My experience with ordered vehicles (from Porsche, MB, Jeep, LR) in the past, including a 110 in Feb 2021, has been better discounts than I have negotiated for on-the-lot vehicles (excluding some sort of lame-duck spec they ordered by mistake and nobody wants, or a "new model is already out and this is leftover" type situation.)

I've always heard it was because the dealer doesn't ever have their own money tied up in the transaction, and maybe has your $5000 or whatever the deposit is till the car arrives, at which time they get all your money and, if my understanding is correct, don't even owe the manufacturer for the truck immediately; they have some float.

Full Disclaimer: my knowledge of these matters is limited to heresay and deductive reasoning, i.e. I don't know what I'm talking about.

 

thanks for your input

could you also provide some info about the fees you paid in your purchase? I have no idea of how much JLR dealers are charging these days in terms of fees …

pricing-wise, I would be satisfied with MSRP, so I am not too concerned about this, because I wouldnt pay over sticker, no matter what

 

MSRP 78960 (no dealer added options)
Dealer Service Fee: 817
Title/Registration: 99
Adjusted price: 79876
No Trade In
Sales Tax 5271
GA Warranty Rights Fee: 3
Title Fee: 18
Tag Fee: 25
Total Price: 85193

Obviously, everything after "No Trade In" is location dependent and has nothing to do with the dealer or JLR.

 

What is that "dealer service fee"? It has the sound of a "junk fee" that was added just because they thought they could. After all, you don't pay a hefty "service fee" if you buy a car off the lot (at least I've never seen that), and as pointed out, ordering a car for a customer is arguably less expensive for the dealer than one they have sitting around on the lot.

A question: I'm in the process of ordering a D90, but we have not discussed price yet. When and how should that be broached? I don't want to be in a position of having "my" car held for ransom.

 

You are correct. It’s just an added on fee for profit. Tell them you won’t pay it and be willing to back that up by going elsewhere. I don’t exactly condone the behavior of dealers adding on fees to pad their bottom line, I will usually ask that I get something in return, like ppf instead of LoJack. It’s not like we can’t track this generation of vehicles with their apps.

They won’t hold the car, especially if it’s a really custom build to your preferences. These are usually harder to sell to the general customer who walks in.

I walked away from a 5k off a nice build because it had loads of options I wouldn’t have chosen, including 22” rims.

By the way, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from Sacramento LR. They were up front, honest, and even understanding when I decided not to buy a defender.

 

once you have the spec you are happy with, ask the dealer to print it out. look at the bottom line, and ask the dealer what their asking price is, then take it from there. if they ask for adm on top of msrp, say no. if they ask for msrp, decide if you want to pay it or ask for a discount. if they offer a discount, ask for a bigger discount. agree on a price, then have the dealer initial the sheet of paper. then when the truck comes in and you're ready to take delivery, you know the price. expect to pay your price, and then tax, license, registration fees on top, and that's it. then expect them to try and add a bunch of crap you don't want (service contracts, wheel and tire coverage, and other assorted garbage). skip all of that. good luck!

 

I would not wait to get it all dialed in to ask what the add on costs are going to be.
When I built mine that was the first question. I want to order a 110, what will you add on to the price beyond tax title license and delivery?
Understand that in finance you'll be asked about extras such as warranty, PPF, etc... those are optional and make sure that they agree that those are optional.

If you wait to find that out you'll get all excited about buying one and potentially not make the right decision, or be "ok" with whatever fee they add. There is no sense in walking all the way up to the end of an expensive build and not know what the cost will be.

 

With 4 dealers in a local 50 mile radius I assumed that the process for ordering a custom build would be much easier. Last March configured the 110 build that I wanted using the JLR site and initially sent it to the dealer that is right down the road where I had test drove a similar model a week earlier.. After not getting an email response I went in again to see them in person only to have them tell me that they had a limited number of units that they could order and if I was not willing to add on a few more options, that they were not interested in placing my order. I then sent the same configuration to the other 3 local dealers and finally one of them (only 1) said that they would place the order for me. They charged me the MSRP with no additional mark-ups or fees and frankly they were terrific to work with so when I need my $1,200 oil change I will drive the 50 miles to see them again.