Sam's Club teams up with local Toyota dealership

Not sure if this is a nation-wide thing, but my local Sam's Club has teamed up with the local Machens Toyota dealership to sell Toyotas.

There's a brand new Scion parked in the lobby of the Sam's Club. You can climb into the Scion and get some sales info.

And this past Friday and Saturday, if you took a test drive of a Toyota at the Machens dealearship, the dealership would pay your next Sam's Club membership bill. That's at least a $40 value.

Reply to
Built_Well
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This cooperation between Sam's Club and Machens Toyota has been going on for many months now.

Reply to
Built_Well

Didn't Sams Club do that with the Yugo years ago as well?

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Sam's Club has offered such an arrangement with several of the big makers for years now.

FWIW, my brother went through the Sam's Club procedure with their authorized dealer and received a quote on his 2000 Tacoma. I went to the dealer where I bought several of my new cars and got him a better price (not mentioning the Sam's quote) in about five minutes. He ended up buying the truck from my dealer--so I'm not impressed with Sam's special deals.

I'm not boasting that I'm some sort of great negotiator, just pointing out that the 'special' deal Sam's supposedly gets for you isn't that darned special.

Reply to
Sean Elkins

Sears sold Ford Model "Ts" and Keiser Henry "Js" with one of their brand manes on the grill, "Hobart" if memory serves. LOL

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

I doubt that, to get the fleet discount one needs a "fleet" discount number. To be eligible the minimum purchase is five vehicles in any one model year and the vehicle must tilted to the fleet. They may get an "X" or "D" plan price, or such, that is offered to suppliers and their employees, but not a fleet discount. In any event most rebates, to retail customers today, are greater than the average fleet discount of around $800.

Actually anybody can but a "fleet" model vehicle, like a Ford Interceptor for example by speaking to the fleet Manager. We did it many times for our customers. The Fleet Sales Manager simply orders the vehicle using the dealerships fleet number, the one used to buy rental or lower cars. You can not however get the fleet discount. When the sale is reported to the manufacturer as a retail sale, the fleet discount on the invoice is charged back to the dealership on the quarterly ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

How do you tilt something? Do you some sort of jack? Or is it that hey have be parked on a hill? ;-)

They will get whatever discount Walmart and the automakers negotiate.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

DUH! That would be a violation of US franchise law. Auto manufacturers can NOT sell vehicles to ANYBODY but their franchise dealers and the invoice and MSRP price must be the same to all of them . All fleet vehicles are sold by dealerships, not the manufacturer.

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

You are right on that. I used to have a Sam's Club card many years ago. I think it cost me around $15 or $20 for a year's membership at the time. I went into a WalMart store one day looking for something when I noticed their price on a computer. I thought it was a good price until I noticed that it seemed to be a stripped down model with minimum memory and a small hard drive.

Six months later I saw the same computer in the local Sam's Club for the same price and packaged the same way. Sam's Club sells stuff that doesn't move at their WalMart stores. That's when I decided that I couldn't save the membership fee on my purchases.

You can get good buys on some things but you have to be very careful and know what you're buying.

Jack

Reply to
Retired VIP

Do you have to act like a nitwit all the time? I am giving you the benefit of the doubt when I suggest that you are justing acting.

When I was working for a supplier to GM, my company negoitated certain car prices for employees of my company. The price was 104% of the price that GM's own employees could buy a car for, excluding some models (e.g., all Saab models). And the cars were purchased at dealers, just like GM's own employees buy cars at their discounts.

No one ever said anything about buyers buying directly from the automakers.

When you know what you are talking about, please let us know. Of course, how you will know that is beyond me. Perhaps the answer is on the commerce department website on the VIN page.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Well, Retired VIP, there are many items that Sam's Club sells that Walmart does not. Both are fine stores, though.

For those who may not know, Sam's Club is part of the Walmart company.

Reply to
Built_Well

You are free to believe whatever you chose but it behooves you to do a search before you chose so often to comment on subjects you obviously have little or no knowledge.

The fact remain "They will NOT get WHATEVER discount Wal-Mart and the automakers negotiate," as you said, that is a violation of the law. They can not offer a price below what must be offered to every dealership in the country, not matter what you choose to believe.

I sold thousands of cars to "Plan" buyers but the manufactures offer a standard discount to suppliers and certain others with those plans, the discount is never "negotiated" and it always higher than offered to employees and retirees. When a fleet discount is offered it does not come off the net invoice, it comes off the net/net invoice price to the dealer.

"D" plans "X" plans etc are quite different and are listed on the invoice along with the dealer net. They are part of the franchise agreement. A dealer cans sell a vehicle for whatever price he choose, but the dealer is under no obligation to accept the deals PIN number and sell a vehicle for less than gross invoice that he must pay the manufacturer and then accept the 4 or 7 percent profit offered by the manufacturer.

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

To get Wal-Marts fleet discount price the vehicle would need to be to become part of their fleet not sold to you. You are free to believe whatever you chose but what I posted is factual.

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Wal-Mart sells a lot of the "Sam's Club" brand two liter soda bottles for 64 cents. ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

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Yeah, I've seen those 2-liter soda bottles at Walmart, but the nature boy here doesn't drink much soda ;-)

I probably haven't drinked more than a gallon or two of soda in the past year. And probably not even a quart of coffee, if you can believe that :-)

Reply to
Built_Well

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