Negotiating Used Car, Dealership Advice/Experience

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fdcg27
Yes I am also a bit weary of e-mail communication also but I have to as these vehicles are listed 2-3K less than locally to me.
Also I'm in Houston.... We got plenty of people so I would assume there's many customers willing to pay.

demarpaint
Yea I've looked at trade in values but man I don't believe them.
Dealers get trade ins at wayyy lower prices. Know someone as a mechanic at a major dealer here.

turtlevette
Yea that too

SuzukiGoat
Okay yea I could see that working for some dealers
Tried that twice, said they wouldn't budge.
On to the next, need to pump my numbers up though!


JamesBond
I completely understand, I already narrow down before e-mailing.
Also feel like they literally have no power, as you are not physically there.
Autotrader has 100+ cars, albeit 10ish that are listed cheaper


CT8
Lmao, nice one there
wink.gif


3800Series
Nice great actually.
Probably do follow ups on all I contacted next week.

eljefino
I know, probably most important aspect, albeit one that I'm iffy about.
3.5hrs is a bit tight for my schedule and to be honest don't trust dealers 100% either.
As in pulling a bait & switch on pricing or car once getting there. Had that happen locally, was a waste.
I might if I do get low enough,.
Does that monthly deadline I guess affect that much?

JMJNet
Indeed

bioburner
crackmeup2.gif

Your the 2nd person to mention that.
Guess it is quite an important aspect
Does that monthly deadline I guess affect that much?


SatinSilver
Anxious yes and maybe a hint of thirstiness as well.
Will do

stephen9666
Yea I know, I'd prefer to e-mail then show up to one that's already decently priced and go from there.
However Houston is always overpriced, I guess since there's so many people.
Brother got his sedan in Dallas, want to say it was atleast 3K savings then here.

eljefino
I see. Another desperate customer in salesman eyes.

tomcat27
Okay gotta give an actual bone and just a whiff of a bone to the dog isn't enough.
Makes them more motivated I'd imagine. Your like the 2nd or 3rd person to mention actual going to them.

Tdbo
Nice deal man, trying to do the same
cool.gif


9050lx
I concur, could care less about what someone generally thinks to be honest...
Especially sales people, for obvious reasons.

JustinH
That's exactly what I'm attempting to do.
Would absolutely hate to drive 3 hrs to be given any sort of [censored].
I'm aware that's not something you can controll either.

LotI
Ok yea as a serious buyer yes

spk2000
That's just sad man, what a waste especially on the dealer's end.
Those guys are worser than a girl deciding on what to eat after going out!!
No sense


Really appreciate the comments guys.
Didn't even take a day
 
After you've agreed on the price, don't fall for the markups that dealers like to add on, such as "paperwork and processing" fees.
Seems like they tack on about 4-5 extra fees that, in reality, cost them nothing.
 
Dealers don't really care about cash. They'd probably just assume get a deal where you finance and give them more money over time.

Your best bet is to find the sellers before a dealer buys it from them. Beat the bushes. Check estate sales. Besides Ebay check the autotrader.com and other sites.

Auto Trader

While none of these are close to you they range in price from $16,100-18,000 from dealers with 8K-30K miles. It's just a matter of finding one as soon as it pops up and get it done. More of them will show up when they get off lease (3 yrs - 25K miles). I wouldn't drive more than 3 hours no matter what. I just don't trust dealers to follow through. They'll sell that car out from under you if someone shows up 10 minutes before you arrive. USAA car buying is headquartered San Antonio, Texas and a pretty competitive firm. They might be able to help you.
 
Heh heh I did some online searching. I wanted a '16 Camry I4 LE. Had to be a CPO. There were 3 dlrships with prospects. I took down the description and lot # and let the spousal unit do the deal. Afterward, in a feeble attempt at humor, I asked if she opened the hood. Her answer was perfect... Why?
grin2.gif
 
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Quote:
cash is king


The dumbest thing I have heard in a long time. Dealerships make money off of financing. In many cases, this is the only money they make.

Cash is not a benefit to a dealer. It is the opposite.

A cash buyer just removed the potential for 13-20% of the selling pricw of the vehicle being added back in for pure profit.

Most lenders allow dealers to mark up their rates up to 2.5% over buy rate.


I gave you the easiest advice to work with. Play two or more dealers off of each other until you get the price you want. It is extremely simple.

Only other advice I can offer, be erratic. Non committal. Waste a salesman's time. You do that, it affects their money. You affect their money, they are more inclined to deal.

Last day of the month is coming up. Go in with two hours until closing and make your offer. Repeatedly.

As for doc and processing fees. They are legit in some atates. Bull in others. Louisiana has a trap ton of fees to be paid to register a vehicle. Under 300 total is completely reasonable.
 
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Financing isn't the only way to make money. They want to turn vehicles around as fast as possible. A higher price tag sale isn't the only way to make more profit. You can sell cars for less at a faster rate and still make more profit in the end.

Cash is a short term investment to them while financing is long term. You can still flip cars and make just as much over a shorter period of time.

Not all dealerships are the same and it will not apply to everyone I'll gladly admit that. I was a masonry for many years. You can make a lot of money off a job that takes 6 weeks to do. Doesn't mean you can't make just as much on smaller jobs in the same time frame.

If a dealership only does financing then they are more of a bank/lender then a car lot. High volume low margins or low volume high margins is their choice doesn't make it any less valid as a business model.
 
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Right now money is cheap. Buying used cars that need finance is always a pain. The dealerships and sales guys are more shady. They treat new like premium customers and used like chimps.

