[FastMan]

I'm purchasing a new Toro G3 this spring. I discussed the fleet program with my dealer today, and have decided to do it. It only takes 6 points to quality for their 23% fleet discount. My G3 gives me 4. For the other 2 I'm going to purchase a 40" hydro floating deck T2 walk behind (1.5 points), and a 21 inch (.5).

All told, after selling my 5 year old 36" belt drive walk behind, I will be getting the new hydro walk behind and the 21" for $1800 more than buying the G3 alone. To me, it's a no brainer.

If you're buying a Toro ZTR, you might want to look at the numbers and see if the fleet progam can work for you too.

 

[lawnguy224]

Fastman,
thanks for the post, I am looking at buying Toro this spring, and would have never know. Is the fleet program only on the ZTR? Besides the dealer where could I find more information? I want to be knowledgable before I go to talk to my dealer.
Thanks for the great post

 

[Cooter]

Fastman,
thanks for the post, I am looking at buying Toro this spring, and would have never know. Is the fleet program only on the ZTR? Besides the dealer where could I find more information? I want to be knowledgable before I go to talk to my dealer.
Thanks for the great post

I believe Exmark also offers this. Are there any other manufactures that offer a fleet discount?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[pugs]

Pretty much all manufacturers offer a program like this. You probably wont find any information on it anywhere other than talking to your dealer.

They all vary on what you need to buy and how they work. Alot of them are points based like the toro one. Although the toro one sounds really good after reading this. Most others would require buying at least 2 ZTR class machines along with 1-2 walkbehinds or even more.

 

[brucec32]

Here is a readily available 23% discount for buying 3 or 4 mowers. And the cost savings to the dealer are neglible, as it merely saves writing up the order repeatedly and a few minutes of a salesman's time. That's worth what, $50?

Keep this in mind when reading ridiculous claims that mower manufacturers/dealers "don'treally make anything" on a mower and that they will go out of business if they knock $500 off the MSRP.

They're obviously content to sell mowers even at 23% discounts. That's about $2 grand off a nice ZTR! That tells me they have plenty of "wiggle room" baked into those prices. Just like every other similar product does that is sold in this manner (cars, boats, jetskis, etc).


No big deal, but it does put paid to this BS where dealers log on to claim they practically lose money if they knock $300 off the price.

The more information that we can find on ACTUAL SELLING PRICES for specific machines, the more manufacturers will have to get their acts together to move towards a higher volume/lower margin sales model. No more podunk dealerships where the guy has to make his nut for the week off your single purchase.

Note that GM and Chrysler recently closed thousands of dealerships for this exact reason. Make the brand look expensive when a guy sells 8 cars a month! He has to charge more to survive.

 

[pkra12]

Fastman thats a good deal just be aware that toro also offers 28% off ztr's if you cut a church or charity or gov. funded org.....just another option if only need a ztr

 

[lawnguy224]

Great posts guys,
I am learning so much, glad I haven't rushed out to buy new equipment for this coming season yet

 

[lawnjocky]

Don't forget to compare prices from competing dealers that have the same brand. I might be alone in this, but for me driving 30 min. to save $300 is worth it.

 

[slamjamrockinman]

That's a good deal, my dealer was tellin me abou that, I'll have to look into that, are all 3 machines covered under warranty.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[CLS LLC]

Here is a readily available 23% discount for buying 3 or 4 mowers. And the cost savings to the dealer are neglible, as it merely saves writing up the order repeatedly and a few minutes of a salesman's time. That's worth what, $50?

Keep this in mind when reading ridiculous claims that mower manufacturers/dealers "don'treally make anything" on a mower and that they will go out of business if they knock $500 off the MSRP.

They're obviously content to sell mowers even at 23% discounts. That's about $2 grand off a nice ZTR! That tells me they have plenty of "wiggle room" baked into those prices. Just like every other similar product does that is sold in this manner (cars, boats, jetskis, etc).

No big deal, but it does put paid to this BS where dealers log on to claim they practically lose money if they knock $300 off the price.

The more information that we can find on ACTUAL SELLING PRICES for specific machines, the more manufacturers will have to get their acts together to move towards a higher volume/lower margin sales model. No more podunk dealerships where the guy has to make his nut for the week off your single purchase.

Note that GM and Chrysler recently closed thousands of dealerships for this exact reason. Make the brand look expensive when a guy sells 8 cars a month! He has to charge more to survive.

