[Bear Creek Farm & Produce]

So firstly, thanks to all who provide input on my previous post in regards to operator size & the 2038R. Awesome knowledge and input across this site on green topics!

I'm probably going to head to a Deere dealership soon and start the process for a 2038R if I can swing it financially. With hearing about supply issues in and out of the ag industry for materials as well as seeing Deere running the 0% APR deal, and lengthy delivery times, I figure sooner rather than later is better at the moment.

Just curious what your own sales experience was like as far as placing an order for a tractor goes and what that process entails? Any questions that yall recommend asking or any input for making the experience go smoother? I'm pretty set on what tractor I'll be going with & what best fits my "mini farm" operation (2038R). I really don't have any questions as far as specs goes on the tractor (I've done my specs & performance homework lol). I've never placed an order for something new before so just curious what yalls experiences were like and such.

I have 3 John Deere dealerships to choose from (all three are about equal distance wise... 40min drive or so). One is a smaller business with 3 dealerships (Smith Tractor) & the other 2 are under Sun South John Deere with several dealerships spread out through the south. I've done very minor business with the smaller one however all have good on line reviews. I know these days, a lot of it is dealer support & parts availability so with equal distance, positive reviews, would you end up going with the larger dealership network (Sun South)?

Thanks for all input & sorry for such a length post!

 

[JimR]

I'd go to both dealerships, tell them what you want and see what they give you for pricing. Going to multiple locations owned by the same dealership is usually a waste of time as far as any sort of pricing goes.

IME, all of that is pretty painless. It's 45 minutes to walk through all of the possible options, 30 seconds for credit approval and the rest is just a lot of chit-chat. You sign the papers and the wait begins.

It does help to know which options (and add on implements) you want before going in.

 

[coaltrain]

I agree with what JimR said. Just visit the 2 dealerships - one of each from the 2 different compainies. Just ask some basic questions like lead time etc.. This will give you a feel for how the placed operate.

For me the attitude of the sales people makes a huge difference. Pricing is going to be just about equal from both. It may be obvious from those 2 visits which one you want to deal with.

Another thing you might want to do is visit the service department. One of the most important things when buying a piece of equipment like this is service after the sale. What does the shop look like? Is it nice and clean and organized or is it a mess?

 

[txwil]

My dealer quoted me way over MSRP so I went and bought a used one from a local family orchard.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

When I wanted to trade my old 106R in for a new 1025R in 2019, it was pulling teeth at every local dealer. I contacted four different dealers within about 40 miles of my house (all different owners/chains). It was as if wanting to give them money was too much work for them and I had to beg. Two had totally outrageous pricing. One refused to even discuss the trade in. And a fifth one I called wouldn't even discuss a sale if I wasn't standing there in person.

At some point I posted about shopping for a machine and Mutton Power Equipment messaged me. Despite being 500 miles away in Indiana, their pricing was lower than every local dealer and there was no tax being out of state. The total cost was thousands cheaper even with the cost of delivery! They even took the trade in on the backhaul. I always recommend supporting your local businesses. But sometimes your local businesses don't want your support.

 

[txwil]

What I went and did was searched for tractor packages. Like this: deere tractor packages - Google Search

I've got no affiliation with anybody below, but you'll find some pretty great deals.

John Deere Tractor Package Deals | Loader, Trailer | Ag-Pro

www.agprocompanies.com

John Deere Tractor Package Deals at Sunshine

Sunshine is offering John Deere Tractor Packages to fit your needs. We offer tractor packages ranging from 23-hp up to 110-hp.

www.sunequip.com

John Deere Tractor Packages | Western Equipment

Our John Deere tractor packages are the best prices around. Get in touch with Western Equipment today!

west-equip.com

I told my dealer, that was charging me way over MSRP, that I wanted a package like this... I straight told him I could drive to Fresno CA and save almost $15k. His response? "Enjoy your trip".

 

[Kbar]

Sellers market right now

 

[TyBoo]

I was going to throw in my 2¢ but it has been pretty much covered. Lots of good advice here.

I always recommend supporting your local businesses. But sometimes your local businesses don't want your support.

I was struck by this comment because it was pretty much my own experience on my last JD purchase. I bought mine last year and got some good discounts, but in today's market you won't get much help with the pricing so the attitude and capabilities of the dealership play a bigger part in the choice. That is what drove me to the big outfit for the purchase even though it took a couple weeks longer to get the machine.

Funny, a year ago I thought two weeks was a long wait! I feel for folks today who are waiting for their new tractors.

 

[MattL]

Our experience yesterday was great, no haggling needed, good pricing (about 8-10% off list) and friendly banter while building it all out. This was my FIL' s first experience with JD, and he was happy as he left. The dealer has been great to me, I hope his experience is the same. Bought a Z950M (Next week delivery) and Gator 835M (August timeframe) from them. Didn't have to ask for discounts, didn't bother asking for more.

