another good point
That's a good point. I was wondering if this dealer add on thing was cast in stone across the nation. Maybe this is just a Dallas good ole boy network.
Reading in Edmonds.com, they encourage you to ask about possible dealer add ons, advertising fees or market adjustments, and Delivery and Handling fees (D and H). They also encourage you NOT to accept them.
The salesman sent me an e mail saying "I will sell you this car for $34,039. He listed all the options and accessories on the, including transportation from Omaha, NE to Dallas.
When I called him, I asked him if there were any dealer add ons or other fees not mentioned. He then replied that he would try to get the add ons removed. He put me on hold and pretended to go see his sales manager, then came back and said that his sales manager insisted on the dealer add ons for an extra $698 or it wouldn't be worth his time and effort getting the car down from Omaha. (It would be shipped by truck.)
I told him I'd think about that. Today I e mailed him and told him I'd buy the car for the price he quoted but WITHOUT dealer add ons or extraneous charges. I gave him a fax number where he could fax the contract to me if he decided that this was acceptable.
If I don't hear from him, I'll wait for the '04's. The salesman told me he expected them by the end of October.