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Smart Shopper Purchasing Strategies - Questions & Success Stories
3884 messages, Last post on Apr 08, 2009 at 1:08 PM
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Replying to: isellhondas (Feb 10, 2005 7:24 am) thx for the responses everyone.....i hear what you are saying, and i agree that some dealerships won't want to play this game, but I've got to believe out of 15 dealers, there are 4 or 5 that are willing to trade some profit in exchange for a transaction that will take minimal time, and in order to make this work, I only need a few to play. Am I just blissfully ignorant here? In any event, based on all the invoice/holdback/rebate info available on the net, I pretty much know the price I'm looking for. If I can't get that price via this method (which is much less time consuming for me than dealer to dealer shopping), I can always go with plan B which is the dealer to dealer dance. I'll let everyone know how it works out.
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Replying to: richk1 (Feb 10, 2005 9:10 am) You will more likely find the worst dealers will be the ones to respond to you ... and you'll generally find that they'll get the money from you in other ways ...
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Replying to: jlawrence01 (Feb 10, 2005 9:33 am) |
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| Why hasn't bobst chimed in? | |
| From a dealer standpoint, bobst way of buying essentially gives him all the card and all the power. We like to rib him about it..but with a few twists his method of buying could be a textbook way of dealing with a less than professional dealer. | |
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Oregon, I knew that if I didn't respond that one of my many followers would respond for me. Thanks, Audia. You filled in for me in a commendable manner. You are hearby promoted from the 'Bobst in training' rank to the 'Bobst surrogate' title. Actually, I am going to try the internet approach in a few weeks. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes. |
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| I think is a good way to go. I bought a car back in 2000, and I knew which dealer I wanted to buy from (I had already purchased a car from them before). I was able to find the specific car I wanted on their web site, contact a salesperson through the email link, and negotiate the sales price in about 30 minutes. I then made an appointment for the following Saturday morning to test drive the car. The nice thing was that I was able to get in and out of the dealership in minimal time since the negotiations had already been done. I imagine this approach might be tough if you were planning on doing a trade-in. | |
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As I recoup on my day off after a very busy and hectic weekend, I feel compelled to offer a couple of suggestions when buying a car. These comments are based on several of my recent expereinces and observations. 1. I know I'm going to get blasted for this...but...IF at all possible, find a babysitter! A car dealership really isn't the place for active, demanding toddlers. They aren't happy being there and they usually present a tremendous distraction for all parties. Yes, I love kids. Same applies to dogs. I'll never understand why some people will bring a dog into a place of business? 2. PLEASE, allow enough time! There is nothing worse than to have a customer take three hours deciding on what they want, working out a deal etc than have them look at their watch and tell us they have to be somewhere in a half hour! If you have time constraints, let us know in advance and we will try or best to streamline things. Buying a car isn't like buying a pair of shoes. There is a lot of time consuming paperwork involved for one thing. 2. Know what you can afford. If your budget is 20,000, the 30 thousand dollars cars you want to test drive will not fit your budget. 3. Be upfront. If you have had some credit issues in the past, let us know. Often, they aren't as bad as people think they are. If you have a trade-in, let us know. It'll be worth exactly the same now or later. 4. A friendly straightforward posture will go a long way. If you don't receive the same in return, ask for a different salesperson or simply walk out. I realize these ideas may counter what you read in the "How to buy a Car" guides but they will help make it a more pleasant experience. Lastly, shop early if possible. People who come in an hour before closing may get rushed through the process. Hope this helps! Craig |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Feb 14, 2005 8:24 am)
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Appreciate that. It really doesn't have to be painful for either side. It isn't a battle. Best advise of all I can give is to ask friends and family for a referral. You will be treated like family and leave happy. You probably won't pay any more either!
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