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Smart Shopper Selecting and Buying My First Car
764 messages, Last post on Aug 17, 2009 at 12:29 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Out The Door. I got that. But which door? My door or the dearler's? Scenario: if I send a fax or email to a dealer saying I want X-car with option z for $15K O.T.D., what does the dealer understand? It would be reasonable to assume that if the dealer says "yes, I have that car and I will offer it to you at that price, come on down," I could make out a check for $15K, bring it down to the dealer, hand it to him and he would be happy to have me sign the dotted line and give me the keys and show me the door. Reason, however, has it limits. My gut tells me O.T.D. doesn't really mean I'm leaving the dealer - rather it is the starting point for the negotiation of addition expenses. I'm afraid that when I get down to the dealer and present him the check for $15K, he is going to say, "Wait a second, you forgot the Destination charge of $600, the Toyota advertising charge, the documentation charge, etc.....you owe me $1000." Now, I imagine there are some corrupt salesmen who will say whatever. I'm not talking about them. I'm asking if I can expect O.T.D. to mean something to the average normal salesmen and, if so, what is that something?
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Replying to: debellocivili (Mar 29, 2007 10:24 am) never negotiate "OTD" without defining with the salesperson what that means. If you want to fax or email such an offer, I strongly suggest writing out something like, "including all dealer fees, destination charges, tax, title, license, or any other charges required for me to drive away with this car TODAY." |
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Replying to: debellocivili (Mar 29, 2007 10:24 am) We went there, took the car for a test drive, gave them a check for $17400, and drove the new car home. They understood perfectly what OTD meant. Other dealers may not.
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Replying to: bobst (Mar 29, 2007 10:30 am) To me OTD includes every single charge, including tax and tags. Any thing else and I would walk, period.
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One post that I found interesting not too long ago ... can't remember what discussion it was in ... was someone who got an OTD price for an out-of-state car. He then proceeded to find out it didn't include tax and became aggravated with the salesperson. As I pointed out, what he got was technicaly an OTD price. The fact that it is an out-of-state car means the buyer has to go and pay his own taxes in his own state. But to actually get OTD of that dealership in the other state with that car, he didn't have to pay taxes. Moral of the story? Best to define what is included in "OTD." |
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Replying to: ateixeira (Mar 29, 2007 11:20 am) Very good advice. It makes sure that everybody on the same page and more importantly helps keep them there because it is in writing. it's the principle of honoring the deal they promised you. I agree. Even if it is an honest misunderstanding, I hate being told one thing only to find out later they meant something else. If it can be easily avoided - and defining the terms in writing ahead of time is easy - then I would be a fool to do otherwise. Thanks guys
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Replying to: debellocivili (Mar 29, 2007 12:34 pm) I am in this business and terms I hate are Out the door Stroke a check How much down stroke Give me a ball park figure. It does not have to be exact. |
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| Hey everyone, im in the market for my first car. Honestly, i'm looking for a used vehicle that's cheap. Real cheap. I dont really care about the way it looks or it's interior due to the fact that it's my first vehicle and chances are, i'm going to get some scratches on it. So, i'm hoping you guys can provide me with some ideas on reliable and cheaply priced cars. | |
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Replying to: renz1088 (Apr 20, 2007 7:02 pm) You'll probably want to narrow your "requirements" at least a little bit! You CAN get a used car for a few hundred dollars though its reliability, or lack thereof, will be disappoining in the extreme. I think the threshold for getting into reliable vehicles will be well above $2,000 to $3,000. Even then, your options are wide open, e.g. very old, high mileage, high-end versus relatively new, moderate mileage low-end cars. I suggest giving some more thought to what you want out of the car. Consider looking through the classified in your local newspaper and driving by used car lots to get an idea of what's available and what typical prices are. Don't hesitate to ask owners in our Forums about their vehicles. Here are some considerations that can help define what is right for you: Does performance matter? Is gas mileage important? Do you need space to transport stuff/people? Will you drive off road? Do you have a long commute? How important is reliability? Will you do your own maintenance? How long do you want to own this car? tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper |
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