New truck prices

[Rich Stern]

Was flipping through the Sunday paper, came across a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer ad that caught my attention. Prices seem substantially lower than a year or two ago. Was surprised to see a new 2008 ST limited with V8 and leather for 27K, and even more shocking a new Lincoln Mark LT for $28K. I've lusted after that truck for years. Tempting.



"Must excercise self-control..."



If you've got the coin, I don't think there has ever been a better time to buy gas-thirsty vehicles.

 

[A K]

Rich:



Also note that Mercury Mountaineers just went to 0% financing. Sport Tracs should not be too far behind. Now that my father has an Adrenalin, and one relatively local dealer has one still on the lot, the temptation may be too much for me.

 

[Jenn D]

Rich - Boat prices are falling right now too. I'm finding it harder and harder to not go get a nice offshore boat. A local dealer near me has offered 20% off MSRP of their stock of boats.....



If you have any suggestions on how to "exercise self-control", please let me know.....

 

[Richard L]

Dealers around here are offering from $5000 to $9000 off MSRP on most large trucks and SUV's.



...Rich

 

[Gypsy me]

That is a pretty good price for that list Rich S Check out organization memberships or assoications you may be a member of...a lot of things like that could get you extra discounts. Beside the usual rebate offered, Wait no no don't ...You must maintain self control!!



Same around here Richard L, Ford guy got his new F150 for almost 10 grand off with his employee pricing and other rebates and discounts.

 

[Carey Frennier]

If you're looking for an 08 Truck or SUV NOW is the time to buy. If you have specific tastes I wouldn't wait until the selection is limited near the end of the year.

 

[Rich Stern]

Jenn, 20% off MSRP for a new boat is not a great deal, IMO.



I strongly recommend looking at the used market. There are a lot of boats out there that people can no longer afford to own.

 

[TrainTrac]

Very true, Rich. The MSRP on boats and RV's is typically between 20-30% over invoice. That leaves a lot of bargaining room.



But, if one is seriously looking to buy a boat or RV, you're right in that it's better off to look towards used, especially a private owner sale. Those markets are hurting much worse than the auto industry right now as people try to unload their "toys", and the dealers are really hurting for sales.



I know the owner of an RV dealership in my hometown, and he's said that this year has been one of their worst ever. They even took a beat-up '66 Mustang in bad need of a restoration in on trade in order to close a sale on a RV.

 

[Jenn D]

Unfortunately, around here (Central FL), the boat market never really takes a big dive. Offshore fishing is bigger now than is has been in a long while, and boats are still selling like hotcakes in some places. The only time there generally is a lot of "bargaining room" is around the end of the year.



However, that being said, we are not wanting to look into the used market right now. There's just no telling how the person before you used/abused the boat. We have a lot of rich boat-flippers around here. They have the money to buy a new boat, abuse it, and buy new again a few years later. I just don't trust them, and would prefer new, so I know how it was treated from day 1. Engines can become big paperweights too quickly and the engine alone costs as much as a car! Just a personal preference.

 

[Eric Cifelli]

I got my 08 limited for $ 21,650 when the window sticker said $ 33,000.

 

[Rich Stern]

Jenn, I've bought a few used boats. Never once a problem. Never a blown engine, busted lower unit. Nada. Of course, FL boating in saltwater is harder on the boat than the freshwater boating up here.



You might want to expand your search out of FL. Look at craigslist for cities with big freshwater lakes that are within a few hundred miles of the coast (Atlanta, Charlotte, Birmingham). You'll see some salty rigs that were used mainly in freshwater, and occassionally towed to big water.



We've also got some dealers here in the Atlanta area that carry Scout, Century, among others with salt water models. Trust me...they aren't selling around here! No water in the lakes! Deal time...

 

[Jeff S 2]

I got my 2008 XLT with v8, tonneau, bed extender, towing kit, backup sensor, SYNC, upgraded cloth seats, and the upgrade packages that include the deluxe rearview mirror/keyless entry/running boards/fog lights/cruise for $24k "out the door" (including 6% tax, tags, fees, and everything else). I could have had a v6 all-black Ltd for the same price, but I hate leather seats and like the XLT's black trim better than the Ltd's body-colored trim. As far as I can tell, they took a "hard" loss of at least $1,500 on it, even taking their silent factory-to-dealer incentive ($3k) and other rebates into account.