Dealership Fee Question

Hello,

Live in Mass., and will be getting a new Elantra

Haven't looked for a new car in many, many, years, and I guess things
have changed.

Back "then," they had a Runner to run around to the insurance company
and the State Registry to get the new plates, registration, etc.
Cost about $100 or so for these Runner services, if I remember right.
Might have been a bit more, possibly.

Now, I guess it's all done on-line, and they call it a Documention Fee.

Dealership wants $200.

Should be free, I would think, as all done on the PC now.

Anyway, what's typical for this Documentation Fee at Dealerships these
days ?

$ 200 reasonable, or...? Should I argue for no-cost, or is this not
reasonable ?

Thanks for info.

Bob

 

The only thing that really matters is the total drive-out cost. Yes, $200
is unreasonable. It is a way of making a few extra bucks. My dealer added
a few fees that don't apply because my care was bought in MA and registered
in CT, but he wanted to make a $50 inspection fee that is not needed.

You can pay the $200 fee and have him toss in something extra to make up
for it, or you can dicker a few bucks. The dealer is out to make every
penny possible, you are out to save every penny possible.

Many shops today have a charge for "waste disposal" that allows them to
charge you $25 for an advertised $20 oil change. IMO< that sort of thing
is just the cost of doing business so why not just make it part of the price
to begin with? A gimmick to advertise a low price. Even if the
registration can be done on line, there is a real cost to the dealer for the
time of the person doing the entry. One way or another, you will pay as he
has to recover his costs.

A for runners, my grandson works part time for a dealer and he gets $8 an
hour but it can take 4 hours in time plus transportation for an out of state
.. The dealer has to recover those costs plus wage taxes, etc.

If Dealer A sells the car for $20,000 and charges no fees, is it a better
deal than the dealer that charges $19,500 and had $200 in fees? Only
number that really matters to you is the total.

 

Tell them they can charge any fee they like and as high as they
like .... and when they are finished to let you know what the final
absolute total is.

As this point tell them the price has escalated too high for you to
afford and go home to discuss it with the others.

When the phone rings, tell them you are still looking around and wait
some more. I don't think they will run out of cars to sell.

 

What dealership is this? I bought my Accent at Rt 2 Hyundai and was
charged $199. It was pre-printed on the paperwork. I just factored it
into the final price. The tougher bit was fighting off the extended
warranty guy.

Your insurance agent should be able to do all of the transactions.
It's a lot easier than it used to be. As you probably know, the RMV
which was pretty good for a few years, has now dropped back to its
traditional semi-crappy service.

 

I only had a $50 deposit that I was prepared to walk away from. So, when
I TOLD the dealer to half the fee or I walk - surprise, surprise, they did.
Until they have your money, you got em by the short and curlies.

 

If you paid half of a fee that should not even be there, I'd say the
dealer had you by the short ones!

Matt