2011 Silverado/Sierra

[RollingsFarms]

I had a similar bad experience at a Ford dealership I recently visited. I'm not dead set on a new truck but am begining to "feel around" for what I might want in a year or 2. I told them this up front and figured they would think "hey, this guy isn't in the market as of this moment but I sure would love to have his business when he does decide to buy." Needless to say the salesman and the finance manager both told me in not so many words that "I might not be able to afford a $55k truck, maybe I should look at something else." I know I'm young(31) but who are they to tell me what I can and can't afford? They wanted to run my credit score but I wasn't having any of it! I know I have excellent credit, I know what I can afford, but I'm NOT going to pay MSRP for ANYTHING.

The best way I know to go shopping for what you want is to go on a Sunday afternoon, take all the time you want to kick the tires. Build what you want on whatever manufacutre's website you're interested in and get some quotes, email them back with your number you're willing to pay. When you finally get one to bite go sign the papers.

The days of walking into a dealership, getting a fair price and fair treatment seem to be fading for whatever reason. Needless to say buying a new truck right now kind of put me off and my paid for 2004 Z71 is looking better and better. Just remember that they have to sell YOU a truck, you don't have to sell it to them!

 

[Builder]

Well Chris I took your advice and went by a few different dealers today. I went down to the semi-local auto row. The Chevy dealer had a 2005 crew-cab 4x4 Duramax on the lot that caught my eye so I stopped. The salesman started spewing numbers out of his behind when I told him I was more interested in a new truck. He started with a loaded LTZ at $62K. When I told him I didn't need an LTZ that an LT would be plenty, he told me they were $57K. I told him he was about $5K off on his price and that I wasn't going to pay MSRP, he basically walked away from me.

So I went next door to the Ford dealer. I told him what I was looking for and that I was planning on buying in the 2 weeks. Even though he didn't have what I was looking for on the lot he was uninterested in helping anymore if I wasn't going to drive home with something.

Then I went across the street to the Dodge dealer. He was the only one on auto row that was helpful. I explained to him what I was looking for and my time frame, along with my concerns about whether Dodge had a tranny yet that would hold up like the Allison. He shared his experience and what he thought, showed me a truck with the interior package similar to what I was looking for. He didn't have any 4x4 duallies either but was very helpful and his pricing was inline with what I expected.

When I got home I decided to drive past our little small town Ford dealer. They have a 2008 Ford F450 4x4 extended cab with 41K miles on it. The salesman got me the keys and let me take it for a drive. It is a nice truck, charcoal gray with cloth interior, power locks & windows, tilt, cruise, sunroof, and CD player. The F450 is a much more suitable platform for all of the towing I will be doing. I am leery of the 6.4L engine though and wish it had an Allison, but at this point I am seriously considering it because it is a 450.

Brian

The new DMAX will tow and run circles around the 6.4L F-450. It ran circles around Ford's newest truck which is a better performer than the 6.4L it replaced, but you can't argue the cost savings and instant gratification of a used truck over a new one.
I disliked a lot of things about my 450, but one thing you'll really dislike is the stiff ride and replacement cost of the 19.5" tires. If it has 4.88 rears, you'll hate the high revs at highway speed and the fuel consumption at $4+ per gallon. If it has 4.30's it's a little more tolerable.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Builder]

Thats a good looking truck. What gear set does it have? I know they mainly had 4.30's and some had something like 4.56 gears.

Chris

4.88's bro.
Check the brochure......

 

[Diamondpilot]

4.88's bro.
Check the brochure......

I am not your bro.

Chris

 

[YesDeere]

My father had a best friend in sales all his life. He told him how to haggle and beat them up. The magic number is 12% that they generally have over cost.


