first post. Thought i had an account but i guess i didn't.

I live in southern California and i have a few dealers near me selling r3's for $24,000 to $25,000 range. They generally have under 11K miles on them. My question is why are they so low when KBB has trade in value for more than that and private sale for $27,000 i believe. I am a little confused with their pricing. Are these vehicles in bad shape or are these actually good deals? I have driven one of them about a month ago and it is still on the lot. Other than the car not being detailed it was really nice. If these are actually good deals how much lower would the dealer be willing to go to part with it?


Thanks,
Corey

With heavy year-end dealer incentives, several people around here (myself included) bought new '09 R3s in that $24-$25k range. If you do some poking around, you may still find a dealer or two somewhere in the country who still has a new '09 and will let it go for thousands under invoice. Hell, I have started to see prices on 2010 models come down in to the upper $20k range. I don't believe KBB recognizes dealer incentives in their values.

The whole car biz is hurting right now sales are slow. People are broke and sticking to old cars. If it had not been for the cash for clunkers fiasco ($15 grand a pop after admin costs). We would be seeing even more carnage in Automotive markets. All car prices are in a deflationary mode right now. People are getting rid of project cars too. Lot of market pressure to dump cars. The Blue Book and NADA are all over the road cause people have to cut deals to move.

Check out Royal motors in San Francisco. They have a left over new (approx. 500 test miles though) 2009 black r3. They are currently asking $24,330. May be worth the trip up north.

The pricing in KBB is too high for the market. NADAGuide.com is more in line with what the dealers use.

ok cool thanks for all the advise. A new 09 in San Fransisco is very appealing. I will have to do more research. Since car dealerships are hurting, hypothetically how much room do i have to bargain with a dealership for an r3 if the listing price is around $24,000. Is closer to $20,0000 asking too low?