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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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not to be abrupt, but I think you're wasting your time with the shotgun faxes - first, "fleet" managers handle "fleets" for business owners, not single cars for consumers. Secondly, they get BUNCHES of faxes just like what you're talking about and most get thrown into the round file. Pick two or three places, preferably close to you, check out their service departments, the attitudes of service and sales personnel, and the attitudes of their customers (big indicator), and go forward in person.
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Replying to: driftracer (Feb 09, 2005 2:48 pm) When I received the responses (3 out of 5), I assumed the dealer's attitude was reflected in the salesperson's words and "tone." No response - obviously out. "Come on down we give you best price" - out. "We'll do you a favour by selling you this Accord at $500 off MSRP but the deal is good today only, and, BTW, we charge a couple hundred for dealer prep" - out. The one remaining dealership was straightforward and responsive. I was not disappointed with service experience either. Faxes (and blast-faxing) is so, ummm, 80s? |
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Hi to all. First time user from Australia. Love the site. I have selected vehicle and started doing the rounds to get prices (am getting 4 quotes). I have put this in a table that I am happy for other dealers to look at so that they know what they are up against. My problem is that ALL of them say that they won't be beaten on price. How do I handle this aspect of the negotiation? I would be grateful if someone would offer words of wisdom. Thankyou and have a great day.
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Replying to: jude (Feb 09, 2005 5:16 pm) You're going to spend a lot of time going from dealership to dealership if you do it this way. Do you have a favorite dealership among the 4 - does one of them have a better reputation, or come recommended? If so, you can take your 4 quotes straight to that dealership and show them your lowest offer (if they're not the lowest), and let them know you'll buy from them today if they meet or beat that offer. If you don't have a favorite, go straight to the one with the lowest price, if that's important to you. But be VERY careful indeed. Often the "lowest price" doesn't end up being the lowest - you get stuck with fees and add-ons not quoted in the price, or bad financing. When you start shopping a low price around, you're really opening the door for a lot of shenanigans that won't, in the end, benefit you. |
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Typically what I do is to give the dealer that I have had the best past experience with first crack at my buisness. For example, If I am interested in buying a Honda, and I have had good overall dealings with a particular dealer that sells Hondas, I will give them the first shot at my business. However, If I am looking for a Honda, and haven't had any dealing with any Honda dealers, I will go with the dealer that I have heard the best word-of-mouth feedback from my family and friends. The way I see it is that I would rather give my business to the dealer that treats me the best during the buying process, and that I feel like will treat me the best after the sale (ie..service) - even if I end up paying a few hundred dollars more. For me, it isn't worth it to feel like I have been through a 2 hour boxing match at a particular dealer all to save a couple hundred dollars. The only "pearl of wisdom" that I can really offer is that if you are going to buy a car, take the time to get pre approved for a loan thru a credit union or bank before going into a dealership. This makes negotiations a lot easier - plus you already know what kind of an interest rate you should expect. This way you can mainly focus on the price of the vehicle, instead of haggling over a monthly payment. I will always tell the dealership that I have arranged my own financing, but they may try to beat the interest rate if they would like.
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Replying to: 1racefan (Feb 10, 2005 7:07 am) If you're quoted a super low price that seems too good to be true, it likely is. Check out the new cars page here first, and price out your vehicle so you'll have a ballpark idea of what to expect. |
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Replying to: 1racefan (Feb 10, 2005 7:07 am) From my viewpoint, I am constantly amazed at the pain some people will put themselves through when they buy a car. Most dealers will round can "blast faxes". We get dozens of these a week usually on the same form letter that must be somewhere on the internet. It really doesn't have to be a miserable procedure. My advise would be to ask your family, friends and co-workers for a referral. Ask them how well they were treated, hw is the service department, and if they felt the price they paid was reasnoble. The "fleet manager" is usually just another salesperson with more experience than most. I have often been tempted to ask..." Oh, how many cars will you be needing for your fleet?" It really doesn't have to be hard. It can even be fun! |
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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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