[Dij]

My Mo will be in sometime the end of April or first part of May!!!!! SL FWD luminous gold/cafe latte, touring, VDC. The only extra it has that I don't really want is the roof rack crossbars, but net cost for that is about $40, given that I'd have to pay someone $100 to drive one w/o crossbars in so I can't count the entire price of the crossbars.

Went back to dealer today, looked at all the colors again and decided that my preferences in the "don't show dirt" colors are gold, pewter, then silver.

Only gold/lattes were in TX, and there would be several hundred miles on them by the time they got here. A couple of pewter/lattes due in to TX dealers in April, might be able to divert them here.

Then we found out that Nissan always puts a few "spares" on the ship in case something gets damaged and this dealership had been offered a chance at the spares a couple of days ago. Sales manager called Nissan back and on the ship there is a spare just like I wanted except with roof crossbars.

The sales manager ordered it before he knew I'd take it, but it's mine now!

This will work nicely. I get what I want, delivered to my dealership, but in a month rather than three months. My coworker who is buying my Xterra is fine with getting it now or getting it later. I have time to get the body side moldings and other accessories in and to make a vinyl or canvas cover for the cargo area (to protect all the carpet from dog hair).

I expect to be grinning from ear to ear like all the rest of you Mo drivers soon!

 

[dmako]

Congrats! and this is how I handle dog hair (fur).

 

[Dij]

I saw that photo in another thread. I have a HUGE crate for my Pyr, but it's so big, you could put wheels on it and use it as a pony trailer, plus it's in the attic (of a two-story townhouse) and there's no room for it in the house. She hasn't been in it in years.

I'm probably going to put one of those pet guard gates in there so the dogs will ride in the cargo area. That's more convenient for me than a crate would be and it leaves the back seat for transporting all the other stuff I tend to tote when the dogs and I travel on the weekends.

The floor of the cargo area is at least three or four inches lower than the floor of the Xterra, so I'm looking forward to not having to heft the dog quite so high to get her in there. Will definitely be putting a bumper guard on.

 

[dmako]

This is my home made pet grate made out of PVC piping and a soccer net. Custom fit for the Murano.

I use the soft crate when we go to motels for the dogs.

 

[Dij]

That's a thought! I'll have to look at all the tie-downs in the Mo to see what such a contraption could be secured to.

I'm trying to find something that would keep the dogs in place in case of an accident. I don't intend to have an accident, but I'm concerned about the pet guard keeping an 85 lb. dog from flying forward and hitting me in the head/neck.

The Xterra pet guard bolts into place and seems pretty solid. Nissan supposedly has one for the Mo (according to the parts book) but there's no info on it on their web site and it's something like $175. I've found one that doesn't bolt in that's about $75 but I don't know how well it would hold if a dog is hurled against it.

 

[pcs15394]

Dij

Congrats on your Murano. Glad you were able to get one in the Config you wanted. I hope you got a good price too.:29:

 

[Dij]

pcs15394,

I'm sure that some people will say that I did not get a good deal, but I'm satisfied. I know there are those who think that if you don't pay several hundred dollars under invoice, you are a fool.

I offered $299 above invoice, with the stipulation that there was to be nothing but tax, title, and license added. If there are any fees (and dealers around here are known to add such things), I'm walking. This is below the figure that Edmunds says people are paying in this area for the vehicle I am getting.

It is also below the two figures the dealership mentioned (first, 5% over invoice, then $500 over invoice). They do need to make some profit (they won't be making any on my trade because I'm selling my car to a coworker and I'm not buying any warranties) and the two sales people definitely need to be paid. Both of them worked really hard trying to find some way to get me exactly what I wanted. They didn't have to do anything to sell me (that's the good thing about someone doing research on the internet). OTOH, I knew exactly what I wanted, so they had to work hard to try to find that rather than selling me something off the lot. I wouldn't compromise on the traction control, colors I don't like, or pricey options I don't want.

I just hope that Nissan is offering good financing again next month or in May, whenever it comes in. I have 3.85% lined up, but would like 2.9% or lower if it's available.

I am happy because when I first started looking at the Mo, I thought it was out of my price range. I was afraid that they'd be going for list price or above, and certainly not anywhere near invoice. I really didn't want to spend this much for a vehicle but I think I will be tickled with it. It's really the only vehicle I'm interested in.

 

[SugarRushMurano]

DIJ,, me too in the same boat as you last time....

I thought:
- the murano was out of my price range, as i am initially looking for an suv less than $30K.
- the murano is just another suv
- the dealer will eanr lot of money from me...

Turns out that:
- murano is a good deal, i got it for around $700 below invoice.
This is purely because the car is end of year model. (2003 murano bought in nov 2003).

