Hello and glad to see the site back up. I would have posted this message earlier, but was not able to do so. I will try to make this story short and sweet. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions my fellow forum members may have to offer.
My wife and I were ready to purchase a Murano back in April. We had a three month old 2006 Altima (SE with nice option packages) that did not please us. I suggested we use Carsdirect.com because I hate doing business with my local brick and mortar Nissan dealers (Long Island, New York). So I contacted Carsdirect.com and got the process rolling.
A sales person contacted me to locate the Murano with options we were looking for. Price was great – just under invoice (have to love the internet). The options included: 06 Murano w/ Touring and Sirius and VDC. Color was secondary to the trim and option packages. Alas, he cold not find a single Murano at the time through his network of dealers. We then agrees that Carsdirect.com could arrange to have the car ordered from the factory – but the wait could be up to three months. Waiting has never been a problem for me, so we did just that.
While starting the factory order process, I was told by my Carsdirect.com salesperson that the network dealer that would be delivering my family the car would be willing to give us a certain price for the 06 Altima as part of the purchase. The trade in value was fair and I accepted.
My Carsdirect.com sales person told me that all work would be done at my home including the signing of paper work, etc. So now we go into “waiting” mode. (Always looking forward to Shappy’s posting of current Murano leasing options – and reading all your posts intently.)
Last week Carsdirect.com asks me to have the car appraised at the dealership (30+ miles away). This made me unhappy because of the distance (I am in New York, the dealer in New Jersey). I thought the work was to be done at the home at time of delivery. I never dealt with an internet auto purchase before so I didn’t find this unusual. Nevertheless, I travel to the dealership to get the 06 Altima appraised. Here is where the fecal matter hits the proverbial fan…
The network dealer for Carsdirect.com gives me a trade in value that is $3500 under their April offer. I am told about “dealer hold back costs” and the current Nissan rebate for new 06 Altima of $1750. I am thinking that the fair option is to subtract the rebate amount (dealers have to put bread on the table – but so do I). Needless to say, the dealer does not compromise. The trade in value is firm and Carsdirect.com at this time can do nothing to rectify the matter.
If we didn’t wait by ordering the new Murano from the factory, we could have gotten a better deal. By waiting, the purchase price basically remained the same, but the trade in value is more than 25% less than originally offered.
With all the death and destruction going on in the world, this is what I call a “phony” problem. Life is too short! But, your comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated. I will be checking these boards often to see evaluate your thoughts.
PS: I am currently searching for a dealer in the New York tri-state area (mostly CT) to find the 06 Murano we are looking for. I will keep trying to get the car at what shoulf be a fair price.

My wife and I were ready to purchase a Murano back in April. We had a three month old 2006 Altima (SE with nice option packages) that did not please us. I suggested we use Carsdirect.com because I hate doing business with my local brick and mortar Nissan dealers (Long Island, New York). So I contacted Carsdirect.com and got the process rolling.
A sales person contacted me to locate the Murano with options we were looking for. Price was great – just under invoice (have to love the internet). The options included: 06 Murano w/ Touring and Sirius and VDC. Color was secondary to the trim and option packages. Alas, he cold not find a single Murano at the time through his network of dealers. We then agrees that Carsdirect.com could arrange to have the car ordered from the factory – but the wait could be up to three months. Waiting has never been a problem for me, so we did just that.
While starting the factory order process, I was told by my Carsdirect.com salesperson that the network dealer that would be delivering my family the car would be willing to give us a certain price for the 06 Altima as part of the purchase. The trade in value was fair and I accepted.
My Carsdirect.com sales person told me that all work would be done at my home including the signing of paper work, etc. So now we go into “waiting” mode. (Always looking forward to Shappy’s posting of current Murano leasing options – and reading all your posts intently.)
Last week Carsdirect.com asks me to have the car appraised at the dealership (30+ miles away). This made me unhappy because of the distance (I am in New York, the dealer in New Jersey). I thought the work was to be done at the home at time of delivery. I never dealt with an internet auto purchase before so I didn’t find this unusual. Nevertheless, I travel to the dealership to get the 06 Altima appraised. Here is where the fecal matter hits the proverbial fan…
The network dealer for Carsdirect.com gives me a trade in value that is $3500 under their April offer. I am told about “dealer hold back costs” and the current Nissan rebate for new 06 Altima of $1750. I am thinking that the fair option is to subtract the rebate amount (dealers have to put bread on the table – but so do I). Needless to say, the dealer does not compromise. The trade in value is firm and Carsdirect.com at this time can do nothing to rectify the matter.
If we didn’t wait by ordering the new Murano from the factory, we could have gotten a better deal. By waiting, the purchase price basically remained the same, but the trade in value is more than 25% less than originally offered.
With all the death and destruction going on in the world, this is what I call a “phony” problem. Life is too short! But, your comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated. I will be checking these boards often to see evaluate your thoughts.
PS: I am currently searching for a dealer in the New York tri-state area (mostly CT) to find the 06 Murano we are looking for. I will keep trying to get the car at what shoulf be a fair price.