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The new sneaky (to me) way of doing it is they put the paint protection or whatever it is on the car already, so there is no negotiating.
Used to be that stuff was added I think.
Same experience you had, our new car was $1,000 of MSRP already and there was just no wiggle room at all after that so had to pay the paint protection and some other junk.
Oh well, we plan on keeping the car a while so it'll wash out in the end.
This has been going on for many years.
"Scotchgard."
"Etched windows."
"Rust proofing."
"Dealer Prep." LOL.
It's just that they keep coming up with new games.
"Nitrogen-filled tires" would be hilarious if not such a ripoff.
The market reality is that a popular car commands top pricing.
When I was shopping for a truck, Crossroads Ford/Apex told me that I could order a new truck built to my specs.
No deposit.
No obligation to take it when it came in, if I didn't want it.
They just need a name to get a production spot.
"If you don't want it, I can sell it 10 times on the day it comes in." Takes a lot of leverage out of the buyers' hands..
This was true 6 and 12 and 18 months ago, but new car inventories are on the rise. Combined with upcoming recession, increased interest rates for buyers as well as increased rates on dealer floor-planning, the worm will turn. And when it does, dealers with excess inventory will be in for some hurt. When will this happen? Not sure yet, I'm still waiting for prices on 10 year old vehicles to get to realistic levels so I can buy one for my son and not feel like I need to carry collision on it.
I know people who use Duty Tire and have nothing but goof things to say. I am glad you had them in your corner and they talked to the dealership for you. I am also glad you got your car back. I am very wary of car places that give you a grace period to change your mind. There is usually a lot of details in the fine print and they rarely make it easy to return the car. So glad it worked for you.
I know people who use Duty Tire and have nothing but goof things to say. I am glad you had them in your corner and they talked to the dealership for you. I am also glad you got your car back. I am very wary of car places that give you a grace period to change your mind. There is usually a lot of details in the fine print and they rarely make it easy to return the car. So glad it worked for you.
Again, lesson learned. That car is still on their website at the higher price.
I put a deposit on a new vehicle yesterday morning. I actually had a bidding war going on between two dealers over the phone and the other matched the price. The car should be here this week. I was also looking at Honda Civics. One dealer may have one coming in next month but it is spoken for and they said another is being built but won't be finished until February.
2nd & 3rd Honda dealers want to add almost $5,000 worth of extras including a Lojack system (I haven't heard that name since the 80's). No thanks. Not paying for all of that crap.
I have made peace with my final decision. Thanks to all who responded.
Again, lesson learned. That car is still on their website at the higher price.
I put a deposit on a new vehicle yesterday morning. I actually had a bidding war going on between two dealers over the phone and the other matched the price. The car should be here this week. I was also looking at Honda Civics. One dealer may have one coming in next month but it is spoken for and they said another is being built but won't be finished until February.
2nd & 3rd Honda dealers want to add almost $5,000 worth of extras including a Lojack system (I haven't heard that name since the 80's). No thanks. Not paying for all of that crap.
I have made peace with my final decision. Thanks to all who responded.
Great. Hope it works out for you and you enjoy a reliable vehicle that goes 300,000 miles before the wheels fall off!
I haven't personally been to Duty Tire but a family member likes to go there to get all the work done on her car and she is very happy and has no complaints. She has an American brand also.
I can't see why a mechanic/Duty Tire would lie to you about that particular car having issues (and they haven't charged you a fee either). Popular opinion usually would tell you the dealer are usually the liars in these situations.
Also, 32k miles in 2 years or less? Unless they were all nice highway miles, probably not the best numbers there.
If it were a 2020 it would be under "average" and for a 2021 its at the high end of average. If one is content buying a car with 32k miles, then it makes little difference whether they happened in two, three or four years, except for in the imagination of the buyer in constructing the previous life of their ride.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
Oh, but I have made money "sitting down."
It is a "buying sign" that a good salesperson will identify as an indicator of seriousness.
It is much harder to bargain if one doesn't offer legit buying signs.
^^This.^^ Much of the advice, often silly advice "don't sit down, don't tell them you have a trade, don't..." ignores the important distinction between getting emotionally invested in a piece of expensive equipment, and being serious about acquiring said piece of equipment. Signaling that one is serious about purchasing isn't likely to cost you anything. If they don't think you're serious they don't want you in there longer than you have to be. Signaling emotional attachment is different.
