If you want to talk hype around a new car launch, you don’t need to go past the Nissan Z. Everyone loved it, and everyone wanted one. But since that pivotal moment, seldom few seem to be hitting the roads. One man is working his butt off to change all that. He goes by the name “Nismo Nick” and he thinks he’s sold more new Zs than anyone else in the country.
The new Z was the subject of much speculation and awe in the lead-up to its debut. It promised modern good looks with a sage hint to the past, combined with a powerful turbocharged engine and yes, a manual gearbox. It was everything the car enthusiast wanted, and it looked good enough for the fashionable but unknowledgeable set. If you thought the new Supra was globby, underpowered, and too automatic, the Nissan Z could fix all that.
Despite this, the Z has struggled to do big numbers amidst difficult trading conditions and horrendous markups. I spoke to Nick Scherr, Working at Avondale Nissan in Arizona, he decided he was the man to flip the script and get butts in seats. He’s the man to talk to if you want to get your hands on a Z.
Challenge, Or Opportunity?
The hype around the new Z was promising for Nissan, but it was also a problem. The sheer level of interest inspired many dealers to do what dealers do. “Back when the new Nissan Z was launched, dealers lost their mind,” says Nick. “Everyone had them marked up like crazy especially because they were so hard to get.” Just as the hype was popping off, dealers were discouraging customers at the outset.
That didn’t sit right with Nick, and he saw an opportunity. He decided he was going to try and get the Z into customers’ hands at sticker. “I vowed in a social media post to The New Nissan Z Facebook group that I would only sell them at MSRP,” he says. Delivering on this wouldn’t be easy. Cars were thin on the ground at launch, and it’s a problem that continues to this day. Most dealers would simply slap on a markup and focus on other product, but Nick had an idea.
“I have contacted dealers all over the entire country that can’t sell their Zs,” he explains. “Whether it is because they are marked up or because they are located in an area where winter is a thing, I would buy their inventory from them.” He wanted stock, and other dealers grew tired of the sports car taking up space without generating sales. It ended up as a win for both parties. “I have purchased Zs from over 20 dealerships nationwide,” Nick says. “I then sell them to Z enthusiasts for MSRP or lower with no dealer adds and no dealer accessories.”
It’s a strategy that appears to be paying off. “As it stands, I am currently the highest volume Z seller in the country by a dozen cars,” he says. “Some dealers haven’t received more than two or three Zs and I have had over forty!”
Obviously, it’s Nick’s business to sell cars. That’s how he makes a living. But he also gets a thrill out of making a difference when it comes Nissan’s special sports car. “I wanted to be the one person who got all these Zs to all the people who truly wanted them,” he says. “I have sold them to 20-year-old kids all the way to 80-year-old women.”
We hit up a few of Nick’s customers for the low-down on their experience. First to get in touch was Celeste Gilbert. Celeste and her husband Bill had been long-time fans of the Z cars, and when the new model came along, they wanted a piece of the action. Sadly, she found most dealers were looking for a payday. “At the annual Z convention in Colorado a few years ago, they had the actual Zs there in blue on blue, [and] I fell in love” says Celeste. “We searched to find one, but they all wanted between $5000 and $20,000 over MSRP.”
Thankfully for Celeste, Nick was able to come to the rescue. “I called Nick… he said it would take a while, but he would find one and sell it for MSRP and sure enough he did,” she says. After buying the car and enjoying it for a few months, Bill got his eye on the new Nismo model in stealth grey. The call came in from Nick, they gave him a deposit, and he was once able to deliver. Now the couple have matching new Z cars, his and hers, to add to their growing Nissan collection. “I would not buy a car from anyone else,” says Celeste. “He has become a dear friend.”
Richie Spohr tells a similar tale. He’d grown up around Nissans, with his late father Rich operating an enthusiast auto shop by the name of 350ZMotorSports. They built his first car together, a 1993 240SX, and he’d had a love affair with the brand as long as he could remember. Having owned one of just about every Z car that Nissan had built, he was hyped for the new model to come out. “As soon as the new Z’s were announced, I knew I had to have one,” Richie says. “However, when they first launched most dealers were asking crazy markups for them.”
