What about PRICING?

[LuckyJack]

Construction on new home is nearing completion. Should be moving onto our 50 acres of woods and pasture here in Northwest Alabama in a month or so. Have been avidly reading all the great info here and learning lots since I have never owned a tractor. But I want one!

I'm not close to deciding on which manufacturer and model, but I am curious about the "pricing" part of the equation. Don't read too much on that here despite the forum title.

So...all you recent tractor buyers...are you buying at list or "sticker" price? Are you negotiating/bargaining and getting any movement by the dealer? Are you getting quotes from multiple dealers (assuming you're lucky enough to have two close by handling the tractor you want)?

Is the "price" part of buying a tractor anything like buying a car, where "we won't be undersold" and "$xxx over dealer cost" is common?

Thanks!

 

[Poppa]

OK, the most important thing for you to realize right now is that you are from Alabama. This means the Polecat is going to find you.

As far as the answers to your questions, my answer is yes to all. I didn't actually negotiate, and there were no "Sticker Prices" at the dealers I went to. I studied here hard to get an approximation for a price and then I headed to the dealers. Fist one I went to made me think I was in the wrong country cause his pices were so high. Second dealer I went to came in right where my research indicated. So the lesson from me is try to find at least two dealers.

Brand wise, well that is truly a personal decision. I think if you are willing to pay for any of the big three, JD, NH, KUB, KIOTI (hey wait, that's four, oh well) then you really can't go wrong. Nothing against the others, I just never looked at them myself. GO sit on as many as you can. I say that yet I didn't do it. I never sat on JD because I never made it to the JD dealer. Before I went shopping I had narrowed the size of the tractor down to what I thought I would be comfortable with. Twenty minutes on a Kubota B7800 and I was in love. Would have felt like cheating to even drive by the green dealer. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

50 acres is a lot more than I have so I am not even going to offer a suggestion for tractor size, but I will stress this, I think buying a tractor should be fun. When it starts getting stressful, slow down and think about all the stuff you are going to get done with the rig and then get back to the shopping. The only stress should be the time from ordering to delivery.

Mike

 

[kdouthit]

I'll throw my $.02 worth in......

We just completed the purchase of our first tractor this week. Like yourself we did a lot of lurking on this board and surfing on the internet to "try" and figure out what we needed.

We then visited 5 JD, 2 Kubota, 2 Kioti, 1 Branson, 2 NH, 1 Long Argi, and 1 Massey dealership.

Pricing was all over the board, but generally less than MSRP (that is if you can find a published price).

Originally we were hoping to spend (and could have) 13-15K for the tractor (hydro), FEL, BB, & RB. But we decided to spend the extra money (around 19K total) with a dealer and maufacturer we liked and felt the most comfortable with.

Some others may have done better or worse, but we are extremely happy with our purchase (9.2 hours since 1100 Tuesday morning), and with the dealer we chose. At the end of the day that's really all that matters.........

I'm sure others with more experience will pipe in later.....

 

[KiotiJohn]

Dealers are in the business to make money, buyers are in the business to save money. Paying list should be unheard of, but beating a dealer down to the bone doesn't help anyone as we all need dealers to stay in business. Find out the tractor you want, get as many prices as you can, and buy from the dealer who appears to be the best equipped to serve your needs. You will find that some tractor dealerships have the feeling that their brand invented the tractor, and that should not come down a penny. You'll find other dealers with which to deal. John
CK20 Albums

 

[cmuncy]

Here's my input and my first post! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

My wife and I needed a tractor for our newly aquired 13 acres. I wanted to keep the price below 20k. We looked at the "Big 3" then I had someone mention the Long Agri line from India. I was very impressed with the overall quality of the tractors , 300DTC and 360DTC, and felt that they would do a great job for us.

I visited a local dealer ( I had 5 deaalers within 1 hour from me) and got a good understannding of the tractor and CUT's in general. I was treated excellently just as I treat my customers at my shop.

My wife and I then put a list of features together ( implements/accessories) and I faxed them to 8 dealers. I got 6 reponses, all were within a few thousand of each other ( 17 to 18k) I called the cheapest bid: None in stock. I called the most expensive: same answer! I called the shop closest to my land that had a full service department and had a long talk with the owner.

