We got a flyer in the mail and went to a local car dealership. The flyer said they'd give $3000 off the purchase of a vehicle. We picked out a truck and they said it was $25000 and with the discount it was 22. We told them we'd think about it. We looked online and their ad showed it for 21 without the "coupon".
Got any tips for buying a vehicle without getting taken for a "ride"
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2007-02-20 08:47:53 · 24 answers · asked by Jasmine 5 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Buying & Selling
do yuor homework. if you are buying new, go to edmunds.com and find out what invoice is on the truck and work from there. this site will also show all current incentives and rebates the dealer may "forget" to tell you about. i to this very day am amazed that people get taken so often in new car sales with the resources available to the public.
if it is used, go to kbb.com and find out what book is. decide what you are wanting to pay ahead of time, compare prices at other dealers and don't rush into anything.
p.s.- always deal with fleet / internet sales they will be more willing to deal than the guys on the line.
edit: not to go against what others are saying, but it is impossible for you guys to generalize the markup on vehicles the way that you are. some automotive companies leave so little profit in between invoice and msrp that you will get thrown off the lot with the tactics you are suggesting.
find out invoice weather it is going to edmunds or asking the dealer to show it to you, subtract the rebates and incentives given by the manufacturer, add 250 - 500 to the number you are getting and offer that to the dealer. unless you know someone, or run across a dealer that thinks their car is going out of style, you will not likely get a car for invoice or below.
2nd edit: why is it dihonest for someone to want to make money off of a service they are providing for you? is it dishonest that starbucks makes 2$ per cup of coffee they sell you? are mortgage brokers dishonest for charging a comission? everyone wants dealers to give cars away for free, and starts pointing fingers and calling people dishonest for wanting to make an honest living.
some of the most upstanding, honest people i have met in my young adult life have been automotive salespeople.
2007-02-20 08:57:09 · answer #1 · answered by Evan B 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Ok just to let you know, I am a former car salesmam--I quit the car busines a few months ago. Yes there is good honest car salesman out there--they r just hard to find. What I kept running into was the customer would lie to me and then when I would give them an exceptional price they thought I was lying.--For the people that always call in first. #1 rule--get them in the house---you can't sell a car over the phone --to many variables. #2 --most all car salesman work off of commission--you don't buy a car --salesman does not eat. It is a vicsious cycle--the customer wants a great deal and the salesman only wants to provide for his family. In my case, i thought I was going to be the best salesman ever, I am honest and expect the same---the only problem is that honesty got me fewer sales, which made things difficult because there was not enough money earned to pay bills--so instead of compromising my intergity, I quit the cars business and took a lesser paying job and my wife had to go back to work to help make ends meet. If you would like to talk more on this subject you cam IM me at kbrashear8047 with yahoo-- I will tell you one of the best ways to make a deal.
2016-03-18 02:48:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only things I can tell you is that most people, be they dealers or private individuals, tend to over price their cars. Contrary to popular perception, this isn't done to accomodate for haggling, it's because they think it's worth more than it's actual value.
With that in mind, I always use Kelly Blue Book to tell me the actual value of the car. So long the car is priced in the range of Blue Book value, it is a fair deal, regardless of who is selling it or whether they are honest or not.
Once I started using this method, I found I would pass up a LOT of deals, and it takes, on average, 6-12 months to find the right car at the right price.
The beauty of it is, it cuts out a lot of the bs but you should also assume there will be no haggling, and be ready to pay the asking price straight up.
http://www.kbb.com/
As for finding a car that's worth 22k per Blue Book and you see one priced as such and you buy it, then later you find another ad for the same car for 20k, that's just the breaks, even if it's from the same dealer. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes they do.
Because if it's worth 22k and that's what you paid, then you got a fair deal.
Best I can recommend is if you find that ad, print it out and take it with you on your FIRST visit. Matter of fact, always print or take a copy of the ad with you (because you never know, it just might be the cheapest).
Good luck.