That’s when ol’ Nismo Nick came into the picture. ” I was seeing him pop up in all the mutual Nissan forums we were both in,” Richie explains. “But I really couldn’t believe it until a mutual friend of ours told me he was legit and to make it happen.” Richie had his eyes on a Nismo model, and Nick was able to come through with the goods. “Nick sold me my 2024 Nissan Z Nismo for below MSRP,” Richie explains. “With no dealer add-ons or any hidden markups of any kind.” You’re lucky to get that kind of treatment when you’re buying a Sentra, let alone an in-demand sports car like the Z.
Sales Realities
It’s true that sales are not exactly off to a roaring start. Nissan sold just 1,771 Zs in 2023. In contrast, Nissan sold over 13,117 370Zs when the model debuted in 2009, and shifted over 5,000 units a year until 2017. The 350Z was even more successful, topping out at 36,728 sales in 2003.
The fraught sale situation is abating. You can now find a few Nissan Zs on Cars.com at or beneath sticker in various parts of the country. Of course, closing on those prices without paying for the undercoating is another thing entirely, but it’s a sign that dealers are starting to give up on markups for the sports model.
Still, if you know exactly what you want, and you want to get it without a lot of fuss, Nick is out there. He’s got an uncanny ability for hunting down stock, and based on what his customers say, he’s not playing games. He just wants to get the Zs to the people at a fair price, en masse.
“I will work endlessly to help any Z buyer find their dream Z at a fair price,” he says. He’s got a passion, and he’s out there making it happen. You’ll catch him on Facebook doing just that week in, week out.
It will be interesting to see how the Z fares for the rest of this year. Q1 sales results this year were up 44% compared to the same time in 2023, with Nissan chalking up 671 sales in total. The Z also beat the Supra handily, which only sold 484 examples in the same period. The Supra, for all its flaws, peaked at 6,830 units in 2021, however. The Nissan Z still has a long way to go to beat that figure.
If Nissan is going to do it, it needs to do two things. It needs to make more Zs, and it needs to get the word out to the public that they’re here, they’re available, and they’re not subject to a five-figure markup anymore. It would be a grand shame if this attractive sports car didn’t find a market because of supply snarls and greedy dealers in year one.
In any case, there’s light coming down from the end of the tunnel. Nick’s out there slingin’ cars like hot pizzas on a Saturday night, and Nissan appears to be slowly learning how to build more of these things. Challenges remain, but if everything goes right, you should finally start seeing a few more Zs on the road real soon.
Image credits: Nissan, Nick Scherr, Richie Spohr
So in AU it’s a little diffrent there is no markup you just get in the queue.
for me that was 22 months to get one. ordered June 22 arrived april this year.
so I don;t think this a no demand for car rather that nissan really sucked at building them.
with the stop sales for the auto intially then a stop sale for the manual, then massive issues in the paint booth for the new factory. They just could not get cars in punters hands.
“ Who doesn’t want to walk out to that view in the garage?”
Most people, it would seem. Those sales figures are far from encouraging.
When you initially can’t find one, and when you do, it’s marked up to insanity, I think it says more about the dealers not wanting to sell it than there being no demand for it. I think people want to buy them, but aren’t willing to fall into the dealer traps to do it – have heard of a few that moved on to a Supra at MSRP for that very reason.
Cool guy. How much good do you think this one man has done for Nissan and the Z vs the bad from the other greedy dealerships? Those market adjustments hurt brand image.
That said I still haven’t even seen a new Z on the road. I’ve seen a number of Supras so hearing that the Z is outselling it is a surprise. Yes I know the Supra has been out for years, but still.
Yeah, Nissan’s still only sold 2000 Zs or so vs. Maybe 10000 Supras.
So it sounds like all the Nissan dealers except for one are the problem when it comes to markups and other bullshit.
You know, say what you want about Elon Musk and Tesla, but buying one of their vehicles doesn’t involve any of the dealership bullshit.
This is a very fair point on tesla, it amazes me how they prevented greedy markups!
True, but there’s been the risk of price slashing or on-a-whim increases to meet company targets, and that has affected the value of their vehicles instead. Rather than a percentage of people losing, every owner lost (a lot) when their vehicles depreciated by a huge margin over night when the MSRPs were slashed recently.
Even with pricing adjustments, the Tesla way is still better. When Tesla cuts the price, you’re only paying tax on that lower price.
