Congrats, Allen!

I'm in almost the same situation you were in a few months ago. I'm getting ready to unload my RR Sport and am looking into purchasing an AMV8V as well. The only dilema I cannot seem to overcome is whether to go for the roadster or coupe; I love the look and feel of the roadster with the top down, but not so much with the top up......

Can't wait for the pics

jeff

 

I clayed the exterior and slapped on two coats of wax. Unfortunately the weather was a bit dingy and all I had was my Blackberry, so pardon the crude pictures.

 

Since you live in SF where it's always cold and overcast, I'd probably go with a coupe. I personally am not a big fan of soft tops either.

 

The roadster is beautiful and the coupe more sporting. If you want a MT in a roadster, you will be searching for a while. They are rare.

 

Allen,

I tried to PM you but I guess you need a 15 post minimum to have that right....

A few questions if you don't mind:

1) In your experience with the dealerships you dealt with, what was the wiggle room, percentage wise, in price?

2) I'm in the market for an '07 for a variety of reasons, as you combed through the market recently, would you say a ceiling price of $75K for a relatively fully-loaded, 6MT, '07 is accurate?

3) I love your tail lights; I plan to have them installed pre-pickup as well. Did the dealer comp them or give you a discount at least? To them was it a strange request?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Your car is a beauty, have fun with her!

jeff

 

It varied between dealers, as some have a larger markup than others. But I'd say between 10-15% for an 09 and 5-10% for an 07. Most 07's were right around my ideal price and were maybe a few thousand off. I saw many in the high $70K's and were willing to drop it to $75K and sometimes less.
I think most would say an 07 ranges from $68K-$75K, depending on the mileage, options, condition, etc. But given the end of year, I would low ball as much as you can and see what they come back with. In my experience, providing a soft commit (i.e. if you can lower it to $XXK, I will put a down payment tomorrow) works wonders. But only if you are ready to move on the car. I wouldn't try that if you're just kicking the tires.
I tried having the dealer comp them, but he was only able to discount them to $1K installed. Which isn't bad, but I think other dealers can do better. Palm Beach Motor Cars tends to have a higher mark up IMO. It wasn't an outrageous request either. I was going to try for the V12 sills, but I thought that would be asking for too much.

Good luck!

 

Negotiate for the sport pack wheels if you can as they look great IMO

 

I am not in the immediate market, but I like to do my homework.

I am an accountant and am planning on buying the car around mid-April, the end of tax season, as a reward for myself

I'd like to buy in Las Vegas or LA and take a 3-4 day road trip with the gf, up the coast to SF as a mini vacay.

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with EuroCar OC in Costa Mesa, but they seem to get a lot of great cars. My only issue is that 1) they are not an AM dealer, and 2) besides not being as well versed in the car as an AM dealer, they probably would not have the clear tails on-hand to install? And if they were able to get them, it would cost much more than an AM dealer? The plus side of buying from them is that I would have a contact there for the future if/when I decide to buy another exotic.

I'm planning on making serious inquiries and offers in March, but if something I cannot pass up presents itself before then, I may just have to pull the trigger. I have found that it is very hard to find a AMV8V with the the specs I want even though I feel that they are pretty simple: blk/blk or grey/blk, 6-MT, premium sound, park distance control, 10-15k mi. A lot of the cars I've seen with black interior have red stitching which I am not a huge fan of personally.

Allen, how was your experience using AiM Mobile Inspections? Were there any reservations buying a car sight-unseen, 3,000 miles away?

 

Yeah, they look to have a nice collection of AM's and you're right about them not having as much wiggle room when it comes to additions like the clear tail lights. I'm also not sure if they have their own service department, so they may need to have AM install it as well. You can always try and go from there. I assume they have a relationship with the local AM dealer and get parts at near wholesale prices and discounts on services.
I think the parking sensors are standard. I would also get the HID lights, cruise control, 19" wheels, navigation, auto dimming mirror, bright finished grill, and memory seats. The heated seats and power folding mirrors are nice to haves.
I thought they were good, but failed to catch two things that I would have liked to know about and have the AM dealer fix them. But the reports was very comprehensive and was made available just an hour after the inspection was completed. But if you're going to purchase from EuroCar, I would have the inspection performed by AM. It will be more expensive (~$500), but well worth it.

 

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with EuroCar OC in Costa Mesa, but they seem to get a lot of great cars. My only issue is that 1) they are not an AM dealer, and 2) besides not being as well versed in the car as an AM dealer, they probably would not have the clear tails on-hand to install? And if they were able to get them, it would cost much more than an AM dealer? The plus side of buying from them is that I would have a contact there for the future if/when I decide to buy another exotic.

I bought from them, and another local seattle guy bought from them, Tilo loves AM and knows them. They do a lot of volume, so the mark-up isn't as high as some of the dealers... buy with confidence from eurocar OC.

 

Would they be capable of installing clear tail lights pre-pickup for a reasonable price?

 

I've said it probably too many times on this forum but "check your oil" once a week and service once a year or every 10,000 miles whichever is first. If you do that and get the book stamped you will have better resale value and less problems down the road. By the way..tungsten is an awesome color. Welcome aboard!

 

Thanks Savile Row! Great to finally be an owner.

 

Are clear tail lights really that big of a deal? Anyone could put those in for you. You could do it yourself.... the local high school autobody class has the aptitude to change taillights! ie...don't let that be a hang up for you... and yes, I'm sure Eurocar could do it for you...

 

Clears are absolutely a big deal! In my opinion, I think it completely changes the look of the car. Is it a deal breaker? no; but it would be great if I could pick up the car exactly how I want it than spend the time later on to do it.

Maybe I'm funny like that, just my .02 cents.