quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:
We sat in his office, he asked me questions like what I did for a living, etc. just stupid stuff. I am sitting there totally puzzled. I am thinking to myself, does he think I am drug dealer paying with illicit funds? WTH is going on?

Getting a guesstimate on how much you make so he can ramp up the price.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

Getting a guesstimate on how much you make so he can ramp up the price.

No, the deal was already done. The price, sales tax, etc. all finalized; my check filled out and signed, and he already had it in his hands. It was over, I thought I was simply picking up the paperwork to walk out the door.


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Many car dealerships use their Finance Manager to upsell add-on warranties, which can be a significant margin producer.

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Many car dealerships use their Finance Manager to upsell add-on warranties, which can be a significant margin producer.

Yep, but I don't think he pushed any of that stuff. It was an odd encounter.



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quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Many car dealerships use their Finance Manager to upsell add-on warranties, which can be a significant margin producer.

The F&I guy tries to sell all manner of add on's . Warranty ,various maintenance and protection packages , etc. When we bought my wife's Pathfinder last year there was six different add on's they tried to sell me .

My wife's brother was a sales manager at a Ford dealership many years ago. One day I was in the area so I stopped by to visit him. Sitting in his office was very enlightening . Those poor sales guys would come in with a deal for him to approve and he would send them back out with their tail between their legs. Salesmen have zero authority to make a deal. It's all up to the big guy ...

I bought a car last week from a dealership and didn't even haggle. I searched the internet for a week, got a feel for what was out there, found this car priced at what I felt was fair, drove across the state, test drove it, put a deposit on it, and picked it up two days later.

I did the same with my F350 in 2016, my Focus ST3, and my son's GLI Autobahn in 2024. All were priced fairly, no dealer fees, and no bullshit wax jobs.

On the otherside of the coin is the other six vehicles where I played the game. Got my price every time, but only had to walk out three time to get there.

Every single one of them is a story, but the best from a dealership stand point was my F350. $54k out the door. I flew up with my then 6yo son, the comedian. Going through TSA, the TSA guy asks my son if he knows me, and immediately my son replies, "Nope, never seen him before in my life." Everyone in line except me thought it was funny. I had already talked to my local dealer, list was $68K and I had found three out of state trucks that would work. The local dealer started with the spiel and within 15 minutes I had my $100 each plane tickets booked. Since this was the first time I had done this, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. I looked the truck over, told them it a bedliner and chrome steps that weren't listed in the ad, and they said the deal was still the deal. I was in and out in an hour. I got to properly break in the truck on the 1,000 mile drive home.

I miss the days when my mother was the bookkeeper at a small car dealership. Only the owner and one sales rep - no multi-level negotiating required.

This did give me a chuckle regarding car sales tactics:

My GF wanted to downsize from a Tahoe to a Traverse. Found a dealer in Wichita that had the new Twilight blue color she wanted, gave them the Costco code witch was $1125 off, offered $3000 more than Carmax for the trade. This is over emails as we are two hours away. Told them to write it up. Gave them my a credit card deposit to hold it, drove down a week later, test drove the new car. Gave me the LEO GM discount. I think we got a great deal. She loves the new car. Davis Moore Chevrolet was fantastic.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:

After researching more about all the details and complications about how auto dealerships actually make money, from the the factory, factory discounts, "holdbacks", volume incentives, all the crap add-ons and smoke and mirror, I need to take another approach for finding this vehicle for a fair and reasonable price for my area.

I'm sure some dealerships are less snaky than others, even though they still have to use the same tools and complications to make a profit. I learned about car buying services that will do all this negotiating stuff on your behalf, but those appear to be for higher end cars, not daily drivers in normal price ranges.


If you have any thoughts about managing my strategy going forward please share.

My son in law does this, buyer service, he's got 20+ years in the car sales business, quit working at the dealers mainly for many of
the same distaste for the way dealerships work. If you think they are shady on the sales practices to customers you should see what
they will do to curtail income to the sales people, especially if you are good and move quiet a few vehicles.

Anyway, last month was his record month, did 60 deals for people across the country, they find the car you want, as close as possible
and then negotiate all the pricing, you just show up and sign, if the dealer starts in on "other pricing" you make one call and he
contacts them for you, and will move the deal.

Buying services or "Agents" as it's referred to are a big thing now, not just for rich folk, If you want I can introduce you to him.

When I was young, I had the patience to play the back and forth. The first car I negotiated, I was there for almost 6 hours. Got my deal.

That said, as I have gotten older, I have way less patience as I go.

Back in 2002, I was wanting to trade in my Subaru Impreza RS for a Nissan Maxima because I was tired of the fast and furious look of the car. I walked and told them...just because I want the car, it doesn't mean I need the car. If they want to do the deal to call me. A few weeks later, they call and told me to come get my car.

I have danced the dance many times over the years. The worst was right after COVID and the dealership was one of those real old school one in the Chicago suburbs. I called and checked the price(really great price). When I got there, it was the old rallying good old boy's club in the corner. Basically, the only way I can get that price is if i was a veteran that is now a school teacher and I was also an electrician by trade and I was left handed with a college degree and have a blind 3 legged dog.

