I currently have an '03 Silverado 2500 HD and want to upgrade to the new 2500 Sierra. There are not many here in Florida, so I was told I would need to order one or wait until later in the year when more are available. I have never ordered a vehicle before and am alittle concerned about the process. I'm sure it is a common practice... but can you still get fair deal? or do you end up paying top dollar? It would just be nice to have a truck that had everything in it I wanted and none of the stuff that I don't. I have already gotten the MSRP price with most of the options I would prefer from my local dealer and have researched an equally equiped vehicle to find the invoice price. If anyone has some insight or has ordered a vehicle and could share their experience, I would appreciate it.

I would not pay more than 500 over invoice before ANY incentives for a ordered vehicle. the dealer perfers this sale as they dont have to inventory this truck, its immediate cash flow. Verify invoice @ KBB.com. Look for incentive info here.

I agree with the 500 over invoice number. I've ordered my last three trucks and it's pretty painless for both buyer and dealer. From the dealers viewpoint, they have no investment tied up in the sale so there is no risk for them at all. I've always kept negotiating fairly simple - Walk in, find a decent truck guy, tell them the deal that I want and get a yes or no answer. Some dealers still want to do the BS thing and play around with numbers - then it's time to walk out the door to another dealer.

If you're trading, they will price your trade assuming that it remains in the same condition and within a milage range based on expected delivery time.

You can sometimes get a better deal for a truck that's been sitting on their lot for a while that they can't move, but even then you might wind up paying for some options that you don't need or want. Ordering a truck makes it 'your truck' - no more or less than what you want and can afford.

I started about 2 years before actually placing my order for my truck. I spent a lot of time hanging around dealerships snooping for the salesman that knew what he was doing and cared about the customer more than the sale. I had to check out which options I wanted and needed. gmbuypower.com is a very helpful tool, but not 100% accurate. That was the first step for me. As the time got closer, I went to dealerships that carried the truck that was close to what I wanted mine to be spec'd out to and see what kind of price I can get them down to. I ended up using my Supplier Discount code and the rebate at the time to get below invoice for my truck. I ordered it in mid September and there weren't too many on the lots, but the dealership tried to get me to take what was already built. I told them no, that they did not have anything close to what I was looking for and I wanted them to order one just for me. They did that and it was built on October 21st, 2004 at 1800ish. A Wednesday truck! :D and I got it from the dealership on November 3rd of 04. It was a great experience and with the help and magic that Howard_m18 offered, it was even better. It is a part of my trucks history that you really can't get just by buying the truck off a dealers lot. Anyway, after 2 1/2 years and almost 75000 miles, there isn't one option that I would give for another, nothing I would change at all. The hardest choice of all came down to the color! In short, I would order it all over again! :)

GMtom - I was in the exact same boat that you are in. I spent a LOT of time researching the exact options that I wanted. I then priced out the truck MSRP using the Chevrolet website and found the invoice amount using Edmunds and KBB. With that information in hand, I sent an e-mail to 5 different dealerships within a 40 mile radius of my home. I indicated that I was ready to order the truck immediately, that I knew exactly what I wanted, gave them the list of the options that I wanted, I listed the price that I was willing to pay. If none of the dealerships wanted to deal, I still had 6 more within 75 miles and figured that I could change my tactics if needed. All of the dealerships responded to my e-mail. Some of them indicated that they could not offer that price, but made a counter-offer. One of them indicated that he would do the deal at the price that I indicated, and another one would not give a definite answer but indicated that they would not be beat on price. I used that statement, and the indication from the dealer that would meet my price to actually end up ordering the truck for a lower price (> $500 less than invoice) than I originally indicated in my e-mail to the dealers.
My opinion on this is that for an order you can consider the dealers a commodity. Any dealer can order the truck for you, so find the one that will order the truck for the lowest price. Get everything in writing and deal with out the door numbers because they will probably try to add on various dealer fees.
Good luck with your search! Mine should be here in about 5 weeks.

STICKIN 6, send me a e-mail & you will be able to track your "BABY" HOME!!?? What kind of a truck & where is it headed? All I need is the SON (Sales / Dealer Order Number) to get you started. Howard = howard_m18 at yahoo.com

Thanks for the imput, I am hoping this weekend to visit some dealers. I'm just not sure what to do about my trade...The dealer I spoke with said that I could trade the vehicle when I ordered or when the new one comes in. I am planning on trading my Jeep so it wouldn't make a difference to me whan I did it. When is it better to trade it in?

doesnt matter, they will give you maybe wholesale (if your lucky) on a very clean trade. Yull only get more if you pay more than you should for the new truck, is all a game. Sell your current truck to a private party and make out better and then work a good clean deal on the new one

doesnt matter, they will give you maybe wholesale (if your lucky) on a very clean trade. Yull only get more if you pay more than you should for the new truck, is all a game. Sell your current truck to a private party and make out better and then work a good clean deal on the new one
I realize that I will do better if I sell private. I have had my jeep for sale for about 3 weeks and no bites. Its and '05 with 8500 miles and never been driven in the rain....Like band new