them or not.

Dollars to doughnuts, if you negotiate at or up from dealer cost, you can get a better price than the "Employee Discount" GM is now offering.

I'm not trying to dis' Doug or GM on this. I too am just trying to help my fellow Creekers. :)

[Doug Shepard]

If anybody is getting ready to buy, what I would suggest is to do al the normal price haggling you normally would without any mention of the employee discount, then pull that out at the last minute and see what happens. For sure the dealers know more about GM's employee discount program than I do, as far as whether that can be applied on top of your price or not. I dont know why it wouldn't work - it's not coming out of their pocket but GM's.

[Doug Shepard]

Pat
I ran into a neighbor retired from GM after 40 years and who buys a new truck every few years and got the skinny from him. You're right, you may or may not be able to do better than using the discount if you're a good bargainer. Apparently you used to be able to get your best price (on paper) then drop the bomb on them with the employee discount which they had to then honor on top of that, but that's not the case any more. I've only done 1 new car purchase using the discount back in 2000 and couldn't recall the details. So if you can get a better price with the discount, it's an indication that you need to work on your buying skills.:D For something like Saturn's no-haggle pricing though, the discount could save you a good chunk.

[Pat Germain]

That makes sense, Doug. I recall a guy I knew back in the early 90's who bought a new Corvette. He haggled a very good price, then dropped the employee discount bomb on the dealer. :) I got the impression that was no longer possible and it seems you confirmed it.

Good point about Saturn. I wonder if the Employee Discount applies to Saturn.

[Doug Shepard]

...
I wonder if the Employee Discount applies to Saturn.

Yup.......