I Went To Buy A Car Yesterday. You Guessed It......

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winton

Lifer
Oct 20, 2010
2,318
771
I have little experience buying cars. Over the last 25 years, I have bought an older one, run it until it dies and repeat cycle. Miss my truck, it only had 239K on it. I replaced it with another vehicle with half the years and miles. Anyway, after all the negotiations, I was ready to write them a check from my home equity line of credit. The cashier said they could not accept that check. I had to go to the bank and get actual cash. If they had told me this while we were waiting, we could have taken other steps that did not involve me carrying around a large stack of $100 bills.
Winton

 

kanaia

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 3, 2013
658
543
I was in the car business 20 years ago. This is just my 2 cents worth. First of all the salesman really cannot do the negotiating directly with the customer he has to go thru the manager unless said salesman has been with the dealership for years and has the trust of management. When your salesman came back to you from the manager with the "first pencil" it was just to see what you were really about or in car lingo "take you temperatue". It is a common practice in the car business and has been forever. I'm not saying its right but it does work. My suggestion in the future is to just ask to see the manager directly and tell him or her that you will pay 500 over invoice as was mentioned before. This works almost all the time.

 

photoman13

Lifer
Mar 30, 2012
2,825
2
As a salesman myself the biggest thing is to talk less and listen more. Waiting an hour is also ridiculous. Our financing is strongly based on your income to debt ratio which is a part of your credit score. I work at sears though not a dealership. I can sell you a lawn mower! :D

 

joshwolftree

Part of the Furniture Now
I think I just heard Photoman say "I am you guys' connection for all things craftsmen" talk to me when your looking for that new large piece of equipment to add to your workshops" but maybe I'm crazy... :lol:

I take it back I know I'm crazy

 

nsfisher

Lifer
Nov 26, 2011
3,566
20
Nova Scotia, Canada
Cash, cash, always cash. Make your offer for at least 15% less of what you will pay. Gives some room to negotiate. If the price doesn't meet your payable amount, deal somewhere else. Lots of places to buy from. As for the hour long wait, NO Way mate. That is just a game to see what your made of.

 

mluyckx

Lifer
Dec 5, 2011
1,958
3
Texas
Been there done that..
I was buying a new truck, told them exactly color, trim, etc.. Was putting a ton down just like you. It took them two hours to give me a crap deal. So I told him to hold on and I called another dealer about 20 miles away, told him exactly what I wanted and if he had one on the lot I would come over. He said "We do". Unfortunately my wife had dropped me off at the dealer, since I had discussed the deal over the phone prior to getting there, it should have been a breeze. Guess what.. the other dealer came and got me ;-) I told him to bring the paperwork or I wouldn't get in his car. He promised it would all be ready exactly like I requested.
Needless to say, when the first dealer guy heard my conversation and saw me getting ready to leave, he got a little "upset" and asked for another chance. Just like you, I informed him that unfortunately he had just lost my business.
So the guy picked me up and what do you know the paperwork was ready ! He actually met me in the lot with the keys and the paperwork all exactly like I told him. I've bought two other vehicles from the same guy by now. So they do exist.. they're just hard to find. Kinda like Bigfoot and Chupacabra :rofl:

 

brewshooter

Lifer
Jun 2, 2011
1,658
3
I'm going to replace the wife's vehicle in a few months. For the last two purchases, I’ve dealt with the fleet manager. I did my research up front, got my financing in order and didn’t mention trade-in, down payment or any of that jive until I had my price. In at least one case, I actually switched financing to the dealership, as they were able to get me a better deal. I have friends telling me about how they went in to buy a new car and were in the dealership for six hours. Seriously?!?!? My time is valuable. When I show up at that dealership, I want to be in and out of there in 60-90 minutes. Otherwise, you’re wasting my time…and I don’t get that back!

