Prep Fees
- Thread starter nyc1dxo
- Start date
Prep fees are not doc fees. If you see a prep fee on your invoice you have been ripped off. Dealers are paid by manufacturers to prep the vehicle for new car delivery. Documentation fee is also another goofy fee dealers put on but I normally don't care about if it is not more then $199. Stay away from window etching as well. Some dealers will tell you you MUST do it, you then tell them to screw off. It is a waste of $xxx since when was the last time you heard a window was stolen from a vehicle and recovered because of a window etching. If you are super concerned about theft, get Lojak!
If all is done well by your dealer you should see doc fee, MV fee, Tax, rebate(s) and negotiated price of vehicle on the Bill of Sale (also your trade in allowance if any)
If all is done well by your dealer you should see doc fee, MV fee, Tax, rebate(s) and negotiated price of vehicle on the Bill of Sale (also your trade in allowance if any)
I disagree that window etching is a total waste. Thieves may pass up a vehicle with VIN etched glass because it seriously diminishes the value of the vehicle, as it can cost the thief as much as $2000 or more to replace the glass. It has nothing to do with recovering a piece of glass.
However, having it done by the dealership is a scam, as it costs about $15 to do it, and they charge $200 or more.
There are many law enforcement agencies that offer to do it for free. You can also get a kit for about $20 and DIY.
I just bought a CX-9. There was no prep fee mentioned or included. I would have thrown a fit if there was a prep fee. They tried to bill me for door edge protection at $79 but I declined. Turns out all their vehicles have them on anyway whether or not you pay for it. Dealer had a $49 Doc fee which I could have negotiated if I wanted but I focused mostly on getting down the sale price and got them to throw in freebies so I left the doc fee on.
My bill of sale was sale price + doc fee + TTL.
My bill of sale was sale price + doc fee + TTL.
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- 2022 CX-5 Turbo
That is why I asked since I have never seen a "prep fee" for the 6 new vehicles I have bought so far. Usually when I walk into the finance guy's office, I told him/her upfront that I will say no to all that he/she has to offer. It made the process much faster. The "doc fee" was around $55 when I bought my CX9.
There is a new "advertisement fee" these years. For local Mazda dealers, they charge about $200. Every one of our Mazda dealers charged the same amount. They claimed that it is the fee they need to advertise locally.
There is a new "advertisement fee" these years. For local Mazda dealers, they charge about $200. Every one of our Mazda dealers charged the same amount. They claimed that it is the fee they need to advertise locally.
You guys need to check out dealers in NJ. There are so many that are evil. Some charge $500 Doc fee and they used to overcharge MV fees to make a profit until NJ stepped in on that. The DOC fee is not regulated and they can charge whatever they want to.
A big ongoing scam some dealers in NJ do is sell you the car at one price and interest rate and then a couple of days later call you and tell you rate was revoked because of credit issues and you need to come up with another $xxxx to keep the rate.
I am sure NJ is not alone with scum dealers but being the dealer mart of the US, seems like a majority of them in NJ are.
A big ongoing scam some dealers in NJ do is sell you the car at one price and interest rate and then a couple of days later call you and tell you rate was revoked because of credit issues and you need to come up with another $xxxx to keep the rate.
I am sure NJ is not alone with scum dealers but being the dealer mart of the US, seems like a majority of them in NJ are.
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A big ongoing scam some dealers in NJ do is sell you the car at one price and interest rate and then a couple of days later call you and tell you rate was revoked because of credit issues and you need to come up with another $xxxx to keep the rate.
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For this reason, I prefer to get financing directly from the bank who will then issue a check rather than financing through the dealership. Also allows me to focus on the 'out-the-door' price. The other thing that I did is check reviews/comments on the dealership by searching broadly on google, edmunds etc. For the same price or a difference of a couple of 100, I rather go with a dealership that I know is reliable and will provide good after sales support(warranty).
A big ongoing scam some dealers in NJ do is sell you the car at one price and interest rate and then a couple of days later call you and tell you rate was revoked because of credit issues and you need to come up with another $xxxx to keep the rate.
===========================
For this reason, I prefer to get financing directly from the bank who will then issue a check rather than financing through the dealership. Also allows me to focus on the 'out-the-door' price. The other thing that I did is check reviews/comments on the dealership by searching broadly on google, edmunds etc. For the same price or a difference of a couple of 100, I rather go with a dealership that I know is reliable and will provide good after sales support(warranty).
