[murnutz]

Hello everyone. I have been lurking on the forum for a few weeks now gathering info on the Traverse. well my wife and I purchased our LTZ this past Friday. We originally looked at the Saturn Outlook, but the GM employee pricing was quite a bit better on the Traverse, plus the vehicle overall is a better value for your dollar. Additionally my wife did not like the wood trim on the Outlook XR and for '09 the dual exhaust tips were kind of lame unless you went for the sport package with the 20" wheels. So for the detail oriented people here is how our vehicle is optioned out:

Black Granite LTZ
Cashmere interior
Dual sunroof
Rear DVD
Second row console
Trailering package

MSRP was $43,345

We got $9K off, which I thought was a good value.

The vehicle rides real nice. We weren't sure if we really wanted to get the rear DVD, but after playing around with the system, it is a nice option to have. I am kind of surprised how big this vehicle is. We are coming from a '99 Durango and the Traverse is almost a foot longer. This thing has plenty of space in it. Well here are some pics:

 

[Boatwrench]

Welcome!

Nice photos. and $9K off that's great.

 

[murnutz]

Welcome!

Nice photos. and $9K off that's great.

I could not pass up on Gm employee pricing, $2750 cash and loyalty bonus (got an '08 corvette), and GM extended family card top off of an additional $1500. It would have been even better if GM had offered 0% financing.

murnutz

 

[Spade]

Congrats!! You wont be sorry. Black looks AWESOME too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[duayned]

Great-looking LTZ, Murnutz. Thanks for those great pictures, they helped me push the black exterior higher in my potential color choices.
$34,345 does sound like a solid deal. FWD, I presume?
Wondering if during negotiations whether you tried to get them to throw in the roof cross-rails for "free," or did that not even come up?

 

[rbarrios]

roof cross rails arent standard????

 

[Boatwrench]

roof cross rails arent standard????

No. Dealer installed option. $189 + installation.
http://www.gmaccessorieszone.com/accessories_details/vehicle_search/Chevrolet/2009/Traverse/Roof%20Rack%20Cross%20Rail%20Package/?tx_gmshopb2b_pi1%5Btype%5D=gm
They came with the vehicle when I purchased it. Not a fan as it creates a small amount of windnoise (and probably drag) cruising at the interstate speeds. If we need more luggage room, we're going to use the Jeep's cargo basket that attaches to the trailer hitch.

 

[rbarrios]

darn.......
With my Trailblazer- I use them several times a year. I put ladders up top and maybe 1 time a year I use a cargo bag... and hitch rack... as well as folded down seat to accomodate more interior cargo.

 

[duayned]

roof cross rails arent standard????

You'd certainly think they would be on the LT2 and LTZ, wouldn't you?
As in Boatwrench's case, dealers have them as popular pre-installed options. They sometimes will throw them in "for free" if you press hard enough in negotiating.
(Of course, they aren't really totally free, the cost is shifted somewhere else, but that's all part of the fun!)

 

[Boatwrench]

darn.......
With my Trailblazer- I use them several times a year. I put ladders up top and maybe 1 time a year I use a cargo bag... and hitch rack... as well as folded down seat to accomodate more interior cargo.

The rear cargo basket is what we have and being back there I don't think it will cause drag. My neighbor offered the use of his Thule box for the roof rack should I ever need it. I don't expect to travel with that much 'stuff'.

 

[mihalich]

Nice! You should take a picture of the monster center console in the 2nd row and post it. One closed, and one with it open. I saw it in the LTZ in the showroom here, and it was killer. Would be great for the kids to store all their stuff on a long trip.

Joe

 

[murnutz]

Great-looking LTZ, Murnutz. Thanks for those great pictures, they helped me push the black exterior higher in my potential color choices.
$34,345 does sound like a solid deal. FWD, I presume?
Wondering if during negotiations whether you tried to get them to throw in the roof cross-rails for "free," or did that not even come up?

