I Bought A Brand-New Camaro For Less Than The Price Of A Base Corolla

"The Finker" (finker) 11/29/2015 at 16:00 • Filed to: Chevrolet, Camaro, Corolla, Toyota, Cars, Deals, Car Buying, Advice, New Cars, End of the year deals, 2015, 2016

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I’m a sucker for a good deal, which is how I find myself holding title to a brand-new 2015 Chevrolet Camaro.

In late August, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reported that new 2015 Chevrolet Camaros were being sold for as much as $7,000 off of MSRP. One of the dealerships offering these deep discounts happened to be Lorenzo Bomnin Chevrolet, a Miami-based dealer located 30-some-odd miles away from my then-home of Hollywood, Florida.

I kept an eye on the dealer’s inventory, and by early October Lorenzo had gone mad. He further slashed the prices of a number of new Camaros he had in stock, including one 2015 Chevrolet Camaro 1LS. With an MSRP of $24,700, Lorenzo Bomnin Chevrolet was offering to sell the black-on-black V6 Camaro for a mere $15,999, or nearly $9,000 off of the car’s sticker price. It seemed to good to be true, and — as I later learned — it was.

After calling the dealership, I was told that $500 of the discount was dependent on being a previous GM owner (or maybe it was a military discount — I can’t remember the specifics). In short, the sale price of $15,999 was actually $16,499, a discount that still amounted to more than $8,000 off the MSRP.

By the time I made it to the negotiating table another $500 had been tacked on to the price, as the advertised price of $15,999 was a “mistake” and the actual price of the car was $16,499 (or $16,999, excluding the discount I was ineligible to receive).

I should add that at the time of this transaction, I worked at one of the nation’s largest dealership groups. As a result, I was aware of two things:

The group I worked with told me that it abided by the advertised price of the cars and trucks it sold, even if a car was priced incorrectly (i.e. too low). I never saw the issue come up during my time with the company (probably because the group runs a tight enough ship to avoid such problems — although such an issue would never have needed to go by me in the first place); however, I think the idea of standing behind a published price is good protocol for any retailer, as it ensures a happy customer and holds employees accountable for their errors.

The dealership group I worked at wasn’t selling brand-new Camaros for anything close to $16,999 to the public or, to my knowledge, its employees.

In short, this was still a terrific deal, even if I thought it was poor judgment by the dealer to not own up to its mistake.

So yes, almost two months ago I bought a brand-new 2015 Chevrolet Camaro for just under $17,000, or a savings of exactly $1,066 compared to a brand-new, bottom-of-the-barrel 2016 Toyota Corolla L. I’ll admit, I never saw myself as a Camaro owner. But what can I say? I’m a sucker for a good deal.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 16:09

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Speaking or bargains, I saw a billboard yesterday for our local Mitsubishi dealer advertising new Mirages starting at under ten grand

fhrblig > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/29/2015 at 16:22

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At that point, it’s worth it. The manual gearbox is not great, to be sure, but you’d be getting a roomy little hatch with a/c and automatic climate control, not to mention power windows and locks. I know it’s not a thrilling drive, but you could certainly live with it. Especially if it’s in one of those wacky colors.

camaroboy68ss > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 16:39

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that’s how I ended up with my 2014 Camaro SS, one it was a left over and the last 14 on the lot, and then they had knocked 10k off the price, couldn’t pass it up

pjhusa > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 16:41

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That’s... really a great price!

Congratulations!!!

pjhusa > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/29/2015 at 16:42

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I heard that iMievs are going for crazy-low prices.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > pjhusa 11/29/2015 at 16:45

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There’s a reason for that.

fhrblig > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 16:47

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I wound up with an ‘09 Ranger because of $4500 cash on the hood. I love trucks, but I didn’t exactly love the idea of a rwd truck in winter, but I did it and there’s no regrets on my end. Except that I kind of wish I still had it.

pjhusa > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/29/2015 at 16:47

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Would they be worth it? My uncle (who owns a Prius, but only because good deal) would like to get into a recent electric car on the cheap.

John_Harbinson > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 16:55

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?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > pjhusa 11/29/2015 at 17:12

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I’d personally recommend he go for a Leaf, for a 500E, or an electric Fit/Spark/whatever. The Imiev has gotten absolutely terrible reviews. It’s supposed to be the embodiment of the fear that electric cars are like golf carts. Still, he should look at one and choose for himself.

d15b > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 17:25

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That is a fantastic price.

JackAstor99 > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 18:12

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Still overpaid for a piece of garbage. There is a reason they are selling them so cheap, because nobody else wants them.

You couldn’t pay me to drive a new Camaro.

OPPOsaurus WRX > pjhusa 11/29/2015 at 18:16

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I was tailgated by one today

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > fhrblig 11/29/2015 at 18:22

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And let’s be real, anyone looking for a base Mirage or any new car for that price isn’t looking for the thrill of the drive. I mean regardless I think it’s great to see that we have cars that cheap that can still meet strict requirements that we see today.

LongbowMkII > fhrblig 11/29/2015 at 18:23

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I’m telling youz guyz. Spec Mirage by Oppo in 5 years.

E92M3 > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 18:36

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That’s Nissan Versa money!

pjhusa > OPPOsaurus WRX 11/29/2015 at 18:44

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Beautiful.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 18:53

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Wow that is one helluva deal! If I was out of college and could afford something new a Camaro would have been at the top of my list.

BadMotorScooter > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 19:23

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Congrats! That’s an awesome deal! I am with you on the sucker for a good deal thing. Like right now I have to stay away from autotrader and make myself NOT LOOK at brand new track rat Z/28s with 500HP 7 liter monster motors, for $50k....

Spoon II > LongbowMkII 11/29/2015 at 20:00

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Very yes!

718Rogue > fhrblig 11/29/2015 at 20:22

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Anything’s thrilling to drive if you drive it hard enough.

The Finker > John_Harbinson 11/29/2015 at 21:31

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Si. 

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > The Finker 11/29/2015 at 21:43

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Luc - The Acadian Oppo > The Finker 11/30/2015 at 10:43

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DAMN! I would of bought one for that. You know what we have here do you?