This is a ridiculous post. I guaranty that the 23% does not come out of the dealers cut. Because if it did no dealer would ever tell you about the discount. I worked at a dealer and know for a fact that they would lose money on every sale if they were to take 23% off. They would literally be paying you to take the machine from them. These programs are set up by the manufacture and they are the one who take the loss. Not the dealer.

 

[brucec32]

This is a ridiculous post. I guaranty that the 23% does not come out of the dealers cut. Because if it did no dealer would ever tell you about the discount. I worked at a dealer and know for a fact that they would lose money on every sale if they were to take 23% off. They would literally be paying you to take the machine from them. These programs are set up by the manufacture and they are the one who take the loss. Not the dealer.

Who said it ALL comes out of the dealer's cut? You're quite right, it isn't all the dealer's discretion. Toro could have some promotional arrangement, much like rebates on cars, to move units. My guess is they bring it out as an option when they see you have the possible need for multiple machines but are balking at the (high) full price. So they "make a deal". Nothing wrong with that. It's just pretty ham-fisted to go from $8000 to $6,000 on the same machine because you bought 3 at a time instead of one. It just proves that they aren't working with tiny margins at either the wholesale or retail level. Probably more so it shows that the manufacturer has a lot of play with the prices they charge dealers, if they can knock 23% off.

I've shopped and bought enough mowers and been quoted enough widely differing prices to know that there is a good margin built into the "msrp" and that in hard times the smart dealer had better sharpen his freaking pencil like the rest of us are. When you hit a lonely deserted dealership in February where they have a room full of the same dusty weathered mowers that were on display last August and still won't come off their summertime price, someone is being unrealistic.

 

[FastMan]

Fastman,
thanks for the post, I am looking at buying Toro this spring, and would have never know. Is the fleet program only on the ZTR? Besides the dealer where could I find more information? I want to be knowledgable before I go to talk to my dealer.
Thanks for the great post

You're welcome, lawnguy, glad it helps. No, it's not only with a ZTR, my understanding is it goes strictly by points. Buy any combination of equipment that comes up to 6 points and you qualify. A ZTR is 4 points. A walk behind is 1.5. I guess you could buy four walk behinds.

It might interest some that the Grandstand is 4 points also.

 

[FastMan]

Fastman thats a good deal just be aware that toro also offers 28% off ztr's if you cut a church or charity or gov. funded org.....just another option if only need a ztr

I looked into that too, but the dealers around here are fussy about the qualification requirements. Two of them have told me the mower has to be in the name of the NPO. I know others here have dealers who are more "flexible". Like this fleet program, there's little to be found in writing that can be held in the face of the dealer. All info needs to come from him/her.

 

[FastMan]

That's a good deal, my dealer was tellin me abou that, I'll have to look into that, are all 3 machines covered under warranty.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yes, all machines come with full warranty.

 

[pugs]

Here is a readily available 23% discount for buying 3 or 4 mowers. And the cost savings to the dealer are neglible, as it merely saves writing up the order repeatedly and a few minutes of a salesman's time. That's worth what, $50?

Keep this in mind when reading ridiculous claims that mower manufacturers/dealers "don'treally make anything" on a mower and that they will go out of business if they knock $500 off the MSRP.

They're obviously content to sell mowers even at 23% discounts. That's about $2 grand off a nice ZTR! That tells me they have plenty of "wiggle room" baked into those prices. Just like every other similar product does that is sold in this manner (cars, boats, jetskis, etc).

No big deal, but it does put paid to this BS where dealers log on to claim they practically lose money if they knock $300 off the price.

The more information that we can find on ACTUAL SELLING PRICES for specific machines, the more manufacturers will have to get their acts together to move towards a higher volume/lower margin sales model. No more podunk dealerships where the guy has to make his nut for the week off your single purchase.

Note that GM and Chrysler recently closed thousands of dealerships for this exact reason. Make the brand look expensive when a guy sells 8 cars a month! He has to charge more to survive.

You couldnt be more wrong. The dealer isnt dropping the price. He is following the manufacturers program. The manufacturer reimburses him for basically selling machines at prices around or below what the dealer paid for them. Some programs offer better % than others... But it does not mean a dealer can just lop off $500 on the price of a single machine easily unless he has them way over priced to begin with.

 

[mcw615]

Yes there is a unknown fleet program. They do not advertise it because if someone is in the business serious and far enough that they are buying lots of equipment they will look into a fleet program and find there is one. But for those who just buy a few machines, they don't know and pay the full price.

BUT....

