Buying Advice Making my first tractor purchase tomorrow, a few last minute questions.

[whis]

Just remember when you tick your local dealer off he will be the one you want to do your warranty work, not that he won't do it but how long it takes

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Just remember when you tick your local dealer off he will be the one you want to do your warranty work, not that he won't do it but how long it takes

Exactly. When you choose to buy elsewhere, it probably pays not to be snotty about it. It ain't personal; it's just business.

 

[mb1986]

Thanks for the advice everyone, definitely not looking to burn any bridges with the dealer. My hope is that we can come to a fair deal for both of us, whether that means dropping the price a bit or throwing in a few extras. If not, I'll thank him for his time and move on with my day.

 

[BlessedMess]

Just remember when you tick your local dealer off he will be the one you want to do your warranty work, not that he won't do it but how long it takes

100% agree, but don't understand dealers who literally threaten prospective buyers with poor service or unnecessary delays. Sometimes it's just semantics, but they might win some more sales AND earn a higher margin by being polite and selling "platinum" customer service as a dealer benefit that is available only on units they sell... i.e. parts/service customers will always get great service, but unit customers get even [faster/better/cheaper] benefits. Besides, in sales it's not just the one delighted or angry PO'd customer, it is the 10 people they tell, and the people they tell to buy from or avoid a business (Joe Girard's "Law of 250"). With Facebook, TBN, etc. it may be even higher than 250 now.

OP: Notwithstanding emergencies, none of us "have" to buy anything from anybody, especially on luxury purchases. Nice of you to still give the local guy a shot, and I hope ya enjoy the new Kubota. If you're like me, buying will be the easy part compared with getting the Mrs to go along... Happy wife, happy life ;-)

 

[Al Mac]

After seeing your post and reading the comments. I agree with buying local as when the chips are down and you need service even after the warranty is up.

I just got a new 2920 with the FEL, MMM, Blower with no price change from the first quote. I did get a work light and weight box added and the dealer didn't charge me for those. He also delivered it (about 4 miles away).
He was another hard nut to crack a good price from but it was worth the effort on my part to keep that window open.

Good luck and enjoy your new unit.

Al

 

[Deere Dude]

I wouldn't mess around with the local dealer anymore until a warranty problem pops up. He had a shot to give you the best price and didn't. Some dealers can just sell stuff cheaper for what ever reason. Just get the one at Barlow and save the $800. That's a big chunk of money and as for me, I wouldn't give the local dealer the satisfaction of saying, "No."

 

[oosik]

I hope you come to terms with your local dealer. I've never, in 32 years, needed service -knock on wood. Its still very comforting to know that the dealer is there to back me up if needed. I got a fantastic price on my Kubota when I bought it new in 2009 and they delivered it free - 30 miles one way. The Kubota dealer comes from a long line of farmers and they are exceptional when dealing with them.

 

[paulfun9]

Let me get this straight ! The local dealer wants to charge you for delivery on a new purchase that's under ten miles away? Guess what he will be charging you for service work after the warrantee? Guess what other practices unscrupulous dealers like this have at service time and what they charge for parts and such.

I would widen my search area to include other dealers within an hours drive from my home and skip the local dealer all together!

 

[smitesmash]

My dealer wasn't the lowest price around, but they were all in the very close ballpark, and the dealer I chose was the only one willing to write down the full quote.

All of the local dealers offered free delivery, but that was all within 100 miles, and that would include a round trip ferry ride (30' truck/trailer rig should have cost $80-$100 round trip for that alone)

That being said, much of the things that they sell are nearly 3x the price that I can buy elsewhere. An hydraulic coupling that I bought at a local-ish hydraulic supply store for$20, they were asking $75. A couple of other things that that I priced out were between double and triple the cost elsewhere (hand axe and chainsaw )

 

[mb1986]

Went down to my local dealer today and after a lot of back and forth, we came to a deal. I ended up moving up to the BX2370. I had been considering the 2370, but had moved away from it because of price. To my surprise, my dealers price on the 2370 was much more reasonable than he had given me on the BX1870 only $1,000 more, Barlows had quoted me at $1,500 more). I'm not sure if this was his way of saving face (still claimed his price was right on and wouldn't budge on the 1870) and still selling a tractor, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter because we came to a deal. I did manage to get the tires filled and a $100 off, so while I'm sure it wasn't the deal of the century, I'm content with what I paid. Now the waiting game begins, two weeks can't go quick enough! Thanks again for all of the help everyone, I'll post pics when it arrives, I've heard that's policy around here