Is shopping for a vehicle a pleasure or buyers beware?

Question

I would much appreciate input from consumers that are not associated with the auto industry on any of these following questions.
# 1...DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO GO SHOPPING FOR A VEHICLE AT A DEALERSHIP
# 2...DO YOU LIKE THE PROCESS BUYING A VEHICLE AT A DEALERSHIP
# 3...DO YOU LIKE DEALING WITH CAR SALESPEOPLE
# 4...BUYING A VEHICLE FROM A DEALER, HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GETTING A REAL GOOD DEAL ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10.

I got a vote caster on a website asking these questions with yes or no answers only and would like to expand site to include more detailed feedback and will use some of your answers on this website http://www.usedcartips.org/ thank you

Answer 1

# 1...DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO GO SHOPPING FOR A VEHICLE AT A DEALERSHIP
Definately not. It's always an awkward situation. The sales person is usually very happy to help you unless you are only there to do some comparison shopping. If they can't make a sale, they usually get perturbed.

# 2...DO YOU LIKE THE PROCESS BUYING A VEHICLE AT A DEALERSHIP
No. I'll have to say that some are definately better than others. Such as higher end shops tend to treat you better, but all in all it doesn't feel like a open an honest exchange. Especially when you have to go through the price negotiations. Why does this have to be a slow and drawn out process. Why not just provide the buyer with the best price at once?

# 3...DO YOU LIKE DEALING WITH CAR SALESPEOPLE
No, see above answers.

# 4...BUYING A VEHICLE FROM A DEALER, HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GETTING A REAL GOOD DEAL ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10.
At a dealer anywhere from 6 - 8.

Answer 2

I definitely look forward to shop for a car at a dealership- I get to get up and close to the car, which no internet website can do for you, and I get to take the car out for a spin and se eif I like it.

I enjoy buying my car at a dealership; I find the experience quite thrilling and suspenseful, especially when negotiations go back and forth for quite a long time, with neither side willing to budge on price.

Some car salespeople are great to deal with; they are courteous and professional, while others are mean and nasty, and therefore quite painful to deal with. I've dealt with both and a lot of people in between.

I'm very confident in my ability to secure a good deal on a car, therefore I give myself a 10. Before I walk into that dealership to even take a test drive, I am armed with the MSRP, Invoice, and dealer holdback figures for that particular model, and despite being armed with that information I try not to bargain immediately after taking a test drive- waiting a few days gives me time to think about what I will offer the dealership. Plus I'll be calmer and not be caught up in "impulse buying" by waiting a few days.

Answer 3

Looking at cars and test driving cars is fun, but you have to deal with the annoying, clingy salespeople. When it gets down to actually working out a deal on a car, the moment a salesman thinks you're serious, they are like a pit bull gnawing at your leg that won't get off and let you make your damn decision. Then, they keep high-balling you and you know they just want to get the biggest sale they can, so they will keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get you to pay more than its really worth, hoping they caught a sucker. I've met some that are nice, but its just kind of a pain. Generally, I would be at an 8 on confidence that I am NOT getting a "good" deal from a dealership, unless you know the people. You don't get a "good" deal at a dealership, period.

Answer 4

I was raised by a used car salesman so I know how to haggle. I love car shopping because it is fun and I am good at it. I always go in knowing what type of car I want and what the blue book and NADA say and what the car manufactures say. The last car I bought was a 2003 MINI Cooper and I got it for $5000 less than the asking price. That brought it down to what the books said the car was worth and I feel I got a good deal on the car. I love my MINI and now know I will never drive any other car so when I get a new car I will by a custom made one at the MINI dealership.

Answer 5

1. yes i look forward to buying a car because it is an exciting process! a car is something you have to be in almost every day! you want to make a good choice and a careful one!
2. i don't look forward to the process...I feel like you have to go EVERYWHERE before making a decision. It's a large enough purchase that you don't just go buy it, and i'm not that patient. It's more important that I trust who I'm buying from, and they take care of me.
3. on the whole, no. I've dealt with some pretty sketchy car salesmen, but i've also had a few very pleasant experiences. I like it when they aren't too pushy, are in tune with my needs, and don't have an agenda
4. not terribly confident, but you do what you can! i look at all the incentives online in my area first before ever leaving the house. you have to sniff out the deals, and then walk in playing dumb