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Yes, indeed - some people don't get this hassle. I wonder how many of them just got roofied and don't realize they got screwed.
Most of them. If it wasn't working, salesmen would stop playing these games.
I always try to have most of the deal negotiated out before I even get there. They better stick to the already negotiated terms or I walk. I want to spend as little time as I have to in their house where they hold the cards.
I tell the finance manager up-front I'm not interested in any warranties, paint protection, or whatever else they're trying to jam down my throat. If the car starts to fall apart before the bumper to bumper warranty expires, then I'll think about buying the extended warranty (I'll price shop), or better yet, I'll get rid of the POS altogether.
I understand, the dealer has to eat, but they aren't going to have prime rib while I'm stuck with a bologna sandwich.
Most of them. If it wasn't working, salesmen would stop playing these games.
I always try to have most of the deal negotiated out before I even get there. They better stick to the already negotiated terms or I walk. I want to spend as little time as I have to in their house where they hold the cards.
I tell the finance manager up-front I'm not interested in any warranties, paint protection, or whatever else they're trying to jam down my throat. If the car starts to fall apart before the bumper to bumper warranty expires, then I'll think about buying the extended warranty (I'll price shop), or better yet, I'll get rid of the POS altogether.
I understand, the dealer has to eat, but they aren't going to have prime rib while I'm stuck with a bologna sandwich.
Dealerships make a big chunk of their money from the service department and used cars. New car sales are there just to get people to use their service department going forward.
Dealerships make a big chunk of their money from the service department and used cars. New car sales are there just to get people to use their service department going forward.
100% accurate for the majority of dealerships who wind up netting a few hundred dollars per car over invoice.
Dealerships make a big chunk of their money from the service department and used cars. New car sales are there just to get people to use their service department going forward.
+1
You make your money selling air filter and cabin air filter replacement for $120.00. $20.00 parts cost and 3 minutes of labor while the car is up on the lift for an oil change. And brake fluid flushes. And differential fluid flushes. And transmission fluid flushes. And plugs/wires.
On most cars I've purchased, the dealership made most of their money on the trade. I have no interest in the CraigsList nonsense and taking the risk on the lemon law exploding on a private sale. I start my negotiation on the trade by asking them to look up the auction price. Galves around me. If my car goes off the lot on a flatbed truck to the auction, we both know the value.
The last time I traded a car, it was an orange special edition VW GTI. No way I'd want to private sale that car. Every 16-year-old kid with the huge chrome exhaust tip and fart can muffler Civic would want a "test drive".
That's not how a broker works, and using a good one will result in a lower final price with far less hassle even with the broker's fee figured in.
Maybe for someone who doesn't know how to deal.
I don't need any brokers.
Spending a few hours in a dealership every few years is very low on the hassle meter.
As for research, I'm with Wayne Carini... it's all about the chase. Don't care how long it takes and I always find The One.
Heck, I test drive cars just for fun.
I just bought a car a few weeks ago but I'm going to go drive another one on Monday.
Dealer here has a Alfa Giulia that caught my eye. Not gonna buy it but I'll file it away for future reference.
I've ID'd used Giulias as a car that ticks all of the boxes for style, features and price... but I still have to drive it.
Well, that's certainly the myth. Yep, anyone who's memorized Art of the Deal and knows cars inside and out and does their homework on pricing etc. certainly has a leg up on them dealers.
Not. But it's a comforting notion.
What it really comes down to is the absurdity of the whole process: that as a nation, we completely accept this loaded, biased, unfair, opaque, legally-bolstered grift as being a normal thing. Short of back alley drug deals and the occasional flea market purchase, there isn't a single other consumer transaction where we know, we expect and we usually dread that it's going to be a grueling battle of wits and trickery, with our financial best interests on the chopping block. Where not getting screwed too badly is considered a win.
It's mind-boggling, and one of the potential positives of the big shifts coming in the industry - EVs, AVs, etc. - is that this Cosa Nostra of thuggism will finally crumble.
Well, that's certainly the myth. Yep, anyone who's memorized Art of the Deal and knows cars inside and out and does their homework on pricing etc. certainly has a leg up on them dealers.
Not. But it's a comforting notion.
I'm going to go out on a limb here...
The cheapest example of a certain model and trim of a car in the entire nation is probably going to be a pretty good deal.
Well, duh.
There are a lot of reasons this is so...
Unpopularity, color, bad media attention, sometimes they've had it a while and it's got one wheel in the auction and many more.
I don't need anyone to help me find these cars. I can find and buy them myself.
The only question then is "Is it a good car?" They've all been solid buys for me.
I got 33.4% (MSRP $22.2K, paid $13.7K) and 33.0% (MSRP $28.6K, paid $19.1K) off the last two new cars I bought.
Do you really think a broker is going to do better than that?
Well, that's certainly the myth. Yep, anyone who's memorized Art of the Deal and knows cars inside and out and does their homework on pricing etc. certainly has a leg up on them dealers.
Not. But it's a comforting notion.
The question is why you think no one can do as good a deal as a broker, who is also a person just like yourself? If the BROKER can get a good deal for YOU, YOU can get as good a deal as a broker, without the broker fees.
I just realize that the dealer is entitled to a profit as a business, and if the car is what I'd pay for it, I'll buy it. It's only a hassle if you MAKE it a hassle and it's only antagonistic if you MAKE it so. If a car is priced fairly, then don't worry if you're getting every last penny of the dealer's profit off it (or worse, trying to make the dealer pay YOU to take the car off their hands. Might as well steal the keys and take the car at that point. Is that ethical? I mean, their insurance will pay it off, right?).
Last few new car deals for me have been in and out affairs. I got what I wanted at the price I was willing to pay, no add-ons and no outrageous fees above our agreed upon price. I really don't see what's so difficult about this.
The question is why you think no one can do as good a deal as a broker, who is also a person just like yourself? If the BROKER can get a good deal for YOU, YOU can get as good a deal as a broker, without the broker fees.
That's a bit like saying you can defend yourself in a murder trial. You're welcome to try, and believe you can.
A broker is a dealer who's inside the loop and can lay hands on any car at the lowest possible price... completely free of all the dealership hassle, upsells, tacked-on fees etc. Yes, s/he charges for the service, but it's usually quite reasonable. The only thing you lose is getting to window shop and choose from all the pretty cars in a row and such... and really, anyone who goes shopping for a car like a new pair of shoes gets what they deserve. Most people know exactly what they want, so there's no need to go to a showroom.
Must say I really enjoy responses from people who are convinced they've always been a super-savvy, horsetradin' fool when it come to car buying... and defend the rights of the dealers to "make a profit." Now that's what I call consumer conditioning...
Think about it for two minutes... what other consumer good would you be "happy" or at least satisfied to buy in this manner? How long would you do business with a grocery store or gas station that put you through this kind of wringer?
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