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Smart Shopper Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying
3011 messages, Last post on Aug 27, 2009 at 10:23 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Replying to: jwilliams2 (May 01, 2009 3:10 pm) The flip side is that you are going to waste at least 3 salesmans time by driving a model that you will not ultimately buy. Maybe 4 people if the place where you drive the chosen model isn't competitive on price and end up buying from the 5th guy. This is a good question and I hope that some salespeople will give some good insight. I would like to know this as well as I will be in "jungle cats" shoes in a few months myself. Personally, I am thinking "get quotes first." The dealership can respond when it is convenient for them rather than me showing up to test drive at a busy or otherwise bad time. I'll have a better idea who to approach first when I see their quote and gain some insight to who might be the easiest to deal with and most helpful. It would seem to me to be less work to give a quote than to invest an hour or two if we end up too far apart on price, have personality conflicts, etc. If I nail down a price on the various models upfront, it may help narrow the decision process. A vehicle that I thought might be too expensive may come into play or I might find that one model is particularly hot and no discounts are available. I may be able to save myself and the dealer some time and effort if I know basically where I stand on each choice upfront. Pick the model that I am most interested in, price in hand, and visit the dealership in person to verify that the car drives and "feels" right. If so, write the check and take it home. If for some reason the car isn't what I expected it to be, then move to model choice #2 and repeat. Edit: in jungle cats example, only two manufacturers, Honda and Toyota, are being considered so he will not have as many folks involved and as much running around to do as I will. We are considering several more manufacturers that will further complicate the process.
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Replying to: traindriver (May 01, 2009 6:18 pm) On the other hand, emailing many dealers (perhaps what, 3 or 4 per brand?) for prices when you don't even know if you will buy that particular car seems like a waste of their time as well as yours. You should be able to get a good idea what they sell for right here on Edmunds. I really do think the time to get your multiple quotes is when you have decided exactly what you want. IMHO of course.
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Replying to: jwilliams2 (May 01, 2009 7:47 pm) I do agree with you on this part but it often seems that in the eye of the salesman, you have wasted their time if you end up buying from someone else. I see it as "you win some, you lose some -- it will all balance out over time." If they don't offer me their best deal upfront, don't blame me if their competitor will do better. Of course, I don't advocate cutting the salesman's throat over $100 either. If the quotes are close, buy from who has invested time with you and has been most helpful. IMHO. |
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Replying to: jungle_cat (May 01, 2009 2:17 pm) You have 4 vehicles you're interested in. By test driving them you will find ones you love, and ones that you can't see yourself in at any price. Once you drive all 4, and narrow it down to one or two, then send out for pricing. Seeing them in person and driving them will also help you see which colors you like or don't like, what options you want or not want and so on. No point negotiating on something you might not even buy after test driving it. Would you put an offer in on a house you haven't stepped your foot in? |
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Replying to: boomchek (May 02, 2009 8:04 am)
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Replying to: boomchek (May 02, 2009 8:04 am) One can't really know what one wants without pricing information.  tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper
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Replying to: tidester (May 02, 2009 8:49 am)
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Replying to: lrguy44 (May 02, 2009 8:57 am) Of course they can and should do that! The reality, however, is that not everyone does what is sensible. I think it's a miscommunication problem. A potential customer simply wants some idea of what the price would be but the salesperson regards whatever price he or she may reveal would be binding. As a salesperson, I'd be reluctant too if a price I stated in those cirumstances would be regarded as binding. As a customer, I'd like to have some good idea of the pricing to help me decide what I want. Catch 22? tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper
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Replying to: tidester (May 02, 2009 9:24 am) So I don't see bottom line pricing as an issue here as the vehicle range is about $10-$15k apart from a base CRV/Rav4 to a top level Pilot/Highlander. If the OP wants an SUV and is not sure what kind, then as lrguy suggested see what price range they're in, see if that's at least affordable or not, and drive the cars in your price range, and negotiate on the one you like. Pretty simple.
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Replying to: boomchek (May 02, 2009 9:46 am) tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper
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