Car/Truck Buying Experiences

#101
#101
I think my biggest beef with traditional dealerships is just the experience of it. When I've bought from them I've generally gotten close to the price I was looking for, and I always go in prepared with info, realistic about trade-in and perfectly willing to say no to add-ons. But it's just so ugly from beginning to end. The swoop, the pushiness, the meet-my-sales-manager crap, the phony negotiating tactics, sneaky switches and add-ons, etc. Yes, you can navigate through all that and get what you want but why does it have to be that way?

I'm perfectly happy for the dealer to make a reasonable profit and I don't go in angling for how I can screw him out of some money. But I always end up having to stay on my toes and go into protection mode. And the whole idea of having to walk away and come back another time to get a reasonable price should never be a part of doing business.

I get that Carmax might not have the best price, and any used car you ever look at has to be looked at closely, but I don't get that feeling of being a mark when I walk in, and the process is low key and relaxed. Yes, they're going to offer me a service agreement and gap and whatever else, but the two times I bought from them, I just said no and they said okay and moved on. It was just a positive experience and not negative one.
 
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#102
#102
Roustabout said:
You might want to consider that your offer wasn't reasonable. The average copy on a pre-owned car is less than $2500. The average mark-up if they are using a pricing matrix is less than $3000. My experience has told me that what people think is reasonable is often not. What you are saying is that the people whose whole livelihood is dependent on selling cars and being competitive, just decided, in your case, to be unreasonable.
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In this situation I know what they have in it (inside source). My offer was $1,700 over what they paid. Add in the 3,000 potential profit off my trade, plus the 1.5% they’ll receive on the backside of indirect network. That’s over $5,000 of potential profit. Far from unreasonable.
 
#103
#103
davethevol said:
I watched a video recently that was made by a supposed finance expert. He said that if you encounter a dealership that produces a pricing matrix when going through the negotiation process that you should just walk out of the negotiation. He said it’s an old method that the less honest dealers use.
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Had a professor in college tell me the same thing. He said anytime they start any type of matrix talk to walk.
 
#105
#105
davethevol said:
I watched a video recently that was made by a supposed finance expert. He said that if you encounter a dealership that produces a pricing matrix when going through the negotiation process that you should just walk out of the negotiation. He said it’s an old method that the less honest dealers use.
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You are equivocating. He was referring to a four square matrix. I’m referring to pricing software that guides dealers in Appraisal and competitive pricing. Two completely different things. Four square matrix is old school garbage.
 
#106
#106
BAJAvol said:
In this situation I know what they have in it (inside source). My offer was $1,700 over what they paid. Add in the 3,000 potential profit off my trade, plus the 1.5% they’ll receive on the backside of indirect network. That’s over $5,000 of potential profit. Far from unreasonable.
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Sure. LOL
 
#107
#107
pismonque said:
I think my biggest beef with traditional dealerships is just the experience of it. When I've bought from them I've generally gotten close to the price I was looking for, and I always go in prepared with info, realistic about trade-in and perfectly willing to say no to add-ons. But it's just so ugly from beginning to end. The swoop, the pushiness, the meet-my-sales-manager crap, the phony negotiating tactics, sneaky switches and add-ons, etc. Yes, you can navigate through all that and get what you want but why does it have to be that way?

I'm perfectly happy for the dealer to make a reasonable profit and I don't go in angling for how I can screw him out of some money. But I always end up having to stay on my toes and go into protection mode. And the whole idea of having to walk away and come back another time to get a reasonable price should never be a part of doing business.

I get that Carmax might not have the best price, and any used car you ever look at has to be looked at closely, but I don't get that feeling of being a mark when I walk in, and the process is low key and relaxed. Yes, they're going to offer me a service agreement and gap and whatever else, but the two times I bought from them, I just said no and they said okay and moved on. It was just a positive experience and not negative one.
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Oh god, not the meet my manager. How terrible.
 
#108
#108
Roustabout said:
Sure. LOL
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Don’t give a damn if you believe me or not. The one that told me what they paid for it is the one that traded for it and happens to be my brother in law so...This BS is why people hire auto brokers and/or pay a premium to people like carvanna. When you let a car sit on your lot for over 100 days, you’re too high on it, period. But then again, I would hate for them to sell it at a reasonable price. Their families may starve to death.
 
#109
#109
BAJAvol said:
Don’t give a damn if you believe me or not. The one that told me what they paid for it is the one that traded for it and happens to be my brother in law so...This BS is why people hire auto brokers and/or pay a premium to people like carvanna. When you let a car sit on your lot for over 100 days, you’re too high on it, period. But then again, I would hate for them to sell it at a reasonable price. Their families may starve to death.
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No, I don’t believe you. I’ve never ever once seen a cars cost be what a dealer pays for it. Recon, detail, service, ad costs, commissions go into EVERY vehicle.

But it doesn’t matter. If someone gave the car to the dealer they would t sell it to you for $1700.
 
#110
#110
Roustabout said:
No, I don’t believe you. I’ve never ever once seen a cars cost be what a dealer pays for it. Recon, detail, service, ad costs, commissions go into EVERY vehicle.

