Being in the auto industry you would think I would have some fabulously sneaky insider knowledge about how to bend over dealers and get a screaming deal. Unfortunately, even though I have been through extensive training on dealerships, it basically comes down to sales and a basic working knowledge of the structure of dealerships. There really are no tricks.
Here is what I have heard from truth or rumor:
- Do not tell them the final price you want to pay
- Do not tell them you have a trade until after the price is negotiated
- Tell them you have been shopping around
- Get 3rd party financing from your local bank or credit union
- Come to them at the end of the month to get a better deal
How I began my search:
I did a ton of research on www.automotive.com which is a site that makes its money by dealers and private individuals listing their cars for sale. They have some of the best and most accurate listings that I have found when comparing competitors sites. They also have an exhaustive analysis of just about every single car being sold on the market.
Further Research:
After my research was complete I took a stroll to a dealership last Sunday, when they were closed, and looked at the brand of car that I wanted and what they had on the lot. I am looking for a 2003 so there was naturally a limited selection.
Why I made the decision to look now:
I was not planning on doing anything until I received my tax return, typical I know, but alas my car broke down again. Another $500.00 for the water pump. I guess I would break too if I had to pump 160,000 miles of water. Regardless that was my reason to contact the dealership. I was fearing that next big repair that would be the big repair. So there you have my buying motivation: Fear.
First Contact:
This morning, after driving my car to the shop and consequently arriving late to work, I got a wild hair and contacted the local dealership via their lead generation tool ...err website. you know the drill. You can click to view their inventory and if you do not see what you want you can fill out their form with all of the information. I clicked send and not one minute later I got a generic e-mail from the dealership telling me I would be contacted in 24 hours. It was probably 5 minutes after that that Shawn, my dealership representative, sent me an e-mail requesting more information. Impressive.
First quote:
I responded to his further inquiry and let him know what I wanted:(this is basically verbatim the e-mail I sent)
- 2003
- 30-50k miles
- price range of $18,000 to$ 24,000
- Anything but Red exterior
- Sunroof, Brembo brakes, spoiler, leather, no Navigation, 19inch performance wheels etc...
Here's your test as a consumer: How did he do meeting my stated, specific requirements?
Idiots:
I politely responded that while I am sure that car was great, it met none of my requirements. It is not hard to imagine what happened on his end. The dealer probably told him that he has some 2006 that didn't sell and he is simply pushing it on everyone possible. It is the typical sales technique of "one size fits all" or "throw it on the wall and see what sticks". I filled out the form they specifically created for lead generation and they did not use any of that information.
*Insert rant*
Unfortunately that is where I am currently in the sales process and this article is getting quite long.
To be continued...
2 comments:
It is amazing to me that in this day and age it is still such an awful experience to purchase a car. At some point, doesn't the dealer just become an irrelevant part of the supply chain that can be removed from the process? I look forward to being able to buy my car on Amazon or honda.com someday, and eliminating this ridiculous experience. Better yet, let Wal-Mart into the business, and watch the prices drop through the floor. The only remaining dealerships would then truly need to rely on customer service, creating real choice for the consumer. Wouldn't that be fun?
You write very well.
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