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Buying a brand new Nissan Xterra
There are really only four steps. (Sounds easy, doesn't it?)
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1.) Determine exactly what you want to buy.
2.) Determine what the dealer pays for one equipped the way you want.
3.) Figure out what a good price is for the one you want, and write up an order at your price- from the dealer you want to do business with.
4.) Take delivery._____________________________
Steps 1 and 2 are closely related because what you want to buy is the nicest one you can afford. And what it's really going to cost you is a little more than the dealer pays for it.First, you really should figure out how much you can spend. (If you fall in love with a certain version of the Xterra and find out later on that it just costs too much- it will take all the fun out of the entire process. Best to avoid this altogether by simply planning ahead.)
Most people buy a car with an auto loan. So figure out how much you can comfortably spend per month, then use our handy payment calculator to find out how much of a loan your targeted monthly payment will buy you. Then come back to this page.
Now that you know the price you can comfortably pay, you need to see how much Xterra this will buy. Then you need to find out exactly what version of the Xterra you want- right down to the color. So you'll need to know what the dealer pays for different configurations of the vehicle. What you are actually going to pay is a little bit over what the dealer pays the factory for it. (Like a few hundred bucks over dealer cost, more or less.)
Complete pricing information for the 2007 Xterra, (MSRP and invoice), is on this page from the nice folks at Edmunds.com. (Pretty acurate.)
You can download a current Xterra brochure in PDF format here.Using the pricing information, figure out the nicest Xterra you can get for a few hundred bucks over what the dealer buys it for. (By targeting a realistic price you can't go wrong. If you get it for a little less, so much the better.) Keep in mind that many of the "options" are not really optional, as all Xterras do come with some options. Floor mats are a good example. So leave room for options you may not necessarily want to buy. That's just the way it is, and you may have to do a little looking around, (online is fine), in order to determine how Nissan happens to be configuring most of them at any given time. Now choose a color and a backup color choice, just in case.
There are two figures you'll need to know. One is dealer cost, (which you just figured out), and the other is"sticker price", or MSRP. This is the suggested retail price set by the manufacturer and shown on every new Xterra on the "window sticker" or "Monroney Label". You only need this figure to designate the exact model of Xterra and the exact options. Just so you know you are talking about the same vehicle as the salesperson you deal with is.* In other words if you agree to buy one with a sticker price of $25,695, just make sure at some point before you pay for it- that this is in fact what you are getting. (Special attention must be made if the vehicle is being "swapped in" from another dealer for you. Mistakes DO happen, so you want to make sure you are getting what you are supposed to.)
The UnOfficial Nissan Xterra Message Board (This is a great place to ask any questions you may have about buying a new Xterra.)
Another good message board for the Xterra buyer is Edmunds Town Hall.
*Interesting point to consider here: When the Xterra was first released in April of 1999, every one to arrive at dealerships was already sold before it hit the lot. Every one. Sometimes customers had to wait days or even weeks to get one. Also, the Xterra was sold at sticker, (or above!), for about a year and a half after it was introduced. It wasn't until then until there were enough around to be purchased at any sort of real discount. So people buying Xterras today are far more fortunate than the people who bought them during the first year or so. (Still- those were fun times in the Xterra Community.)
