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I have no idea. Do you own a Telsa? Do most people own Teslas? Why should it matter? You expect all manufacturers to operate like Tesla? Or do you expect everyone to buy a Tesla?
One tiny niche automaker of expensive electric cars that may or may not catch on fire and burn your house down while parked in your garage is not the answer, nor is it relevant.
TL;DR I don't give a damn about Tesla.
Consumers who claim to want to "cut the BS" are in the minority. One price failed for Saturn and Scion isn't doing so hot. CARMAX does well, but they do not dominate the used car scene AND they got out of the new car business.
Fixed pricing did not fail Saturn.
It was the lack of GM corporate supporting Saturn autonomy, internecine attacks from Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, and other rival GM divisions, and the refusal of GM corporate to allow Saturn to develop new models that created an impossible climate for Saturn to operate successfully in.
In short, GM allowed Saturn to die on the vine instead of nurturing it and allowing it to flourish (as GM did in the beginning).
Not true! the dealers get you a lower rate but never actually give you the lower rate...they pocket the difference...it's one of their dirty little secrets! You may think you got 3.9 because that's what the paper shows, but you actually qualified for 3.5%....they pocket the .4% which adds up!
Why does it matter if they keep .4% as long as that 3.9% they're offering you is the best rate you have been offered? If the best rate you've been able to secure on your own is 4.25% and the dealer is able to get you in at 3.9%, but you really qualified for 3.5%, it is still the best rate you can get. Who cares if they make a little. This goes back to what I've been debating on here. The mentality is that if the dealer profits on a sale they must be screwing you. It doesn't matter if you received the best OTD price and interest rate of all competing dealers. If there's anything left they screwed you over is the mentality when it comes to consumers and purchasing cars.
Are you upset that the grocery store you purchased $200 worth of groceries from every week is making a profit from you? How about when you stop and purchase fuel. You run in an grab a bottle of water and a pack of chewing gum. Are you upset when you leave because that gas station just made a profit?
It seems that it is just the car dealerships because they're too transparent. If you had no idea that they made .4% on the interest rate or that their holdback is 3% or the invoice is X amount of dollars, you couldn't get upset about paying too much. As long as you received the best deal you could find and are happy with your car is all that should matter. Most dealers are competitive and want to make that sale. There are a few exceptions where a dealer will not negotiate off of the MSRP price, but that is only a small percentage of models in the market.
I cannot find a website that provides me the cost of what Publix or Kroger grocery stores pay for a jar of Jif peanut butter or a package of Hebrew National hot dogs. The only thing I can do is compare prices at the competing stores. If I don't want to pay retail price I have to wait for a sale or coupon. I know a price of a vehicle vs a jar of peanut butter is not even close, but it is the same concept. Retail sales with retail prices. Only the car industry provides invoices and finance rates.
Why didn't the bank offer you 3.5% if they offer the dealership it to give to you? No one is denying that the dealer makes money off financing. Imagine that, so does everyone else.
My rule is simple. If the dealer has the same rate as my prearranged financing, I stay with what I brought. If they can beat it, I'll go with the dealer.
To all those saying XYZ store does not give an invoice to prove what they pay, that's all well and good, but they also don't advertise selling things at invoice or as you walk out the door tell you how you stole that TV or they aren't making money. Car Dealers do, except it's not the true invoice. So, they should just stop advertising that way and maybe people wouldn't want it.
It was the lack of GM corporate supporting Saturn autonomy, internecine attacks from Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, and other rival GM divisions, and the refusal of GM corporate to allow Saturn to develop new models that created an impossible climate for Saturn to operate successfully in.
In short, GM allowed Saturn to die on the vine instead of nurturing it and allowing it to flourish (as GM did in the beginning).
This. Saturn dealers were really a model by which other companies should have explored adopting. Saturn sold an awful lot of particularly substandard product based on the sales model their dealers employed (see Ion). In addition, they sold Saturns to people who would never have been caught dead in a Chevy showroom.
I hate dealers and have vowed to never buy from another, but my question is if the clear coat protection worth the $1k? Seems legit...
Most items dealers offer besides the car is generally marked up (window tinting, GAP Insurance, extended warranties, nitrogen tires, clear coat protectant, scotch gard)
My rule is simple. If the dealer has the same rate as my prearranged financing, I stay with what I brought. If they can beat it, I'll go with the dealer.
Nothing wrong with that. It's probably a good practice. It gives you one less thing to concern yourself over. You have a rate you are happy with and it the dealer does even better, it's simply a bonus as opposed to something to worry over.
It really is this simple.
Quote:
To all those saying XYZ store does not give an invoice to prove what they pay, that's all well and good, but they also don't advertise selling things at invoice or as you walk out the door tell you how you stole that TV or they aren't making money. Car Dealers do, except it's not the true invoice. So, they should just stop advertising that way and maybe people wouldn't want it.
Invoice prices are available from many different sources. When I sold many got them from Consumer Reports (that charged you a fee). Now it's easy to find in many places. There may be some small discrepancies that those supplying the invoices will usually note, such as some dealers are charged an advertising fee that might not be on yours, but those are minor things.
Will I argue that no dealers pull things? No, but if you get the invoice from site X and they show you the same invoice, just like 3.9% is 3.9%, invoice is invoice.
If a dealer sells at invoice does that mean they are making zero profit? No, but despite what some seem to think they do have to make a profit.
If you are sale 100 for the month and a manufacturer rebate kicks in at sale 100, you still got a great deal even though the dealer gets a bonus.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert20170
I hate dealers and have vowed to never buy from another, but my question is if the clear coat protection worth the $1k? Seems legit...
LOL... yeah.. it's worth it.
Actually, not. In fact, both undercoating and clear coat protection may in fact void your warranty. Certainly undercoating does for Toyota.
Vehicles today are well protected from the factory. Undercoating can allow moisture to be trapped and not escape, causing premature corrosion. Warranty WILL be denied.
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This. Saturn dealers were really a model by which other companies should have explored adopting. Saturn sold an awful lot of particularly substandard product based on the sales model their dealers employed (see Ion). In addition, they sold Saturns to people who would never have been caught dead in a Chevy showroom.
