Price Check 4600 Pricing - Good Deal?

[rmonio]

I've been looking at JD tractors at some of the local dealers here in MN. The local dealer near me has a 4600 on the lot that he needs to move - he'll price the tractor with a 460 loader/bucket and 72" finishing mower for $24K. The tractor has about 12 hours on it and would still carry the full warranties, etc.

Any thoughts on this from the folks on the forum?

Thanks!

-Bob

 

[rancar]

Bob.....

First, a few additional points of information are needed to determine whether or not this is a good deal. Is the 4600 2WD or 4WD? What kind of tranny is it hitched to....HST, Power Reverser, or Collar Shift? What kind of hydraulics (ie, number of SCVs) does the tractor have? What kind of bucket (standard or heavy duty)? If the bare minimum in all of the above, that is, 2WD with Collar Shift, only a couple SCVs, and standard bucket, then this sounds only like a fair deal.

I checked the JD Product Configurator. They no longer have the 4x00 series to check for MSRP prices but using the 4610 as close comparison, it seems like at $24K you'd get a 20% discount off MSRP. This is a very good discount under normal circumstances. But, as I previously asked, what are the other options that come with the tractor, if any? Also, what are your applications. If the tractor is fitted with bare bones options that don't meet your application demands, then this may not be a good deal. You'd then have to beef it up with options that meet your application needs and this could become a bit more pricey. You should go to the JD Configurator and price out everything this 4600 has. You then will have an idea on what the MSRP price is on the tractor package. Then, negotiate a deal that's at least 20% less.

Also, many dealers no longer have 4x00 series on the lots. They've sold much of the product inventory to make room for the 4x10 series units. It's just my gut feeling that if this is the last 4x00 series tractor your dealer has and he really wants to move it, then the price should be somewhat less. Most dealers at this point just want to sell the 4x00 series units to get their money back they have invested in these units. It just seems this dealer still wants to make a nice profit on this one and he'll hold it until he finds a customer willing to pay his price.

When I bought my 4710 this past spring, one dealer showed me a 4700 with FEL, 4WD, Power Reverser, standard bucket, 2 SCVs, nothing else at about $23K. I thought the deal was just OK.

The point I'm making is I think you have greater room to negotiate a lower price with this dealer. If he really wants to move it, he could likely come down more from his $24K sales price.

Regards,
Bob Ancar
Cambridge, NY

 

[rmonio]

Bob -

Thanks for replying so soon. Here are some responses to your questions. First, the configuration includes the following basic items:
- 2001 4600 Tractor w/ HST, 4-WD, 4-SCVs (4 plugs)
- 460 Loader with HD Bucket
Total: $22.8 (I will post the full package breakdown later this morning once I have it)

Accessories being purchased include only the 72" finish mower at $1,250. My applications for this tractor primarily include snow removal (blower isn't feasible here due to wind), grass cutting on my acreage (10 acres - 3 cuttable, remainder pasture at this point), and other landscaping work. Eventually we will be adding some livestock (horses) and putting up fencing, etc., to manage it.

The dealer - http://jddealer.deere.com/northfieldtractor/ - seems to be reputable and fair. I agree that perhaps they can come down more - alot depends on what a fair price is for a 2 year old 4600 with these attachements. The machine was originally $28.8 (according to them) with the configuration I described above (sans the finish mower). This discount amounts to roughly 6K off for the tractor/loader configuration (the 24K includes the finish mower price).

Thanks for the feedback - any other thoughts?

-Bob

 

[cowboydoc]

I think you're pretty high for that unit. For the tractor and loader you should be down around $20k. Just remember you are buying a used unit basically. Even though it only has 12 hours on it it is 2 years old. If you went to trade it in right away you would take a huge hit on it. Go to midlawns.com and price one out. You should be able to take about $2k worth of rebates off of that price as well. In any regards you aren't getting that good of a deal.

 

[rmonio]

Richard -

Thanks for the feedback. What is the situation with the rebates that you're referring to?

Also - the loader is being added into the mix (the tractor's price is $23K without the loader). Without the loader added, you're effectively getting the machine for $20K. Here is the breakdown for the machine:
- 4600 Tractor ($18,725)
- 4600 4WD ($2,235)
- Folding ROPS ($170)
- Hydro ($2,855)
- Tire Upgrade ($335)
- Dual SCV ($750)

Then the loader is added - $3,567 - so it puts the machine at about $27K. The machine is being sold for $22K. That being said, what is the fair value that you are targetting given the loader is being added to the machine (effectively giving it to you for free)?

