erical77

Of a 2011 Graphite Shadow (thanks everyone for your opinions on that - I decided against black)/Stone G37 Journey sedan with premium, kick plates, splash guard, net, etc. I got it for $31,990 plus TTL, so about $34,800 OTD. And they are tinting the windows.

I know they are going to try to get me to add on stuff when I go through the finance guy. I do not plan on getting sucked into anything.. but is there anything I should consider?

Thanks for all the valuable advice I've gotten on here! I can't wait to surprise my husband with it. Down side is I'm waiting until his actual birthday on 2/15.

jsawyer

what year and style?

erical77

Sorry - edited original post to include the year (2011) and Journey.

moonsky

Congratulations. A great price too. Don't buy anything from the finance department. Even if you are financing (I get the impression that you are not), there is a case to be made that you may want to skip gap insurance. To me, it's not necessary especially if you can afford to pay cash for the car but are financing only because of low interest rate

By the way, are you sure your husband isn't reading this? I hope we didn't spoil the surprise. Regardless, he is a very lucky guy.

erical77

I am actually financing almost 100% of this. Using the cash I would have used to pay off the remaining amount owed on our two toddlers' prepaid college plans.

At .9% over 3 years, it's not bad (when you look past the almost $1K a month car payment).

As far as gap insurance, i've already added it with our auto insurance and will only need it for a short period since we are paying this off rather quickly (for a car).

Thank you!

Oh and no, my husband has NO clue and definitely won't be reading this. We are getting rid of a 2001 Honda Accord we've had for 9.5 years for this! I've said for ages we aren't getting a new car until the Accord dies (which it hasn't), so hopefully this will be an amazing surprise!

sniper27

iTrader: (2)

agree...get GAP insurance through your auto insurance since you're financing 100% of it. I'm doing the same for 3 yrs @ 0%. Only thing I added was LoJack. But even then, I got them to do it for $400 instead of the stupid $800 they wanted for it originally.

moonsky

I agree that if you must get it, get gap insurance from outside, not Infiniti Financial Services (IFS). If you are paying $1K a month, it won't be long before you can cancel it, which I don't think you can do if you buy it from IFS. I still think you probably don't need it if you have saved enough to pay cash but are financing only because of the low APR. Most people who pay cash don't buy extra coverage to insure that they get a brand new car if the car is totaled, which is essentially what gap insurance covers (actually it covers less because it doesn't give you a brand new car, only pays off your loan)

By the way, how much are you guys paying for gap insurance? The finance manager quoted me a few hundred bucks over the life of the 3-year auto loan, which I gladly saved.

roots4x

There is no reason to purchase anything from the finance department. All accessories you may need can be ordered online from reputable Infiniti dealers for far less than what most dealerships will charge.

Also, considering the price you paid for the car, I'd skip out on gap insurance. Within 1 year of paying your car, you will owe approx. $24k. The car will be worth much more. In fact, because you got such a great deal, you could probably turn around and sell the car in 6 months and at least break even. (Assuming it's not a demo model).

EDIT Oh and I don't know about you, but they really tried to sell me hard on the Maintenance plans. Just say you have a trusted mechanic friend who can do all the work so they get off your case. These cars are EXTREMELY maintenance free. You just need oil changes and inspections for the most part. Air filter changes and inspections will get you through the better part of three years. While it is true that the plans are good deals if you plan on going to Infiniti dealerships for every service religiously, they lose their value as soon as you realize that most service points are simply unnecessary inspections that Infiniti would do for free anyway.

moonsky

Furthermore, even if you want to get Infiniti's maintenance plan, do not buy it at the same dealership that you buy your car. Unlike the car, you can shop around all over the country to get the same plan for the lowest price. Same for extended warranty.

sniper27

iTrader: (2)

I'm paying about $60/yr for GAP from my Allstate. Dealer wanted $800. I forget what the terms were.

eksigned

iTrader: (1)

that's great! good luck with your purchase! don't get hung up on the prepaid maintenance, but do consider an aftermarket clear bra (you can get it outside of the dealer). don't let them push you around! have fun! your husband's a lucky man!!

zoner

+1 on the lucky man.

gee wiz

I agree...and don't worry about making up stories about why you don't want anything extra. Just tell them flat out the moment you sit at the finance desk that you don't want any extras and you don't even care to discuss any of them. They'll probably have you sign or initial that you denied certain offers, but it will only take a few additional seconds. We were in and out of the finance department in 10 minutes. If you listen to all the offers you'll be in there an hour!

Be sure to post a pic of your husband standing next to his G with a big smile on the BIG DAY! He's a lucky guy!

erical77

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't planning on purchasing anything extra (if anything, I want them to throw in the iPod connector), but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I've looked into a clearbra - not from the dealer.

I hope it's 10 minutes! They told me 30 minutes or so, but they have all my information already. DL, insurance, credit application that they ran, etc.

And they are giving me a big red bow leftover from Christmas. I can not wait to surprise him with the car!!!

RaulGCustom

iTrader: (50)

congrats!