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Smart Shopper Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying
3011 messages, Last post on Aug 27, 2009 at 10:23 AM
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Replying to: traindriver (Jan 12, 2009 12:16 pm) I have done that, but dealer B is the one that I wanted to buy from, as it would be the most convenient for service and the dealer B salesman was the one whose time I had taken more of for test dirives, etc. So I gave dealer B the shot to match or at least come close to dealer A's price.
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Replying to: traindriver (Jan 12, 2009 12:16 pm) And trust me, but many of these "best price" shoppers are from out of town, who have local dealers that they shop at, but who want a price from someone far away so they have an excuse not to come in, but rather get an easy email quote that they can take to their local dealer and get a deal done on. Why should I be a stepping stone or a"negotiator" for them when I know I won't get the business especially when you're talking about margins of a hundred or so dollars. If all dealers are within $200, would you drive for 4 hours to buy from me, or would you ask the your local dealer to drop another $200 and get the deal done? This is what the original poster wrote by the way: Until "internet sales" provides the service we want: 1. offer the invoice price 2. haggle for the accessories you want 3. get the sales and managment to tell you what their lowest sale price is 4. tell them to give you some time 5. call all the other local dealers and see if they will beat the price 6. Tell the salesman what the other dealer will sell at 7. Accept their new offer or call the other dealers agin
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Replying to: jeffyscott (Jan 12, 2009 12:28 pm) That's not exactly what I was trying to describe. Some folks want to take all of the offers and go back to each for round 2, round 3, etc. until the last place slams the door in their face. If A, B, C, D, and E are within spitting distance of each other, by all means go with B if they have spent time with you and were the one you were hoping would "win". That is worth way more than saving $200 by going to one of the others. Ideally, they all should be fairly close. I don't look at internet quotes as a more modern way to "e-grind" to the absolute bottom. Maybe this is what upsets our dealer friends. |
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Replying to: boomchek (Jan 12, 2009 12:33 pm) I completely understand this and sympathize with you on this one, if someone is intent on squeezing the last penny on the deal. And trust me, but many of these "best price" shoppers are from out of town, who have local dealers that they shop at, but who want a price from someone far away so they have an excuse not to come in, but rather get an easy email quote that they can take to their local dealer and get a deal done on. Atlanta and Charlotte are both about 3 hours away. Would I bother for $200? No, probably not. If $200 is truly the range, I'd rather have a local dealer's sticker on the trunk (whether that has any perceived or actual value or not) and keep the money in the local economy. Wouldn't you? But for $500+, I could come down and take the family to an amusement park, aquarium, etc. with my "savings" and make a mini-vacation out of getting a new ride. Also, advantage to them if they happen to have exactly what I want on site. Even better, they might offer to bring it to me. But if they all delete my RFQ, thinking he'll never come this far, we both lose. No way to know if you don't give it a shot. (if you know they are from out of town, shouldn't you hit them a little lower than you would someone local -- knowing of course that it would take a little extra to motivate them? ...if the deal still works for you, of course!) We're very picky on color and options. (Craig just shook his head in bewilderment, lol) What if I'm emailing you because I know you have the perfect car? I've asked this question on another website but no one has given me a response yet: How do you communicate seriousness and bargain effectively if the perfect car really is a long way from home -- too far to go check out in person? for example, a CPO 5 series in the perfect (rare) color, options, low miles, etc. How does each side protect themselves from falsehoods, scams, misrepresentation, etc.?
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Replying to: traindriver (Jan 12, 2009 2:53 pm) I agree with most of what you say traindriver. But I can also understand boomchek. I am in the Chicago market. And there are an easy 10 dealers within a 30-40 minute drive from me. When I leased my last car....I sent out an email to the local dealers with my info, the car (and color) I was looking for and the price I wanted. I had all types of responses. Some detailed and some with the "c'mon down pitch". I narrowed it down, spoke to the sales man a couple of time to confirm everything and then made the appointment. I was hoping to get there, kick the tires and go right into F&I. But there was some surprises and it took me about 2.5 hours to get it down. Most of that time either waiting for the salesman and then discovering things were not what I was told. Almost got to the point of getting up and saying goodbye. My lease is up next month. I am trying to gear down on price and then will send out my 2-3 emails to my local dealers. And for boomcheck - I do send a RFQ, with the exact make, model, color and options and i do include my full name, email, and phone number. I am hoping this lease goes smother than the last one.
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Replying to: traindriver (Jan 12, 2009 2:53 pm) For the buyer: get the dealer to send detailed photos of the cars if they're not on their website already, plus fax an inspection report, carfax is possible. For the sellers: leave your full name, number, email and address. Inquiries that have minimal info usually get minimal responses. Yes, I may be losing out on business by ignoring the "childish emails" but if you're a mature adult who wants to conduct a business transaction, the least you can do is introduce yourself properly. How am I going to sell you a car if we can't even get past the stage of introducing each other and exchanging our phone numbers? I get tons of inquiries that go like this from start to finish: Interested in your best deal on a Jeep Wrangler 4 door, full load, trading in a 96 Cherokee. Send pix and price of what u got. EMAIL ONLY JT  That's gonna get a "come on in email" cause I'm not even going to waste my digital camera batteries on someone who is too lazy or stubborn to even leave a name.
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Replying to: golic (Jan 12, 2009 3:17 pm) See my response above. Minimal info gets minimal response. If I get an email from someone who actually does leave their info, they'll not only get a priority response but also I'll go out of my way to provide a competitive price to earn their business. |
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Replying to: boomchek (Jan 12, 2009 4:20 pm)
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Replying to: golic (Jan 12, 2009 4:38 pm) Not complaining, just answering an earlier post of why we just don't shoot prices into cyberspace hoping to catch a deal. 
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Replying to: boomchek (Jan 12, 2009 4:20 pm) JT That's gonna get a "come on in email" cause I'm not even going to waste my digital camera batteries on someone who is too lazy or stubborn to even leave a name If that is what the typical request amounts to then I don't blame you. I wouldn't waste 30 minutes, even on a slow day, to run around the lot snapping a bunch of photos and creating price lists if someone can't be more specific with the details and personal info. than that. As far as paid inspection services go, are the inspectors generally qualified and thorough enough to base a purchase on? What's the typical resume like? retired used car manager, body shop, mechanic, etc. Is the report worth the paper its printed on? I realize nothing is a 100% guarantee but would they be able to separate the gems from the turds? Thanks for your thoughts. |
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