Why do dealers frown when you want to order a car?

[Popinski]

I'm looking at getting a new Jetta Diesel. I went to the website, configured it how I want it, printed it and gave it to the dealer. The dealer had 5 Jettas that didn't match my specs so he contacted the surrounding dealers to see if they had any Jetta Diesels. He told me that they really don't like ordering cars and would prefer customers to buy one off of the lot. The Jetta's that they had had no options that I wanted. He gave me his card and a brochure and I just left.
Is this all dealers or just him?

 

[crazycrak]

Prob. just him we got a new cobalt and they ripped our arm off to make the deal the car came from the westcoast dealer transfer.

 

[oilboy123]

I believe they don't get paid until the car is delivered. I worked sales at a Ford dealer back in 2001. I sold a F250 or F350, can't remember which. I know they bought it because I just happened to see them with it at a later time. They were getting out of the truck in a store parking lot. I Said Hi how is it going sort of thing. I wished them luck with the truck and went on my way.


I don't remember how long I was employed by the dealer before the truck came in. Needless to say I was fired by the sales Manager who got fired the next day. I was not employed by the dealer when the Ford came in. So I did not get paid.

 

[The Critic]

Well, they want to sell what's already on the lot. Besides, if you place an order, you may change your mind before the car arrives.

 

[tenderloin]

They want to sell something on hand for a quick sale.
The vehicles they have are either paid for or they are being charged (financed) flooring costs so they want to move them.
Don't want the hassle.

In my case on a Subaru and Volkswagen I just went to the car companies web site and found a dealer that had the vehicle just the way I wanted it. Living in Southern California may give me more options dealer wise (depending on where you live). One was in San Diego, which is under a two hour drive (dealers swapped cars by driving) the other in San Luis Obispo which is 4 hours away. The dealer there put it on a truck coming south for delivery. I incurred no extra cost. The San Diego car I picked up the next day. The San Luis Obispo car I waited two days.

Was worth the trouble and time for me to get exactly what I wanted at the price I felt was fair. The dealer each made a sale..yes they did a little extra work, but they did make a sale.

You are paying good money for the car. Get what you want...Good luck

 

[GMBoy]

Reminds me of a story. In 2001 my wife wanted an Aurora. So we go to the nearby Oldsmobile dealer and they have the perfect car - a Green Metallic Aurora 4.0 with all options - nothing missing - prefect car. Now, back then the GM employee discount was 2 fold - you had Option 1 where you ordered the car you want and then there was Option 2 which was any car off the lot. Well, option 1 always saved you more money. So, I said to the dealer, hey give me that car for the option 1 price and I'll buy it. At the time that same car under option 1 was about $900 cheaper. The dealer said NO and I said, no problem and to please order me the exact car. The dealer said why? I've got the car right here today. I said then give me that car at option 1 price or order me the same car. After about 15 minutes back and forth he finally caved in and gave me that car at option 1.

 

[VNTS]

They dont want to because they cant move something on the lot and generally if it is an import you could wait months. Plus you can then leverage a lower price by the logic that they dont pay a dime to floor plan the car and should pass that savings on to you.

I have ordered two new cars and both came in within a 4 weeks. Was kind of cool to see my name on window sticker of my Durango and Daytona. I think you get a better car when the line workers see the presold order.

If you cant find what you want, then order the car and if said dealer has a snob problem go to another dealer. I would contact VW and let them know the dealer refused to order a car and that you wont do business with that dealer and are considering another make since that is a poor reflection on the OEM when its franchised dealer kicks a customer out the door. If the sales is bad the service downstream will probably be even worse.

 

[KrisZ]

While I understand that they want to sell what they already have on the lot, but they should not make any fuss over ordering, if they do, they don't deserve your business.

When I was buying my Mazda, they did not have one with the color and options I wanted, they did not even mention that they prefer to sell what's on the lot. Instead they said they will contact nearby dealers to see if they have the car I want and if that fails they will order from the factory, I said OK and put down the deposit. No fuss, no problems from the dealer.

They charge the destination fees anyways, and if you are willing to wait to get the car you want, why should you cater to them, this dealer, or the selsman, is arrogant and puts himself before the customer, this should be an early warning that in any future dealings, i.e warranty work, routine maintenance etc. the same attitude will be taken, so I would just try another dealer.

 

[mpvue]

I know that dealers will rather send a driver as far as they need to go to do a dealer transfer than order a car. the saturn place I worked HATED ordering cars. they would however be willing to change an order on something that was already due to be coming to them (I forget what they called it, but they got a list of what was due to be shipped, and they could change it if it wasn't already built).

 

[eljefino]

Seems the fine print on rebates and incentives requires you to take delivery from new dealer stock. An issue mostly on domestic stuff that's always got $3000 off...

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: Popinski
I'm looking at getting a new Jetta Diesel. I went to the website, configured it how I want it, printed it and gave it to the dealer. The dealer had 5 Jettas that didn't match my specs so he contacted the surrounding dealers to see if they had any Jetta Diesels. He told me that they really don't like ordering cars and would prefer customers to buy one off of the lot. The Jetta's that they had had no options that I wanted. He gave me his card and a brochure and I just left.
Is this all dealers or just him?


So the question is, "Why do dealers frown when you want to order a car?"

Because they are paying interest on the cars they have on the lot. They bought those vehicles from the car maker on credit and every month they have to pay what they call "floorplanning."