 

[EmmtBot]

Pretty sure everybody at the local dealers knows my car by now, I would window shop the parking lot all the time. Sundays were good because nobody is around. Stopped in and chatted with sales guys now and then - always friendly and helpful though don't be surprised if you are more familiar with the specs and options of whatever you're interested in than they are. I won't hold that against them, we're nuts that go on internet forums to talk about this stuff and they probably have to cover a whole range of equipment.

I wasn't quite sure how this part would work but in my case (YMMV of course) I was able to sit with a sales guy, work out pricing, and get everything started without actually doing the loan paperwork yet. They put my name on some of the inventory that was already on its way in their computer and are ordering the other attachments I want. They offered some discount off MSRP, though it seemed like MSRP on some items had increased from what I remember. I'm assuming that's due to steel pricing and inflation, etc. I asked for a little bit more off the price and have locked in at what we agreed to. If Deere comes out with some kind of rebate or incentive in between now and when everything arrives they are not opposed to trying to add that in.

I think it's going to be hard to get an amazing price these days, but like somebody said maybe it's still good compared to what this stuff may cost down the road.

 

[VASteelersGuy]

I did a lot of research on this second tractor, as well as on the first although a different market a few years ago. My local dealers were not dealing so I went to Ohio and North Carolina for pricing as it's easy enough to pick up or have it delivered and still beat local pricing. After getting the price I wanted out of state I went back to one of the local dealers I previously bought from and asked if they could match or beat the deal. He did and we're talking over 3k difference in price from the first go around. I get the market supply is behind demand but I'm not giving away money. That 3k bought a lot of stuff and I went back and bought a 930M a week later. I also got a great deal after showing him I could buy it online through JD for 10% off + plus my rewards discounts, no delivery fee, etc., He beat the price. It's all doable, you just have to work a bit or be patient. Dealers also pay for those extended 0 percent financing offers above 60/72 months so be sure you're up front on exactly what you expect on the financing side if you go that route.

 

[Kbar]

Speaking of sales, where’s Doc?

 

[sennister]

At some point I posted about shopping for a machine and Mutton Power Equipment messaged me. Despite being 500 miles away in Indiana, their pricing was lower than every local dealer and there was no tax being out of state. The total cost was thousands cheaper even with the cost of delivery! They even took the trade in on the backhaul. I always recommend supporting your local businesses. But sometimes your local businesses don't want your support.

I don't think Mutton can do this anymore. I remember reading a while back about this where they got into trouble. Too many other dealers were complaining about Mutton stealing their business. Part of the problem is that the price from Deere that the dealer pays is based on volume. If you sell 1-5 machines in a certain class a year it is a certain price per unit. If you move 100 of that class machines in a year the unit prices are less because Deere gives the dealer a volume discount. This is a big factor for dealers because that per unit price impacts their profit on a machine sold. A dealer that has a lower per unit price can afford to cut prices further and beat out the competition.

I ran into this with my Z950R as I mentioned before. My cousin at the time was a sales manager for a chain of dealers. Not the dealer sales manager but the manager across for the all the dealers in this chain. He isn't really close to me but when I was shopping I stopped by the dealer near my work because I can't stand the dealer next to my house and refuse to give them any business. I got a quote for the machine from this dealer chain near my office and then called up my cousin to see what his prices were. He was straight up with me. The dealer chain I was dealing with moves a ton of ZTRs. The salesman even said he had just placed an order for 125 Z9xx machines that week for all the contracts they have. They have huge contracts with businesses, schools, golf courses and landscaping companies in the Twin Cities area. So they go through a ton of them. He went on to say that the price I was quoted was below his cost on the Z950R. So there was no way he could compete. Granted my cousin works in big Corn area so they move big Ag stuff. He told me that now he could likely beat my dealer on the price of a combine but there was no way he could touch a Z9xx. He said they normally sell less than 5 a year across all their dealers. Most of those are bundled in with some deal they are working on a guy that just dropped cash on 5 combines.

So my recommendation is to get quotes from multiple dealers. Focus on dealers that actually sell the class machine you are looking for. If it were a X Series, you will have better luck in suburbia where that is what they sell. Sure they might be able to get a 4066R in but they will have techs that have no clue about working on them and there is stuff that needs to get set up on the machine. Which is another reason to look at what the dealer is kind of focusing on. If you are a bit further out where there are more hobby farms is the best area to look for your 1-2-3-4 series. They probably move enough of them to stand a chance at better pricing and even more so they more likely know the machine. Get too far out into AG land and you might start to get into the same challenges as suburbia.

 

[myrna]

Looking at supply and demand, plus price, I sure am glad I bought my 1025R in September of 2019. The prices were lower and my 1025R tractor was on the lot and delivered the next day.

