Got a Quick Question for a Car Dealer?

explorerx4

and i read the cars were being disposed of at an auction.
if another dealer buys these cars, are they still considered new?
there was no mention of only used cars.

boomchek

I believe they would be considered as new as they haven't been titled by anyone.

jipster

I had a "customer" offer me 50% off on one of my 2008 Porsch

Sounds like something I would do... or try.

Glad to see you're still alive moo. You just get out of prison or something?

bolivar

Yep, my local Chey dealer also just closed. All cars gone in 3 days. A Chevy dealer in the same area has a new ad on TV about 'Cars purchased from a dealer going out of business'.

Local dealer supposedly lost his 'floor plan' financing and could find no other source of financing. And he did not wish to risk his person savings to 'do it himself'. So he shut it down. Dealership was a small town dealer, same family for 35 years or so, no other dealer within 40 to 100 miles in various directions. Or economy locally is pretty stable, I don't think a huge drop in sales got him, just the lack of financing.

idriveacar

I don't have any "demands" (just to clarify since that seemed to be implied).

I never said Edmunds.com was my only source of information. And yes, I use those many sources of info previously mentioned when doing my research. I am an educated buyer in spite of the doubts expressed regarding this claim.

I specifically said I made 2 deals in the last 2 years (not one) - I never said they were "smokin' hot".

Apparently reading comprehension is also at an all time low...*sigh*

Rather than continue until I receive my degree in dentistry, I respectfully withdraw my question. :sick:

tidester

Apparently reading comprehension is also at an all time low

That must explain why you did not respond to several people who specifically requested more details so they could help you. :P

Seriously, let's try to be a bit more courteous. And good luck with your career.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

Mr_Shiftright

uh-uh---ball was in your court We asked you for numbers so that we could evaluate your deal for you. This would have been the only way to give you a clear answer.

Based on the assumption that the dealers knew their bottom line when they refused the deal, we need to find the problem in your calculations. That's the only source for a solution to your question.

Visiting Host

mplshondadlr

If you want a true and straight forward answer to your innocuous yet ambiguous question, provide us with the whole picture. To this point you have left out about 90% of the facts and filled the 90% void with feelings.

No one here has a reading comprehension problem, we were left with no choice but to fill the expansive holes in your story with our own speculation.

To this point we have yet to figure out what Nissan you're trading in and what you're looking to buy. We also have no idea what condition your current Nissan is in, since according to your own statement, your one year old Suzuki was in rather rough shape (who heard of tires replacement at 33K unless they were never maintained).

Rather then casting aspersions at those who asked for help, you should look at yourself to find the souce of your annoyance.

grandtotal

who heard of tires replacement at 33K unless they were never maintained

Unfortunately it happens often. OEM tires often have a treadwear rating considerably lower than that of the equivalent retail tire. It's not unusual to need to replace well maintained tires at around that sort of mileage.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes OEM tires, especially on "budget" type cars, are usually pretty tired at 30K. This has also been my experience.

jipster

To this point you have left out about 90% of the facts and filled the 90% void with feelings.

Which is usually the recipe for troll soup. A first time poster has a question, with limited and vague details, that can illicit conflict among fellow Edmunds members.
When said conflict does not occur, the OP's strategy is now confrontational and evasive... challenging our comprehension levels, and not answering the questions poised to him. My advice to Hermie the dentist still stands ... ya snooze ya lose.

boomchek

Troll soup...good one. :shades:

I think you got two seperate posters mixed up though.... the dentist one asked where the good deals are without providing details.

The other previous to that poster asked why the SUV was sold underneath him even though he/she didn't leave a deposit.

Either way the deals are there, and dealers are happy to take deposits.

madmanmoo

:P

Thanks, Jip. I'm lurking a lot. Stories from the Frontlines has fallen into a discussion about old people cars for the last 4 months, so I'm not that interested in posting there. Additionally, I can't seem to find the time to care about posting stories either which would certainly help. Oh well, I'm hanging in there.

madmanmoo

Totally up to you if you want to withdraw your question. I must say, I'm a bit confused.

Do you want help or do you just want to vent? Sometimes I have to ask my wife the same question. There are times where she just needs to unload and that's fine, but I always like to fix things.

If you want help, then please provide details on the potential transaction. The fact that you have 2 salespeople interested in helping you with a ton of experience under their belt and 3-4 hosts means that you have some great knowledge and experience to answer your questions with.

As I mentioned before, I am seeing unbelievable deals going on right now and vehicles are ripe for the picking. The only curveball I see in your potential transaction is the trade. Regardless, if you want help, please provide info. If not, good luck with those teeth.

mplshondadlr

Really? That sucks. But as the saying goes, "Ya get what you pay for"! I guess that statement couldn't be more true when you're talking cheap cars.

fezo

Old people cars? Just because of that Grand Marquis?... I'm sure if you'll sell him a Porsche for the same money he'll be glad to...... not make up his mind...

verdugo

I guess it's a chicken or egg thing. What came first? The stories of geriatric mobiles or the lack of sales stories?

I say the lack of sales stories.

madmanmoo

:P

I decided to throw an actual story in the mix. Maybe that will help things get back on track a bit. I dunno, lol.

madmanmoo

Haha, I don't need anymore lookie-loos.

