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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Audi A4 Prices Paid and Buying Experience
961 messages, Last post on Jul 18, 2008 at 10:44 PM
You are in the Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum. Your Hosts are car_man & kyfdx
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Id like to say I am a car salesman. I work at very prestigious dealership with 300 thousand dollar cars. But i have worked at the lower end of the spectrum. And the difference in customers is drastic. People that buy 300 thousand dollar cars want a good deal as well. They are much more reasonable, they understand that your there to make money, it is a BUSINESS. They ask for 5 or 10 grand off, roughly 2-5 percent off. The cheaper cars, people ask for 10-15-20 percent off. Do people not use logic? It makes me think that the select few of us that make 150k plus a year are actually much smarter and more resonable then people give us credit for. Happens all the time, someone has a 25 thousand dollar accord and they pay 550 a month. They want to get into a 50 thousand dollar car for 100 bucks more a month. Where did you folks go to school? Twice the car, twice the payment, its not voodoo or crazy math. To be honest, yes car salesmen do cringe when you come through the door. You grind and grind for minimal amounts of money. If they discount a A4 more then 500 bucks you have a "mini", usually 100-200 dollar that the salesmen receive. People think that we make thousands and thousands of dollars off everyone. Its simply not true. If you are an educated person, you make a fair offer, not 1000 dollars under invoice, if you do, dont expect to get treated like a king. You make a low ball offer and you will get treated like a low ball customer. Anyone in business knows, If you make 7-10 percent profit its a good business. You ask us to give all our profit and make no money on interest rate's or anything and still ask to be treated with kid gloves. Give me a break. I dont ask you to tile my house for a grand under what you pay for it. Its a slap in the face honestly. Point being is, make fair offers, dont be unreasonable. We want to sell you a car more then you want to buy one! We are always willing to work with you on price. If all this goes as it should then its a very fun process, but you crying over 10 bucks a month is crazy. I expect alot of negative response to this, I am not attacking anyone at all, just trying to give some actuall infomation to you all. |
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Replying to: newportcarguy (Jul 01, 2007 2:56 pm) |
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Replying to: newportcarguy (Jul 01, 2007 2:56 pm) To be quite honest, a good deal is in the eye of the beholder. What may be reasonable to a savvy buyer who's purchased cars for 10 years may be unreasonable to some one like yourself, who sells cars for a living. And to be fair, this is part of the business that you, as a salesman, have signed up for. You're going to get a spectrum of buyers who understand that dealerships need to make a profit and will make what you constitute as a "fair" offer, and you're going to get the other end of buyers who will stop at nothing to buy a car at cost. My final point is that it's salesmen, such as yourself, that give the car buying process a bad name. Regardless if I'm purchasing the car at sticker versus purchasing the car at below invoice, the customer experience should remain the same. And it's that customer experience that will not only keep that customer coming back to your dealership, but also send referrals to your direction. If you don't think the buyer is making a fair deal, then counter it and let the negotiations begin - it's that simple. But to treat them differently because they make an offer which is unreasonable, creates a sour experience for both parties. Most of the cars I've purchased were no more than 3% over invoice. Heck, the Audi dealership where I bought my '06 A4 sold me my car for $800 over cost, which I thought was fair, and so did they. And regardless of what I offered, they still treated me like a king, which is why I will go back without hesitation. To your point, this process should be fun for not only the buyer, but also you as a salesman. And the enjoyment of the car purchasing process should not be contingent upon what's a fair deal in the eye of the salesman. Best of luck in your profession and I hope my comments offer you a different perspective on the car buying process (from a purchaser's perspective). And as a final suggestion, may I advise never using a buyer's forum to vent about your frustration about selling cars to people like "us".
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Replying to: zmp (Jul 01, 2007 8:04 am) My advice is to go with the car you have a better connection with. While the 2005 is a bit younger, it sounds like you had a better drive in the 2004. Assuming the asking price is within reason against your research, I'd go with the 2004. The mileage is a nominal difference, and you're also buying the extended warrantry, which should help ease any concerns with buying an older car.
