Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
48128 messages, Last post on Dec 08, 2009 at 8:09 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
|
Replying to: mark156 (Jul 22, 2006 10:20 pm) I understand that buying a car, or anything is different than this situation, but it had enough of an impact on me for me to choose to only do business with people I felt I could trust. That being said, I still haggle for the best price, but since at this time, I only buy Ford products, it is easy for me to establish a relationship with a dealership. Now, does it cost me a few hunderud dollars for this each time I buy a car, yes. But I do not buy cars often enough for this to bother me. That is just my 2 cents
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: snakeweasel (Jul 23, 2006 6:19 am) Land Rover dealers are required to sponsor off-road driving events at least twice a year and two non-off-road events, these basicly turn into cocktail parties at the dealership or some other location, we have proffesional driving instructors come out and then the staff acts as spoters/instructors as well. Our last off road event was great we had it at http://www.overlandexperts.com/. We rented out the facility for the day and about thirty people there in many different rovers. Everything from a 1995 Series one disco that was one guys off-road toy with lots of mods, a 1997 Defender with almost no miles and two ARB air locking diffs and then a bunch of stock Discos and LR3s plus some bone stock Range Rovers. One of the guys there brought his whole family in the LR3 they bought just two months before. He had about 1,500 miles on it. The highest mileage truck there was a 1998 Range Rover 4.0SE with about 110,000 miles on it.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: explorerx4 (Jul 22, 2006 4:33 pm) The progression of vehicles from easiest to hardest kind of goes like this. LR3 is the easiest rover to take across the course. You can choose just about any line you want and you will be fine. In low range with terrain response set to rock crawl I could do the course blindfolded just by feel and memory. The Range Rover is almost as easy as the LR3 and when Terrain response is avaliable for 2007 the Range Rover will once again by completly domminant over the LR3/Disco. The Range Rover has so much ground clearance you don't even need to raise the air suspension to off-road mode. |
|
|
Replying to: cluedweasel (Jul 22, 2006 11:29 pm) Mark 
|
|
|
Replying to: british_rover (Jul 23, 2006 7:07 am) Land Rover dealers are required to sponsor off-road driving events at least twice a year and two non-off-road events, these basicly turn into cocktail parties at the dealership or some other location, we have proffesional driving instructors come out and then the staff acts as spoters/instructors as well. Our last off road event was great we had it at http://www.overlandexperts.com/. We rented out the facility for the day and about thirty people there in many different rovers. Everything from a 1995 Series one disco that was one guys off-road toy with lots of mods, a 1997 Defender with almost no miles and two ARB air locking diffs and then a bunch of stock Discos and LR3s plus some bone stock Range Rovers. I see - so you've only sold 150 Land Rovers in the last five years? Where do you get the information supporting 20% offroad use in the US? I'd suspect it's less than 5% like everyone else. Dirt roads are not off road. |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: british_rover (Jul 23, 2006 7:07 am) |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: snakeweasel (Jul 22, 2006 1:01 pm) For simplicity's sake, let's say that the dealership makes the initial offer of $29K for that $30K MSRP car they've got. I've already determined that the price I'll buy at is $27K, plus I want the floor mats thrown in. Using a "bobst" hybrid method, I'd probably walk after thanking them for their time. This is predicated on my telling the dealership I'm in the market right now and will only make one offer. If I go in and make the only offer of $27K, plus floormats, they say yes or no (usually try to bump me, but I always remind them that I'm only going to make one offer). So, whether they make the first offer, or I do, my number (offer) doesn't change.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: graphicguy (Jul 23, 2006 9:22 am) It would affect mine. For example the last car I negotiated on we figured a certain price after all our research. The salesman offered something in the area of a few hundred more than that price we determined. This of course was a signal to come down on the price we would eventually offer. Of course during a brief negotiation we got them down several hundred off of what we were willing to do. Simply said if we would have gone in and said, "here is our price" we would have paid much more. This is predicated on my telling the dealership I'm in the market right now and will only make one offer. No one said make one offer, this is negotiation remember. So, whether they make the first offer, or I do, my number (offer) doesn't change. Mine might (almost always down), just depends on the situation.
|
|
|
and wants some info on a Passat. I bring him over to my desk to qualify him. Find out he wants a package 1 automatic, but what he really wants is a price. How much, how much, how much.....I usually won't go into price until I can land him on car, but it was almost 100 outside , so I figured what the heck. He only wants white or black, so I look at my inventory sheet, pull a stock number and run a lease for him; I don't leave my desk the whole time ( I have the programs on my desktop) yet he is chatting away the whole time on his cell phone. Now mind you, he isn't on the phone trying to find a spare kidney for an old widow or a home for a one-eyed chihuahua, he's trying to decide between the Olive Garden and The Outback Steakhouse. He's happy with the numbers, so he wants to drive the car. I pull the keys and we walk outside (still on the phone) I start the car, turn the air on and get ready to go on a demo drive. I wait.....and wait.......still on the phone. After about 2 minutes, I shut the car off, close the trunk and windows and walk inside. I tell my GSM whats going on and he gives me carte blanc; so I decide to block his car in customer parking with a used car and take a walk. 20 minutes later the guy walks in ranting and raving about our horrible parking situation and the fact the his salesman "abandoned him on the lot." My GSM tells him to order the Blooming Onion and have a nice day. The porter took his time in moving the car blocking his and he was on his way. The moral of the story, you treat me like a car salesman, and I'll treat you like "a car salesman" would treat you. I gotta tell you; it was really enjoyable. About 6 of us watched him lose it while the porter "tried to find the keys." As some in our profession say, sometimes, you'll have that. |
|
|
Replying to: deserth8r (Jul 23, 2006 6:53 am) I never would have thought of it before reading this forum, but you can always sit the salesperson down and make them have a few beers with you, in order to build rapport and trust... 
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