We had a great end to the month last month. It was pretty exciting. 17 cars delivered on Friday on Saturday. That's a great close to a month for us. I look forward to March being a great one as well.

verdugo

Always stirring the pot, huh? :P

It was a funny story. Hopefully the rest of salespeople will follow your lead, you being a trend setter and all.

verdugo

Always stirring the pot, huh? :P

It was a funny story. Hopefully the rest of salespeople will follow your lead, you being a trend setter and all.

sidious6688

I recently bought a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT limited for a good price (I think), $12K. The dealer wanted to give me $3000 for my 2002 Honda Civic EX (94K miles, good conditions, have records). I has done research in advance and saw trade values of anywhere from $5K to $6.5K. We could not come to agreementso I made it easy and did not trade the car. I'm now in the position of trying to sell it privately. Research indicated the private party price to be in the $5500 - $7500 range. I'm asking $6500, have placed the car on craigslist and autorader. One and a half weeks have gone by without one hit. Am I really being that unreasonable with the price? Fortunately, I don't need to sell it.

fezo

And a great story it was. I'm a pretty patient guy but I can't imagine dealing with folks like that.

mplshondadlr

All the "books" in the world mean nothing. They are ment as just a guide and not a set in stone value. What are other 2002 Civic EX's advertised at in your area? If they are selling for less, adjust your price accordingly.

Also, really good pix or six, and and a well written ad, will increase the number of lookers to hopefully a buyer!

Good luck! I would say that you should have no problem getting close to what you're looking for assuming the car is clean with all of the records.

jipster

The dealer wanted to give me $3000 for my 2002 Honda Civic EX (94K miles, good conditions, have records). I has done research in

Smart move in rejecting the dealerships offer and selling it yourself. A lot of people here don't want to mess with the "hassle" of a private party sale. But, I think it's well worth 2 or 3 hours of my(your) time to save 2 or 3 grand.

Sounds like you have it priced a bit high. Drop it down to $5,700 and see what happens.

Mr_Shiftright

I'd agree---I'd let it go for $5900 in today's market, with those miles on it, but I don't see anything "wrong" with your asking price. However, you are asking retail, so you can't expect all that much action. Try listing at say $6,395 or some such if you are comfortable with that. Also craigslist is for bargain hunters and tire-kickers looking for cars with dents---autotrader is a better venue for a nice car.

boomchek

If you get no calls within a week, start lowering the price by $200 until the phone starts to ring.

Like others said, take two to four good pictures of the car, check what other comparable Civics are advertised for, and go from there.

Civics are always popular so you shouldn't have a problem selling it as long as the car is presentable, and priced right.

explorerx4

you are referring to how long tires last on your vehicles, right?

Mr_Shiftright

me AND the tires!

sidious6688

Got a hit from autotrader! We'll see what happens. yup, I realize books are a guide, but their sum total gives you a range. In any case, the $3K from the dealer was ridiculous.Its understood they need to buy at wholesale especially if they won't retail it themselves (which this one probably wouldn't - it was a chevy dealer), but the lowest wholesale i could find was $4900. In this area I'd say $6500 gives me a competittive edge at the private party sale price, never mind dealer retail. this is based on local advertisements. thanks for the suggestions though. You're right regardless of "reasonableness" if it won't sell, this price IS too high...

rachelly

Thank you, I appreciate the reply. Yes, my local Enterprise is on the list. I did find a better deal though. So, is there a possibility that I could talk the sales person down at least $500 dollars on one of these used vehicles? I really want a Chevy Aveo. Room and affordable. Know anything about Champion? The vehicles are going a good $9999 and have a good 21,000 to 44,000 miles on them. Thank you, I really appreciate your reply.

Rachel C.
Houston, TX

alamocity

You're quite welcome. Now I don't know whether that price includes the tax, title and license but in my opinion that is too much for a used Aveo. The voucher is separate from any rebates that the manufacture may offer so keep that in mind.. I don't know anything about Champion as I live in San Antonio but you might try autotrader and doing a search there as to what is available in your area.

Frank

oldfarmer50

"...We had a great end to the month..."

Yep, those fat cats always have the money to buy their toys even while the rest of us lose our homes. You should feel ashamed and give us all 50% off. :mad:

boomchek

No shame in making money. You should flaunt it, chucking out $100 bills into the air while driving your Bentley

Mr_Shiftright

You HAVE to chuck $100 bills out the window if you own a Bentley. That's the rate of your depreciation. :P I don't think smart money buys a Bentley.

godeacs

Check out the CR Auto Issue BEFORE you consider buying an Aveo. May save yourself some grief in the future!.....

leesanray

When you send your buyer to a used car auction, is he looking primarily at the profit potential of each vehicle?

Is he also looking to balance the inventory so the dealer can offer solutions in various price ranges in each of the major vehicle categories?

Let's assume the next vehicle up that he is considering is a 2008 GM vehicle of a type you wouldn't mind having on your lot. Let's say it has 25000 miles, has been a rental unit and is in average condition with no apparent mechanical problems. Let's say similar units have not been either an especially hot or cold seller on your lot, but you have been able to sell them for about $13000. At what point does your buyer say (or should say) - nope, that is too much for that vehicle. Could you explain the thought process that goes into determining this price point.