I will not say you have a bad deal. You are right, the salesmen need to bring home some money to feed his family. So dealer must earn a bit of money. Look at acura or toyota dealer, forget talking invoice, they insist too stick with sticker price...
think that they are selling gold or some sort :3:

- Murano is NOT another suv. I was initially planning to keep my other 4 door sedan, the A4, and use this suv for roadtrips, lite offroadings, outoddr activities.... Now finding my self driving in this MO most of the time, i sold my car about 2 months ago. THe murano is my primary car now. If i want another car, a roadster in my opinion will be the only thing that can win the murano's ride quality :4:

- the dealer will earn lot of money from me...
NOt really. Same like you, i did not buy the extended warranty, i did get almost the same financing rate as you: 3.2% and i did not trade in my car with them.

Enjoy the baby when you get it on april, post some pic

 

[Dij]

SugarRush,

I wouldn't be buying a Mo right now if I hadn't stumbled across one configured the way I want it last week while looking at the dealer inventories. And if my coworker hadn't volunteered to buy my Xterra, I probably wouldn't have kept looking after I discovered that all the "right" ones had been sold. I'd have waited who knows how long.

I'm just lucky that folks at the dealership kept looking and trying to find some way to get me a car and that there was one just the way I wanted it on the boat already and available to my dealer.

Seems like the gold isn't a very popular color. There weren't but a couple or three of them in the entire southeast region (TX/OK/TN/LA/AR/MS/AL/GE/FL/SC) with the features that I wanted. Lots of black, white, blue, and silver, though.

Won't be anything special or fancy. I think I'm going to get the body side mouldings from Dawns (my SO is a diesel mechanic with his own business so I should be able to get them at the wholesale price), maybe a magnet bra, and possibly the rain guard things for the windows. Might have to get a photo of the dogs in their new dogmobile, though.

Given the trouble I've had locating this one, I'm glad I'm not waiting until the end of the year to try to get end-of-year pricing. Here's hoping there isn't some wonderful new feature on the 2005 that I regret not waiting for .

 

[9495]

Here's hoping there isn't some wonderful new feature on the 2005 that I regret not waiting for .

Ha! I'm just the opposite. I'm hoping that they DO change a few things in the 2005, because that's probably the model I will be getting!

I have the time to kill, and I will most likely be ordering direct from the factory, so if I just wait a few more months I should be able to order one of the first 2005 MOs to arrive! :4:

~ Corin

 

[Dij]

dmako,

I found a picture of the Nissan brand pet guard for the Mo at www.courtesynissan.com. It's pricey, but it does bolt in place and the information says that no drilling is required. It's designed so that it doesn't block the center seat belt that's anchored in the ceiling.

 

[dmako]

Take a close look at where it attaches, unless you have a very small dog it's useless.

dmako,

I found a picture of the Nissan brand pet guard for the Mo at www.courtesynissan.com. It's pricey, but it does bolt in place and the information says that no drilling is required. It's designed so that it doesn't block the center seat belt that's anchored in the ceiling.

 

[Dij]

Mindy's not a small dog, but there's plenty of room for her if she lies down (which is the only way she should be riding) with her butt pointed toward one side and her head pointed to the other. That's the position she's in when she rides in the Xterra. I don't want her to have room to do much moving around. There's at least as much room back there as there is in your "dog motels".

The pet guard wouldn't work for you with your two big dogs, but it would probably be fine for me with a Pyr and a Doxie.

 

[dalsox]

just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. my wife & i just bought our MO about 2 weeks ago. although it was a 2003 model, it was still brand new, and since we couldnt find any significant differences in the 04's, we decided to go with it and save about $5k,along with the 1.9% financing. she traded in her beloved 03 mustang gt convertible, because these wisconsin winters are just too much for that car to handle. the dealer gave us about $500 more than we owed, which was about $4000 over blue book, so we made out great there. we got a polished pewter SL with every option except nav. & hid. we both agree this is the best vehicle we've ever owned.

 

[DoItFun]

I think the subject of your post should be "A Mo for my dogs after all!"

 

[dmako]

I doubt it offers the same room.

Open your hatch, look up, see the three plastic caps near the molding? Drop a plumb line down. That's where I am told the factory unit mounts.

This would offer 2 inch of depth at the top and 18 inches at the bottom.

My pet motels offer 36 x 23 x 27. Plus I could have gone longer.

Mindy's not a small dog, but there's plenty of room for her if she lies down (which is the only way she should be riding) with her butt pointed toward one side and her head pointed to the other. That's the position she's in when she rides in the Xterra. I don't want her to have room to do much moving around. There's at least as much room back there as there is in your "dog motels".

The pet guard wouldn't work for you with your two big dogs, but it would probably be fine for me with a Pyr and a Doxie.

 

[Dij]

Unfortunately, I don't have a Mo handy to measure (one more month, one more month...). The photo I have shows the thing bolting to the tie-downs near the back sides of the back seats. I will measure before I order the thing. I may decide just to let them ride without the pet guard, but there's nothing to keep them from flying in an accident.