2007-02-20 10:08:47 · answer #3 · answered by netthiefx 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take the add online for $21,000.00 and then ask them to take off the $3,000.00 This is illegal in Colorado unless they honor the $18,000.00 offer. Kelly Blue Book is only a guide. The most widely used guide in the business is NADA. There really is some good dealers out there. People do not understand on how margains for a dealer are so small. If you went and payed full MSRP on a new car they are making on average of 10%. But nobody pays full MSRP. Average profit on a new car is around 5%. A dealer has to pay a floor plan of almost 1% a month. The average new vehicles sits on a lot for 63 days. So now there average profit is less than 3%. Show any industry any with a 3% profit margin. Wal-mart for instance has a 78% profit margin. Oh back to the Kelly Blue Book as a guide- Pick ups are real high in demand right now, on the wholesale market we are paying $2000.00-$3,000.00 over book- so that should tell you what a book or guide is worth. I have tried to sell a car to the book, but it doesn't work. If you are interested in a truck I will give you an actual market value. That's why all the dealers are going broke. You can go to edmunds.com and see what there cost is and then you in and offer less. No wonder why they are going broke. Just imagine going to edmunds.com and see what wal-mart pays for their items and then making them an offer. An average salesman makes much less today than they did 10 years ago. Been in the business for 24 years. mortgage broker is illegal in Colorado. The law states if you sell more than 3 cars or have the intent to make any profit in any year, you must have a dealer license. Brokers do not have a dealer license.
OJ Simpson glove had over a 1000% mark up, could you imagine selling a 40,000 pick up for 400,000. OJ glove wholesale cost was under $6.50 and retailed for over $65.00
Do know what it cost to insure a dealer with 400 cars and building that worth millions and it usually has over 200 employees. Do know what this insurance bill is every month. Anyone want to take a guess???????
2007-02-20 08:51:58 · answer #4 · answered by $1,539,684,631,121 Clinton Debt 6 · 2⤊ 4⤋
Yes. If you find a vehicle you want, go to www.edmunds.com. You can input information about the vehicle you want and get an idea of the fair market value before making any offers.
Last year, I answered one of those ads. I also won a prize, a free trip for two but they wanted $25 for the free trip. I did not pay it and did not get the trip.
I picked out a vehicle that I liked, had to fight my way out of the dealership to get home. I looked up and printed out info on the value of the vehicle, subtracted $3,000 from that figure and then held out until they let me have the vehicle at the discounted price.
Car salesmen will say just about anything to sell a car.
2007-02-20 08:56:01 · answer #5 · answered by regerugged 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Every dealer is aloud to set thier own individual prices. I have a family friend who owns a dealer and he is one of the number one Chrysler dealers in my area. He has fair prices and will help anyone out that needs it, if they ask for it. Because his dealership is in a smaller town (still classified in my area about an hour away) getting vehicles there are more expencive for shipping there, adn getting service parts there are harder too. He sets his prices up higher to help with the costs of shipping and parts shipping. If someone asks why his price is what is is when the site price is so much more less, he tells them straight up and then if they ask, he will drop the price to that price and add any deal the site is offering at that time. He is one of the most trustworthy people I know, We have bought many cars from him in the past. (1973 Dodge Dart (used),1986 K-car (used), 1987 Plymouth Caravelle (used), 1996 Plymouth Voyager (new), 1997 Dodge Dakota Sport (new), 1997 Chrysler Intreped (used)) and we have sent many people to him and everyone of them has been satified. Just because of sterotypes industrys get a bad name. Never in my dealings or my friends dealing with him, have I or anyone I know felt cheated by him.
2007-02-20 09:37:11 · answer #6 · answered by gregthomasparke 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not to many!
I would let that dealership know they lost you as a customer just because they lied. Next time you go to buy a car it's always better to have a man preferably someone at least 40 and knows something about cars, I'm not trying to be sexiest but car sales people take advantage and are very pushy to females even more so if your young.
I don't know if you have a Car-Max in your area but that's the last place I bought a car and they were very honest and fair.
2007-02-20 09:05:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
No, you have to know what you're buying. Do research, don't grab a flyer and head to a dealership. The salesman is working on commission, so the higher the sell price, the more money he makes. In your scenario that's more "deceptive marketing" than the salesman.
2007-02-20 08:57:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Do your homework before you go to the dealer. You have to be firm on the price that you want and stick to your guns if you move you lose and they win. You have the last word to say at any time, if you feel that he or she is screwing you just get up and walk out. Remember its you money that you are spending and you have to live with the car for many years after the purchase. Be strong and you will get what you want.
2007-02-20 08:55:44 · answer #9 · answered by jmayer5025 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First off, don't go to any sale where you get a "flyer" in the mail.
These sales are purposely done to have you spend $5k-$10k more than you have to.
There are very few honest salesman, they all work on commission and don't really care about service. I used to work in the industry and seen how greedy and egotistical the owner and General manager can be.
That being said, research, research, research the car you want. Internet has really hurt dealers, so use it to your advantage.
Also, haggle as much as possible, the first offer is always $8-$12k higher than the cost, and they usually do it by payment. Don't fall for it....make sure they tell you the bottom line.
2007-02-20 08:55:40 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