First New Truck Purchase

heatroy78 · April 23, 2020

We are finally going to pull the trigger and buy our very first new vehicle. We have NO idea what we are doing and are looking for all the advice we can find! We won't have a trade-in, as we are keeping our 2003 Chevy Z71 for our beater truck! We are torn between the 2020 Silverado or the GMC Sierra. That all is really irrelevant right now as we just don't know what we are doing! I am reading to never pay MSRP. And I see that we can negotiate around 10% on that price however, if you are able to negotiate on the MSRP price, does that void any special offers that the dealer is offering? Any other points you can offer? We need all the help we can get!

Sierra_Kayaker · April 23, 2020

I think you can get even farther past that % off MSRP. I think my advice for a first time buyer would be three-fold.

1) do your homework. Figure out what you want, and what others are paying for it. Don't let the dealership up-sell you on features or packages you don't need. Use resources such as this site and others to find out the "true" price you should pay.

2) Talk with multiple dealerships, be willing to talk to ones a little farther away too. If you get a great price from one 100 miles away, the one down the road might be willing to match it to make a sale.

3) The 0% financing is juicy bait, imo. If I were buying, I would take the full rebate since interest rates are already really low.

3.5) There will be a lot of numbers thrown around, the dealership won't have as much wiggle room since there's no trade in, so they will probably play hard ball at first on the sale price. Don't be afraid to walk out. Remember, they need the sale more.

Good luck!

Edited April 23, 2020 by Sierra_Kayaker

superhighsierra · April 23, 2020

Which one do you like more? They are the same truck with different styling and names for the different trim levels. The High Country is a Denali , the Trail Boss is an AT4 essentially, the LTZ is an SLT, etc. I think the only noticeable difference other than the styling is the tailgate lol. The High Country has a tailgate that lifts itself up and the GMC's have the "multi-pro" tailgate. I (totaled my other vehicle and needed a new one) went to the Chevy dealership, looked around and was very interested and then went to the GMC dealership. I am a much bigger fan of how the GMC's look, so I bought a Sierra, but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't like how the Chevy looks better. You are going to get fanboys on either side. See what you like and don't be loyal to a brand IMO. I'd have bought a Ram if I didn't like the Sierra better FWIW.

You should be getting close to 20% off the MSRP. Hell, the sticker on my fully loaded SLT was 58,500 and I paid 42,500, granted it did have 1,700 miles as it was the dealer loaner vehicle. That mean I almost paid 30% off MSRP. With the way the economy is, the buyer has the dealer by the balls right now. They were selling them for 20% off before the pandemic, you should easily be able to get that right now.

So long as you have decent credit, you should be able to get a really good loan through a bank right now as well. The 0% is legit, but at the end of the day it is simple math. How much interest will you pay over the course of a 40 something thousand dollar loan at the banks rate? Add that to what you are paying for your truck and if that is better than the 0% there is your answer.

Dealers are FOS. Every last one of them. That doesn't mean you should treat them like $hit and be a dick, but they will screw you over while being nice to your face in a heartbeat. Again, every last one of them. You are there to make a significant purchase. Not be friends with somebody who is high-fiving his buddies in the back because he made a couple extra thousand off of you. As others have said, walk out. You hold all the cards IMO. Plenty of nice new vehicles, plenty of nice pre-owned vehicles, and plenty of different places and ways to buy them. You are on here asking for advice so you are on the right track, but the internet is the great equalizer for dealerships. Look at the thread that says "what did you pay for your truck." Chances are somebody has already bought the exact vehicle and is giving you an exact dollar amount of what they paid for it.

Your bigger choices are do you want 4wd? Do you want a center console that goes to the dash? Do you want a double cab or a crew cab? Do you want a 5 1/2 ft bed or a 6 1/2 ft bed? Do you care about the color? Do you like Chrome or do you want it color matched. How about Navigation? Do you care about the 5.3 or the 6.2? For me, I was always just going to buy the nicest truck I could find that hit on all of my non-negotiables i.e. full center console, 4wd ,white, 6 1/2 ft bed. I wound up buying a '19 Sierra SLT with Nav, Bose, 4wd, White Frost Tricoat option, double cab with 6 1/2 ft bed, color matched fender flares, the convenience, tech and towing options.

There are some funky options out there on these trucks. How every 30+ thousand dollar truck doesn't have navigation, a full center console, color matched fender flares, etc. is a joke. They put unpainted flares on Denali's. GTFOH.

My advice would be to look around. You can find some great deals out there if you do... As a wise man once told me, the man with the money holds all the cards and that couldn't be more true, even more so with the current climate we are in.

Edited April 23, 2020 by superhighsierra

RetChief · April 23, 2020

Remember GM is giving 6500.00 rebate and most dealers will come an additional 5000- 6000k more without much pressure. I think if you get 12k+ off msrp your doing ok. You have an advantage in that your not trading anything, so the dealer can't muddy the numbers. If the dealer starts talking about taking your truck on trade be careful, he don't don't want a 2003 anything on his lot and will use it to separate you from more of your money. I would skip the 0% and get your own financing, otherwise you lose the 6500 GM rebate. If you can't get 12k off be prepared to walk. Be courteous but firm. Leave your number and you'll probably receive a call in a day or two. Good Luck and enjoy your new truck.

flat350 · April 23, 2020

Don't be afraid to get up and walk away if you feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable about the deal being offered.They are good at juggling numbers,don't tell them where you need to be on payments,they'll juggle the numbers in their favor to meet that goal and make it look like a good deal.

