[bluesrt4vegas]

Hey Guys,
First time poster. Anyway my brother is looking at getting one of these Calibers and I'm trying to convince him to special order one from the factory, the only problem is that he doesn't think its worth the time or effort to get one custom built. What do you think? Is he right? Are there any special options, features, deletes one can order from the factory that is generally not usually available to the general public?
Thanks for the input,
-Andrew

 

[umf]

Hi,
First of all...WELCOME to the club! I look at it this way. If i am buying a car over $10,000.00, it better be exactly what i want. He will be driving the car for probably at least 6 years, thus have EXACTLY what you want. Then you don't pass another Caliber in the future going "Oh snap! I should have opted for that or the other option"! If i have Every option that i like, there is no doubts or second thoughts on my vehicle in the future. Yes.....he "WILL" have to wait a bit as demand is pretty high right now. But why settle for something you did'nt really want. That's why we never ever only have "1" girlfriend in our lives. If we all married that first one, life would suck!It's all about options!
P.S.-Make sure he gets the "musicgate" package!

 

[Huff]

There are two major problems with ordering your Caliber. First, you'll most likely wait quite awhile with no guarantees of when you will get it. Second, you'll most likely pay full MSRP. Dealers would much rather sell at a discount off the lot than order one. Why? Because dealers finance their cars that sit on their lots. Chrysler refunds 90 days interest in the form of a holdback. Since these cars are flying off the lot in only a few days the holdback more than covers the 90 days and is thus extra profit they won't earn on an ordered car.

Sure you might end up with some features you really don't need but they might essentially be free compared with the price paid for the exact model you order.

I just bought my new Caliber SXT last week. It has features I will most likely never use. MSRP was $20660. I paid $19160. Thats $1000 off sticker plus the $500 rebate. I doubt you could do that when ordering. You'll get less car for more $'s.

 

[HyperCat]

I ordered my Caliber and I got a great deal too. The dealer gave me the invoice price minus a Costco member rebate and minus the $500 dodge rebate. I am paying $18,806 (including all fee's except DMV ones) for a car that has an MSRP of $20,250 (according to Dodge's website). You can get a good deal on this car just make sure to bring the invoice pricing with you to the dealer and talk to the fleet manager.

I'm glad I got everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. I didn't want to pay extra $ for u-connect and the fancy rims that I would probably ruin anyways (I tend to hit curbs). The only downside is the wait which isn't really that bad, plus it builds the anticipation for the car. And the longer I wait for this car the more in love with it I become. Plus when my car comes it is my special car. No one else will have test driven it and sat their weird butts in my seats.

 

[Huff]

Hyper,
What did you get with an MSRP of over $20K that doesn't have nice rims and u-connect? My SXT is loaded with everything at about the same price.

 

[OrangeRT]

Good answer about selecting one off the lot. I got ours off the truck and he was more than happy to sell it to me with taking some money off. He saw a sale walking through the door and all we had to do was haggle to the price we wanted and BOOM we bought it.

We wanted the compass and Uconnect (kinda of) but honestly getting the base R/T in Orange with sunroof at over $1000 off sticker was just fine.

PS by the way I did marry my first girlfriend and we are fine at almost 20 years now with a little one to prove it!

 

[umf]

Well, sounds like some people get a good deal from ordering and some get a good deal from buying off of the lot! I received free options and after work like tinting and Mopar parts. So i guess it all depends on your salesman in your area. Here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, we do not really have Calibers on the lots that are not SE models that the majority of the pop is not buying. The Caliber here is selling great!! So i guess, shop around and get a feal of the dealers around your area and see how far they are willing to go!
P.S. - OrangeRT.....Congrats on your marriage and little one! You are one of the few that have it made!

 

[HyperCat]

Huff,
I got a Black SXT with CVT. Leather interior, fog lamps, sunroof, musicgate, driver convenience group, security group, and speed control. The MSRP on that is 20,250 on Dodge's website. I am getting almost $1500 off and that is including all the fees for CA. And it is exactly what I want. I am so excited for it to come!

 

[3dee]

my deal today:

R/T AWD Leather, 6CD, Music Gate, Sirius, Sunroof, etc....

MSRP: $23160.00

Paid: 21057.00 after rebate.

I think I did OK.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

There are two major problems with ordering your Caliber. Second, you'll most likely pay full MSRP.

Paying a grand or two or even more to get the options you want...isn't necessarily a problem for people.

A vehicle is something a person might have for a relatively long period of time...with some people spending time every day in it. What another 2 grand spread out over 5 years..90 cents/day? If you can't a lot sitter that has your feature...for some..may be worth it to pay a hair more and get that feature.

 

[superbang]

actually 2 grand over five years works out to be $40 a month.

 

[TommyLee]

Chrysler refunds 90 days interest in the form of a holdback. Since these cars are flying off the lot in only a few days the holdback more than covers the 90 days and is thus extra profit they won't earn on an ordered car.

Supplemental Floor Plan Allowance (SFPA) is what covers a certain amount of floorplan, not holdback.

 

[DodgeGirlKathy]

...Are there any special options, features, deletes one can order from the factory that is generally not usually available to the general public?...

Doesn't seem that anyone specifically answered ^^that part^^ of the OP yet, so...

Nope. There isn't anything you get with a custom order that is not listed in the brochure. Factory orders ARE for the general public.

It's just a great feeling to get EXACTLY what you want, nothing more, nothing less. When trying to pick from a dealer's inventory, they might not have the options you want (or MORE than you want) on the model you want, or in the color you want. Or they might, if you waited long enough or searched around enough.

Plus it's pretty cool to have your car come off the truck with "Built specifically for your name" on the window sticker!!

 

[karenh56]

I ordered my new Caliber last week. They quoted 12-16 weeks. I ordered it the way I wanted it. I'm 50 and have never ordered or owned a new vehicle myself. Always bought used. I wanted heated seats, convience package, Inferno red, speed control, and the musicgate. No one had what I wanted with the color and there were some with the color with things I didn't want. I ride my Harley all summer, so the wait is no big deal. Good things come to those with patience instead of all this "instant gratification" stuff you see now days. It will be my car, no salesman butts on my seat, and no aftermarket crap to make a lot car...sort of mine to apease me.

My two cents worth.

 

[bluesrt4vegas]

Thank you all for your feedback. Unfortunately, my brother decided against buying a brand new Caliber and instead buying a POS, shitbox, used 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer ES. I'm very disappointed and upset but ultimately, it's his decision and try as I may, I couldn't stop him. I really love the Caliber and wish they came out a couple of years ago. I envy you Caliber owners.

As for me, I'll be trading in my Neon SRT-4 for a Caliber SRT-4 or a Hemi Dodge Challenger soon enough ;-).

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

actually 2 grand over five years works out to be $40 a month.

Actually I referred to 90 cents a day. Of course this varies based on if you're doing a loan or not, and all those variables.

 

[Huff]

Thank you all for your feedback. Unfortunately, my brother decided against buying a brand new Caliber and instead buying a POS, shitbox, used 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer ES. I'm very disappointed and upset but ultimately, it's his decision and try as I may, I couldn't stop him. I really love the Caliber and wish they came out a couple of years ago. I envy you Caliber owners.

As for me, I'll be trading in my Neon SRT-4 for a Caliber SRT-4 or a Hemi Dodge Challenger soon enough ;-).

The Caliber is based on the Lancer!!

 

[bluesrt4vegas]

The Caliber is based on the Lancer!!

If by Lancer you mean the 2008 model, then yes you are correct. Both share the Mitsubishi GS platform, however my brother bought an 05 which I believe has nothing in common with the 2007 Dodge Caliber.