[notaguru]

I bought a '17 Volt Premiere with ACC for $36,675 plus tax/license - about what everyone pays in California, I think. When I asked about the advertised GM Military Discount, I was told it does not apply. Afterward, I wrote to GM to check - and received this response:

Hello Henry, Thank you for your interest in the GM Military Discount. Please be aware, dealership participation in the program is voluntary as they are independent franchises. If your dealer is participating, the vehicle you purchased may be ineligible for the program. If it was eligible, the GM Military Discount may not have been compatible with another applied incentive that provided you with a better price. In either case, your dealer is responsible for determining vehicle eligibility and compatibility based on the guidelines provided to them by GM. For more accurate information as to why you were unable to use your discount, please refer to your dealer. Sincerely, GM Military Discount

SO, there appears to be no incentive/discount/allowance set by GM, and GM apparently does NOT contribute to the price structure of a new car. It's up to the dealer to use that "program" as an incentive while putting a deal together. I now believe that a given car sells for about the same price whether or not the buyer is a veteran. The "GM Military Discount Program" makes for good advertising, but appears to be meaningless and deceptive.

You may not recognize the term "BS" in the subject line. If any reader needs a Glossary of Marine Corps Language, let me know.

 

[bentbiker]

Why would an ex Marine accept an answer, "it does not apply?" At the very least, why not ask, "Why?" You don't show your location (other than CA) in your profile, but maybe you have a local TV investigative reporter that would do some investigating. I doubt GM would brush off him/her so brusquely.

 

[Upper5Percent]

Did you get an authorization number BEFORE you did your deal?
https://www.gmmilitarydiscount.com/sign-in/

And Create your ideal vehicle, then see your discount price — before you walked into the dealership.?
https://www.gmmilitarydiscount.com/build-and-price/

 

[llninja]

It wouldn't surprise me if the military discount for a new 2016 volt which were selling for near MSRP because of supply and demand would have been decent. And it wouldn't surprise me with the plethora of EVs out there (impening arrival of a model 3 for everyone, not just Tesla employees) that GM is incentivizing the heck out of the volt to keep sales rolling. There are all sorts of incentives that don't stack, plus some that do.

 

[BAZINGA]

I have gotten the military discount on top of being able to order at Supplier pricing on my last three GM vehicles, a 2014 Stingray, 2016 Equinox and our 2017 Volt.

But I agree it's up to each dealer if they will honor the code you get on line. My dealer Jack Schmitt Chevrolet is near Scott AFB here in southern IL and truly supports our military.

 

[obermd]

You're also supposed to be either active duty or retired military.

 

[bro1999]

I've found the military discount is only useful if you suck at negotiating, or you want a fairly in-demand vehicle. Otherwise, you can almost always negotiate a better deal yourself.

 

[firehawk72]

I've found the military discount is only useful if you suck at negotiating, or you want a fairly in-demand vehicle. Otherwise, you can almost always negotiate a better deal yourself.

This is the answer, X, to infinity and beyond.

 

[BAZINGA]

I've found the military discount is only useful if you suck at negotiating, or you want a fairly in-demand vehicle. Otherwise, you can almost always negotiate a better deal yourself.

Odd I worked my best deal, and then at the last minute pulled out my military discount code. On my 2014 Stingray that was another $1400 off the GMS I negotiated on a first year C7 custom order.

 

[wws]

Huh. I guess I buy new cars so infrequently I didn't know about this program. (My wife is a Navy vet.) Looks like for a Volt like ours it would be somewhere around $1500. How does it "stack" with other offers? When we bought our Volt, we stacked the Costco Holiday special pricing, a $1k private offer, and a $1k cash discount. Given the initial demand for the 2016s, with everyone trying to buy one before the green stickers ran out, it was an 'ok' deal. But was another $1500 hiding in there?

 

[4.2crew]

I now believe that a given car sells for about the same price whether or not the buyer is a veteran. The "GM Military Discount Program" makes for good advertising, but appears to be meaningless and deceptive.

You may not recognize the term "BS" in the subject line. If any reader needs a Glossary of Marine Corps Language, let me know.

Yup......Semper Fi. The Lexus Military Reward Program is the same BS... Marketing sound buzz and corporate feel-good hype. Retired after 21.5yrs. 1982-2003. Researched and negotiated a best price on a new 2015 IS350 F-Sport in Oct of 2015. Inquired about a military discount before inking the deal........ Sales manager quickly deferred to the fine print of either active duty, 1 yr after retirement or 1yr after discharge. I referred to the "reward" as a corporate posturing gimmick. He became butt-hurt. I purchased the same car days later and 1200 miles away for $1900 less---without hard negotiations or BS reward marketing hype.

Bottom line: Peeps and/or entities like to humbly state they appreciate the service and sacrifice, but draw the line if it'll cut into their short-term money grab.