To my understanding purchases with the fleet program DO NOT qualify for any Toro/GE Money Bank promotional credit offer. It is all up front or the 24.50% interest rate on the card. The majority of purchases are made with credit offers; Toro and GE Money are mutually contracted with each other. Toro dealers sell a mower, GE Money lends the money with a 0% interest for XX Months and Toro, Inc. has to pay a slightly less interest rate than the consumer, but the interest rate Toro has to incur is included in the price of the mower. So Toro will offer a fleet program as an incentive to buy Toro vs. Scag etc. if you have the cash in hand because they don't have to pay the interest and fee's to GE Money. There are three things that make up the price of the mower. Manufactuer costs, Middle Money Man costs, and Dealer mark-up. Fleet cuts out the middle money man if you have the cash and the two parties still make the same.

 

[LewisLawn]

I bought a toro ztr through GE this past summer using the non-profit discount of 28% using the tax id number for a church that I am contracted to mow for. the interest rate does not incur until the 36 months is up if it is not paid in full or if i am late on a payment the interest is on the original purchase amount not the balance, and the mower is not in the name of the church. i used the tax id number years ago to purhase a string trimmer for the church which was only used for the church they supplied the mower when i first mowed for them and all i saved back then was the tax on the purchase. now the company i purchase my mowing equipment from is a small privately owned business that services mainly homeowners and see quite a profit through them. He also knows that the commercial mower is going to come in frequently to have service and parts and new equipment purchased he would rather make a little profit of me 20 to 30 times a year when I come in vs needing to make a larger profit off the homeowner the one time he comes in to make a purchase. My dealer is also my neighbor and has become a good friend in the business, he takes into consideration i need to stay productive to make money and will service my equipment in a timely manner where a homeowner may need to wait days to have a repair made my equipment is usually in and out in record time. The only problem I have with the dealer is he does not carry some of the equipment that I would like to have for the business and I feel guilty for not purchasing other equipment from him and I expect the same service salesmanship from other dealers that I get from my local dealer.

 

[mcw615]

I bought a toro ztr through GE this past summer using the non-profit discount of 28% using the tax id number for a church that I am contracted to mow for. the interest rate does not incur until the 36 months is up if it is not paid in full or if i am late on a payment the interest is on the original purchase amount not the balance, and the mower is not in the name of the church. i used the tax id number years ago to purhase a string trimmer for the church which was only used for the church they supplied the mower when i first mowed for them and all i saved back then was the tax on the purchase. now the company i purchase my mowing equipment from is a small privately owned business that services mainly homeowners and see quite a profit through them. He also knows that the commercial mower is going to come in frequently to have service and parts and new equipment purchased he would rather make a little profit of me 20 to 30 times a year when I come in vs needing to make a larger profit off the homeowner the one time he comes in to make a purchase. My dealer is also my neighbor and has become a good friend in the business, he takes into consideration i need to stay productive to make money and will service my equipment in a timely manner where a homeowner may need to wait days to have a repair made my equipment is usually in and out in record time. The only problem I have with the dealer is he does not carry some of the equipment that I would like to have for the business and I feel guilty for not purchasing other equipment from him and I expect the same service salesmanship from other dealers that I get from my local dealer.

I was told by several different Toro and Exmark dealers that the fleet program does not apply to Promotional Credit Offers. So I have no clue...

 

[LewisLawn]

you could be right too, i just know that is what the dealer did for me...i also checked to different dealers on the same plan with Toro and i thought they gave me different prices when discount was figured in i may be wrong, or wasn't comparing the same mowers but I went with the local guy for convenience of service and money back into the community...

for the fleet discount do all mowers need to be purchased at the same time or can it be spread out over a few months?

 

[djagusch]

Well it just happens a Exmark dealer called me (never have done biz with him) today. Asked if I had questions about Exmark products and what I run now. This is what I got. Exmark has a mini fleet program which is 15% off with 7 points. I'm in the market for a 60 mower and stand on so he emailed me a quote for a Next Lazer AS 60" 27Hp and Vantage 48" 20 Hp for $14,800 out the door with a free trimmer also.

This is what he said Toro had going on "Toro's Fleet is 23% off MSRP BUT the suggested sell price is 10% off MSRP already so it's basically 14.5% off the typical sell price.
You need 12 points to participate in the fleet. ".

On the Exmark program, Exmark covers 10% and the dealer takes the other 5% of the discount. 0% for 24 months is available for the program also.

Makes me wonder if I should try some Exmarks for the next round of mowers.