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Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying

3011 messages,  Last post on Aug 27, 2009 at 10:23 AM

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#8 of 3011 I've had both by garyking Feb 21, 2002 (7:19 pm)
Last year, I got a great deal on a new Outback Sedan for the wife. Emailed the "internet rep." at the Subaru dealership, and an hour later I was offered a GREAT deal. No other dealer was willing to come within $2K of the price they gave me up front.   Last month I was looking for a new ML320, so I emailed the dealers & also all the internet sites like Stoneage, Autobytel, etc. Of the 3 dealers in the area, one never replied, one quoted me FULL MSRP as their "best price" (and I was already one of their customers) after about a week, and the third dealer sent me a letter two weeks after my inquiry asking me to go to their dealership and talk to them.   Pissed me off so bad I went and bought a new Envoy. (With a GM Employee Discount, so internet shopping wouldn't have made any difference anyway)
#9 of 3011 by afty Feb 22, 2002 (8:06 am)
I totally agree with the getting a quote business. I'm not emailing dealers so that I can come down and talk. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid!   When I was buying my Altima, I emailed 6 dealers for a quote. 3 of them called me and wanted me to come down and talk. 1 never replied. 2 gave me a price quote, and I bought from the cheaper one of those two.
#10 of 3011 But... by isellhondas Feb 22, 2002 (8:52 am)
No smart dealer will give you a "quote" to go shop! Sure, some business will be lost that way, but a smart dealer will simply tell the shopper to bring in an offer after getting quotes from everyone else!   It is truly amazing to se what some people will put themselves through in their quest to get the "best" price on a car!   And beware of the lowball! I recently had a customer drive over 100 miles to "save" five hundred dollars on a new Civic.   When she got there, the car she wanted turned out to be a five speed and not the automatic she wanted!   " Oh...I could've sworn you wanted a stick...sorry, but the automatics are 800.00 more"   She stormed out, drove another 100 miles and bought the car from me.   Sadly, a lot of shoppers wold have simply caved in and bought the car from the store that lied to them.
#11 of 3011 by afty Feb 22, 2002 (9:02 am)
I've had this argument before, but I think it's worth the possible lost sale (and shopping of your price) to give the consumer a quote. It doesn't take that much of your time, and many consumers appreciate the no-nonsense approach to sales. I know I did, and that is a big part of the reason I bought my Altima where I did.
#12 of 3011 Isell... by beachfish Feb 22, 2002 (9:38 am)
In my example, I'm refering to manufacturers' sites. Not some local dealer's site.   The sites say "Choose Model, Color, Options and Click Here To Get A Quote From A Local Dealer."   What part of this am I misreading?   Appears deceptive to me. It should read click here to get bravo sierra.   John
#13 of 3011 isell... by eimeria Feb 22, 2002 (10:05 am)
I definately see your point about emailed quote requests as being a method to gain quotes that are then going to be used to shop. However, I think salespeople should be viewing those requests as people looking to buy, not just people looking to shop. Sure, some will be shopping, but I would think giving out that price quote by email would be worth it if only some were actually people looking to buy and not shop. We are all looking for the "best" price. Do you like it when you pay too much for an item? In a lot of ways I think a few bad apples, both buyers and sellers, have dictated how the rest of us go about the process. Unfortunately this has left buyers with the impression that all car dealers are sleazy salesman who are trying to cheat them out of the all their hard earned money. You don't have to look much further than the Inconsiderate buyer thread to see some of the crp that buyers pull.   When I emailed, I emailed out an offer for a new car. I named what was included in my offer and what costs the offer did not include (tax and tags). I indicated I was buying that day from the first dealer that met my offer. While I was willing to pay a little bit more than I offered, many dealers did not even make a counter offer. If you give me a fair price quote you are more likely to earn my business than if you say "come on down and we'll talk".
#14 of 3011 eimeria by raybear Feb 22, 2002 (11:28 am)
What you did is a far cry from what many salespeople see. You named your own price, something a certain internet company does, and it is more effective than challenging the dealers to a bidding war.
#15 of 3011 ray by eimeria Feb 22, 2002 (12:50 pm)
I followed the advice of brentwood in the Acura shopping thread. Again, what really amazed me were the number of rude responses I got and the number of no reponses I got. A dealership less than 5 minutes away didn't even respond to me.   As I said, I was looking to buy, not shop. It would make sense to me to give a quote even if only 1 out of 10 inquiries is looking to buy.   I think the internet is an incredible resource for the consumer in the car buying process. It helps level the playing field and allows me to make best use of my time. I would recommend it to everyone.
#16 of 3011 That's different... by isellhondas Feb 22, 2002 (2:42 pm)
And not a bad way to shop...   " I'm willing to pay 18,250 for a XXXXX and will buy it today...can you do that?"   That will get a response.   "Give me your "best price"? These requests are generally ignored since the vast majority of them amount to nothing.   It's not 1 out of 10....not even close!
#17 of 3011 eimeria by raybear Feb 22, 2002 (3:38 pm)
The hazard of naming your own price includes rejection. The salesmen live with it all the time. I get it every day.   No biggie; you got what you wanted, those who didn't respond are out a sale.

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