Buying a Kia Minivan - Need dealer recommendations (Tampa, Lakeland: sales, how much)

[The Villages Guy]

I am finally giving in and will give up my truck and go with one vehicle. We want to trade in the truck and my wife's car for a Kia Sedona Minivan, as it will be easier for me to get in and out of and can hold a wheelchair inside......plus will work better for a hitch and scooter rack.

Can anyone recommend or have experience with Kia dealers in Pinellas or Paso Counties, from 580 or so north?

We want to make this happen in the next few days, so any info would be great....especially how it is to negotiate with the dealers.

Thx in advance.

[HWTechGuy]

I'm just curious as to what steered you towards the Kia. Are you looking to eventually do a wheelchair lift conversion? You might want to look into one that's already done. Plenty of places around here selling those, I pass one down on 19 all the time.

Regarding negotiating with dealers, if you belong to Sam's Club or Costco, you can usually do well via their car buying programs. Also, you can sometimes do better with the internet sales department at a dealership (if they have one).

I've got family in the car biz, so I haven't had to go down this road (on my own) in some time.

Best of luck with everything.

[dothetwist]

Purchased a new car last week.

Prior to contacting any dealers, I did my homework online to establish a good price on the new car I wanted (edmunds.com and a few others). I also established what my trade-in was worth at retail. I found my trade-in's year/make/model on local Craigslists, and at local dealer websites, as well as at Kelly's Blue Book and Edmunds.com.

After gathering the info, I came up with my Out the Door Price; it's the only number that matters on a car deal as it's the number you will write the check for, after the trade-in, add-ons, taxes and fees. Some dealers will give you a 'good' number on the new vehicle, then low-ball you on your trade-in or vice versa. Or insist on dealer-prep and not negotiate on options; that's why you need to know you're bottom line.

I contacted two dealers via their internet sales department and told them exactly what I wanted and described my trade-in in detail. I purposely sent the initial email to both dealers so they knew I was talking to more than one dealer. I asked them for their Out the Door Price. I negotiated both prices in separate emails, down until the lowest price was $400 below what I was originally willing to pay.

I'm a Costco member and contacted their car buyer service after I got prices from these two dealers. Costco sent me to a different dealer.

The new car Out the Door Price from Costco was very good; however, they really low-balled me on the trade-in. I just laughed and said I'd go back to the dealer who gave me a good OTD; I had not told them I had quotes from other dealers until after they gave me their price. Then I showed them the email from the dealer with the lowest price.

We then had to go through the song and dance routine where the salesman says he has to go talk to the manager a few times. I said I needed to go home soon. Then the manager came out and said he'd seen the offer I had from the other dealer, and said there was no way any dealer could make any money on that deal. I said, fine and stood up to leave.

Then they matched the price, to the penny.

So do your homework!

[Sunscape]

You might want to check with USAA, since I think you are a member. They offer you car buying services and do a reasonable job, that is after you check what the reasonable price is like somebody else is telling you here.
Good Luck with that buy.....

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by HWTechGuy

I'm just curious as to what steered you towards the Kia. Are you looking to eventually do a wheelchair lift conversion? You might want to look into one that's already done. Plenty of places around here selling those, I pass one down on 19 all the time.

Regarding negotiating with dealers, if you belong to Sam's Club or Costco, you can usually do well via their car buying programs. Also, you can sometimes do better with the internet sales department at a dealership (if they have one).

I've got family in the car biz, so I haven't had to go down this road (on my own) in some time.

Best of luck with everything.

Basically because of size for wheelchair, good option to hook scooter to the back, looks, price and warranty.

I just did the internet thing and could not believe the lower price I can get with that at one dealer. BUT, I will have to see what they do with the trades. Here's hoping. I need to be careful with the money.

Thx

[DUNNDFRNT]

Originally Posted by North_Pinellas_Guy

Basically because of size for wheelchair, good option to hook scooter to the back, looks, price and warranty.