Thanks for your feedback.

-Bob

 

[cowboydoc]

Bob,
Basically remember you are buying a discontinued model and you are buying a 2 year old machine. That's where you have to figure your price from. Don't even think of the fact that it's new to you, because once you sign you have a 2 year old tractor and the old model series.

With that said I would take at least 30% off of that list price. So if you're figuring $27k new for the unit then 30% off of that would be $8100 which would put you at $19k for the unit. Even if you only figured 20% off of list, which any day of the week you can work a deal on a brand new one for 15-20% off of list, you are still at $21,600. Now figure that Deere has those rebates, I believe they are $2k, maybe $1k not sure, and you are right around the $20k range to pay for the tractor and the loader. Figure the price for the new one and then take 20% off of that and that's what I could order one for today. With that in mind it would take a heck of a good deal in my opinion to not buy the newest machine out there if you are talking around the same money. Also the new ones are cheaper as well. You don't get charged for alot of the extras that you used to get charged for with the old models and some things, like hydro, are cheaper, only $1200.

 

[rancar]

Bob...

OK....now with the HST, 4WD, and 4SCVs, we're getting more reasonable here. $22.8 sounds fair. That $28.8K they cite is likely the MSRP price for the tractor package...not what they were selling it for 6-12 months ago. Don't let the dealers fool you in thinking you're getting a terrific bargain when they tell you how much in dollar terms they're coming down off MSRP. The only one that knows whether you are getting a good deal is you. If you know what MSRP is for each product (and this is where the JD Configurator comes in real handy) and you can get at least 20% off MSRP, then you're doing OK.

This 4600 can tackle the application needs you list....no problem.

A good point Cowboydoc raised was negotiating a better deal...that is, knocking off $1-2K more off the dealer's selling price. In some parts of the country, this is doable. Cowboydoc appears to be very good at doing this. Other folks don't have the negotiating skills he has. Also, in other parts of the country, this is a bit more difficult due to fewer JD dealers that are around (thus reducing competition among the JD dealers) and other market variables. When I shopped around this past Spring I went to 5 dealers. They averaged from 12-16.5% off MSRP. I bought from the dealer offering 16.5% off MSRP. With the $1K rebate JD was offering, I got 20% off MSRP. The dealer I bought from refused to budge any further....they said take it or leave it at the price they offered. It was the best tractor price among the dealers that I went to, so this deal was fine with me.

Another point you want to think on carefully is the reputation and service department of this dealer. Do you know of other folks who bought from this dealer? Are they satisfied with service and parts supply? Are the shop technicians really good or do they just pretend to know what they're doing and what they're talking about. You need to research these questions until you're satisfied in your mind that this dealer can not only give you a good price but provide your service and parts supply needs as well.

When you've done competitive shopping (at least 3 different dealers) and get comfortable with price, service, parts supply, and even locality of the dealer, then it's time to think on signing that purchase order.

Let us know how you make out.

Bob

 

[fishnhunt365]

I just purchased (last Thursday) a 4600 4wd w/fel and mx6 rotary cutter. (See my post "newest future JD owner". It has a breakdown of the tractor, all of the accessories and price). One thing is that there are not alot of the "older" models left out there (at least not down here). I was fortunate to find one. The delima is that the 2 nearest JD dealers to me are both under the same ownership so pricing between them was not an option. None of the other dealers (within a 2-3 hour drive) had anyof the 4000 series models left.

I could have had the HST model 4600 (they also had one of them left) for $1200 more but did not want it.

Oh yeah, by the way, after a weekend of using my new tractor all I can say is I can't wait until next weekend!

 

[cowboydoc]

fishnhunt got what I would consider a fair deal. That's where you should be on your unit. Maybe add another $1200 like he said for the hst.

 

[rmonio]

Well - I've made the leap and purchased the 4600. The Dealer gave me some additional dollars off to insure that I felt comfortable with the price on the unit. I did not take advantage of any rebates - as indicated in a previous message - because they were not available after 7/31. However, I wasn't buying many implements so I don't think this hurt me.

I'm very happy with the dealer, the 4600, and the entire process surrounding it's delivery, setup, and "indoctrination training" for me. I'm looking forward now to some of the projects we've got lined up - ground clearing, dirt moving, etc.

Thanks for all of your help and I look forward to participating in this forum going forward. I may even post a picture sometime. .

-Bob