The legacy OEM/Dealer way is to keep the the MSRP high and offer “cash back”. And the problem with that is you pay tax on the higher MSRP because the cash back is “after”… or something like that.
Basically the Tesla way is far more transparent and far more honest.
How it affects the value of vehicles is irrelevant to most people. Only a minority of people involved with flipping vehicles care.
In the long run, it has a negligible impact on depreciation. All vehicles depreciate.
The dealer model doesn’t change that and doesn’t make it better in any way.
“The legacy OEM/Dealer way is to keep the the MSRP high and offer “cash back”. And the problem with that is you pay tax on the higher MSRP because the cash back is “after”… or something like that.”
No, that’s not correct – you pay tax on the final sales price. Unless you’re referring to the federal EV rebates, where that would hold true, but that’s a whole other ball of wax.
“How it affects the value of vehicles is irrelevant to most people. Only a minority of people involved with flipping vehicles care.”
What? My point has nothing to do with flipping…it has to do with the most recent discount put in place by Tesla burning a ton of owners by more than 30% of the value of their vehicle on a whim, over night. Most people do factor depreciation into their purchase, as they expect decent residual value to help place them into their next vehicle. Not doing that is financially irresponsible.
“Basically the Tesla way is far more transparent and far more honest.”
I agree that it’s far more convenient to not have to shop around dealers, but it’s been shown time and time again that Tesla’s marketing on their website is deceptive at best. Putting that aside, you gain some convenience purchasing direct, but because of Tesla being what it is, you put yourself at the risk of losing a lot of money on the vehicles. Whether that risk is worth the convenience to you or not is a personal decision.
“My point has nothing to do with flipping…it has to do with the most recent discount put in place by Tesla burning a ton of owners by more than 30% of the value of their vehicle on a whim,”
And you don’t think the same thing happens with any other vehicle when legacy OEMs give large cashback offers on new vehicles?
And do discounts on new vehicles truly ‘burn’ current owners of the said vehicle? Well if the vehicle owner is like me and bought the vehicle to drive it until the wheels fall off, it doesn’t make one bit of a difference.
And it also doesn’t make a difference for anyone currently leasing as they’ll just give their vehicles back at the end of the lease. The leasing company though might take a bit of a hit.
It only makes a difference to those who flip vehicles or those who only keep vehicles for short periods of time because they stupidly need to have the newest thing.
“Most people do factor depreciation into their purchase, as they expect decent residual value to help place them into their next vehicle. “
I disagree that “most people” truly do that. Most people are just looking at their payment. And there is a minority of people who feel the need to keep moving to the next newest thing. But most people I see and know don’t do that. Most people buy a vehicle, new or used, and then keep it for years or even decades. Or if they’re not buying a vehicle, they’re leasing it and then giving it back at the end of the lease.
Same deal if it’s a company doing the purchase or lease.
Residual values do matter to leasing/finance companies.
“Tesla’s marketing on their website is deceptive at best”
Oh really? Compared to what? The marketing at the typical dealer?
Oh Puuulease…
“ you put yourself at the risk of losing a lot of money on the vehicles”
You will lose a lot of money on a vehicle regardless. Vehicles are not an investment. They are an expense. It’s not a question of if you’ll lose money, but how much.
Anyone who truly doesn’t want to lose money on a vehicle will never buy a vehicle in the first place and instead, rely on walking, transit or a bicycle… if their lifestyle/job/location enables them to do that.
“And you don’t think the same thing happens with any other vehicle when legacy OEMs give large cashback offers on new vehicles?”
No, because that’s not how a rebate works. You’re not changing the MSRP like Tesla has, you’re offering what’s effectively a coupon on financing. The vehicle retains it’s value based off of the MSRP and market valuation – that’s why Tesla burned their own house down by stripping their vehicles of value on a whim. They are not the same.
“Well if the vehicle owner is like me and bought the vehicle to drive it until the wheels fall off, it doesn’t make one bit of a difference.”
You are a sample size of one.
“Leasing”
Irrelevant to what we were talking about, other than you trying to say that’s the only place residual value matters.
“Oh really? Compared to what? The marketing at the typical dealer?”
Compared to themselves – there have been several pieces reporting on issues with their marketing of price and range. I didn’t need to compare to anyone else – they do it to themselves.