Otherwise, it's a piece of equipment, it's worth what it's worth, it's value is ascertainable. The dealership knows what it should sell for, and is unlikely to sell for less unless it in fact isn't worth as much as the paperwork would indicate (it smells like cigarettes and looks like the interior was used to transport goats to market, its an unappealing shade of puce, etc...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie2008
I am just looking for honest opinions on what happened to me this past week. I am not going to name specific people. A few months ago, I asked for recommendations for the best mechanic in Raleigh. On the suggestion of a few, I went to Duty Tire on Atlantic Ave. I thought I had trouble with my brakes when another chain said I did. Duty said no and didn't charge me. I went for an inspection and unfortunately, my car didn't pass due to rust (Northeast transplant). A body shop they recommended said the same thing - both of them never charged me and another place who did an oil change beforehand said I may want to think about getting a new car because of the rust.
I went to Echo Park in Cary this week and purchased a 2021 vehicle that had 32,000 miles on it. They claim all of their vehicles have a 190 point inspection, has different warranties and a seven day return policy if you change your mind.
I went to Duty and they said the timing cover is leaking oil, the valve cover is showing signs that it is leaking and the turbo will need to be replaced or serviced by 100K miles on this particular engine. They said it was run hard.
I went back the next day and asked for my old car back. They looked at the 2021 and said nothing was wrong with it. Duty said if they needed to talk with them they would. Echo Park argued with Duty Tire over the phone and called them liars.
It was a struggle but I got my old car back. Later that evening, the salesman at Echo texted me that they took the car to the brand dealership and they said nothing was wrong with it and that Duty lied.
So, I guess I have a few questions. The first being, has anyone ever had any experiences with Echo Park? Also, does anyone have an opinion on what was found on the 2021?
Duty did charge me for the inspection. I have trusted them in the past and my opinion is what would they get out of lying about this?
Thanks to all!
I would just consider that there is a 3rd option, namely, that it wasn't a very good car even without anything wrong with it.
It happens. The Malibu is medium car with a small car engine and a turbo charger to make up for the lack of power. That allows it good mileage. It also means that you have to rev the nuts off it in order to get decent acceleration. The conditions that Duty pointed out are in fact there and the Chevy dealer said "eh, they're all like that. Is what it is."
Great. Hope it works out for you and you enjoy a reliable vehicle that goes 300,000 miles before the wheels fall off!
Picked it up Tuesday and love it! It actually feels better driving it than the other vehicle (and not because of the problems I had with it). The new car dealership was so much better to do deal with and knows all too well about Echo Park. They say they have to deal with issues with them with customers who come to them.
If it were a 2020 it would be under "average" and for a 2021 its at the high end of average. If one is content buying a car with 32k miles, then it makes little difference whether they happened in two, three or four years, except for in the imagination of the buyer in constructing the previous life of their ride.
^^This.^^ Much of the advice, often silly advice "don't sit down, don't tell them you have a trade, don't..." ignores the important distinction between getting emotionally invested in a piece of expensive equipment, and being serious about acquiring said piece of equipment. Signaling that one is serious about purchasing isn't likely to cost you anything. If they don't think you're serious they don't want you in there longer than you have to be. Signaling emotional attachment is different.
Otherwise, it's a piece of equipment, it's worth what it's worth, it's value is ascertainable. The dealership knows what it should sell for, and is unlikely to sell for less unless it in fact isn't worth as much as the paperwork would indicate (it smells like cigarettes and looks like the interior was used to transport goats to market, its an unappealing shade of puce, etc...)
I would just consider that there is a 3rd option, namely, that it wasn't a very good car even without anything wrong with it.
It happens. The Malibu is medium car with a small car engine and a turbo charger to make up for the lack of power. That allows it good mileage. It also means that you have to rev the nuts off it in order to get decent acceleration. The conditions that Duty pointed out are in fact there and the Chevy dealer said "eh, they're all like that. Is what it is."
I have been reading about bad things with turbo charged engines on smaller vehicles, like the Malibu. Consumer Reports has not so good ratings on the Malibu for the past 10 years. It's a beautiful car but I don't need the problems that may come with them.
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