GTRNate

The first ones should be arriving in June from what I have been told by the dealers.

-Nate

bonzelite

Shipping between April and June depending on the market (area).

By then, most of them may already be pre-sold and the secondary flipping market will become the new market.

rmatt8748

bonzelite,

what you said in response to my post was very true.

i guess i should rephrase..


i don't entirely understand what nissan is doing. they could sell them for much more, but they don't. they are only making a few, so it's not a huge loss? (i'm curious about R and D costs). i totally understand the exclusivity arguement, but I don't see then why they're allowing their dealers to charge such a premium. at that price many more people can afford them than they are supplying. are they trying to make them seem cheap and make their dealers seem greedy?

it's an interesting topic, and I guess sure, it's just supply and demand, but I wish I knew more about the motives and background


if anyone has thoughts, lets hear it

bonzelite

I will address your questions with my opinions. These will be opinions only.

I have covered this ad nauseum on NAGTROC, with much resistance to my ideas. I imagine truth is more difficult to accept about the GT-R than allegations to the contrary.

First off, let me share with you a form letter from Nissan North America that has been circulating over the car forums.

Please read it very carefully before we continue this discussion as I will not tolerate any flaming or personal attacks when discussing this topic.

Please read this:

(Here's a message from Nissan NA regarding my concerns of the dealer markup):

Thank you for your correspondence in which you have expressed your frustrations concerning purchasing with our Nissan dealerships.



Nissan North America, Inc. is the distributor of Nissan vehicles in the continental United States and sells vehicles, parts, and accessories to over 1,100 authorized Nissan dealerships across the country.



Unfortunately, Nissan North America is prohibited by law from selling directly to the public and from setting final retail prices. Nissan has encouraged authorized Nissan dealers to sell GT-Rs at Nissan?s suggested retail price (MSRP). However, because dealers are independent businesses, they have the final authority b law to set and negotiate the actual selling price.



Your complete satisfaction is of great concern to Nissan North America, Inc. and your Nissan dealership. We are forwarding copies of your letter to the Regional Offices for the dealers you have listed and our National Consumer Affairs office so that they will be aware of your concerns.



Thank you for taking the time to write. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 615-725-7737.



Sincerely,



Nissan North America, Inc.



Rebecca Martin

Executive Offices

bonzelite

another letter from a dealer:

"I know you probably do not want to hear this but each dealer that buys in to get the GT-R only gets 1 per year. There are a few dealers who will get as many as 3. they capped it at 3. the MSRP of the GT-R is somewhere in the range of 65-75k. but the chances of getting this vehicle for that will be remote. The buy in was hefty so the first GT-R from most dealers will be at least 30k over MSRP. And most dealerships are going to have an auction for them. Just like Ford did with the GT super car. Our Ford store sold the 180k car for over 250k. and the Shelby GT 500 cars were selling for over 25k over sticker. When it comes to elite cars the price goes higher than the MSRP. I hope this info helped you. Like I said it will be here in June and I heard we are going to auction it off. I am sure in a year or 2 when they make more than 5,000 of them the cost will go down. Take care..."

bonzelite

So..... is it "right" or "ethical" to attach premiums onto limited sports cars?

You can argue that as a separate issue.

Not all dealers are charging premiums, by the way. Some people are getting MSRP deals as we speak. They've often done their homework and lots of leg work to achieve this, but generally a limited sports car will have some premium attached.


from Inside Line:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=124865

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Nissan calls it "the ultimate supercar that can be driven by anyone, anytime, anywhere" — but the way pre-orders are going, "anyone" may not be able to get his or her hands on the Nissan GT-R any time soon.

Nissan is putting the hot new performance car on sale in June in the U.S. and has already carried out a successful launch in Japan. Already, according to Nissan North America spokesman Darryll Harrison, Jr., pre-orders in the U.S. "have exceeded U.S. production capacity for the first couple of months."

Nissan isn't saying what the actual production number is for the U.S. But, since worldwide production capacity is 1,000 units per month, it's safe to assume that supplies of the GT-R will be — and probably remain for some time — extremely tight in the U.S. market. Europe and other worldwide markets won't get the GT-R at all until the end of the year "at the earliest," says Harrison.

The GT-R has a 480-horsepower 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, an all-new GR6-type dual-clutch rear transaxle and ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive. It's priced starting at $69,850, with the Premium version at $71,900.

What this means to you: With all that the GT-R has to offer, and how long Americans have been waiting to get their hands on one, it's no surprise there's a long pre-order list. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent

bonzelite

So far, demand is exceeding supply with premiums attached and with many as MSRP. Somebody is buying the cars.

By summer, any pre-order contracts that have honored MSRP or not will be filled and allocations will be spent.


What will then happen?

flipping of barely used GT-Rs as "pre-owned" GT-Rs just like we see in the case of Audi's R8 and Ferrari's 599GTB.

I will wager that even if many of the dealer-bought new R35s are sold off at or near MSRP, the flipped market will take over and premiums will be attached to those.

The GT-R will be worth more as a pre-owned car ---for a while--- than new.

bonzelite

Not only that, the orders for MSRP cars from dealers may not arrive for a year or at least several months.

A Ferrari 599GTB can take up to 3 years to deliver. This is true.

Here is another letter from a Nissan dealer; read very carefully:

"The last time I was with my Nissan representative he had said we were going to get them sometime between July-September. We are now getting three. One is already sold with a $5,000 hold check. My manager believes we are getting a white and two silvers. All of them will be GTR-premium packages. They will be selling in the mid 90's. If you want to be one of the first in Rhode Island to own this super car, please call me. We can have you come in and fill out the paperwork and leave a $5,000 deposit on these cars. If you are looking to place a special order for one, we can do that also. This may take up to three years before you are able to take delivery because Nissan is only making a few at a time. Please give me a call or an email if you have any other questions..."

------------

That is from a Nissan dealership and not Ferrari. But it sounds just like a Ferrari situation.


Low-miles, barely used "pre-owned" 599s sell between $100,000-$200,000 over list.

Audi R8s sell as pre-owned cars between $10,000-$60,000 over list.

They're worth more as used cars.