Potential discount on Gravely ZT HD from dealer?

[bertsmobile1]

MOWHAPPY,

In my experience with both the dealer and the box stores, the dealer is ABSOLUTELY bound to the price in which the manufacturer sets. Box stores are limited on space and have large season plan-o-gram changes that require inventory to be sold off at times with a large discount (at a loss to the seller) which will always yield you a lower price than at a dealer. For example, at the end of last season, my local Home Depot let go of their last Toro SS4225 for $2109 which at the time was $490 cheaper than a dealer would let go of one. Plain and simple, the dealers sell few product types and have warehouses and showrooms to hold onto inventory much longer if needed, therefore they do not need to discount to clear them at the end of the season. As for the models you are considering, the APEX is a new model and the ZT HD was just re-designed which means that there should not be a model change next year. Many times manufacturers will have a single model year that is sold for 2-3 years with the only way to tell the difference being the date of manufacture. Do as you feel is necessary, but I promise you that you will not get the Gravely you want anywhere near the price of the APEX you stated you could pay. Good luck!

Mike

Mike you could not be more wrong if you tried.
The big box stores usually have a warehouse in the cheap end of town where bulky items are despatched from.
Second they never sell anything at cost let alone a loss.
For example I get a 5% discount of wholesale from one of my suppliers if I buy a lot more this can go as high as 45% and that is off wholesale = 60% off retail
A customer who buys mower parts for one of our chains tells me they get 60% off the whole sale price + free floor stock + 60 days to pay for replacement stock so unless they are offering a 75% discount they are not making a loss. Despite the bull dust they tell you their mark up is double the mark up of a corner dealer even if you are paying 10% less for it.
Floor stock discounts are worn by the supplier, not the retailer as the floor stock is the property of the manufacturer till you buy it.

Against that I get 5% off and 30 days from end of month to pay
If I was selling whole goods I would get 60 days for parts + 90 days for complete mowers.
Thus the big box stores would be paying around 1/2 what the dealer pays and more than one small dealer has bought stock from big box stores because it is cheaper the buy it retail from them than wholesale from their supplier.

Big box stores have a very small fixed cost to turnover ratio being that they do not have a service shop and sell a lot more items and have no technicians and if your mower is actually assembled it is done by one of the slaes assistants who might be technically challenges to work out which end of the screwdriver you hold.
They also have very little parts stock, I have a bigger inventory of spares ( $ 50,000 ) than any of the big box shops who only keep fast moving high profit items like blades, belts & filters.
Because of the volume of mowers that go through big box stores a lot of makers are tending towards non repairable throw away mowers to favour big box retailing. no oil change Briggs engines for example.
In the end , you will loose, you just won't realise it till you sit down in 15 years and tally up what it has cost you .

Lowes & Wollies just closed down their chain down here .
They were selling their blades & belts 25% more expensive that I was while they were paying 1/3 of what I was paying for them ( this was good for me ).
However they were giving customers a 10% discount if they bought them on the store credit card and 15% if you had a trade card.
To my great surprise the Aussie buying public did not get fooled by this marketing stunt.

A dealer can sell for whatever price they like and if you are a good & regular customer you will get a good price.
However is you are one of the tight arses just trying to screw them for a no profit price to come in on par with a big box then they won't bother .
Same as I do with all of the morons who tell me I am going to sell them a $ 100 trade in ride on or a $ 10 push mower.
I & a dealer has better things to do with their time servicing long term quality customers than wasting their time with some one who will not open their wallet unless they are paying the absolute lowest price.
Because the absolute lowest peice somes with the absolute lowest service & that is the domain of the big box stores.

 

[7394]

I agree with Bert.

And around here, there is some kind of legal agreement, that Big box stores can NOT sell less than local Dealer. I learned of this by telling my local Toro Dealer a Z, I was interested in was priced lower than Dealer. They made 1 phone call & the Big box store changed pricing to equal to my Dealer.

Now, I buy all my stuff at the Dealer, oil / filters / you name it. And they treat me very well. They even tell me when the year end sales are due to happen.

 

[upupandaway]

Which ZT 60? They range from $5580 with 60" deck and Kohler engine to $5805 for same deck with Kawasaki engine.

I got my Gravely 60" with Kawasaki for 4300ish(or was that the asking $$... Oh well). Given it was about 7 years ago.
Point being, i offered to buy it 500 below sticker and he said ok without blinking an eye. He also gave me several tshirts and mugs to go with it.... SO... it wouldn't hurt to offer a number and see what they say. The classic car shopping advice- say ok thanks and turn around and walk out. See what they do. Just dont look like u fell in love with it already. They will likely give in to your request or counter it. Also pick a dealer that doesnt have high volume. Im sure the dealer is hurting to move them.

 

[Icutmetl]

I just picked up a closeout 2016 ZT-44HD from a dealer about 1-1/2hrs away from me for $4,099 (plus tax). It is still a new model, and had 1.5hrs from moving it in and out of the showroom so many times, I guess. I was really oogling over the 2017 models, but couldn't pass that deal up. There are two dealers much closer, but none of them had anything in the 42" range on the floor that I wanted.

 

[powrguy]

The Gravely ZT HD model with the 60" deck. That model with the Kawasaki around my area sells for $5200 + tax. The Kohler engine may be a tad less.

I just bought the ZT HD-60, with the Kawasaki, and the two Dealers near me would not budge from the $5499......they are a hot commodity (Cleveland area), and going further away to save a few bucks would NOT be good when I then went "locally" for Service. Still, IMHO, a great mower for the money.

 

[pollishpickle]

I just bought the ZT HD-60, with the Kawasaki, and the two Dealers near me would not budge from the $5499......they are a hot commodity (Cleveland area), and going further away to save a few bucks would NOT be good when I then went "locally" for Service. Still, IMHO, a great mower for the money.

Which dealer did you get it from. I bought my proturn 460 from Worcesters because I had a Cub warrantied out there. Would have gought from Wellington if or Medina if I had my choice.