AWD Touring '04 FX35 - $33.9k out the door in November
Circle Infiniti (Red Bank, New Jersey) ran an ad in the New York Times in early November offering 15 '04 FX35s at $33.9k. I was very skeptical, as the best I could do in our neighborhood was $36.9k for the same car but with a towing package in addition to touring, flaps, cargo mat etc (MSPR $39.9k for Circle's, $40.6k for the local one). At that time (over 2 months ago), Circle only offered me tier 1 Infiniti standard financing (4.9%) for 60 mos. As we'd driven the 2 hours at lunchtime and they had exactly what they said they did, prepped and ready to go because I'd called first, we just did the deal and drove it home. I like a good deal, but I'd already driven a few hours, they had the exact car we wanted, and Friday afternoon traffic was building up - so I "just said yes". Any extra $$ I might have saved would have been offset by the cost of a wasted trip to Circle and the aggravation of leaving without a car we really wanted.
One of the 2 local dealers I'd shopped called me a few days before I did the deal, and was frankly nasty when told that Circle offed me one for $3k less. "It's 2WD. It's used. It's....." Then one of their sales managers called me the day after we brought it home to tell me he felt obligated to protect us as potential customers, and that he was sure the car was 2WD. I replied that it was 3 feet from me in my garage, and he told me I probably couldn't tell whether it was really AWD or not. I told him it had 3 differentials and four half shafts, and he hung up after suggesting that it was probably used.
I was so irritated I went over there with the original NYTimes ad. I told their manager that if they'd simply said "we can't meet that price, but we'll come within $200" or whatever it took to keep them happy, I'd have saved myself the 4 hours on the road and the hassle of an out-of-state dealer's trying to do my registration and title work (which Circle did not handle as smoothly as they should have, although I think they're a great place and I'd gladly buy another car from them).
Circle's worth a call - if they have no more '04s, they've got enough '05s to make you happy. They stock virtually every color combo, and they'll probably beat any deal you can get today. Our drive home was wonderful - we love the car and we felt like we'd gotten a fair deal even if it might not have been the best deal on this board.
