Do not visit any dealers without out first checking out the online reports available from Consumer Reports which will list many of the hidden incentives the dealer will received from the factory. This detailed reports (which you will have to pay for) will list the pricing for all options as well as your market area pricing based on sales in your city or region.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...vice-and-prices-on-buying-a-new-car/index.htm
In the report will be suggestions for bottom line pricing . In my case I offered less than the bottom line recommended and my offer was accepted. Without this information I would have no idea how much to offer and what would be considered a reasonable offer
Other options are available from other online sites but many do not list the Sprinter Van as a choice.
You need to have the pricing "Intel" in hand before you approach any dealer regardless of how 'nice' they may seem. It is all about how much money the dealership can squeeze out of you. Be aware of the back end office if your are financing as they will attempt to slip in extra items such as extended warranty, etc.
You must look at the total purchase amount including all options not the monthly payments to analyze if you are indeed receiving a bad, fair or excellent deal.
After you have the report shop around at different dealers to discover which one is willing to accept your offer. Then go to another dealer and ask if they can beat that price.
When you have reached a verbal agreement with a dealer insist they put present the deal to you in writing immediately prior to wasting hours in the sales office where they can change the deal. Place a strict time limit on how much time you are wiling to wait for the dealer to respond to your written request. 15 minutes is more than enough time to receive a good faith written deal. If the dealer continues to stall leave. The moment you are heading out the door the more serious you are about not wasting your entire day to be played with by the sales staff as they try to "wear" you down and finally give in to their "best offer",
Never sign the final sales contract without reviewing all the line items to confirm all the numbers add up correctly with your written agreement. You will be amazed at how mysterious hidden charges can be inserted unless you analyze all the figures.
Do not give your phone number or email out to any dealer unless your are certain this will be the final dealer you intend on buying the vehicle from. If you must give out your email I recommend creating a "disposal email" address with google or yahoo which will only be used for the car buying process. Long after your shopping is done you will receive non-stop correspondences from all the dealers you visited and provided your contact info.
The drawback of giving out your contact information when you are still in the research stage is that you will be bombarded daily with a pesky and maybe a rude salesman who will call you nonstop. I had a local salesman harass me twice daily until I told him never to call back again as I had decided I would never buy from him considering his tactics as well as high pricing. He lied about fuel economy of the vehicle overstating the actual real world mileage.
In contrast the dealer I finally purchased from did not harass me with a single phone call and allowed me to call back on my terms when I was ready to purchase.
Some dealers are very aggressive and downright troublesome to deal with whereas others are not.
It is your hard earned money so be prepared to spend time, effort and research to find a vehicle which fits your budget and needs.
Lastly NEVER and I restate NEVER be pressured into a deal because the salesman states the offer is only good today or the last one available. You always have a choice to walk away and give yourself more time to consider a deal.
FYI buying at the end of the month or year is a great time to buy as sales quotas increase the need for dealers to clear merchandise.
I wish you the best with your purchase.