Any tips for dealing with car salespeople?

[kschachn]

Another thing - try and find a dealer that doesn't play these games. We have a Toyota dealer here in metro Milwaukee that is not like that. They tell you right off the bat what their cost is, and they told me what their holdback was when I asked. After a little talking the salesman even told me what his commission was and exactly what he'd be making on the sale.

They also wouldn't even discuss my "trade-in" until we had negotiated a price for the car. They said there's really no such thing as a trade-in, it was an offer by them to purchase my car at a wholesale price.

So those dealers do exist.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
A friend has asked me to go car hunting tomorrow.

I know the drill where they stick you in a room and let you sit then they come back with a price.....Takes all day and is very nerve racking.

Anybody got any tips for dealing with these voltures? She has a limit to spend so I need to get the best car for the amount of cash she has on her.


Go to the following site and read:

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/444610

I managed to get about $5000 off my mother's 2008 Toyota Avalon Limited after taxes by following its advice.

By the way, this is the worst time of the month to try to purchase a new car. You should wait until a few days before the end of the month.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Another thing - try and find a dealer that doesn't play these games. We have a Toyota dealer here in metro Milwaukee that is not like that. They tell you right off the bat what their cost is, and they told me what their holdback was when I asked. After a little talking the salesman even told me what his commission was and exactly what he'd be making on the sale.

They also wouldn't even discuss my "trade-in" until we had negotiated a price for the car. They said there's really no such thing as a trade-in, it was an offer by them to purchase my car at a wholesale price.

So those dealers do exist.


Not too many in the metro NY area, but they do exist. Dealing with them is a pleasure, and my bet is the sales staff stays with them. Where I worked sales staff and management were changing like people change their underware. Owners would fire managers, good salesmen left because they were getting cheated by owners and management. Sad state of affairs.

 

[Pablo]

"Any tips for dealing with car salespeople?"

.45

 

[bretfraz]

If she is buying an older used car from a private party and not a newer used or new car from a dealer, most of the advice here is not valid.

At the $5000 price point, condition is far more important than anything else. You are doing the right thing by checking out the car for her. In the end, its a risk.

Does she want new or used? What is her budget? Is she paying cash or financing? What are her "must have's" and deal breakers?

Hard to give out good advice when we don't know the buyer's situation and goals.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: bretfraz


Does she want new or used? What is her budget? Is she paying cash or financing? What are her "must have's" and deal breakers?

Hard to give out good advice when we don't know the buyer's situation and goals.
Used Subaru outback station wagon. Must be an auto trans. Has $7K in her pocket. Don't want to finance it if at all possible.

Looks to be mostly dealers. I'm not finding many private sales on Craigslist, Edmunds or our local paper.

 

[crazyoildude]

WOW
My thought is that they are just more refined and lie a lot better than the rest but im the suspicious type... Maybe they are really that honest....Hmmmm Nah!
That would be good for the new car buyer though

 

[Johnny]

Well after reading all this I believe Chris said she had $7K max to spend. Should be able to find something decent in the 50-75K mileage range for $7K. No matter how cute it is, I would not buy anything with 100+K miles on it.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Well after reading all this I believe Chris said she had $7K max to spend. Should be able to find something decent in the 50-75K mileage range for $7K. No matter how cute it is, I would not buy anything with 100+K miles on it.
She has her heart set on the Subaru. I'm not finding any with that low milage in her price range.

 

[John_K]

Originally Posted By: Paul56
Do NOT go for a test drive until AFTER the deal is arranged.


Why?

John

 

[demarpaint]

Dealing with an older car from a private party, ask for permission to take the car to a mechanic to have it checked out, and put up on a lift. Most people that have nothing to hide will allow it. When I sell one of my cars I suggest people take the car to a mechanic to have it checked out.

 

[Steve S]

When the salesman gets up to leave I get up to leave at the same time . Think of the salesman as what they are .Remember how the parts guy treated you, payback time.

