relaxitsonlylife

I keep getting PM's about this, so I thought I would write this...if anyone wants to sticky it, feel free.

Different Types of Pricing

There are a lot of different terms thrown around here. Here is a handy guide to them.

GMS - General Motors Employee price.
GSU - General Motors Supplier price.
GMID - General Motors in the Driveway price. Same as
GSU, and no longer in use.

That is it. These 3 are what GM refers to as program pricing or formula deals. These prices are spelled out on the invoice of each specific car. They are a set price, and a very good one.

Not all dealers will accept a GMS / GSU authorization number, but it seems all forum dealers will, and any good ones should.

It's an excellent way to buy a car. Pre-set pricing, no haggle, and a good deal.

How Do I Get A GMS / GSU #?

First, a disclaimer...program pricing is NOT, repeat NOT, available on a Z06. If a dealer chooses to give you that price, great for you, but they are under no obligation whatsoever to make any kind of deal on a Z06.

GMS / GSU is also referred to as certificates and authorization #'s. You don't actually get a certificate, but you will get a 9 digit number, the authorization #.

In order to get one, you will need your birthday and last 4 of your Social Security Number.


GMS Authorization -

GMS is the EMPLOYEE discount. NOT SUPPLIER, or GSU, which is far more common. It is the best deal, period.

In order to get a GMS number you...

1) need to work for GM, a dealership, or have an immediate family member that does. Your 2nd cousin 3 times removed does not count. Sister, father, mother, grandfather, wife, husband, etc. Step-children are OK, but nieces, nephews, etc. are not.

2) work for a GM dealership, but in that case you should know how to do this. A dealership employee cannot share their discount with anyone but a spouse.

3) high-ranking GM employees (managers, plant managers, etc.) can share the GMS discount with anyone they choose, but those cases are rare.


If this discount is available to you, good for you. Best deal running.

If it is not, then your next best choice is...

GSU (Supplier) Authorization

GSU is GM Supplier Pricing, formerly known as GM In The Drive, also known as GM Friends and Family Discount. It's not as good as GMS pricing, but it is certainly not bad either. It is anywhere from $50 - $500 under invoice, depending on the type of car or truck you want to buy.

In order to get a GSU #, you...

1) need to work for a company GM classes as a supplier. Either check www.gmsupplierdiscount.com and click company search or PM me and I will tell you. If you do, great...make an account, pull yourself a GSU #, and go shopping. I believe you get 2 or 3 a year.

2) need to find a friendly GM employee. A GM employee (a plant worker, for instance) can pull one GSU # a month for anybody he wants. GM is very nice about that, and its used as a way to drive sales.

3) find a good dealership, they can usually find one or two GSU #'s if they need to in order to make a sale.

That's it. Pretty simple.


A Note About Invoice


Forget what you see about invoice on Edmunds.com. Edmunds is partially accurate, but does not include advertising fees. And yes, advertising fees are a legitimate fee. They are included in an invoice, as is holdback.

So for these purposes, invoice = dealer cost of the car + advertising fees (which vary by region & car) + holdback.


A few random thoughts and thanks for reading...

1) Both are good deals. If you're lucky enough to get GMS pricing, don't be insulting by asking for more discount. There is no better price. Besides that, the price is set by GM and there is no deviating from it, otherwise its not a GMS or GSU sale and the dealership does not get reimbursed.

2) If you don't qualify for GMS but get a GSU #, no the price is not as good as GMS. Tough. You should work for GM if you want the employee discount.

3) As a salesman, I hate hearing how much more discount people want, and if I decide to hunt down a GSU # for a customer who then wants more discount, I am liable to throw them out (yes, I know I am a bit of a bastard). It's a good price, easy to get, so take it and be happy.

Is your time really worth going to 10 different dealerships and haggling and doing all that crap to save maybe $500? Not to me, its not. be happy with a good deal and enjoy your Vette.

Thanks for reading. If I need to modify this, ask me whatever it is you want to know.

Zymurgy

A very good summary of GMS and GSU programs/policies.

C6PVP

1yy07vette

THANKS FOR THE INFO

pettvette

Great Job!!

dgrant3830

The GMS discount is available on the Z06 and its a hefty discount. At least it was available on the '07's for sure. I haven't looked for it on the '08's yet. The problem is that no dealers are required to sell one at that discounted price and no dealers so far are willing to accept that discounted sale...because they know they can sell it at full msrp or above. For the GM Employee...a discount that isn't accepted anywhere, is no discount at all.

relaxitsonlylife

I know, but for simplicity sake, I just said it is not available because no one will take it.

I say that, however, we might, MIGHT, be persuaded to. I don't know for sure, but its possible.

rays06C6

Interesting....
You state that Supplier Pricing is "$50-500 under invoice". Are you sure?
I worked for a supplier and have purchased at supplier pricing. I researched it thoroughly on this forum and the GM web site and have never seen Corvette supplier pricing documented to be less than invoice. I believe it is typically around $500 over invoice.
Please correct me if my previous experience and information is wrong.

dgrant3830

I can't speak for GMID pricing as I'm a GMS person myself. On my '07 3LT, Z51, MM6, with all the bells and whistles, the GMS discount was $8732 below the MSRP. For the Z06, it was over $9000. Wish I could have found a dealer who would have accepted the GMS on a Z06! My '07 order with the R8C and so on, came too $59235 I think it was, before the GMS.

relaxitsonlylife

Yes, I am very sure. It changes from year to year, but for 2008 it is below.

relaxitsonlylife

Invoice = dealer cost of the car + advertising + holdback.

GSU is below invoice.

streetpix

Odd, I just ordered an 08 from a forum dealer using GSU and the nine digit number and it was *above* invoice.

streetpix

Just to make sure we're on the same page, can you tell me what the base price (no options) is on an 08 coupe under GSU?

PDXvert

I just purchased a '08 3LT Black/ebony coupe today with GMS. The hardest part was selecting the color. Excellent price, couldn't be happier. More than 8K off MSRP. Z51, NPP, MX0, Chrome QX3, CC3 roof, no NAV

corps.vet

where do I find the price for '08 models? The link via the gmsupplierdiscount.com has only the '07 prices - which by the way is about $500 above invoice as listed on Edmunds.
TIA

Sportsdude

Thank you for the info

AORoads

Great explanations!

su8pack1

Thanks for the info.

ohmy

Yes, I agree that it should be a great way to buy a car, unfortunately the Chevrolet dealers around me don't seem to want to cooperate. Out of the 3 that I went to, only 1 said they will accept GMU.


It depends if you have a trade. The salespeople have their script memorized when it comes to trying to convince you that your car is worth nothing, only to see that same car on their lot with a $6K higher asking price than trade. My point here is that it's a good idea to check out a few dealers and see who matches Edmunds the closest, and if that same dealer will honor GMU then BINGO!! thats the one to do biz with.


Quick question for you, is the GMU price good for whatever is on the lot, or can you order one at that price??

relaxitsonlylife

Any good dealer should accept GSU on both stock and order units.