 

[Drifterbike]

I have bought 3 tractors since 2016. I went to the Dealer that I bought my 420L&G from in 91. of course they have been thru several ownerships since then. In 2016 I knew what I wanted in the way of a 1025R and got what I thought was a fair deal. in 2018 I bought a zero turn they had slightly used from a factory deal with city of Moline. Deere had sold Moline several gas zero turns and Moline wasn't happy with them wanted to trade for 970's after three months. The deere dealer in Geneseo ill was the delivering dealer and had the trade ins very reasonable. I grabbed on and first time mowing with it I hated it. being a fat guy I wasn't able to get the levers back far enough with out sucking my gut in and it actually hurt to mow. so first thing in morning I went back to dealership. I got a full refund and used it has a down payment on my 2038R that was just announced. I kept my 1025 until the 2038 came in then what do I do with 2 FELs? they take up a lot of room. so back to dealer and he works out a trade in where I basically get a 2 year newer 1025 with out a FEL and pay no money. On my 2038R I bought the best warranty offered and it includes pickup and delivery. Just this spring they picked it up because the hood button fell down inside and I wasn't able to open hood. they picked it up at 8:30 and had it back at 4:00. I love my dealer. I realize he needs to make money to keep the place open but he has always been fair with me.

 

[Festus]

At the time I bought my first tractor in 2017 we'd already had bad experiences with the local place, so we went about 3 hours away to buy from a different company, and it was great. Even made the long drive back to them a few times for additional implements.
Last year, that company that took care of me 3 hours away bought up the stores close to home. Since it's under the new ownership I gave them another try on my new tractor purchase that is in the works now and have been very happy this time around. Best part is I feel like I can have a relationship with my local store again.
New machine will be here this summer

 

[ridesdirt]

All the above is good advice in my opinion.

My situation was different in that I had an older tractor and frequented the parts counter. While doing this I started to build a relationship with one of the sales guys. On slow days he would take me out on the yard and explain features and options. I kept telling him when I was ready to buy a new tractor I was coming to see him. I befriended him, brought him a hat one time, quart of moonshine another, etc... When I was ready he helped me navigate what JD incentives worked best for my situation. There were first time buyer, 0%, and if you were shopping and had "looked and priced the competition - but would sign your JD papers today incentive", etc. We added options and accessories during the sit down portion of the paperwork. As stated above, the credit check is almost instant, and if you put money down that helps the dealer out a little and the JD credit people like that too. I think I got an exceptional deal on my tractor and have a great relationship with my sales guy, who I now consider a friend, and he has helped me with service questions too... so only thing I can add, is get to know the people, even if its a big company, they operate as individual business cells. So you are dealing with the locals...

oh, and I got insurance through John Deere, was the best deal for me. Your situation may be different, but they make it easy and have very good coverage.

 

[Eric.battani]

Can’t speak for those dealerships but look into the John Deere promise!!!! It saved me from so much trouble.
I had bought a x390 a few years ago and the hydraulic lift on the deck would leak down driving across my yard. So I carried it back to the dealership showed them the issue, said they would fix it. I come back a couple weeks laterWith about 10 hours added to it when I Only had about three when I brought it to them. And they told me it was fixed. when I got there to pick it up I asked what they did to fix it they told me nothing that they all leak down. And that I should just set my deck height all the way up and then let it drop down to that while driving. And I said no that’s not within John Deere specs that I had already looked up what the deck is supposed to leak down to while sitting and mine would leak down even while running. And after three attempts to get it fixed I finally told them that I wanted to return it and get my money back. Was told to return on Monday to talk to the senior sales manager about the jd promise. And before I left the parking lot the owner called me begging me not to invoke the John Deere promise and please give them one more chance to fix it, that it looks bad on the dealership when someone returns one. So I carried it to one of his other stores, they replace the cylinder and I haven’t had any issues since.

 

[Festus]

The John Deere Promise only applies to the mowers and garden tractors, not SCUTs & larger.

 

[IDAcre]

JimR put it exactly as I experienced.

I only have one John Deere dealer within a quick driving distance (15 minutes). The next closest is about an hour and a half.

I read a lot here and watched a youtube explaining JD pricing. I then priced out my X758 on Deere dot com and wrote down list prices for all the attachments and tractor I wanted. Originally I was going to get a X750, but thanks to GTT I upgraded.

Having all the list prices written down and a calculator in hand I could follow along with the salesman's dealer "discounts". I would then ask for a little more. Trying hard for that 15% level, of which I did get on a couple of the attachments. I even asked for "free" stuff and ended up with 2 suitcase weights. A few items I paid list price for.

Salesman wasn't pushy like a car salesman. I almost felt like I had to ask him to sell me stuff. Guess a John Deere is kind of like insurance. It sells itself. Or maybe I'm just the average buyer. I already knew what I wanted as far as model and attachments.