The old man would figure that up and add $500 to $1000 over top of cost. Walk out if they didn't like it. He drove 30,000 miles plus a year so he got good at it. Traded up right at 60,000 miles always

 

[tcartwri]

The new DMAX will tow and run circles around the 6.4L F-450. It ran circles around Ford's newest truck which is a better performer than the 6.4L it replaced, but you can't argue the cost savings and instant gratification of a used truck over a new one.
I disliked a lot of things about my 450, but one thing you'll really dislike is the stiff ride and replacement cost of the 19.5" tires. If it has 4.88 rears, you'll hate the high revs at highway speed and the fuel consumption at $4+ per gallon. If it has 4.30's it's a little more tolerable.

Good luck with your decision.

Truth about the tires and the ride. We had the 5.13's in our F550, and I didn't mind them that much. If you have a trailer with a big front end, I would lean towards the deeper gears.

 

[timswi]

The Chevy dealer I will buy from, if I do, has been great. I was in there about 6 months ago and he remembered me, of course it is hard to forget the guy with the complete mobile shop behind his truck. He understood from the beginning that I wasn't looking to buy that minute and has quoted me nothing but invoice price. I think the trick is to deal with the fleet managers, not the lot salesmen.

Brian

I can say there are a ton of DMAX's around here and everyone seems to love them....The are some Fords and to a lesser extent, Dodges. No offense to anyone, just the diesel demographic in this area I guess.

Had a (much longer than I wanted) conversation last night with a 4x4 1 ton xcab dulley DMAX owner...He couldn't be happier..Pulls goosenecks and horse trailers along with yanking stuff around his farm...He seemed to drive it like he stole it. No complaints or problems. It was a pretty truck...Would have looked better with an occasional bath.

 

[hawkeye08]

The lowest ratio with the D-Max is 3:73. Plenty low enough ratio w the 6 speed Allison. The exhaust brake is nice also. It's great to have the extra stopping power along with all that towing power. You can get optional locking rear diff.:thumbsup: I work for GM at Ft. Wayne assembly where these trucks are built. If you have any questions PM me.

If you are a Costco member, check out their auto program (even if you're not a member, you can still see the invoice and MRSP and configure what you want and print it). We did not have any dealers close by but we were able to talk to one 150 miles away. Their price for GMC Sierra 2011 CCSB 6.0 gas was $200 over their invoice. If we had gone to them, we show them our Costco authorization (email printout with authorization code) and they show the invoice and special Costco price. It varies by dealer but it would give you a place to start.

You can configure the truck you want on the Costco website and see the invoice prices and MSRP and know what the dealer is making.

Of course, there are destination charges, advertising charges, document fees tax and license but it gives you a great starting point.

Yes, we bought at another dealer only 75 miles away and beat the Costco program a bit. We ordered our truck 12/22 and took delivery of it Feb 28.

I think you would be well pleased with the 2011 Duramax.

Welcome to Costco Auto Program

 

[timswi]

Hawkeye,

I tried the Cotsco program (am a member) 4x4 wasn't an option to spec the truck on their site in Dec of '10...Complained to Cotsco about that and the shoddy treatment by a dealer 200 miles away.

The dealer said he didn't have any '11 Sierra 4X4's and said goodby..I was kinda shocked to be honest.

Doubt I'll try that approach next time...Was better off on my own.

 

[hawkeye08]

Hawkeye,

I tried the Cotsco program (am a member) 4x4 wasn't an option to spec the truck on their site in Dec of '10...Complained to Cotsco about that and the shoddy treatment by a dealer 200 miles away.

The dealer said he didn't have any '11 Sierra 4X4's and said goodby..I was kinda shocked to be honest.

Doubt I'll try that approach next time...Was better off on my own.

4WD was a choice on mine in early Dec 2010 (Costco auto program choice), GMC Sierra 2500HD 4WD CCSB 6.0/6sp/3.73 and yes, some of the dealers do not respond well to programs. If you are speaking to the Costco contact and they treat you poorly, just report them to Costco.

It may not be intuitive to select the 4WD models, you have to use the "more" and keep looking. I just worked through configuring one.. it only takes a few minutes. I did a GMC back in Dec 2010 because that is what we wanted, but just now did a Chevrolet since that is what was being discussed.