Mercedes Benz $400.00 Advertising Charge? Is this Dealer BS?

I was quoted a price on a new Benz and the dealer stuck in this $400.00 Mercedes "Advertising charge".

Is this typical dealer padding bs or some legitimate charge?

Reply to
MJR
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it is dealer bs, you need to negotiate a better deal

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Reply to
127.0.0.1

TOTAL BS !!

Point from which you begin negotiation downward is the factory sticker. I've never seen a "second sticker" that was anything but pure dealer profit - and that's beyond the profit from invoice to MSRP plus holdbacks and extra incentives.

ds

Reply to
DS

When dealers try this stuff... RUN!

Bill Ditmire Ditmire Motorworks,Inc.

425 White Horse Pike Absecon,NJ 08201
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609-641-3392
Reply to
Bill Ditmire

Laugh in his face and walk out the door! That was my reaction last time a dealer tried pulling this type of BS on me!

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Not necessarily BS.

Dealers often belong to a dealer marketing group and as such are assesed X $$ on every car they they buy from DC. DC adds those dollars to the dealer invoice and distributes the money back to the marketing group (often regional or state-wide in nature).

Very common in American manufactured cars. But usually the charge is part of the dealer's "cost of doing business"/invoice and is not seen as a separately broken out expense. But in 25 years in the advertising field, and working with more than a few dealer associations, I HAVE seen it added onto the msrp/dealer option sticker...just like any dealer installed accessory would be.

But it's definitely negotiable. But the odds are you're paying it...whether you see it broken out or not.

Reply to
Curmudgeon

That makes about as much sense as adding on the cost of heat, real estate taxes and the phone bill as items on the sticker. If more consumers did what was suggested, which is just laugh at them and walk out, this nonsense would end.

Reply to
Chet Hayes

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