“You will lose a lot of money on a vehicle regardless. Vehicles are not an investment. They are an expense. It’s not a question of if you’ll lose money, but how much.”
“It only makes a difference to those who flip vehicles or those who only keep vehicles for short periods of time because they stupidly need to have the newest thing.”
So your argument here is who cares how much money you lose because you’ll drive it until the wheels fall off? I don’t know many people who think that way, outside of a few extreme penny pinchers, extremely low income earners, or people on a FIRE budget. Those who I know who do trade in at 5-7 years do care about residual value because, as you mentioned, they care about how much money they’re losing, and want to minimize it where possible. And it has nothing to do with “needing the newest and greatest” either – they’re usually balancing the cost of repairs as they approach the 10 year point versus having a warranty and making a car payment (time is money, in many respects), so they shop something that fits their budget while getting a maximum return (trade or private sale) on their old vehicle. There’s also the fact that many people finance – residual value matters because you want to be above water as soon as possible on any loan. High residuals put you in a positive lending situation sooner.
I’m not sure what your angle is here. People normally replace their daily driver cars on a regular basis (re:5-7 years), and it’s not always to be flashy – maybe they’re at a break even point on value versus repairs; maybe they just had someone damage their car in an accident and are having issues and want out; maybe they have financial trouble due to hardship and need something smaller, or vice versa, had a situation where they now need something larger due to an unexpected change. Not everyone is just drooling over something shiny and wanting to change. If your circle drives their cars until they can’t anymore, you do you – but if you look at the auto market at large, that’s not generally how people buy new cars, evidenced by the national average being 8.4 years.
Reminds me of the time Kia thought they were selling Porsche 959’s instead of Stingers. The same Stinger that was discontinued recently.
Tuner cars are not really my thing, but that Nasty Z 350 is fucking cool.
There are so many cool cars being held hostage by shitty dealers in this country.
I 100% a fan of this salesman for doing this.
I will say, though, that supply is an issue for the new Z. Outside of the Japanese Classic Car show last fall, I have seen precisely ONE new Z, and I’m in Southern California, which should be one of their best markets. I don’t know if it’s supply chain issues, or that Nissan is just being SUPER conservative production-wise, but I see plenty of cars here, even rare ones, just as soon as they’re released officially, if not before. It’s very weird.
This explains why I see them pretty regularly in the PHX Metro..
I was really interested in them until the reviews came out, which were pretty lukewarm. Also not keen on it weighing only about 400 lbs less than my Challenger. At something more like 3300 lbs, it would be much more compelling.
That’s pretty shocking about the weight
Yeah, the Zs starting with the 350Z all weighed more than they should for the size, but 3,600 lbs is a bit much for what I want in a two-seater.
The unfortunate legacy of the Z, getting fatter over time?
Yeah I live in the Bay Area and the new Z is insanely rare.
I see McLarens and Lamborghinis (usually the *meh* Urus) every week. A guy in my suburban neighborhood street-parks a Cybertruck in front his house (that he probably rents). Porsches of all ages are everywhere, along with Mustangs, Corvettes, loaded Mini Coopers … but no Z’s.
Yep, I’ve seen at least four Cybertrucks in the last week. Interestingly, all had what I presume to be a black wrap, rather than the stainless finish.
I think it’s hideous, but I do enjoy the sheer audacity of making something that looks like that. I do hope that EVs lead to a greater proliferation of body styles and styling in general. I want something with tailfins, dammit!
lol I saw a red wrapped one, which looked exactly what you think it looked like
https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/SL/5151-1.png
Bwahahaha!
Like a background vehicle in a Tron video game?
The Urus is so silly, we saw one on our commute and I pointed it out to my carpool buddy, “wait what? That’s not an Acura?”..
I guess they are all going to Arizona then. I’ve still seen all of 1 in my relatively wealthy, crowded metro area.
I wonder how many Z’s have been produced vs. sold?
Nothing makes me happier than seeing scalpers get absolutely hosed. Couldn’t happen to better people.
Love to see it!
Lewin or the editors I have a small request. When a writer who is not based in the US mentions “the country” it would be nice to know which one is being referenced with out having to read several more paragraphs. Maybe I’m just wierd but it bothered me. Not really a big deal though.
When any writer that states “the country”, it would be good to note which is referenced – because it’s not always the USA. Sometimes we have to remember it’s the world wide web.