 

[demarpaint]

I've walked out on a few salesmen myself. I've also asked customers to leave, works both ways. I treated people with respect, you'd be surprised how many people come in looking for a problem.

 

[Herz]

An excellent tool for car hunting is the internet.

Have her go build the cars she wants.

She can look at the models, estimated price depending on what they have, fuel efficiency, and even see some cars she didnt know that manufacturer had.

Have her find a favorite car from every manufacturer and print out the page with the things she wants on it. She can bring these pages with her hand it to the salesman and say this is the car I want. I can spend $$$$$ dollars.

If they dont want to work with you or cut you a deal head to another dealer.

 

[PT1]

I would only buy a used car from a private owner. Especially if I only had $7k to work with.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

Originally Posted By: John_K
Originally Posted By: Paul56
Do NOT go for a test drive until AFTER the deal is arranged.


Why?

John


Because the fact that you went to a test drive is a red flag to them that they have you hooked and you will pay whatever they want you to pay, regardless of what you say. It is a psychological thing. Never, ever test drive a car from a dealership from which you might actually buy it.

Going for a test drive at a dealership will sabotage any chances you will have of receiving a good deal from them because they will think that they are guaranteed your business. Thank all of the people out there that fall for this tactic. They are the reason that dealerships are like this when it comes to test drives.

If you read the thread at fatwallet.com to which I linked earlier, you should have already known this. If you do not believe this, I suggest you go to your local university and find the professor that teaches the general psychology; ask him what effect test drives has on potential car buyers from a dealer's point of view when it comes to negotiating prices. I am certain he will say that the dealer will expect the buyer to be more inclined to buy it because of some concept in psychology that escapes me at the moment because it has been a few years since I took that class.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
Originally Posted By: John_K
Originally Posted By: Paul56
Do NOT go for a test drive until AFTER the deal is arranged.


Why?

John


Because the fact that you went to a test drive is a red flag to them that they have you hooked and you will pay whatever they want you to pay, regardless of what you say. It is a psychological thing. Never, ever test drive a car from a dealership from which you might actually buy it. It will sabotage any chances you will have of receiving a good deal.

Read the fatwallet.com link I posted above and it will explain all of this to you.



I test drive at least 2 different models....makes em crazy...I study the car features on the internet before I go and then tell the salesman all about the features and benefits of the car while we are driving...stops em dead in their tracks. They don't know what to do when you start actually selling them the car...

Then I pick one that is at least 10k over my price range and offer them 40% off sticker...so they will switch me down to the first car I drove which is the one I wanted in the first place.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
Originally Posted By: John_K
Originally Posted By: Paul56
Do NOT go for a test drive until AFTER the deal is arranged.


Why?

John


Because the fact that you went to a test drive is a red flag to them that they have you hooked and you will pay whatever they want you to pay, regardless of what you say. It is a psychological thing. Never, ever test drive a car from a dealership from which you might actually buy it. It will sabotage any chances you will have of receiving a good deal.

Read the fatwallet.com link I posted above and it will explain all of this to you.



I test drive at least 2 different models....makes em crazy...I study the car features on the internet before I go and then tell the salesman all about the features and benefits of the car while we are driving...stops em dead in their tracks. They don't know what to do when you start actually selling them the car...

Then I pick one that is at least 10k over my price range and offer them 40% off sticker...so they will switch me down to the first car I drove which is the one I wanted in the first place.


I edited my post to add more information after you quoted it.

Anyway, that strategy might work. I have never heard of it before though. I doubt it would work from the position of a friend helping someone buy a new car, as the person negotiating is no longer the person who will be driving, but for a person buying an actual car by himself, this could work. It seems unorthodox enough for most sales people to have never encountered it before, so they will likely not have much information that they memorized to be able to make rational decisions, especially since a study one of my professors mentioned a year ago found that the more information is on a person's mind, the more they tend to make irrational decisions. Therefore, this tactic could double-dip in not only does it catch the salesperson offguard, but it also fills-up his mind with junk, as he will try to keep track of what you like about the car to use it against you later; all of the extra information on his mind would make him more likely to make poorer decisions when it comes to making offers, possibly giving you a better deal.

