About 5 years ago, I was in the process of buying a car, and went through most of the local toyota dealerships. I got so sick of their high pressure crap that I ended up taking my chances and buying a used car off of craigslist. I got lucky, and it was a decent car, but now I'm back in the saddle trying to get another new car. I tried the internet approach this time, and about all the sales consultants would say in their emails is "I need to talk to you on the phone about this, when's a good time to call?" and "When would you like to come in and test drive your new tundra?"
Why in the hell do they still take this approach? Does anyone ever have a good experience at one of these places, and walk away not feeling like they were fed roofies at a fraternity?
Are there any dealerships in this area that don't take this approach?

Capt. America Wrote:
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> Why in the hell do they still take this approach?


It works. If it didn't, they wouldn't.

One time when I was 19 or 20 I took a test drive in a Toyota. I told the guy I liked the car but wasn't ready to buy. A week later he called me at my work and said, "The car you ordered is in. When do you want to pick it up?"

I told him I did not order a car. He went ballistic on me, saying he was going to lose his job, etc, etc, etc.

I guess because I was young at the time he figured he had a sucker. I stuck to my guns and told him to fuck off.

Anyway, this shit happens because some idiot is bound to say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want you to lose your job."

I have bought three cars so far, two from local Toyota and Honda dealerships respectively, and one from Carmax. In each case I drove away feeling like a sex crime victim. And now-a-days, with the way the economy is, they're bound to pressure prospective buyers EVEN MORE because there's so much on the lot that they need to sell because, well, most folks aren't out there buying new cars...

However, there is a good tactic to employ, when buying a new car. I did this at Fairfax Honda, and it worked like a charm.

I went shopping for a new car in mid-February. When I got to the dealership I was greeted by a salesman. He said "Can I help you?" and I happened to be looking at a new Accord, from the last model year. I said "Yes you can. I have shitty credit, I only have two grand for the down-payment, my trade-in is non-operable, sitting by the curb at home, and I want to buy this car for three grand below the sticker price. What can you do for me?"

He gave me a pretty non-spectacular offer, and I handed him my number and walked away. The next day he called me up, and told me the following:

"I can give you 2 thousand for your trade-in, sight unseen, just tow it up here, and with two grand down I can sell you a comparably equipped, new Accord from last model year and I can take 5 grand off the sticker price because it has been test driven a few times." It only had like, 80 miles on it...

I said "Cool." and drove off the lot in the new Accord later that day. And even with my shitty credit, I was afforded some pretty good financing. I still got a generous dose of pressure, and inconvenience, but in the end, I got a relatively good deal on a car. Not a great deal, but for me, a pretty good deal.

They're all out to sell you something and make commissions. I like to wait and buy in the winter time when the dealers want to get rid of the left-over models from last year to make way for the new model year. Works great if you don't mind driving a car that's forest green rather than the color you'd picked out ;-)

I had an Internet-initiated sale with Fairfax Honda and they offered a price under what my $15 Consumer Reports car report said I should start at, so I was happy. That was a few years ago.

You gotta go into the dealership armed with information - what they pay for the car, what the options and shit actually cost. That's the only way to have any kind of level playing field.

I got screwed on my first new car because I was young and made the typical mistakes, but I have since learned from my uncle - the fucking master at this stuff. He does all of his test drives and figures out what he wants. Then does his research on what it actually costs the dealer. When he's ready to buy, he lines up the financing (if he needs it) through his credit union. And at that point - he goes in and says "This is what I want, this is all I'm willing to pay to drive it out the door, you have 30 minutes to let me know if you can do it". I think he puts in a small profit for the dealer in the price. If they balk, he goes somewhere else. In the end, he's always gotten what he wanted at the price he was willing to pay.

Also - why buy a new car which depreciates 25% the minute you drive it off the lot? Buy a 1 or 2 year old car and save a ton of cash. I've bought 2 cars from Carmax and I know they rip you off on the trade in, but have never really felt the prices were outrageous.

I'm just amazed that this sort of crap is still going on. I had faith that people weren't dumb enough to fall for thier kind of nonsence, but I guess I was wrong.

I'm going with a new car because I've got a used vehicle that is worthless, but will qualify for the 4500 cash for clunkers voucher if the bill passes through congress. It's actually cheaper for me to buy a new one with the voucher than a used one without.

SoupNazi Wrote:
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>
> However, there is a good tactic to employ, when
> buying a new car. I did this at Fairfax Honda, and
> it worked like a charm.
>

I fucking hate Fairfax Honda. They will never get any of my business.

Warhawk Wrote:

> I fucking hate Fairfax Honda. They will never get
> any of my business.


Same way I feel about any Rosenthal dealership. Just use em for test drive and negotiation fodder (as long as its convenient), knowing they will never see a dime.

If you're not smarter than the salesperson, expect to get hammered.

______________________________________________
I have had to change the addresses to my retaliatory blogs over half a dozen times.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2009 03:41PM by fairfaxdude.

Capt. America Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> About 5 years ago, I was in the process of buying
> a car, and went through most of the local toyota
> dealerships. I got so sick of their high pressure
> crap that I ended up taking my chances and buying
> a used car off of craigslist. I got lucky, and it
> was a decent car, but now I'm back in the saddle
> trying to get another new car. I tried the
> internet approach this time, and about all the
> sales consultants would say in their emails is "I
> need to talk to you on the phone about this,
> when's a good time to call?" and "When would you
> like to come in and test drive your new tundra?"
> Why in the hell do they still take this approach?
> Does anyone ever have a good experience at one of
> these places, and walk away not feeling like they
> were fed roofies at a fraternity?
> Are there any dealerships in this area that don't
> take this approach?
********************************************************

While I will not criticize you too much for buying a foreign car (that's another topic in itself), I will say you seem to allow them to be in the driver's seats.

