Hello,

I'm new to the forum and I'm currently looking for a 90 defender with the V8 trim. I asked a few local dealerships within Michigan and neighboring states, but none of them has any allocation for one at this moment and they couldn't say when they will get one. Are there any other options besides buying used ones with 20K over MSRP? I'm okay with ordering at a non-local dealership with allocation, provided the dealership has no problem selling to outstate buyers.
Thanks in advance for any help

 

good luck, wish i had helpful advice. my experience tells me you just gotta pound the proverbial pavement and get lucky with a dealer. and based on what i'm hearing, i'd still expect them to ask for a healthy ADM if you can find one. when i bought mine (not a V8) a few months back, i couldn't even get an out of state dealer to call me back. in fact, i had multiple dealers in my state deny me because i wasn't close enough to them. (some people here have reported on dealers willing to work with non-locals, but i never came across one.) ultimately i found what i wanted, but it took a while. at the time, a 20K markup for a new V8 would have been considered a "deal" in my geography (northern california). not sure how that looks today. obviously you can search inventory on the JLR site as a starting point, but the system isn't always up to date.

best of luck. keep us posted when you land one.

 

I say screw this current BS situation and unless you need a car right now, just wait it out. Of course, it is impatient high-end buyers that are, to an extent, driving this insanity so just go to a dealer and pay $20K over if you want the car.

 

Thanks Yeah I don't need a car immediately which is why I thought I'd love to just place a custom order and wait for a year or two and get it. But it turns out even build slots are sold with a significant markup in dealerships I called so far.

 

Wait, they are trying to 'sell' a build slot? As in, it is a non-refundable price of admission just to spec a car and get in line? Or are you referring to a deposit as 'selling' a slot? Deposits are refundable (regardless of what a dealer might tell you) but serve as a good faith gesture on the part of the customer that they are serious about purchasing a car. If dealers did not require deposits, there would be nothing to stop keyboard warriors from simply getting in the queue at 20 dealers just to see who gets the car first. Which would contribute to even more market insanity.

There is no way that anyone knows exactly what the market will look like in a year and a half to two years when an 'order' for a V8 made today would get delivered. I'm thinking a little recession and some $5.00/gal of gas fatigue is going to soften the market for these vehicles significantly.

 

$5.00 gas won't do it. You know what you're getting into with a V8 and gas prices or mileage aren't really a consideration.

 

V8 Defenders, at around $110K, aren't quite G Wagens (around $140K with typical options). I think there are plenty of posers who stretch to get into these cars that will simply be priced out with fuel that expensive. The only Defenders that the 3 dealers I have been to in the last 3 months or so that were sitting on the lot and 'buyable' were V8s. I don't think demand is that high for them compared to the lesser models.

 

I think you could make that argument about any car. There will always be people stretching to get into them especially where new car prices are these days.

If you're paying $115k-$120k for a V8, or $140k for a G Wangen I think you're probably in the same class. Either aren't caring unless it's an environment issue.

On the V8s sitting, curious if they buyable at MSRP? My guess is they were not.

 

I did not pursue a deal and work actual numbers but the sales associate was eager to get my 2020 P400 on trade and made a verbal offer of MSRP for the 110 V8. It was an ordered car that the buyer flaked on. I assumed it was buyable at MSRP but I had no interest in a $100K+ Defender. My mental price range runs out at about $85K for the Defender platform.

 

What are you talking about? V8 110 Defenders are highly sought after and in the aftermarket they are yielding 30-40k premiums. If you had the chance to get one at MSRP then you passed on a golden opportunity.