When I started writing here, I specifically wrote as if I were in the USA. I still do that (including spelling to make it easier for the editors), although regular readers know that I am based in the UK. Honestly it really depends on what I’m writing – the recent Ferrari thing was obviously UK based, but I normally write as if I were there with you.
You mean editours
I understand and agree with you in general. And it may be confusing if just skimming the article.
But in Lewin’s defense he wrote in 3rd paragraph “I spoke to Nick Scherr, working at Avondale Nissan in Arizona,”
And the first time he mentioned, “the country” was in a direct quote from Nick in the 6th paragraph.
Most people would assume the only Arizona in the world is in United States.
Gotta say I either missed something or do not understand what is going on here.
So these dealers want over MSRP, yet somehow sell to another dealer for less than MSRP, so that he can turn around and sell them at MSRP to customers?
Dealers trade cars with other dealers somewhat frequently. Maybe a customer at one dealer wants a color that’s at another dealer, if those vehicles are the same invoice, they just trade.
In this case, it may be easier to toss your Z that’s been sitting on the lot to Nick for Invoice rather than continue to let if cost you $$ sitting in inventory, dropping the price a little, and seeing if you can sell it directly. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it’s easier to trade your car in for less $ than sell it private, but it’s easier.
If you are listing it for $10K or whatever over sticker, but actually willing to part with it for invoice, and there’s a long list of people nationwide willing to pay MSRP (Nick’s customers), then you are bad at running a business.
I had the exact same question. My guess is that from a dealer’s perspective, on a low-volume halo car with a limited audience, it’s simply more profitable to sell a couple cars a year with a $10k markup than half a dozen at MSRP. But you can’t have the same Z sitting in your showroom for months on end and still maintain the illusion that the demand is super high, so you occasionally trade away the blue one and replace it with a red one with the same $10k markup, just waiting for the right Z fanatic to walk through the door with money to burn.
Seems weird at a Nissan dealer for sure, but I bet specialty dealers of low-volume low-demand cars (Aston and Maserati come to mind) operate this way as a normal course of business.
This is the best idea I’ve heard, but I simply cannot imagine any buyers of rare cars in 2024 not knowing or caring what the prevailing rates are around the country.
Maybe if it’s a 911 GT2 and the median customer loses a $50K markup in their couch cushions every month that would be one thing, but this is a Nissan.
Short on cash? Short on Credit? Come to City Nissan where we’ll finance your $10k dealer markup for just $150 per month!*
KUNKLEMAN NISSAN!
We know where you live.
FOMO and impatience.
I’ve been “playing the game” for 20+ years. For something like a CTR, if you’re willing to wait until everyone else has got theirs for over, you’ll get the call to have it for MSRP. Eventually. You’ll be waiting years, but you WILL get the call.
Doesn’t happen on actual low volume stuff though. I wish it did. It certainly does not RS Porsches, but that’s because those cars are part of a bigger strategy — GT3 RSes are how you move the Taycan Turbo Ses that are lot rotting and you cannot get rid of.
Well around Pittsburgh we still have dealers trying selling new Darts for over $40,000.
Newspaper industry was destroyed with the thinking we are champions and the internet is a fad but Google and the internet destroyed Newspaper industry and news is now just random people posting stuff with no facts or checks. So not a surprise car Dealerships are still stuck in old world business practices.
TBF it may be a marketing draw people come to see but are purchasing a econo car.
Yes, they are bad at running a business
You’re talking about some of the OGs of regulatory capture. Didactic and you probably know this already, but I think it bears repeating that car dealers didn’t buy state governments for the sake of protecting the public’s interest…
A B2B transaction for new cars between dealers of the same brand is very different from a retail sale. Yes, you can make more money but you also take on more risk- maybe the car is a lemon and the customer is at your service desk every other week with warranty claims. Maybe the transaction goes wrong and the customer swears vengeance and trashes you on every possible media outlet. Maybe the customer is a sophisticated scammer and you’re left holding the bag on the whole price of a Nismo Z.
Every day that car sits on your lot without selling is costing you money- if your market is not willing to bite on whatever price you have decided is your minimum to account for the risk, it may make sense to just get it off of your books in an easy low-risk transaction.