I just did the internet thing and could not believe the lower price I can get with that at one dealer. BUT, I will have to see what they do with the trades. Here's hoping. I need to be careful with the money.

Thx

I am in the midst of buying a car, I went to one of the Lokey dealers yesterday, I checked with both USAA, costco and truecar.com the true car certificate was lowest, I went to the dealer without telling them about the truecar and I let them do the whole I have to talk to my manager thing, then I showed him the certificate after the whole song and dance again they wouldnt match it even though it was from their own internet department, so i got up to leave and the manager comes and says if you want to buy a car lets talk, I told him I thought that was what we were doing for the last 2 hours, and I had to go. I hate the way the dealers do business so much, that whole system is so antiquated the factories should sell direct.

[Pragmaticus]

Great info above... I will add this

1) The best you could do is ask for out the door price (OTDP) as mentioned above.

2) Separate trade-in and buying (unless in certain circumstances see below). Just negotiate the OTDP for new car deal without even mentioning you have a trade-in and once you finished that, you ask how much they are willing to pay you for your trade-in.

3) There is no really a good reason to put trade-in and what you are buying together. That way you know exactly the bottom line. If you want to work on the total value (buy-trade-in), then work on those. They will always give you high trade-in and bump on the new car or vice versa. You don't want to know all their fees either. J

4) The only time you want to combine trade-in and new buy is if you have relatively newer car and are not comfortable in selling by yourself. OR you may make marginal gain (few hundred dollars) through the tax as the new amount is the one that you will be taxed on but that value can be impacted by your trade-in so you can effectively pay less tax by structuring that .

If you are staying more than an hour in a dealer, you are guaranteed to be losing . Do your homework, and don't let them wear you down. When they do "let me talk to the manager" game and let you sit there for 30 or so minutes, it is a gimmick. That is their typical game. Just walk out.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by DUNNDFRNT

I am in the midst of buying a car, I went to one of the Lokey dealers yesterday, I checked with both USAA, costco and truecar.com the true car certificate was lowest, I went to the dealer without telling them about the truecar and I let them do the whole I have to talk to my manager thing, then I showed him the certificate after the whole song and dance again they wouldnt match it even though it was from their own internet department, so i got up to leave and the manager comes and says if you want to buy a car lets talk, I told him I thought that was what we were doing for the last 2 hours, and I had to go. I hate the way the dealers do business so much, that whole system is so antiquated the factories should sell direct.

Hey, thx a bunch. I did the truecar (which I never knew about) and will be able to save $170 more on top of the really low internet price I did for a local Kia dealer. Now I will have to see what they try to do with me on the trade-in. We shall see.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by North_Pinellas_Guy

Hey, thx a bunch. I did the truecar (which I never knew about) and will be able to save $170 more on top of the really low internet price I did for a local Kia dealer. Now I will have to see what they try to do with me on the trade-in. We shall see.

Deal done. They honored the truecar price, but tried to make it up on the trades. After 4 back and forths with the "manager", I got the out the door price I wanted.

So now we are down to one vehicle. Who wants to volunteer to drive me around when my wife is traveling?

[Jimrob1]

I was out looking at cars off and on the past several months. I have to say I don't like buying a car to begin with. I don't understand why the experience has to feel so unpleasant. The wheeling and dealing, the very unfair price we are given for our trade in. Most of all the outrageous depreciation we suffer for our vehicles. I hate the entire experience, but it worsened when dealing with Tampa/Lakeland area car dealers. I just found many to really be unprofessional, and their sales people seem to all be young guys that come and go. Not listening to what I was wanting to buy, it was more I had to buy what they told me to buy. So the feeling of dealing with a long time car dealer with reputable sales people. I just didn't see many at all. I avoided one dealer Fucillio in Wesley Chapel, just by the trashy commercials. In fact I don't understand why a dealer feels the need to behave so unprofessionally. Surely other people must shy away from dealers like that also.

So I wonder why are car dealers in this area, so unprofessional in their manner of doing business?