The internet is your friend. 99% of dealers use tactics that if not illegal are immoral and deceitful. I have bought/have been involved with purchasing 5 vehicles from a distant dealership. They have had the lowest price by thousands of dollars in every case and it has been a fast and painless transaction each time. No superfulous dealership extortion tactics. I have tried repeatedly to utilize my local dealers. I have voted with my feet every time. This goes to show that the 1% of dealerships that are honest and aboveboard can be succesful without resorting to being the slimy snakes they always prove to be.
Why new car dealers have a bad rep
- Thread starter fdcg27
- Start date
Perhaps but the buyer absolutely must be flexible.
Not sure what you mean... In what way?
If the offer is acceptable, buy the vehicle.
New cars are a commodity.
I let the dealers fight it out for my business; I tell them everything.
It is a lot better than spending hours at dealerships playing the back and forth game.
Ultimately, it may not be the the lowest price; it is how the seller plays the game.
I expect a large car purchase to be the beginning of a long term relationship with the dealership.
Right?
So what does the OP think about these dealer rip offs: insane packing of useless services onto the supplemental sticker AND the wonderful Adjusted Market Value additional price AND bloated extended warranty prices? New car dealers deserve the reputations they have.
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Jackson_Slugger
$50 Site Donor 2022
The funny thing is that you people actually think there is money/commission in a new car sale from a sales POV... 
Jackson_Slugger
$50 Site Donor 2022
Seriously, did you buy your car in a 1990's Quentin Tarantino film? You don't really have to purchase the "bloated extended warranty" nor the 'services' on a supplemental sticker...
Did I say customers MUST buy those items? The point is that some dealers try to gouge you. Oh, maybe not you. Or maybe you work for one.
But these are terms that SOMETIMES represent what new car dealers are trained to do: chisel, fleece, clip, nick, rip-off, scalp, skin, soak, make someone pay through the nose and take someone for a ride .
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Jackson_Slugger
$50 Site Donor 2022
Definitely not me. "Gouge? Maybe but that is perspective. You know how many cars I see lined up at the local car wash/gas station chain to pay $15 for a couple washes or up to just under $800 for the full monty of everything they offer including engine steam cleaning? Everyone tries to "gouge you" but car dealerships get the brunt of all the anger and optics. As we used to say, 'everyone will tell you how little they paid for their car and how much they paid for their house!"
But no one here ever questions the realtor...
I don't stress. If I can get the deal I want, I buy it. If I don't, I simply walk away, stress free. No need to fight wars on the lots.
Willing to buy off the lot, color, options, maybe even models. Timing it still important (End of quarter, End of month, End of year)
I really only have experience with near-luxury vehicles and the dealers in my area don't have to fight for business due to the amount of financing available (buy or lease) and general demand.
It's not an issue of offering a service or product, it's the manner in which it is "offered". When I sit down in a finance office and they've already printed the contract with loan insurance and window etching - items which were not previously discussed or accepted - I don't exactly get a warm fuzzy feeling. Then the business manager had the audacity to try and guilt-trip me over having to re-print the contract to remove the +$1K in extras I didn't want. Absolutely ridiculous.
To be fair, I've also completed very straight-forward, low-pressure car deals. But to take the position that at least some dealers don't deserve their poor reputations is bananas.
At least in the US, people expect to go through this "negotiation" process to get "the best" deal on a new commodity car. They need to go through this process to be convinced. They also expect the same deal to last throughout the year but in reality it has more to do with how much incentive the manufacturer gave the dealer instead of how much they can negotiate.
At least the younger buyers negotiate online instead of just walk in the door and negotiate on site. This gave them much better info and bargain power.
To me I just look for ads of loss leader and drive there to pay for the advertised price (usually already low and cant negotiate further). I never sat down to negotiate for hours, I did my homework before entering dealership know how much to pay for, instead of some old people just automatically ask for 10% off or 1k off because they assume they are ripped off to begin with, and real men always need to win a negotiation. Those automatic discount expected people are the ones that burn sales people and themselves out for nothing.
At least the younger buyers negotiate online instead of just walk in the door and negotiate on site. This gave them much better info and bargain power.
To me I just look for ads of loss leader and drive there to pay for the advertised price (usually already low and cant negotiate further). I never sat down to negotiate for hours, I did my homework before entering dealership know how much to pay for, instead of some old people just automatically ask for 10% off or 1k off because they assume they are ripped off to begin with, and real men always need to win a negotiation. Those automatic discount expected people are the ones that burn sales people and themselves out for nothing.
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Im not entirely sure how it works in the US, but down under, I've always found it pays to know exactly what car (and specifications and trims etc..) you want and know exactly what you (reasonably) want to pay. And forget about trade-in price, which a lot of people seem to get hung up on. All that matters is the price you'll pay to sit your butt in the new car. How they come to that figure, whether they take a little from pot A and put it into pot B is of no relevance.
then when you arrive at (or email or whatever..) the dealership, say to them 'ok this is what I want, this is what I want to pay. If you can do it, I'll sign the contract right now'
That let's them know you are serious and aren't just kicking tyres. I've found this works particularly well when the vehicle is in stock on the lot. While ever it sits there unsold, it's costing them money, and are much likely to do a deal rather than having to order from the factory, or elsewhere.
then when you arrive at (or email or whatever..) the dealership, say to them 'ok this is what I want, this is what I want to pay. If you can do it, I'll sign the contract right now'
That let's them know you are serious and aren't just kicking tyres. I've found this works particularly well when the vehicle is in stock on the lot. While ever it sits there unsold, it's costing them money, and are much likely to do a deal rather than having to order from the factory, or elsewhere.
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When you want a discount or bargain in anything you need to be flexible, not just a new car but almost everything in life, but also the kind of people you want to marry or the kind of career you want to have.
Same everywhere in the world really. Sometimes you need to walk away and then get a surprise phone call a few days later. Sometimes what you offer is slightly below market and the seller is hoping for an above market sale to a desperate buyer. That buyer may or may not show up and as a result you may or may not get the deal.
Most people only think of themselves vs the sellers but never buyers competing with each other for the same car. You may offer whatever you want but depends on whether the other buyers want to pay more, they may or may not have the incentive to sell to you at your offer.
I can only say what I typically do.
I search online for advertisements, and see who has fire sales and how much. Then I check everywhere 200 miles around me for their ads and see what kind of deals they have for 1 trim below and 1 trim above, and what kind of deals people had a couple months back to get the idea of how much people advertise for.
Sometimes you see only certain colors are on sale, sometimes you see sellers with left over odd combinations or old inventories. Sometimes you see them in odd locations far away from you, those are the desperate sellers you want to target for, not the local dealers who already got rid of their old inventories and have all the best sellers and no need to worry about inventories occupying the space and cash.
If you're standing in front of the dealer, ready to sign and lay a deposit, and the price is within their range (obviously ridiculous offers will be laughed at), they are not going to wait for someone else.
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Always buy a car when you want a car, not when you need a car.
It's not that simple sometimes. Ego enters the room. I was in negotiations to buy a used car and after a lot of back and forth on pricing where I came up and they came down we reached an impasse over $50. I gave my final offer and they wanted an additional $50. I said no and I'm going to walk. They said go ahead and walk. I said you're going to let me walk over $50 and they said there is the door. I walked, got in my car and they came out after me and said i could have my price. Told them once i walk it's over and I left. All over $50. Some dealers just don't like to make it easy.
This plus 1000% the whole commision based sale its self encourages immoral behavior. Anytime a sales person is encouraged to add as much as they can in order to increase their own income, an envirment of deceit and dishonesty is created. Car dealerships have created their own demise, and they deserve it.