( Every dealer that I talked to was fantastic. No one talked trash or talked down to me or tried a bait and switch)

I called the dealer closest to my place and asked if I paid cash, how close could he come to the lowest bid ( never hurts to ask). Well he matched it, item for item, price for price.

I think I got a great deal on a neat little tractor and have a dealer that I will support.

Remember: You might get the cheapest price, but you have to look at parts and service as well.

I will be picking up my new 300DTC with loader, 5' box blade, 5' brush mower, post hole digger and bits this saturday. I'll get some pictures up when she gets here.

Chris /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[755inNY]

Based on previous posts to this forum, the price discounting by dealers is both geographical and brand dependent. Some brands (even within the big 3) may not be as popular in a given area and the dealers may be trying to break into the market. Several dealers of the same brand that is dominant in a particular area may or may not be inclined to compete aggressively against each other. And of course there is more than just price. You must consider the dealer relationship for proximity, service, parts and warranty support.

You should not expect to pay list price. Getting the list price may be more difficult with some brands of tractors than others. JD, for instance, posts their list pricing on their web site. Others may as well. But that should not stop you from asking for the list prices from the dealer. I think a good approach is ask the dealer to itemize the list prices for each option and then give their discounted price on the total. In this way you can see what an option is costing and decide if you want to delete it from your list. It also gives you an idea of the discount the dealer is offering.

You should expect a discount of between 10 and 20%. I would not be afraid to ask a dealer you have identified as preferred to match, or come closer to matching, a lower price from another dealer. It can't hurt to ask and it does not mean you will walk away if a further discount is not offered. If you can't get a dealer to move further on price, you can try getting other services or items thrown in for free. Dealers have different price structures and therefore different flexibilities in what they can offer.

Many optional items available on the tractor are dealer installed. Some dealers charge an additional fee above the cost of the item for installation, others do not. Some charge a separate set-up fee for the tractor.

You may not be ready to select a particular brand but it is not too early to start making the rounds of the dealers to see what they have to offer and to start your research. The more informed you are the more comfortable and confident you will feel about your purchase.

Jeff

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I will be picking up my new 300DTC with loader, 5' box blade, 5' brush mower, post hole digger and bits this saturday. I'll get some pictures up when she gets here.)</font>
Congratulations Chris! I'm looking forward to seeing your pics.
755inNY, well said. John

 

[JoelT]

Once settling on a Deere I got prices from 4 dealers, all less than a grand apart - $18.5K average (B4 I went nuts on attachments.) The lowest price was a cash price but I'm not rich and had to finance. What I did find comparing 2 different "specials" was that a lower priced special ended up costing more than a higher priced special in big part because of the interest rate. They do use interest and "fees" to monkey with the prices. Tractor salesmen are not like car salesmen. They're not trying to screw you, just make a living.
You'll never be cornered in a room with a couple guys trying to get you to sign on the line. My tractor was delivered a week and a half before I signed anything or "exact" figures were established. Pretty much a handshake arrangement. Buy where you're comfortable.

Joel

 

[jmc]

LuckyJack,

I just went through all of this and what helped me was dividing the process into two steps.

1) For each model, pick the most helpful dealer and decide exactly which options you want. Have him quote it.

2) Write down the options and let the competing dealers (for that brand) quote on it. When you come in prepared, those other dealers know they will probably only get one shot at it.

In my case, the original dealer got my business even though he wasn't the lowest. He was helpful and did all the upfront work.

By the way, this is the same dealership where I bought my first tractor 16 years ago. It seemed like a lot of money then but I never agonized over it later. Instead, I was marveling about what a well engineered and useful piece of equipment it is. Although at the time it seemed like a sunken cost, recently I discovered that its still worth a large portion of what I paid for it 16 years ago.

John

 

[nomad]

Another thing is that you will need some attachments/implements there as the tractor alone is useless. Determine which attachments you will need first. Their types&sizes will determine your tractor type&size. Then, go to a tractor dealer who is also seller of attachments. There are some dealers selling the packages (tractor+implements) and usually these implements will be given for much cheaper prices as the dealer will be making some good profit from the tractor.