Duayned,
The black is actually a metallic finish and has some nice pop in the sunlight. I'll try and get a close-up pic of the paint this weekend. The vehicle is FWD. I didn't even ask for them to try and throw in the cross-rails or anything else. I don't like them to be honest. I have a '99 Durango that has the cross-rails and I have never used them. I felt that I got a good deal on the vehicle and I know that the salesman and dealer need to earn a dollar to support their families as well.

Murnutz

 

[murnutz]

Nice! You should take a picture of the monster center console in the 2nd row and post it. One closed, and one with it open. I saw it in the LTZ in the showroom here, and it was killer. Would be great for the kids to store all their stuff on a long trip.

Joe

Joe,
I'll take a couple of pics of the console this weekend. The console storage space is huge! I'm thinking about getting a PS2 for roadtrips and I think it would probably be able to store it easily when not in use.

Murnutz

 

[ck2wortham]

Was the 9K a combination of rebates or did they just come down that much? I am in the initial stages of negotiating a new traverse, sticker 34,200. The 0% is on right now. WOnder if they aren't dealing as much with that? Any advice?

 

[cybergray]

I do know that the current offer is 0% or $2500 rebate at the dealer by my house.

 

[murnutz]

Was the 9K a combination of rebates or did they just come down that much? I am in the initial stages of negotiating a new traverse, sticker 34,200. The 0% is on right now. WOnder if they aren't dealing as much with that? Any advice?

The 9K off was a combination of GM employee pricing, cash rebates & incentives, and GM extended family card $1500 top off. 0% would have been nice, but wasn't available until after 2 Feb. That is when they stopped the $2750 cash rebate and the GM card top off. I plan on paying more than my monthly payment and knock off some of the principal, so in the long run I'll do better with the rebates I got.

 

[duayned]

Was the 9K a combination of rebates or did they just come down that much? I am in the initial stages of negotiating a new traverse, sticker 34,200. The 0% is on right now. WOnder if they aren't dealing as much with that? Any advice?

CK2 -- It's kind of confusing right now with GM, which isn't too smart of them.
First of all, don't think in terms of MSRP down, think of Invoice as the starting point. You may not get below Invoice, but you sure don't want to go very far over it.
My dealer said the current choice is 0% (which of course you have to have excellent credit to get) or cash incentives totalling up to $2,250 (most of which go only to current GM customers; someone who wants to switch over from imports, like me can get only $750, as I understand it).
If you are in a lease maturing prior to 9/30 there is an incentive of $2000 available with OR without the 0% program (I don't have a lease, either).
My dealer said he's willing to offer me any in-stock Traverse for Dealer Invoice + $200, which isn't too bad.
You'd think GM corporate would be doing more to get as many great family cars like Traverse out on the road as possible, but they still can't seem to think outside the box the way Hyundai and even Chrysler are doing with their current incentives and marketing.

 

[Lambdagirl]

The $2,250 bonus cash is the alternative to the 0.0% rate. If you choose to take the cash, you are eligible regardless of what you currently drive. If you are currently leasing and choose to purchase your Traverse, then you are eligible for an additional $2,000.

 

[duayned]

The $2,250 bonus cash is the alternative to the 0.0% rate. If you choose to take the cash, you are eligible regardless of what you currently drive. If you are currently leasing and choose to purchase your Traverse, then you are eligible for an additional $2,000.

LamdaGirl, you're so right, and thanks for clearing that up. Maybe I should do less whining and more research!
Since it looks like I can get a Traverse now for $2,000 under invoice using this bonus cash, then I'm ready to buy right now!
I'm going to make a fuller post on this in the "getting the best deal" section.

 

[danthechevyman]

As far as needing excellent credit if you mean 620ish or higher that is much more relaxed then 1 month ago for the better rates. If your are in the lower part of that range you may need other qualifiers but I know of 650's getting done without much trouble.