Buying cheap used is savvy. Buying 20k used when new cars can be had u wind up losing the same amount over time. With no real warranty your costs will be about the same.
 
Do you like the car?

Is it a fair deal already or do you want a discount just to have a discount?

Wouldn't it have been nicer to just have the car in your driveway?
 
Originally Posted By: SuzukiGoat
Quote:
cash is king


The dumbest thing I have heard in a long time. Dealerships make money off of financing. In many cases, this is the only money they make.

Cash is not a benefit to a dealer. It is the opposite.

I bought a used car once from a used car dealer. I paid cash. He was pleased. That's the way it went. He bought the car cheap, sold it to me at a markup, and earned his profit.
 
Now I know where your doing the shopping I think. I have been seeing the best deals west of you in SA to Austin. I got to know the area a bit when I got my camper in Seguin.
Yes the end of the month has some play in the numbers.
Cash is not king always with larger dealerships. My friend last year got a great deal when they provided the $$$ but had the option of early payoff and that's what he did the 2nd month.
New car year starts very soon too making that 2016 into a 3 year old model
 
Regardless how you come to your number, the only number I negotiate is the OUT THE DOOR number. I write my value in the lower right hand corner and say this is what I'm willing to pay. You can play with the numbers above the line to get to that figure, but this is the car, all the taxes, fees, rebates, trades, and so on.

If they understand and negotiate, fine. If they try to play games by trying to add on fees, I walk.

I don't really care about their fee structure. I'm buying a car, nothing more. Handle the business behind the scenes and sell me a car for ONE number we can all agree upon.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Regardless how you come to your number, the only number I negotiate is the OUT THE DOOR number. I write my value in the lower right hand corner and say this is what I'm willing to pay. You can play with the numbers above the line to get to that figure, but this is the car, all the taxes, fees, rebates, trades, and so on.

If they understand and negotiate, fine. If they try to play games by trying to add on fees, I walk.

I don't really care about their fee structure. I'm buying a car, nothing more. Handle the business behind the scenes and sell me a car for ONE number we can all agree upon.



^
+1000
 
I think you are jndet the assumption all dealers are buy here sell here places.

We do high volume. We finance 70% or more of our sales. The dealership does not finance the cars. Banks and credit unions do. We get paid for everything 7 days post sale. Including all profit from financing.

Zero risk.
 
Open with an extreme anchor price like 30% off listed. Tell them you will go cash or credit. Each time they give you a lower price tell them no without saying no. "Its a great Buick but how could I possibly pay 22000?" once they are near your number offer something weird like 18736 dollars and a 12 pack of diet coke. (or any other non dollar item)
 
Originally Posted By: SuzukiGoat
Quote:
cash is king


The dumbest thing I have heard in a long time. Dealerships make money off of financing. In many cases, this is the only money they make.

Cash is not a benefit to a dealer. It is the opposite.

A cash buyer just removed the potential for 13-20% of the selling pricw of the vehicle being added back in for pure profit.

Most lenders allow dealers to mark up their rates up to 2.5% over buy rate.


I gave you the easiest advice to work with. Play two or more dealers off of each other until you get the price you want. It is extremely simple.

Only other advice I can offer, be erratic. Non committal. Waste a salesman's time. You do that, it affects their money. You affect their money, they are more inclined to deal.

Last day of the month is coming up. Go in with two hours until closing and make your offer. Repeatedly.

As for doc and processing fees. They are legit in some atates. Bull in others. Louisiana has a trap ton of fees to be paid to register a vehicle. Under 300 total is completely reasonable.


Cash is king, just not to a car dealer. lol They want you to finance, that gives them a bit more profit, and a chance to pack a deal, which is illegal, or sell other stuff to you. They have a chance at selling an extended warranty by saying for an extra $X/month you can have a warranty, etc. instead of quoting a lump sum price for it.

Here's how cash can be king for a car buyer. You'll just about always get a better deal by financing, get the best deal, finance the car, and then a month or two later pay off the loan. The dealer will lose the money they made on financing the car, and you got the best price. The only problem is your credit score will take a hit for a few points.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Regardless how you come to your number, the only number I negotiate is the OUT THE DOOR number. I write my value in the lower right hand corner and say this is what I'm willing to pay. You can play with the numbers above the line to get to that figure, but this is the car, all the taxes, fees, rebates, trades, and so on.

If they understand and negotiate, fine. If they try to play games by trying to add on fees, I walk.

I don't really care about their fee structure. I'm buying a car, nothing more. Handle the business behind the scenes and sell me a car for ONE number we can all agree upon.


Exactly, I'd imagine this only works in person however.
Went to an actual dealership today and planted a seed there,. (Pretty much only eligible vehicle in my city that I can actually consider)
Took an hour of their time test driving getting a real good feel it, checking body panels for damage, etc.
Told em I'll e-mail them later discussing pricing.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Regardless how you come to your number, the only number I negotiate is the OUT THE DOOR number. I write my value in the lower right hand corner and say this is what I'm willing to pay. You can play with the numbers above the line to get to that figure, but this is the car, all the taxes, fees, rebates, trades, and so on.

If they understand and negotiate, fine. If they try to play games by trying to add on fees, I walk.

I don't really care about their fee structure. I'm buying a car, nothing more. Handle the business behind the scenes and sell me a car for ONE number we can all agree upon.


That is exactly the method I use; if the dealer won't negotiate an OTD price I walk.
 
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