Thanks,

Lee

boomchek

At the auction we usually won't pay more than book value because banks typically don't lend more than book value on loans. So we do't want to get stuck with vehicles we can't finance especially if that's a big chunk of our clientele.

Typically we won't buy specific vehicles to have a "balance" on the lot.

For example we rarely carry 5 speed coupes, used luxury cars, or large SUVs. They do ok when they are traded in, but we won't go out of our way to have a "one of each type" of vehicle sitting here. We'll go by the most mainstream vehicles that we can get, that would be easy to get financed, good price point, some warranty left over, and not too much detrminetal history, and appealing colors.

That's why new special order vehicles with oddball color combos and weird option packages will fetch much less than usual at trade in time, and at the auctions too, unless there's a buyer lined up for it.

leesanray

Boomchek,

Thanks for the info.

Lee

volvomax

but I was NEVER told to put down a deposit.

I'm sorry, do you need to be told to do everything???

Dealer did NOTHING sleazy.
You had no exclusive right to that vehicle.

volvomax

I just tried to make a few deals (my trade + cash) here at the end of February (I shopped at a lot of new car dealers) and have found that the salesmen were nowhere near as eager to deal as they were the last 2 years when I made my previous purchases. (I thought used vehicles were in demand right now?)

Eagerness is irrelevant.
Keep in mind that most "deals" are manufacturer supported.
ie, rebates and incentives.
If the manufacturer can't offer the incentives,then your perspctive of the "deal' is going to change.
Trade in values are also market dependent. with u/c sales down dealers don't want to put too much in a car they may have on the lot for months.

jayrider

I just bought a car from a salesman that looked me in the eye and said politely that he really wanted to sell me a car. I had been all over looking at a number of cars and dealerships and he was the only one who said that. Most of the other contacts were talking from some script that I suppose the dealership insisted they follow. What was I driving-what did I owe- I can get you a special price today only. After I remarked about the $1000 fabric guard/paint sealant on the window one said he would be happy to tell me that that had real value. I was ready to buy but these young guns weren't experienced enough to see that. Some of the older ones weren't all that tuned in either. I guess I wasn't the kind of customer they wanted. I'm 63 and was always respectful but I was informed. The guy I bought from made me a great deal and closed it out without any hassle with the finance man. No push for window etching, pinstripe, etc. I know there are accomplished sales folks out there but why is it so hard to find them I have to say, I enjoy watching an accomplished sales professional work almost as much as getting a good deal.

verdugo

We're all pretty much in agreement (except demstillers of course) But I went back and read demstillers' post b/c it's been a while, and the sentence below jumped at me:

but I was NEVER told to put down a deposit. I'm there to buy a car; they are there to explain the terms.

They are there to explain the terms? No, they are there to sell cars, which might entail explaning the terms sometime, but it's certainly not their main reason for being there. It just gets me the sense of entitlement that some people feel.

Anyway, hope demstillers found a car now that he's a more informed shopper.

volvomax

Funny, anytime I go to buy something I always assume someone wants to sell it to me.
I never give extra points for backside kissing.
I agree that some salespeople can be tone deaf and make things harder than they need to be.

oldfarmer50

"...I guess I wasn't the kind of customer they wanted. I'm 63..."

You're right. Most salespeople want a stary-eyed credit-challenged loser who will roll over negative equity, pay 19% and buy the mop&glo. That's where the gross lies. Us old farts who know what we're talking about don't offer the same opportunity to these young pups.

jayrider

To be a bit clearer -- I wasn't talking about tush kissing weasle. Just a believable low key interest in selling me a car. I suppose when you deal with the car buying public 6 days a week you see so much "stuff" that it takes a lot of effort to keep turning the page after being confronted with one irritating time waster after the other. That's what seperates the diamonds from the rough. I could never do it. If you ask me to cook a nice dinner. I can do a very good job. Could I cook 6 days a week month after month ? There's cooking and there's cooking for a living and the two are not very much alike.

jayrider

Oldfarmer--who told you about my farting?

exb0

My 07 Honda Odyssey is being repurchased by the manufacturer; that is “lemoned”. Does anybody know how long will it take for Honda to cut me a check, and how long do I have to return the vehicle after I get my money?

The reason I am asking is that do I need to run out this weekend and start test driving potential replacements, or do I have some time to shop around.

jayrider

Don't be in such a rush --you will increase your chances of buying wrong. You can cheaply rent a car for a week -- money well spent-- and look at all your options.

codemonkey2

I am going to buy a used car. I got financing through Capital One and am using their "Blank Check". I found a car I liked, negotiated price, etc. Presented "Blank Check" to use. Salesperson said they don't usually accept "Draft Checks", but talked with someone and he said they will accept it. He then took me to the finance guy who said he wanted a chance to beat the rate I had through Cap One. I let him try he could not. They told me that I will not be able to take the car until the Cap One transfers them the funds and that this may take weeks. Am I getting scammed or is this legit?