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
zonomo, I have been a salesman, truck manager, sales manager and finance and insurance manager in the car business, so I know every little trick there is to know in that business.
First off you should go to nada.com to find the approximate value of the car you are interested in. There are 4 numbers for every car, the highest is clean retail, the lowest is rough trade in and that number is what banks use as loan value. When looking at a high end German car you have to take into account supply and demand. Every dealer makes their money on used cars and a short deal on a used car is 1000-1500 over what they took the car in for. Many times the person who appraised the car paid too much trying to sell a new car so they may own the car way too high.
My suggestion is let your fingers do the walking. You want to get as much off clean retail as you can and if you can get it close to average trade in then you are paying close to wholesale. Find a car that suits your needs on paper, call the dealer on the second or last day of the month as managers live and die by the month. Negotiate on the phone as a cash deal before you walk in and if it is a number you can live with then check out the car. Never let them think you are hot for the car, and unless they have a special financing deal from the factory, you are better off getting your own financing. try to get a certified used car that comes with bumper to bumper coverage( this will cost more but is worth it), and always remember that a dealer in many cases make more money on the back end of the deal i.e financing than they do on the front.
In today's world salesman are no longer able to work their own deals so they are at the mercy of their managers. Their strategy is to get you in and wear you down, that is why you want to negotiate before you go in. If they are unwilling to do that then find a dealer who will. Explain you are a busy man and you will not waste time there and if they want your business they will do it your way. A dealer will try to make 4-6 grand of profit on a used car but will settle for 1000-1500 if they are desperate to make a deal and the car in question is not in high demand. If you are looking for a car in high demand then you are not in the drivers seat, it is that simple. The dealer will wait until they can get the number they want. Make sure when you are negotiating you get the salesmans name and the managers name and if you do arrive at a figure, make the manager put it in writing and email it to you or fax it to you. Assume at all times they are lying to your face as there are very few dealers who are straight shooters, hopefully you can find one. If you do find the car at the right price, leave a credit card deposit of 100.00 over the phone in lieu of looking at the car. You want to make them commit to the number and if for some reason you do not like the car when you see it, you can get your money back. Some dealers will try to low ball you to get you in the store and then try to work on you, this is why you need everything in writing.
If you are looking for a specific color, mileage, make and year of an in demand car, then be prepared to pay. These guys are not stupid, the know what they have and what they can get for it. Hopefully you can find someone desperate on the last day of the month and get a good deal. I took plenty of shit deals on the last day to make my numbers.

 

instymp

Lifer
Jul 30, 2012
2,420
1,029
+1 Harris

I sold cars & trucks for 10-15 years earlier & there were 2 kinds of people I hated to see walk in.

1. Chinese, best negotiators out there.

2. A pipe smoker with a clip board & calculator. (Lot's of patients)

Everyone has to be happy, buyer, salesman (has to feed his family), Dealership (has to be there to take care of your ride for the years you own it.

They make more on parts & service than on the sale, & without a sale, no one makes anything.

Whats a good deal? One that makes the buyer & seller happy.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
instymp, I still hold a record at one dealership for cars out the door in one month. It was September of 1986 and I sold 38 cars, 29 new and 9 used. I won a trip to Aruba on that one.

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
cigrmaster, wow! I ended up doing what I should have done to begin with. I called my brother who is the General Sales Manager at a Kia dealership, told him to network to an Audi dealership, turns out he knows the GSM there. Ended up ordering the car exactly as I want it. I'll get in about 3 or 4 months. The entire transaction literally took 5-10 min over email. Invoice +500, which I am willing to do and think is fair.

 
Dec 24, 2012
7,195
456
Zonomo - that is fantastic. I am a bit of a car nut and in fact have two Audis. Curious to know which one you are picking up?

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
2013 Audi S5 Prestige trim, Ibis white with Red Leather interior. I've done a lot of research and really liked the BMWs but I dont care for their recent styling. I also wanted an All-Wheel drive car (live in Seattle) and by the time you add of the options to a BMW 335 with X-Drive, you're paying MORE than the Audi S5, which I believe is a nicer car to begin with. When I tried Launch Control on the S5, I was 1000% sold on the car.

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
A trip to Aruba? For that kind of sales work, they should've bought you a house in Aruba. You must've been busier than a one legged man in an ass-kicking contest.
Mike is ever the man with the right words. :mrgreen:
Yes, I agree Roth - I love the cockpit and the styling. The car is a dream to drive (at least for me).

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Zonomo, congrats on your new car. 500 over invoice for an Audi is a steal.
Mike, I was there every hour the dealership was open that month. 12 hours a day M-Friday, 9-6 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday, it was worth it. Only 75 hours a week, hell when I opened my first business I was putting in 100 plus hours a week.

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
Well cig - you worked your tail off and it paid off for you. We need more of that around here (USA I mean).

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Mike, mine is a similar story to yours. I opened a pool hall in 1990 and it was open from 11:00 am till 1:00 am 7 days a week. In the beginning I had to commute from Boston to Rhode Island and there were many nights I just slept there. I finally had to move to R.I because 14- 16 hour days plus a commute were killing me. It was a major grind and after 6 years I turned it over to a manager and it was the best move I ever made. I have not had to punch a clock since 1996 and my manager is still with me. I closed the pool hall a couple years ago after a 20 year run, but he runs my plaza for me.
zonomo, people don't realize that if you want to do well, you have to pay your dues. I always worked jobs that were in sales and 40 hours a week was unheard of. I was also strictly commission for a long time and if you don't sell, you don't eat so the pressure was always there to perform.

 
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