I think it’s maybe more Dunning-Kruger business?
Like they think that the rarity means they can mark up the car, but the fact it isn’t selling is somehow not related to the mark up. Then somehow again selling/trading it off to another dealer isn’t admitting you’re wrong, it’s just moving the product.
The real question is why do these mark ups work? Because they work. There’s little real logic or market research behind it. But if a dealer marks up a new Land Cruiser 20K and it sells, well there you go. If they mark up a Z and it doesn’t sell, they’re not wrong the buyers don’t understand the value.
Once every buyer puts their foot down to this tactic it will disappear, but at this time we’re giving spoiled children attention
Who is Dunning Kruger?
Freddy Kruger’s brother. He started a huge supermarket chain.
A lot of people are bad at running a business.
Meanwhile, credit to whoever at Nick’s dealership took Nick up on his idea. Nick is now building extra strength and credibility at that dealership, that would never would’ve otherwise happened.
Nick (and the management that listened to him) really playing the long game here, and they’ll be rewarded for it if they keep at it.
You ever noticed car sales is not a college major? Or even a minor? What they lack in intelligence or education they make unfortunately in slime. IMHO
I have had this happen to me with used cars. Dealer absolutely refused to sell to me at my offered price, and then a few days later sold it at auction for less than I offered, and I found it at a new dealer. The second dealer told me what they paid for it while we were negotiating(I have no reason to doubt them because it was lower than what I offered the other dealer, and I can’t think of a reason they would lie and tell me a too low price, if anything they actually paid less). Ultimately I didn’t end up getting the car because another buyer had made an offer just before me.
A few years ago I needed a used box truck. My go to dealership had one coming in but blocked my go to salesman out. I came a day early because I was driving by and saw it being delivered. It still had the Pittsburgh Dealers sticker on it and despite the slick new sales manager said I could get it for $3,000 over what the Pittsburgh Dealer was asking. I looked at him and laughed and told him f@!k you. I did get a great deal on a different truck from the same dealership from my go to salesman who apologized for the sales manager and got me $500 more on my trade inthanI asked for.
I used to live in the upper Midwest and this happened all the time with sports cars. It was a running joke that there were only two (insert Corvette, Mustang, Viper, etc.) released in the region and they just bounce from dealer to dealer until a (insert professional athlete) buys it and then wrecks it a month later.
I saw it in practice when the 370Z dropped. The Nissan dealer had two, each marked up $10k. Eventually both disappeared and reappeared at the Nissan dealer near my office, still marked up $10k. One of them was purchased by the local semi-pro baseball team and parked in front of their field with big team stickers on it. The other was purchased by a MLB baseball player and then (infamously) wrapped around a light pole on a busy highway a week later. It took nine months to move the first one, and almost a year for the second.
When I spoke with the Nissan dealer, who was also Kia dealer, about it them when I was getting some warranty repairs done on my highly unreliable Kia (so I could sell the stupid thing), they admitted that they sold both under MSRP just to get them off their floorplan. They were a sponsor of the semi-pro team and sold it for invoice and wrote off the loss as part of the sponsorship. They sold the other to the MLB player at invoice because it was a placeholder while he waited for his GT-R to arrive. He also said it was common to sell back and forth between dealerships because it allows them to partially reset their floorplan and make agreements with other dealers for future sales if they have a customer who wants something they don’t have. It all seemed like a big shell game, honestly.
I understand this dynamic, but not when there is high demand for the car!
As I’ve shared before, I have an on again-off again hunt going for a C8 Z06, a car that has been in spectacularly high demand for 2 full years now. I’m a member of multiple FB groups dedicated to dealers posting their vehicles for sale. It’s starting to change now, but for months, any listing at MSRP would have multiple full price offers within literal minutes. When it’s a matter of saving thousands or tens of thousands on a sale price, plane tickets and/or auto transport services to anywhere in the lower 48 start to look extremely reasonable indeed.
I’m trying to imagine how lazy a dealer would have to be to refuse to simply type a 5 minute post listing their car at MSRP, where it would presumably sell immediately to someone who’s been waiting, vs. throwing up their hands and selling it for ~$3000 less to another dealer, knowing he will then get the profit!