ALL car dealers have policies in place and a test drive is a part of the sales tactics of any successful dealer. It is a proven fact, test drives help with a higher rate of closing sales. Don't fault the salesman, they are judged on the ratio of demo drives to closures.

Anyways, I do not really need a demo drive to buy a car. I am not that kind of buyer. My last car, I found online with a "special price" of $22,900. The MSRP was $28,000.

Upon arriving at the dealership, I sat in the car for 5 minutes and watched what was going on - got out, went to the salesman and told him I was there to buy a car.

Salesman asked which car, got the keys and asked if I wanted to drive. I said, no thanks.

I will buy the car, regardless - if we agree on a price.

He asked what I would pay (in monthly payments) - I said I would just like to make an offer, no games. The longer he takes, the less time he will have to sell another car that day. He seemed to understand.

I intentionally offered lower than I figured the car would sell for. It was actually a bit under invoice for this model. They countered with $500 off the special price - I said they were wasting time...

Anyways, he asked if I would take delivery of the car on the spot. Of course, was my response. Let's make a deal.

I figured I would pay $20,000 and that was precisely what I paid - plus they threw in a Ford extended powertrain warranty for 5/100. I told them I usually shop GM and it would seal the deal.

Do your homework and know what the car is worth - BEFORE you drive onto the lot. Also, a trade will cloud the issue. BIG TIME>

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't more dealers, foreign and domestic, going to "no hassle" sales? I know the cars I have looked at were the same price no matter what dealership you went to. No negiotiations, no special deals, just a manufacturer set price.

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“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey

They won't evolve as long as consumers don't. I just got a new car and there is a wealth of information on the net about what people are actually paying. THe internet department is authorized to start out negotiating at a much lower price than the guys on the showroom floor. Check out truecar.com and edmunds.com and a couple other sites where people input what they actually just paid. You can also find out the cost of options and accessories to make an accurate comparison. Make the salesman show you the dealer cost, not the invoice or MSRP price, both of which are higher than dealer cost. Lastly, find out about manufacturers' incentives and dealer hold backs, which are manufacturer kick backs to dealers, not consumers. You can't get that money, but knowing the dealer will get it helps you negotiate when they say they aren't making any money based invoice cost. Check also for military discounts and loyalty discounts. Line up your own financing, but offer to finance through them If they can match your interest rate and knock down the price further. Most people don't try to negotiate interest rate, but its definitely on the table and dealer financing makes the dealer money so they may be willing to negotiate the price if you agree to finance through them. Then get the offer in writing and walk out and go to the next dealer and do the same. THen at a third, and let all three know what the other has offered. Then wait until near the expiration of the manufacturers incentive period and the salesmen will be begging you to buy from them to reach their quota incentive.

If you spring all this on the salesman in pieces as you negotiate, you can really knock them down and be in charge of the situation. If you just walk in like a dumbass and say "I like red and can afford $400 per month" you're gonna get raped.

i think i good deals on my last two cars (a nissan & an infiniti), but there was a lot of haggling, leaving, and some yelling (at the nissan dealership) involved. it can be stressful, but do your research, and take your time.

I used to know a couple of car guys. Basically, they want you to be emotional--regarding color, accessories, monthly payment, whatever.

Don't be. Cold hard rational thought--before you walk in.

Otherwise, you're done before ya start.

______________________________________________
I have had to change the addresses to my retaliatory blogs over half a dozen times.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2015 10:27PM by WingNut.

Furfur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't more dealers,
> foreign and domestic, going to "no hassle" sales?
> I know the cars I have looked at were the same
> price no matter what dealership you went to. No
> negiotiations, no special deals, just a
> manufacturer set price.

That's what I thought, and every single "no hassle, no pressure" dealership has done just that.

dude listen a friend of mine used to be a great car salesman,

however smart and pushy they get, YOU CAN ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWATYS GET AT LEAST 10%+ OFF THE PRICE.

GO ALL THE WAY TO SIGN THE PAPERS THEN say i want a discount, if they say no then leave your number, walk away and say call me when you change your mind.

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Capt. America Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Why in the hell do they still take this
> approach?
>
>
> It works. If it didn't, they wouldn't.
>
> One time when I was 19 or 20 I took a test drive
> in a Toyota. I told the guy I liked the car but
> wasn't ready to buy. A week later he called me at
> my work and said, "The car you ordered is in. When
> do you want to pick it up?"
>
> I told him I did not order a car. He went
> ballistic on me, saying he was going to lose his
> job, etc, etc, etc.
>
> I guess because I was young at the time he figured
> he had a sucker. I stuck to my guns and told him
> to fuck off.
>
> Anyway, this shit happens because some idiot is
> bound to say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want you to
> lose your job."


ha ha thats cool

The first time I went car shopping, the salesperson practically ignored me and instead focused his attention on REStonPeace. Needless to say. he didn't get the sale.

Genevieve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The first time I went car shopping, the
> salesperson practically ignored me and instead
> focused his attention on REStonPeace. Needless to
> say. he didn't get the sale.


That's because women, being the weaker sex, has no place in financial negotiations or transactions of any kind without the presence of a male.

Other then cleaning the car, you have no reason to be behind the wheel. The roads are safer that way.

I dealt with the biggest douchebag sales manager when I bought my Nissan a couple of years ago. He tried to pull a fast one while filling out paperwork, and added money into the bullshit fees. He got pissed at me when I called him out on it, and I almost walked away from the deal. Had to go back in there a few weeks later and he actually referred to me as the chick that "broke his balls."

Love the car, but HATED the management of the dealership. (Apparently others did, too, as the manager was fired.)

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Being vague is almost as fun as that other thing.