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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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I dunno guys... I've bought four new cars, from four different dealerships, and never sat around for more than 20 minutes "negotiating". Even when we couldn't put it together. I'm no bobst, but you can get a "no" pretty quick, especially if you are polite about it and don't burn any bridges. Secondly, of course you want the kids on the test drive, but that's another twenty minutes, big deal. My daughter doesn't whine, and she can be quiet for a half hour or less. Thirdly, I've never picked up a car the same day that the price was set. And by that I mean either OTD price, or "so much plus TTL". Never been jerked around on the math, either. Sometimes I test drive in June and buy in January... on my Sienna, I kept waiting for the end of the model run, and when the deals got really good, I went back and picked out my car. The salesman kept tabs, so he was suprised there was half a year between test drive and purchase, but he just kinda shrugged it off... sold is sold. And I always drive the specific car I'm buying; once around a long block is enough if I know the model. Another thing to consider is, go for the test drive, keep the salesman's card, and then go back to him or her... the good ones appreciate it, and they get the message you're not jerking them around, and when there's a sale, it'll be their sale. I think that makes a big difference in the amount of pressure. If you can keep your dealership visits short, you don't have to worry about half the points in isell's advice. And I agree: most people make it way too painful. -Mathias |
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because people are informed and/or unreasonable, perahps on both sides of the table. A college friend of my oldest son's tagged my son into helping him look at a used Mitsubishi Eclipse yesterday that his girlfriend and her father would be ultimately buying. The kid haggled his hardest with the salesman at the mom and pop store; offered HALF of what was on the sticker, because that's what his dad taught him; ground on the guy for an hour, nitpicking every little scratch on the car, royally made the sales guy mad. The girl dropped in, started in on the guy again, something about window tint. The girl's dad stopped by yesterday afternoon, almost got into a fight over the price. The girl's dad called me last night. I asked if he had looked up to see what the car was worth. He said "Well....no." The boy (19), the girl, and the dad, spent nearly 4 hours (total) beating up a sales guy, and they didn't take 3 minutes to check out NADA or Kelley to have some clue what the car was even worth, so they could make a reasonable, legitimate offer. I can't imagine having that kind of time to waste. |
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| What kind of sales manager lets customers waste 4 hours of a salesperson's time? | |
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and some others in the business - the salesman is basically a private contractor - unless it's a Saturday and there are more customers to he taken car of, many managers will let the salesperson spend as much time as they need. If a salesperson wants to waste 4 hours with someone who isn't even buying the car...they must not be a very good salesman, though. If the salesman in question was smarter than a bag of hammers, he would have never engaged the "boyfriend" in conversation, given a minimal, but respectful amount of tiume to the daughter, and concentrated on getting dad and daughter in place to check out the car, get reaction, and talk numbers. |
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| For some reason these things seem to attract certain types of customers. | |
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Since I buy most of my cars from leasing companies at the end of the lease, It has been a few years since I have really had to go "nose to nose" with a dealer for a vehicle. I agree with Mathias on one point. You know what the car is worth roughly when you walk into the dealership. The sales manager (or salesman) knows what he has to sell the car for to make a reasonable profit. In a perfect world, the numbers are pretty close and you get the deal in 20-30 minutes. Occasionally, a dealer will have more money in a car than he should have and won't be able to make a deal. At that point, I thank them for the time and leave. I have done this on occasion even to my favorite salesmen. On occasion, they have called me at a later date to see if I was still interested. Sometimes we can make a deal, other times not. However, on a couple of occasions, we have had to deal with salesmen who do not respect informed buyers. I can argue 2-3 hour for a deal if it is necessary. However, in my old age, I have begun to realize that there are 10,000 cars in the big city and it is not worth the stomach lining.
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Sometimes the reality of the market does not reflect what the "informed buyer" "knows" what the car is worth. But, after shopping all over without success, the shopper usually comes to grips with this. This is why I'm alsway so nice to them when they leave without a car. I make it clear that I'm not going to say " I told you so".
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Replying to: isellhondas (Feb 15, 2005 5:49 pm) On the other hand, I have had the experience where I leave a dealership who has stated "you'll never find it for less" just to go down the street and find it for less. |
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And, by the same token I have had cars snapped up by buyers who have searched long and hard for a certain car at a good price that were passed over by someone else who thought the price was too high. And, I have to admit, I find a certain pleasure when the people who walked, return after shopping all over to find the car they really wanted was sold an hour before to someone else who recognized the value. Works both ways... |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Feb 14, 2005 8:24 am) 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 ============================== You are my Hero ~ Great post.! Terry. |
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