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A great many people in this country need to spend a few years in Mexico and learn the art of haggling, no wonder we are all getting hosed
It depends on who you are dealing with. I personally hate "haggling" a as do many people I know. When I sell, i post for market. When I buy, I pass right over over priced items. I want to deal with people like me.
Can someone tell me why it's considered greedy when a seller wants to get every dollar they can out of the sale but not when the buyer wants to keep as many dollars as he can in his pocket?
Sure, that's an easy one! It's because, hold on a sec, I knew it a moment ago...
The OP said his way would yield the lowest price. No, it wouldn't,, except within certain ethical parameters, which were not specified. Nobody believes car dealers are ethical nor honest, and they routinely renege on offers, and are expected to.. Why does a car dealer's "need" to make a profit trump the consumer's need to save money?
How are you going to get a judgment to enforce the written offer and compel the dealer to deliver the car without any add-ons or hidden costs or just plain malarkey?
I never said this is what should be done. I said this is what can be done, belying the OP's assertion that his technique will yield the best possible final price. There is no settled ethics in the marketplace, it's always in flux, according to the prevailing value of good faith.
How about because people need to buy cars in the future, and without profitable dealers, there aren't any outlets to purchase new cars? And used cars don't spring from the ground fully formed.
Can someone tell me why it's considered greedy when a seller wants to get every dollar they can out of the sale but not when the buyer wants to keep as many dollars as he can in his pocket?
It's the double standard of America. What's good for me is only good for me and no one else.
People understand nothing anymore. We don't get business, we don't even understand the weather. We've mostly all gotten dumber.
When you negotiate by email, you should keep the messages short. Some dealers will never get around to answering a long message, because they will answer short messages first, and run out of time for answering email. Or they will just send you a short reply asking you to come see the car and talk to them.
I would just send all the information about the car I wanted, and ask them for their best out-the-door price. Then if theirs is higher than others, tell them the lowest and ask if they want to beat it. When you finally go to the dealer with the lowest price, be very stubborn about not paying one cent more than that price, not even for any kind of fee or anything. If they let you go home without the car, because of how stubborn you are, you still have all the other bids. Being stubborn pays off with car dealers. Don't threaten to walk out, but just change the subject and engage them with small talk and whatever else they might seem interested in. To get the subject back to the car sale, they have to go first, and you can simply say, every time they go back to it, that you're not interested in paying any more than the amount they originally agreed to, then change the subject again.
Buying a car is only painful if you make it painful. Like watching a slow movie. Some slow movies are good, if you don't let the slowness bother you.
After reading the car buying process thread. I wanted to share how I bought my last car which I can't see anything wrong with the process.
Now I understand that the dealers need to make a profit but my question has always been how much of a profit do the dealers greed want to take from me. So this is what I did. I went to a random dealer to look for a car I wanted. Dealt with him for a little just to get the best possible price for the car I wanted and the options I wanted.
So I went home and emailed all the dealers in my area and told them what I wanted and what the price I was offered for that vehicle with what options. I told each dealer that I was sending the exact email to several dealers and I will purchase the vehicle with the dealer that came back with the best one time price. No haggling and going back and forth. There wasn't going to be a this dealer gave me this so will you beat it game. You give me the best price you can I if it's the lowest, I will purchase the vehicle.
For me, this shows which dealer was trying to get greedy or what not with a higher price than needed to be. They get one shot at a price. There wasn't going to be a "so this dealer gave you this price so I'll beat it".
Please tell me the fallacy to this approach. I mean I might not get the lowest of lowest price but what I did was bought the vehicle from a dealer who gave me his lowest price from the get go instead of trying to wheel and deal to get a higher price.
Like I said, I understand they need to make a profit but if you just start out with the lowest price you're willing to sell the vehicle, it shows integrity instead of trying to take it to the customer by giving them a higher price then lowering it if they hear you got a better price somewhere else.
What do you think and did I miss something?
Thanks
I think the way I bought mt vehicle was easier.
I found the vehicle and told the dealer how much I would pay.
If he agrees the deal is done, if he does not agree I walk away.
What you miss by utilizing this method is getting a feel for the dealer, the staff, the shop, etc. When I've bought new cars, I've had better luck sitting with the salesman and the sales manager, meeting the service manager, and seeing what all they can do for me on both fronts to make a deal. Typically where they won't go lower on the price, they'll edge out other dealers by throwing in options I want - weatherproof floor mats, compass mirror, free upgrade to navigation, etc. to sweeten the deal. I find that hard to do when you aren't face to face.
Plus I can't imagine trying to lock in a deal without seeing the car in person before even talking money. Even new cars, I've seen some on lots that have over 1,000 miles on them listed as new that we had to walk away from. No thanks, if I'm buying NEW it will have a single digit on the odometer.
Can someone tell me why it's considered greedy when a seller wants to get every dollar they can out of the sale but not when the buyer wants to keep as many dollars as he can in his pocket?
What!?!
By that logic, I'd be a greedy monster for picking a Ford Fiesta over a Ford F-150. Or for that matter, for hanging onto my 19-year-old F-150 for as long as I have.
To the OP - I think your approach is reasonable, and I've tried to emulate it (with the additional step of benchmarking offers against what folks on online forums are paying). My frustration is that the dealers in my area (at least for the brands that I'm looking at, Ford and VW) don't take online buyers seriously. They won't do any negotiation over the phone or email, they just regurgitate what the prices on their websites are. Plus once they get my email address, they spam me with dozens of automated emails describing special offers on cars that I've already told them I have no interest in.
When my wife bought her car a few years back, she tried your approach as well, with slightly better results. About 25% of the dealers responded with prices. She took the lowest one, then negotiated a little more off in person. The dealers who blew her off, didn't have a chance to earn her business.
I think the way I bought mt vehicle was easier.
I found the vehicle and told the dealer how much I would pay.
If he agrees the deal is done, if he does not agree I walk away.
Bingo!!!!!!
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