Of course, this is all theory, but I like tear this sort of logic apart to understand how it works and I figured someone might find the information from my doing that helpful.

By the way, just as a disclaimer, I am a applied math/computer science major. A year ago, one of my computer science professors cited the study involving memory an rationality when discussing some odd topic that I do not remember. I also took general psychology a while back for the core curriculum, so while I know a bit about psychology, it is not my field. Please do not read my comments and mistakenly think that it is.

 

[heypete]

When I was buying my first new car years ago, my mother gave me some very good advice. It worked. When my fiancee was looking for a new car (which she purchased), she went to my mother for the same advice. It also worked.

I'll try to summarize briefly.

1. Do your homework. The internet is your friend. Look up EVERYTHING. Compare prices, features, reviews, etc. Edmunds.com is a great resource. Know what your used car is worth (KBB.com is great) and how much any needed repairs would cost.

2. Look at/test drive cars on a different day then when you're looking to buy.

3. Come up with a list of potential dealers, including ones in nearby cities (sometimes they have better deals -- I saved about $2,000 on my Camry by driving 30 minutes to a somewhat more distant dealer). Go to their websites, search their inventories, and come up with the specific vehicles (and their inventory tag number, usually listed on the website) you want and their prices.

Be sure to take into account the rip-off prices they charge for all the dealer "options" like window tint ($400? Really? Local shops will tint the windows for $150.) Get price quotes from local tint shops and other places that offer the same products/services as the "options" and be prepared to present them to the dealer. Oftentimes they'll price match.

4. When you're ready to buy, call the dealers, ask for fleet/internet sales. Way better than regular sales. Tell them you are looking to buy the vehicle (be specific, including inventory number) today and you want the absolute best price they offer. Write their offer down.

5. Repeat with all the different dealers on your list. Call them back (or wait for them to call you, and they will) and say that [other dealer] offered a lesser amount (name it, if they ask) and see if they'd price-match. Repeat with all the dealers. Keep this up as long as you can. Oftentimes they'll keep undercutting each other.

6. Go to the dealer with the best offer. Meet with the salesman you've been speaking to. Finally mention that you'd like to trade-in your car. He'll lowball you, but will often be flexible. Refuse any of the options that they push like car alarms, paint protection, etc. Pure profit for them. In some cases, you can buy OEM alarms and put them in easily yourself (there's a socket under the dash for the alarm in some [most?] Hondas) and just wax your car rather than using their "paint protection".

Once you get the trade-in priced out and the options refused, they'll send you to a guy who'll fill out any paperwork for you. They'll likely push extended warranties or screw you through manipulating contract values and numbers. Check their math. Do your homework ahead of time. Don't hesitate to review papers in detail, ask about details, etc. Whatever you do, don't sign anything until everything meets with your approval.

These rules worked well for me and my fiancee, particularly the calling around -- once you're at the dealership, they'll turn the pressure up. At home, you're under no pressure, have access to resources and research, and it's not terribly rude to tell them you'll call them back.

 

[heypete]

Oh, http://www.carbuyingtips.com/ is a good site for advice.

Finally, if you're buying a used car, the advice from a previous comment about taking a used car to a reputable mechanic of your choosing to give it an inspection (I did that when I bought my now-totaled Mercedes diesel a few years back and it cost about $100. They gave it a thorough inspection and other than a leaky oil level sensor and a small transmission fluid leak [both later repaired at nominal expense, but used to leverage the seller to lower his price], found the car to be in surprisingly excellent shape.). It'll help you avoid getting a junky car, though there's always things that cannot be detected until they fail.