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I have a lot of respect for the current Hyundai/Kia lineup and think that they have come a long way from what they were even 5 years ago. With that said, Hyundai needs to do something about their dealers method of doing business.
Daily I hear commercials for three large Hyundai dealers located in NJ. Each of them always has a pricing gimmick like: we'll give you $5k off a new Hyundai, we'll make your payments for a year, we'll give you a check for $1,500, etc. The hook on all of these is that they require you to pay the "posted dealer price" and may result in "financing rate being greater than value of car".
Why does Hyundai allow their dealers to run these types of borderline bait and switch gimmicks? The mere fact that what most people hear day-to-day regarding car advertising is dealer, not corporate based, these types of ads and business practices paint Hyundai in a bad light.
They really epitomize the bad car dealer. Given there are at least two Dodge and one Chevy dealer that I know of locally that pull the same crap, but that is a couple out of dozens of dealers for those brands. With Hyundai it seems all but one or two are engaged in this type of advertising.
For Hyundai to continue on the path they have laid out for themselves, they really need to take a look at their dealers practices and get them to mainstream. Anyone else have local Hyundai dealers like this?
How is that really any different than what every other dealer on the planet does?
If a company is selling something and are very excited to "save you money" there is usually a catch. because it is not in their interest to loose GP dollars if they can help it
How is that really any different than what every other dealer on the planet does?
If a company is selling something and are very excited to "save you money" there is usually a catch. because it is not in their interest to loose GP dollars if they can help it
I know what evey dealer in the world is after and that's money, the more of it the better. The difference I have seen with Hyundai is that they are tolerant of allowing their dealers to play these shell games with people. The money being offered or discussed has nothing to do with any rebates from Hyundai or anything else. This is simply the dealership manipulating the prices to make it seem as if you are getting a deal, when in reality you are paying MSRP or more for a Hyundai.
Take Chevy for example, the local dealer advertises that they are having x dollars off these cars or 0% financing for x term, through GM. Same thing with VW, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Nissan, etc. These dealers rarely play the gimmick game. The "deals" they offer are the current deals being offered at all dealers of the brand by the manufacturer. The local Hyundai dealers seem to focus on gimmicks that are just shell games and IMO the dealer is dilluting the image of Hyundai's product.
Im afraid its the American way of doing business...and most likely in virtually any other part of the world. There has to be a lure to get peoples attention. And deception is fair bait . The automotive industry at the retail level is the biggest con game , bar none. Ethics and morals take a back seat to bottom line profit and especially in an economy that is in such bad shape as it is currently. Businesses are striving to stay afloat and anyway to fool the public is permissable. Im a Hyundai owner owning my third Hyundai now and i love the product but going thru the car buying gimmick mantra is anything but pleasurable. Thats why i think places like CarMax are doing well ...ONE price for everyone . My only upset with Hyundai as a Company , is their '10 year warranty' claim which hardly covers anything between years 6-10 . It should be A FULL bumper to bumper warranty for 10 years if they really want to dominate the market once and for all.
Last edited by 007.5; 07-12-2010 at 11:56 AM..
Reason: add
The dealers got you in the door...it sucks for you, but it worked for them. The rule with cars is: If it looks to good to be true, it is.
And..No matter how "nice" the salesmen are, they are out to make a buck!
I feel that I need to preface this by saying that I have not personally been suckered by any of these dealers and I am not complaining based on personal experience. I've bought over 20 cars and trucks in my short life (as well as buying and selling thousands of cars and heavy duty trucks for work) and am pretty familiar with what is and isn't a good deal and how it works.
This post was merely an observation of local dealer practices based on their advertisements. While it is true that the manufacturers don't have a large amount of control over how a dealer does business, they can certainly exert influence. Generally the Japanese and German brands have very strict dealer standards, less so for the American brands, but they are getting better. However, it seems to me, at least in NJ, that Hyundai exercises very little control over their dealers and their practices. For a car company in ascendency this can be a major issue.
I happen to like several of the new Hyundai products, but all of my local dealers seem to be run like a bait and switch three ring circus. So, while I wouldn't personally fall for it, it makes it very hard for me to want to do business with them. I was really trying to see if others had seen this in their area's as well. It was meant to be a topic of conversation, not a rant about a personal experience. Perhap's the dealers felt that they needed to be gimmicky to sell Hyundai's 5 or 10 years ago, but as the product has dramatically improved, the dealers still seem to be relying on the same hokey sales tactics.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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Does not matter *how* the dealer sells YOU a car.
It is up to you, to get the best deal possible.
If you *know* there is something fishy going on, take advantage of the situation.
Use it for your own advantage.
Example:
Car offered for 20,000
incentive - 5,000 dollar off (but only after you pay full price ..)
Now offer him 15,000 *Out The Door*.
(Your offer, after taking everything into consideration, if you think 20,000 is a good price ...))
Meaning 15,000 is the amount you would pay him cash !
This includes taxes and prep charges !!!!
If he refuses, walk away, he is NOT the only dealer in town, is he ???
If he accepts, then haggle over payments ....
We do this ALL the time !!!
AFTER we check the car (KBB price, mechanical inspection by OUR mechanic, Carfax etc ...)
Your dissatisfaction about the ways dealers operate, is NOT going to change their methods.
OMG...I think I am going to give up on this thread. The intention was to discuss dealer sales tactics and advertising as they relate to the perception of a brand. In this case the local Hyundai dealers all personify the worst car dealer stereotypes. It's not about whether or not you can get a decent deal from them, but more about their general method of doing business. Out of probably 100 dealerships in my area with the exception of 2 Dodge and 1 Chevy dealer, none of the other dealer brands engage in this type of advertising or gimmicks. I was trying to get to the point that if Hyundai (a brand in ascendency and gaining market share) wants to continue to build on what they are doing, they need to take a firmer stand with dealers engaging in this type of behavior.
It's because you have a company that was formerly one of the worst, a place only for people with horrible credit to buy a car. Now, they as a company are trying to move up, but the dealerships are still stuck in their ways, and in all likelihood, are still dealing with bogues like that.
But Hyundai can't dictate terms to dealerships like that.
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