JimCost2014 · April 23, 2020

5 hours ago, heatroy78 said:

We are finally going to pull the trigger and buy our very first new vehicle. We have NO idea what we are doing and are looking for all the advice we can find! We won't have a trade-in, as we are keeping our 2003 Chevy Z71 for our beater truck! We are torn between the 2020 Silverado or the GMC Sierra. That all is really irrelevant right now as we just don't know what we are doing! I am reading to never pay MSRP. And I see that we can negotiate around 10% on that price however, if you are able to negotiate on the MSRP price, does that void any special offers that the dealer is offering? Any other points you can offer? We need all the help we can get!

Welcome to the site.

Congratulations on your upcoming new truck.

Go to your bank, credit union, lender, and get prequalified for a loan, that way you will know what rate, amount, and what your monthly payments would look like. Some F&I people are not the most honest about rates and what you should get.

I would drive both, actually see if you like the trucks, and then worry about a price.

If the amount is the only thing that matters, you might end up with a truck that you do not like.

Do your research, market, and incentives change all the time, so be ready, go into this with an open mind, you will be doing business with a dealership that is there to make money and keep its doors open.

But, don't feel pressured, or like you are being forced to buy something that you are not comfortable with.

Have fun, and let us know what you decide.

Edited April 24, 2020 by JimCost2014

steve841 · April 23, 2020

As for deciding between Chevy and GMC ...

My only insight on Chevy vs GMC:

Chevy tailgate is electric down AND up. GMC pro gate is only open (higher end models). This was disappointing to me as the electric up was much more useful than the gimmicky Multipro gate.
Suspension is better on the GMC. You can actually feel the damping difference back to back against the Chevy.
If you are the least bit concerned about mileage, get the diesel.

Test drive both.

Enjoy your new ride.

migrabill · April 23, 2020

17 minutes ago, steve841 said:

As for deciding between Chevy and GMC ...

My only insight on Chevy vs GMC:

Chevy tailgate is electric down AND up. GMC pro gate is only open (higher end models). This was disappointing to me as the electric up was much more useful than the gimmicky Multipro gate.

Suspension is better on the GMC. You can actually feel the damping difference back to back against the Chevy.

If you are the least bit concerned about mileage, get the diesel.

Test drive both.

Enjoy your new ride.

I don't find the multi pro tailgate gimmickey at all. I love it and use it all the time. As an older guy it makes it so much easier to get up into the bed. Plus I have the bluetooth speakers installed in the multi pro tailgate and listen to them while camping. It's part of the reason I went with GMC Sierra over Chevy. That and the front end. Love the big chrome grill of the Sierra and not a fan of that silverado wrap around front end.

Sean017 · April 24, 2020

New here and looking to purchase a 2020 Denali 2500. The MSRP is 77.9K and they’ve offered it to me at 74,750 OTD. what do you think of this price?

ducklawyer · April 24, 2020

New here and looking to purchase a 2020 Denali 2500. The MSRP is 77.9K and they’ve offered it to me at 74,750 OTD. what do you think of this price?

Idk where you are located but places around me (AR) have them $11k off so I would say keep shopping around

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zelmo · April 24, 2020

I'll throw out another tip that I don't see anyone else mentioning. Many car dealers will try to sell you based on a monthly payment. Don't fall for that. If anything a salesman who is pushing that tactic is probably one you don't want to deal with.

kstruckcountry · April 24, 2020

Negotiate price, and then apply any GM incentives. The incentives come directly from GM and do not cost the dealer anything.

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Ultimate 2022 · April 24, 2020

If you have a trade in - I have had great luck getting a trade in quote from multiple dealerships, taking the highest quote, and getting other dealerships to match or beat it.

Another thing that I am not the greatest at, but have heard stories - Negotiating the financing. Be prepped with rates that you have been approved for and understand that you can negotiate their rates or straight up dont have to take their rates.

JimCost2014 · April 24, 2020

In theory that sounds great, but the banks are the ones setting the rates, not the dealerships. So you would have to work with them to negotiate the rate.

A good "honest" F&I manager will shop the loan to find the best rate that you would qualify for at time of purchase.

Plus with it being a new truck, you can take the incentives, with a possible higher rate, and then refinance through a lender of your choice in 30 - 90 days. That is why you should speak with someone, just so you know what is available as far as rates and how much of a loan you can get. Then if the dealership comes back with something higher, you know something is up.

f8l vnm · April 24, 2020

18 hours ago, superhighsierra said:

Which one do you like more? They are the same truck with different styling and names for the different trim levels. The High Country is a Denali , the Trail Boss is an AT4 essentially, the LTZ is an SLT, etc. I think the only noticeable difference other than the styling is the tailgate lol. The High Country has a tailgate that lifts itself up and the GMC's have the "multi-pro" tailgate. I (totaled my other vehicle and needed a new one) went to the Chevy dealership, looked around and was very interested and then went to the GMC dealership. I am a much bigger fan of how the GMC's look, so I bought a Sierra, but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't like how the Chevy looks better. You are going to get fanboys on either side. See what you like and don't be loyal to a brand IMO. I'd have bought a Ram if I didn't like the Sierra better FWIW.

Agree with everything you said but to be fair the AT4 does come with more options then the TB..Granted there could also be a 10k difference between the 2 but the TB LT does not come all the options .