For music lovers who buy from participating GM dealerships, there’s a good deal in the works: this week, General Motors announced that their dealers will offer a three-month subscription to Sirius/XM radio with every pre-owned model sold, even if that vehicle doesn’t bear a GM brand. This is an unprecedented expansion of providing this extra feature which comes in really handy on long trips, commutes, or really, any kind of driving. With conventional radio stations simply replaying the same three tunes over and over, SiriusXM listeners can take advantage of a much wider menu of music for the road. This, plus exciting news on fuel efficient vehicles in 2011 and 2012, is sending lots of new and used car customers toward GM affiliated lots.
According to GM officials, the move to add the extra SiriusXM package is all part of promoting more modern entertainment in even the pre-owned sale, in an age where more drivers are looking for items like mp3 play capacity in their cars. But while offering this additional feature might be free, when you go to a GM dealer or any other sales venue, you’ll need to look closely at dealer invoice and the final transaction agreement to make sure that your dealer isn’t padding the bill. Using features to drive up the final sale price from MSRP isn’t the only way to get customers to sign higher prices – financing also comes into play quite frequently. When you agree to borrow money directly from the dealer, you’re often signing on for interest rates and fees that include “dealer reserve” the idea that the financing dealer gets extra cash. Look closely at the deal that you negotiate, including all of the modern features on your ride, your trade in value, and your financing deal, to make sure that the overall contract that you sign at the dealer’s lot is a good one.