Just to add to my other response. I have had conversations with Toyota dealers about this type of thing. Some dealers do their best to swap cars around and help others out. There could have been a car they might have made 5k on, vs the 3k on the Z, Nick traded and everyone was happy. (I am assuming Nick’s whole shtick here, brings a lot of other business, hence the theoretical 2k loss isn’t anything to his manager).
Some dealers refuse to do this, and they get a really bad rep from other dealers. We have a local dealer that multiple other Toyota dealerships in the area told me they REFUSE to deal with, or lend a car to due to the poor behavior from my local dealer in the past. So there could be background relationships, or things we aren’t seeing like that.
I suspect you might be giving too much credit for logical thinking to a group not known for logical thinking (not to overgeneralize all dealers as being illogical, but it seems many are). At the end of the day, it seems like it is a big game to a lot of dealers, so I don’t necessarily understand the motives either.
I don’t quite get it either. But reading the replies here I get the feeling it’s a lot of pride and ego at play from these dealers. “You don’t want to pay the markup? Fine then! I’ll get rid of it so you don’t have to. Your loss. Ha!”
My only thought is, they tried to mark it up, realized they can’t and now have an egg on their face.
If the car “disappears” people might think they actually sold it for that. Meanwhile Nick sells it to someone outside that other dealers market and everyone is happy and face is saved. The shitty mark up dealer now only paid whatever fee’s to hold it on the lot and can move another Rogue.
This made me wonder about the tiny market dealer near me. They have only one Z, and it has a $1k dealer discount from MSRP.
A guy selling cars because he has a passion for them. Love to see it. I kinda wish I was in the market for a Z just so I could work with this dude.
Kind of sad being considered a hero for selling the cars at MSRP since other dealers are such crap with their markups nothing against Nick though glad he is being a decent human and not letting greed take over. What a time to be alive though that paying for what the manufacturer says it is worth is a good thing and not actually paying less then MSRP.
As Hank Hill says, Always pay sticker price and not a dime more.
That boy ain’t right (to the guy who paid 30k over sticker hah)
Yet more proof that the reason great cars don’t sell in the US is because of the dealers.
Nick clearly is the exception that makes the rule – He should be working for Nissan corporate and selling directly.
Have you seen fair prices these days? My god, $10 for a spin on the Tilt-A-Whirl! Who can afford those kinds of mark ups? No sir, no fair prices for me.
EIGHT DOLLARS FOR A MOTHERF**KIN’ PRETZEL?!? Highway robbery!!!
Its not a funnel, it’s not a cake, it’s sort of like deep-fried shrimp without the shrimp, and it costs 10 bucks.
Great! Now, I can’t stop thinkin’ about funnel cakes. Sometimes delayed misery is worth $10.
I hope this catapaults this guy to popularity and his business soars.
One thing I’ve learned in this business, doing the right thing is doubly difficult because most dealers that actually are ethical and customer focused are small, and they stay small, because the corporations truly do not car about the small dealer that does things right. They exalt and glorify whoever buys the most cars from them (IE giant auto groups and superstores.)
Stellantis is so shitty about this that when I had a cash buyer trying to order a 392 wrangler (which would be sold UNDER sticker to him) We were given zero allocation, we’re not a big enough store. I had to send my own buddy to a superstore, where he paid $10 grand over sticker.
It’s nice to see someone ethical get some exposure!
This man is a national treasure and what car enthusiasm is all about.
I still have yet to see one of these on the road (in Maryland). Nissan and the dealers really shot themselves in the foot with this launch
This is how you sell cars and maintain a good reputation. Dealers get greedy, and find a few suckers that pay over sticker, and sure they may have a few good sales years, but long term, word will get out, and customers won’t come back. Open and honest communication and negotiation will earn loyalty from the vast majority of consumers, both enthusiasts and normies.
Also seems like due to the hype of the Z slowing down, all the greedy dealers demanding 10-30k over MSRP are now stuck with aging inventory that they probably can’t even sell at sticker. Good. Let the greedy dealers suffer, and let Nick and the good guys prosper.
Yeah, that’s what the Hyundai/Kia/Genesis/Ford dealer near me did during the pandemic, his attitude was, well, I still want to have customers when this is over, so he stuck to MSRP throughout even when inventory levels were practically nonexistent. Just wrapped construction on a pretty nice new showroom building next to the old one, so I guess they’re doing OK
good, fuck the racketeers.