After covid, I had another bad experience. The sales manager was trying to tell me if we agree on the deal, I had to take it asap off the lot and they are not responsible for it. This was a tactic to get me to do financing with them instead of my credit union. That was the tip of the iceberg compared to all the other bs they tried to pull. You know...all the optional add on that are not optional. However, wife wanted the car and it was a seller's market. That was one that I was so happy when it was done and I didn't have to be in the showroom anymore. I actually felt dirty sitting there. Chicago suburb dealer.

Since that one, I bought one on the internet. Did my shopping. Found one with a great price online in NC. Call the sales rep and had him send me a video of a walk around on it. Paid a deposit and fly there to pick it up.

We just ordered a new Tesla Y. I hate to say it...but it was easy....so far. Delivery date is in a few month.

Watch the video of Delivrd on Youtube. They are hilarious. I like the one where he is negotiating for a new Honda Prelude...the one no one is buying and the dealership are wanting above MSRP. I get the reason they want you there...ball is in their court. That said, there is no reason you cannot negotiate on the phone.

Funny I just watched a video by Caredge about mystery shopping in Florida and apparently, they are still doing the old school tactic.

quote:

Originally posted by ruger357:

Usually, this story goes something like they call you and say there’s a problem with the paperwork you go back in and they’ve changed the interest rate. They’ve changed the price and other terms and they need you to sign a new contract. You tell them to shove the deal up their ass and bring back your trade-in and they say oh we already sold your trade-in so you have to sign this now. Happens all the time. Yo-yo financing.

Happened to me too. But, I told the dealer "F*ck you". It had been a couple of days, so I figured the car I'd traded in was gone by then. I said "Either honor the deal you made, or give me my old car back." They bitched and moaned, cried and threatened, but too bad.

That was back in the day when I had the time and inclination to swim with those sharks. These days, even though I'm retired, I don't want to spend the time putting up with their games. The last couple of cars have been used, so I bought from CarMax. If I decide on a new car, it would use a car broker, tell them what I want and let them handle it. Their fee would be well worth it to me.

quote:

negotiating for a new Honda Prelude

What?!? How did I did not know this? Oh, Google says it's a hybrid with a CVT transmission. But it explains why I didn't know about it.

I really liked my 1992 Prelude Si. It was a step up from the 1986 CRX DX it replaced.

quote:

I really liked my 1992 Prelude Si. It was a step up from the 1986 CRX DX it replaced.

I had one too. Best handling FWD car I've ever driven.

In 2016 I'm looking to buy a Subaru Outback. White with Black interior mid level model.
Have a 2002 Acura as a trade in. After much negotiating we have a deal. Then they pull up the vehicle for a final test drive. It has a beige interior. I refuse to accept as wife wants the black interior.
Ask if they have one at one of their other locations or on order as I'm not in a hurry.
They have one coming in the following week but refuse to honor the deal on it. Today only.

Fuck that. I tell them to either honor the deal or I never buy a car from them. They tell me no.

I go home, get on line and find what I want 4 hours away. Make the deal on line for a slightly better price. But I then have to sell the trade in via private sale. I close the deal and quickly sell the trade in. Saved like $3000.

Of course they kept calling. Stuck with, Nope, never going to spend a dime at your dealership.
Unfortunately they own the dealership nearest me now as well. But SLC isn't that far away for the right deal.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
I go home, get on line and find what I want 4 hours away. Make the deal on line for a slightly better price.

At this point in life, I'm definitely NOT afraid to make a road trip to pick up a car I want. The last one I bought was just an hour or so away, primarily to avoid my local dealer.

Several years ago, my "other brother" and I did a 15-hour round trip to pick up a vehicle he wanted. If you're the sort who keeps a vehicle for a long time, there's no sense in settling for something that's not exactly what you want, if what you really want can be picked up elsewhere.

The best strategy for buying a car is buying it when you don't need it. The ability to walk away is your best friend.

quote:

Originally posted by kz1000:

quote:

I really liked my 1992 Prelude Si. It was a step up from the 1986 CRX DX it replaced.

I had one too. Best handling FWD car I've ever driven.

My brothers from another mother. ‘86 red DX for me too. LOVED that car!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Beanhead:

We just ordered a new Tesla Y. I hate to say it...but it was easy....so far. Delivery date is in a few month.

Prepare to be amazed. I picked up my Model 3 a week ago. I did everything in the app. Applied for financing, received approval, signed the documents, and sent my down payment via EFT. Not a single interaction with anyone trying to upsell me with add ons. On delivery day, I simply showed them my drivers license, signed one document for the temporary tag, then they spent an hour helping me set everything up and walking me through the must know features. I still can’t believe I bought a car that easily and quickly.

I worked with a guy who thrived on this stuff. He would brag about being fed lunch and dinner while at the dealership and still not buying a car. I think he got off on torturing them. Who has that kind of time?