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Replying to: bigpapaluke (Jul 01, 2007 5:52 pm) Sales people are not born with this attitude. The "grinder" customer just gets old at a certain point. You work with someone for four hours trying to get them a deal and they are not willing to budge and make a fair offer. I find that to be unreasonable, basically we are suppose to give everything and if its not what you want you get up and leave. You are right, it is a negotiation. Not hey im gonna offer you a really low price and not move, if your not being reasonable then why should i be? To your purchase, 800 dollars over invoice is a fair offer, and i would except it. Its the people that tell you " my offer is 2 grand under invoice, either you do it or ill leave" That is plain disrespect to a salesperson and his job. If someone feels disrespect ed then why should the sales person continue to be rational when the customer isn't? Its a 50 50 relationship in the higher end vehicles, its almost a courtship. Also, Whatever you do for a living, lets say you install windows. You come to my house to give me a free estimate. You spend an hour with me showing me different options, giving opinions on what you think would fit me best. You've done your job very well, you lay down some pricing to me. I then proceed to tell you i want all that stuff for 2 grand less then you paid for it and if not then you can leave. This is common place in the 10-50 thousand dollar car market. That would blow your mind wouldn't it? The majority of us car salesmen are not grease balls. The majority of dealerships are not out to rip people off. Some of us actually care about the customer and put there needs in front of our own. Many times i have pushed customers to a vehicle that suits there needs better, even though i will make less money on the vehicle.
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Replying to: newportcarguy (Jul 02, 2007 9:14 am) Much like with any job, you take the bad with the good. You're going to get the rationale buyers who know how this process works and knows there is a seller involved, and you're going to get those that are going to frustrate the crap outta you because they want a Luxry car for $2K under invoice. But to be quite frank, I'm shocked that kind of buyer exists in the $35K - $50K range. And my last post was not to insinuate all car salesmen are scum without spines; however, I've interacted with my fair share of schleprocks in the car industry. But the way your post came across made it seemed like that anyone who negotiates a "fair" deal is not worth your time. Now that I understand your perspective, I can appreciate where you are coming from and why you made your comments. |
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You are an intelligent person. I did not meen to insinuate that anyone who wants a fair deal is not worth my time. To be honest, If someone wants an invoice deal that is fine with me, the dealership is making hold back and whatever else on it any ways. Chances are, if you discount a car more then 700 bucks the sales person is getting his minimum on the car any ways. So he or she wants to make the sale so we can get some money in our pocket. Its just the under invoice deals that rub you the wrong way. Either way, I was just trying to let people know that we are not all liars, i am 23 years old and very established in the business. My folks taught me that lying is wrong, period. I think we all know when we are getting lied to and its not a good feeling. Im just saying....try and base your opinions on a case by case basis. Its not to the same magnitude what so ever, but we all know what stereo types can do, there just unfair and with out cause. Any who, Happy motoring!
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Replying to: newportcarguy (Jul 05, 2007 7:15 pm) I've been doing a lot of shopping lately. And frankly, I've been insulted at several dealerships by salepeople giving the same BS about how they don't discount the cars, that I'm so lucky I walked into the dealership today because it's the best program they've ever offered, and that if I don't buy the car today there's no guarantee they'll have any more left to sell. And I've been treated differently when I've driven in with a Civic than with my Audi. And just like a saleperson sizes up a customer, customers size up whether a saleperson is full of BS right away. Point is - if customers get treated fairly, they'll be more reasonable back. You're absolutely correct about a 50-50 relationship. I find that people, generally, are reasonable... but you'll get bad ones no matter what income bracket you are selling cars to. |
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Replying to: overthetop2 (Mar 31, 2002 10:23 am) Are Audi A4 Parts a lot more expensive than Toyota parts,etc if something happens with the car? Thanks
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Replying to: helpmefindacar (Jul 08, 2007 3:38 pm) Parts are expensive, labor is expensive, and most Audis need lots of both. When my 20 y.o. daughter needed a new car in February, I bit the bullet and bought her an 07 Pontiac G6: $600 out of pocket and $250/month for 60 months (out the door with TTL). It's not as flashy as the A4, but I don't have to worry about her calling in the middle of the night for a ride or a loan to fix her car. If you don't like domestics, you could get a heck of a nice used Camry or Accord and get the same piece of mind. |
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