Why is buying a car from a dealer such a pain in the butt?

hidesertwheelin

hidesertwheelin

Adventurist
I'm even going through Costco. Wife wants a 4runner. Get hooked up with John Elway's Crown Toyota in Ontario. Talk to the "fleet" guy and he gives me a price for the truck we want. Called this afternoon to go down and take a look at it. Guy tells me have me the wrong price, and they don't have the truck we want in stock. He can't tell me if it sold. So I hang up and call and ask for someone else in the fleet department. He tells me that John Elway himself had the specific truck we wanted taken out of inventory and added to demo for his personnel use. All the while no one can give me the correct Costco price for the truck we want. What a damn joke. And I've bought 2 different vehicles from them before, when did they become such a joke?
 
I showed up to the fleet auction dealer I bought my van from with cash in hand. I crawled around the van, climbed under it, dug under the hood and took it for a drive. I laid a small stack of $100 bills on his desk and said this is what I'll pay, right here, right now and I'll drive it away. He balked. Not at the price, he was happy with what I offered (well under the listed price) but that I had cash, he wanted a check.

What.The.Hell?

Frankly I think there is something wrong with car sales people.
 
Finance Dept wants their cut too, if you pay cash you cut them out of the deal!
 
I only deal with Internet sales folks. And I only physically show up at a dealer once I have a price under MSRP (invoice or lower - use true car dot com) AND I have a copy of the window sticker with VIN matching the price quote. I refuse to waste my time with their back and forth games and spend very little time there before we drive away within the vehicle. Did this with the Ram and the Outback and it's a lot easier that way.

Play hardball and open your aperture - someone wants to sell a vehicle. And they are rolling off the assembly line every day. Don't believe the dealer hype of "rareness", it's worth the wait to make them work for you.
 
Dave said:
I only deal with Internet sales folks. And I only physically show up at a dealer once I have a price under MSRP (invoice or lower - use true car dot com) AND I have a copy of the window sticker with VIN matching the price quote. I refuse to waste my time with their back and forth games and spend very little time there before we drive away within the vehicle. Did this with the Ram and the Outback and it's a lot easier that way.

Play hardball and open your aperture - someone wants to sell a vehicle. And they are rolling off the assembly line every day. Don't believe the dealer hype of "rareness", it's worth the wait to make them work for you.
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The internet sales people are the idiots I have been dealing with. I've never had this many problems.
 
Kevin LaCroix said:
Be ready to walk, and willing to. I have done this and it works.
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I'm defiantly ready for that. I already have a check from my credit union, so it may come down to me going to the dealer and telling them I will write the check for XXX amount of dollars for this vehicle. If they say anything besides yes, then I walk.
 
hidesertwheelin said:
The internet sales people are the idiots I have been dealing with. I've never had this many problems.
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Like I said, sit back and wait. Make THEM send you the window sticker with VIN and an email with their price. Never pay MSRP. Invoice or less is the game. And DO NOT go down to the dealer to even look at a vehicle until you have exactly what you want on paper.
 
hidesertwheelin said:
I'm defiantly ready for that. I already have a check from my credit union, so it may come down to me going to the dealer and telling them I will write the check for XXX amount of dollars for this vehicle. If they say anything besides yes, then I walk.
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Never tell them what your limit is. They will tailor the deal to get every dime they can from you (there is a TON of hold back money in any deal) so it is better to make THEM give you numbers. Don't even tell them what monthly payment you want because that too can skew their numbers. Keep them cards close to the vest!
 
Dave said:
Never tell them what your limit is. They will tailor the deal to get every dime they can from you (there is a TON of hold back money in any deal) so it is better to make THEM give you numbers. Don't even tell them what monthly payment you want because that too can skew their numbers. Keep them cards close to the vest!
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This is my fall back plan. I am getting pricing from a bunch of dealers now. If none of them are as low as I feel they should be, I will go to the dealer and offer my price. If they say yes, we have a deal, if not, I walk.
 
USAA Car buying just like AAA and Costco. The dealer will always say yes we honor and then try to change it once you're there saying on thing doesn't match. They are hoping you give in and are ignorant of the rules. I always tell them thanks I'll be reporting this to whichever above and I'm headed to a different dealer. Bye.

I usually get a call from them within the hour accepting the deal as pre negotiated. It's rare I don't.

Watch the trade ins though they will always give you the price you haggle for but that doesn't mean that they aren't just tacking some of that price over blue book right back onto your vehicle your buyings price.

It's always smart to have financing secured prior to going and not use theirs unless they have 0% or cash back offers. And if they have both do the math. Sometimes the cash back is more than the financing charges add up to be. Do you're homework. Know you're credit score and the current mean average credit score of the local area (it's all on the Internet). Also use services on the interwebs to know what the cars in your area are selling for new. Good to be more prepared than the sales people.


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McDowra said:
A 2 year old car is a much better deal keep that in mind
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That statement isn't necessarily always true. Used cars will have a higher interest rate on your loan in a new car often nowadays new cars or 0% interest rate so I can figure it out and do the math. Also some cars hold their value tremendously well a two-year-old forerunner will be almost the same price as a new forerunner giver take a couple thousand. Factoring in wear and tear, cost of maintenance as the mileage get higher etc.

Of course the flipside to that is finding yourself a good vehicle at the dealer that was a lease for sale that the dealer is now offering interest-rate the same as if it was a new car.


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Ironworks Tactical said:
Also some cars hold their value tremendously well a two-year-old forerunner will be almost the same price as a new forerunner giver take a couple thousand. Factoring in wear and tear, cost of maintenance as the mileage get higher etc.

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It's funny you say that
My local dealer just listed a 2016 forerunner that was a demo car (aka the general manager or some big wig drove it around) and they are now selling it w/ almost 5k miles on it for more than a new one.
 
hidesertwheelin said:
It's funny you say that
My local dealer just listed a 2016 forerunner that was a demo car (aka the general manager or some big wig drove it around) and they are now selling it w/ almost 5k miles on it for more than a new one.
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Not sure why they would be selling it for more than a new one with similar upgrades. In reality you should be able to get a better price since it has mileage but still the low APR only offered on new vehicles.


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