So if you order, you are not helping them reduce those costs. If they sell a vehicle they have in stock, then they no longer pay the interest on that vehicle.

It's probably a pain for them to order the vehicle. What if you end up not buying it? You get laid off, hit by a bus, or whatever. What if you find the perfect vehicle between the time you order and the time they deliver?

Too many things can go wrong for them between the time you order and the time they deliver.

If they sell you today, and have the money in hand, it's far better for them than ordering and hoping you'll still be a buyer when the vehicle shows up from the factory.

 

[Quattro Pete]

And most importantly, every sales person has a monthly quota to meet. Taking an order for a future sale does not help them meet that quota.

 

[PT1]

I only buy what is on the lot...but use my own double reverse bait and switch tactics to get the best deal.

1. Go to the lot on Sunday or after hours and pick out your vehicle (vehicle #1)
2. Pick out another same color loaded vehicle that is $5-10k too expensive. (we will call this vehicle #2)
3. Go to the lot and tell them you want #2. Take it for a drive.
4. Tell them you want it right now for 15-20% less than the price of #1 because that is all you can afford
5. They will say NO and try to switch you into #1
6. Resist by telling tham that #1 is not what you really want but suggest if they gave you the 20% off price and custome mats, mud guards, extended warranty and any other dealer add ons you might take it.
7. They will give you the price plus the mats & mud guards on #1 which is what you came for anyway.
8. In two instances I have had them cave in and give me vehicle #2 for the #1 discounted price.

You will know you got a good deal if they are very angry and tell you to leave in your new car.

Dealers want to sell cars in inventory because they ALL have a sell it NOW mentality because the whole dealership operates on bonus and commission.

 

[bretfraz]

I believe the Jetta TDI is made in Puebla, Mexico, so a special order should not be a logistical problem for a dealer.

Instead of staggering in the front door, talking with whomever is "up", contact a sales manager or the fleet manager directly. Just call the dealer and ask for that person.

Alternatively, contact the dealer thru their website and deal with the internet salesperson or the internet manager. Tell them what you want to do and ask if they can help you. You need to find out the ordering process and timeframe from the Puebla factory.

Every dealership will have their own policies regarding special orders, so find out what that is immediately. No sense in dealing with a dealer who does not want to do customer special orders.

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: PT1
I only buy what is on the lot...but use my own double reverse bait and switch tactics to get the best deal.

1. Go to the lot on Sunday or after hours and pick out your vehicle (vehicle #1)
2. Pick out another same color loaded vehicle that is $5-10k too expensive. (we will call this vehicle #2)
3. Go to the lot and tell them you want #2. Take it for a drive.
4. Tell them you want it right now for 15-20% less than the price of #1 because that is all you can afford
5. They will say NO and try to switch you into #1
6. Resist by telling tham that #1 is not what you really want but suggest if they gave you the 20% off price and custome mats, mud guards, extended warranty and any other dealer add ons you might take it.
7. They will give you the price plus the mats & mud guards on #1 which is what you came for anyway.
8. In two instances I have had them cave in and give me vehicle #2 for the #1 discounted price.

You will know you got a good deal if they are very angry and tell you to leave in your new car.

Dealers want to sell cars in inventory because they ALL have a sell it NOW mentality because the whole dealership operates on bonus and commission.

wow. that's why dealers treat customers so bad.

I prefer to find someone I trust, (who has earned my trust) and deal with him. the car I just put a deposit on is from the same guy (by coincidence, I didn't seek him out) that I bought 2 cars from more than 10 years ago.
that's another good sign you found a good salesman; longevity. most guys are in and out because the people they work for are so terrible.

 

[benjamming]

mpvue,

I think that the term 'good' is defined differently by the dealership than by me.

I've never known a salesman that I could trust. Not, necessarily, b/c they are slimeballs (all of them aren't, of course) but b/c I don't typically spend enough time with him & his family to find out if he can earn my trust. Do you go fishing with him & stuff or what?

 

[robbobster]

javacontour is right on the money.
That's the reason.


The US is odd in this respect.
Go to a European dealership, or one in Japan, and the dealerships are quite small, because they don't have a ton of cars in inventory. In these countries, ordering the vehicle you want is the rule, not really the exception.

 

[labman]

They are idiots. He isn't selling you anything, right? He could have ordered a car, and likely had your check weeks before the invoice.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Popinsky - Go on the VW Vortex forum (By make (VW) and then MKVI). Read the "Official MkVI Ask a Salesperson" thread.

People use this thread to figure out the best way to find the car they want, or can afford. Salepeople have access to listings of the entire sales channel, and can tell you the possibility of getting what you want from the channel, or the wait time for ordering from scratch. It will also give you a lot of insight into the supply process in general which will be useful in deciding how to proceed.

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: benjamming
mpvue,

I don't typically spend enough time with him & his family to find out if he can earn my trust. Do you go fishing with him & stuff or what?

no, but when he told me what he could sell me the car for, I did my research on edmunds to see what people have been paying and what invoice was, and available rebates, and I saw he was offering a good deal, I trusted him.
same as 10yrs back, when I bought my 1st car from him. he gave me a better price on a V6 626 than my local guy was showing me on a 4cyl. when the car got wrecked a month later, the ins co gave me a check for more than I had paid by a good margin, so I knew I had gotten a good deal.