But it doesn’t matter. If someone gave the car to the dealer they would t sell it to you for $1700.
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Ok deduct a $1,000. Who tf wouldn’t take a $4,000 profit on a car they’ve had in the lot for over 100 days? This is why I buy my stuff 4 hours away from here. And wouldn’t sell it to me for $1,700? Then keep the piece of ****. There’s only hundreds of thousands of car dealerships in the US. I can’t wait until more and more companies like carvanna come out.
 
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#114
#114
My dad thoroughly enjoys driving his 2001 excursions(7.3) onto ford lots and watching the salesman come running. As they are asking what he would take he usually says “two of the new diesel trucks as it will take two of those to out last this thing”

Probably the best purchase my parents have ever made. It has 325,000 miles on it with a few major repairs:

Tranny - $3,500(jasper tranny - not a fan)
Glow plugs - $200(easy fix)

We are about to pull the rear end out and pull the motor for a new oil pan and oil pan seal.

Ford really didn’t know what they had when my parents bought this vehicle. They couldn’t move them off the lot when they first came out and were trying everything known to man to get them sold.
 
#115
#115
Not my experiences as my last used dealer purchase was 2009. But locally, Cookeville Honda, has a horrid reputation. Several lawsuits. One sale involved the dealership forging a girls mother's signature to help get her the car loan. One sale involved taking a trade-in, and before the transaction was complete a couple days later, the customer wanted to back out, but the car he traded was in the back of the lot already stripped of parts. And a handful more underhanded stories. Those are the 2 I remember readily.
 
#116
#116
It's not the customer that started this. It begins from the dealer because everyone knows the price they're asking/advertising is crap and probably can be reduced. Yet they make you fight for it and will take advantage of people that aren't aware/aren't strong enough in negotiations to act in their best interest. Then when you agree to a price the paperwork has extra fees/add-ons you didn't agree to or know about and sometimes they can't even explain what those extra fees are for when questioned.

The entire process feels like you're dealing with a shady crooked business. Some places are better than others but it's the industry as a whole.
 
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#117
#117
Fun coupon VOL said:
My dad thoroughly enjoys driving his 2001 excursions(7.3) onto ford lots and watching the salesman come running. As they are asking what he would take he usually says “two of the new diesel trucks as it will take two of those to out last this thing”

Probably the best purchase my parents have ever made. It has 325,000 miles on it with a few major repairs:

Tranny - $3,500(jasper tranny - not a fan)
Glow plugs - $200(easy fix)

We are about to pull the rear end out and pull the motor for a new oil pan and oil pan seal.

Ford really didn’t know what they had when my parents bought this vehicle. They couldn’t move them off the lot when they first came out and were trying everything known to man to get them sold.
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I regret ever selling my excursion. Best SUV ever made.
 
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#119
#119
Fun coupon VOL said:
That was definitely a mistake. I will purchase my parents excursion before I let them sale it to someone else.
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My son-in-law's dad has a 2000 excursion with the 7.3 and less than 200k miles. I've told him if he ever gets the notion to sell let me know.
 
#121
#121
SaluteToTheHill said:
So for the folks keeping score at home. We have a dealership car salesman in one corner defending dealerships and their tactics and in the other corner we have, everyone else...
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Actually, that’s not true. I don’t defend any shady dealerships. Period, end of story. I do call BS wherever I see it. I love to help people have a great experience and have blogged on how to avoid bad experiences.
 
#122
#122
TheDeeble said:
It's not the customer that started this. It begins from the dealer because everyone knows the price they're asking/advertising is crap and probably can be reduced. Yet they make you fight for it and will take advantage of people that aren't aware/aren't strong enough in negotiations to act in their best interest. Then when you agree to a price the paperwork has extra fees/add-ons you didn't agree to or know about and sometimes they can't even explain what those extra fees are for when questioned.

The entire process feels like you're dealing with a shady crooked business. Some places are better than others but it's the industry as a whole.
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If you watch the majority of ads they are literally giving the farm away and over promising on your trade.

You can avoid 98% of this if you follow a few simple steps. But please keep using your broad brush.
 
#124
#124
Roustabout said:
If you watch the majority of ads they are literally giving the farm away and over promising on your trade.

You can avoid 98% of this if you follow a few simple steps. But please keep using your broad brush.
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Are these vehicles they actually have on the lot, or the ones that when you go to check them out "aren't here anymore"?

How does anyone know they're giving the farm away? Take 2 identical cars/trucks that arrived the same day. 1 person buys one on Friday and pays x. Someone else buys the other the same day and pays less. Or maybe pays more for the identical vehicle. Why?

What simple steps are you talking about that take the frustration out of new car buying?
 
#125
#125
Last car I bought, I think I purchased in September or October. I financed most of the price but paid it off early the following year after I knew what I owed Uncle Sam. I'd bought the gap insurance and the insurance company sent me a prorated refund. Obviously, the bank did not make much off me, maybe 300-400 bucks for 2-3 months finance charges. I assume the sales and finance guys got their commission some time between purchase and pay off. Do they have to disgorge anything back to the dealer, finance co., insurance co., etc? Or is that just cost of doing business, as I assume not many people do what I did?
 
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