I don't care how many fees they tack on or what the payment is (if applicable.) Before I start shopping for any major I figure out what I can afford and/or how badly I need it. When I start talking price I already have a baseline, plus some idea of what I should have to pay. Then I start asking for prices.
When tractor shopping 3 years ago I calculated how much I wanted to pay, got preapproved at my CU, and started looking. At that point I was asking for prices for a 3301 DT with R1s and QU loader delivered to my door. Prices reflected a $1200 cash discount. I was talking to 3 different dealers, they could write the numbers up any way that they wanted. After two months I was already to buy; I sat down late Friday night to read the specs one more time and was planning on doing the deal the following day. Then I noticed that it didn't have live PTO... that's how I ended up with a 2 YO 3301 with 175 hours on it.
When tractor shopping 3 years ago I calculated how much I wanted to pay, got preapproved at my CU, and started looking. At that point I was asking for prices for a 3301 DT with R1s and QU loader delivered to my door. Prices reflected a $1200 cash discount. I was talking to 3 different dealers, they could write the numbers up any way that they wanted. After two months I was already to buy; I sat down late Friday night to read the specs one more time and was planning on doing the deal the following day. Then I noticed that it didn't have live PTO... that's how I ended up with a 2 YO 3301 with 175 hours on it.