Got a Quick Question for a Car Dealer?

marsha7

Uhh, excuse me...what's the First Amendment???

british_rover

Yeah and that regal mostly likely has the 3800 series II engine in it. You could run that thing all day and night without oil in it and still not kill it.

Repairs are cheap and they weren't bad cars at all so why not keep it. Unless you just want something new or are tired of it.

tidester

what's the First Amendment???

It's the one that starts with "Congress shall make no law ..." There are those who would be happy had the Founders stopped right there.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

oldfarmer50

"...it is probably worth $3200..."

Are you nuts, didn't you read my recent posts? In my area a 1999 Century custom (the Regals' poor cousin) goes asking 8K at the dealer. Drive over here and put that puppy on my lawn. We'll split anything over $3200 50/50.

british_rover

It's the one that starts with "Congress shall make no law ..." There are those who would be happy had the Founders stopped right there.

That deserves a

Mr_Shiftright

Ohm, that's the one that so few Americans actually understand. They think it means that nobody can throw you out of a car dealership because you have a right to jump on a table and start shouting that aliens are drilling into our heads. :P

oldfarmer50

"...aliens are drilling into our heads..."

Nah, aliens don't have time for that. They are too busy using their mind voodoo to sell us cars....well, at least the evil ones do that.

snakeweasel

If you are worried that your reliable Mercedes is going to suddenly become problem-ridden, wouldn't it make more sense (and save oodles of money) to go out and buy an extended warranty on the car?

Even if the repairs are covered under a warranty you still have the hassle of getting it to the shop and not having your car.

mitchflorida

Do you think owners of new Mercedes don't spend significant amount of time ferrying their cars to the dealer for service?? They certainly do.

And usually a car that has been reliable for 4 years , doesn't suddenly turn into a headache immediately afterward. Mercedes is a whole different breed of animal, anyway, as I mentioned before, it is a status car, and a 10 year old Mercedes doesn't impress like a new one will.

murphcoair

I 'am trading in a 2005 F250 it still has 1 year left on the Ford ESP plan.

If I cancel the contract I am entitled to a refund of about 425.00

Does this plan have any value to the dealer I am trading it into, or should I just cancel it and take the 425.00 ?

mitchflorida

Dealers aren't allowed to assume or transfer the warranty, so you will just have to get the $425 refund. If you sell it private party , then you can transfer the warranty to the new buyer.

verdugo

I haven't bought the car yet, but I'm looking for negotiating points. Any suggestions?

I would pass on the car. I don't think you mentioned the price and mileage of the car. I'd be nervous why such a new car was traded it in. How much off a new Impreza's price are you getting? You should have no problem getting a new one for invoice minus rebates. Is it that much difference from a new one?

verdugo

(It is also comical to see the moneyed set falling all over themselves to purchase an ancient "classic" car at an auction, that they would have looked down their noses on just a few years prior. Pssst, don't tell anyone, but all of those classic cars $50,000 and up have been RE-PAINTED. That will be our little secret.)

Same argument as from Real World Trading Values. Somebody already addressed it there.

Please don't feed the trolls, that only encourages them.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes but repainted better than the factory did it---that's what you pay for--$10,000 paint jobs.

marsha7

THAT is the best political comment I have heard in years...I like it...wish it was true...

fezo

I was going to warn tidester about encouraging you....

tidester

I was going to warn tidester about encouraging you...

Too late! :P

But we all know Bob is unflappable and will speak his mind with or without encouragement. And, that is a trait we all admire.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

fezo

Oh, absolutely!

He also needs someone to needle him now and again and I am happy to provide this service...

marsha7

I am glad that SOMEONE will step up to the plate, like fezo, and harass me...not that there isn't already a line of folks waiting...patiently...for their turn...

Remember, if they really ARE watching and pursuing you, it isn't paranoia...

british_rover

That depends on the warranty company. Some warranties stay with the car even if it is traded in.

The warranty still has no real value to the dealer though so I would cancel it.

Mr_Shiftright

Okay I'll needle you, but just once.

Very often, people who profess distaste of all authority drift into a type of illegality no better than the one they suggested they were correcting.

Even in a car dealership (see, I got BACK on topic AND needled him all at once!) :P

fezo

That's why they pay you the big money...

mcd4

How does a Chrysler green sheet work? Do you tell the dealer you have one, or do you talk the price down and then tell the dealer.

marsha7

I like your thought...just remember...the Founding fathers set up the entire Constitution as a LIMIT to federal power...they believed all power should lie with the states...the entire Bill of Rights are not only statements of rights of the citizens and the states, but direct limitations on the federal gov't...oh, how far we have come, and how far further we have been taken just since Jan 20, 2009...

Where is the gov't allowed to own GM and give rebates of our tax money to car buyers???...

Maybe a small revolution is in order, and you see a number of states reaffirming that "obsolete 10th amendment"...it would be interesting to see states directly disobey an order from the Fed gov't on the basis of overreaching of federal power based on the 10th...a Supreme Court that could read would have to stand for the states...

One last thought...Obama's gov't now rund GM...Obama taught Constitutional Law at Harvard...now please don't waste 3 seconds telling he how smart Obama is, because if he had the brains of my dog, he would know that 98% of what he had proposed is 100% unconstitutional...that is why I have little to no respect for those who teach Con Law, since they rarely understand the 2nd amendment, and give lip service to the 10th...and remember how everyone was upset with the Patriot Act under Bush???...this crap under Obama makes Bush look like kindergarten...Obama is a Commie, pure and simple, in a well-tailored suit, empty tho it may be...

tidester

and you see a number of states reaffirming that "obsolete 10th amendment"

Perhaps the dealer's asking price issue is covered by the 9^th Amendment if not the 1^st.

Trying to keep this topical!

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

rik1

Are the dealers allowed to go after the buyers if they don't receive reimbursement from the gov't? What if the buyer signed a waiver? And is it good business for the dealer to go after the buyer, months after the deal has gone thru?

davesuton

Why are all of the Honda sales staff so arrogant? And while we are on the subject of Honda, when will they hire someone other than apes to assemble their vehilcles? My wifes Odyssey is falling apart after 20k miles.

godeacs

Hmmm, pretty wide paint brush/roller in your hands!!! Take out the words "Honda" and "Odyssey" and you can substitute any other brand/model in the US.....

Your point????? :confuse:

oldfarmer50

"...Why are all of the Honda sales staff so arrogant?..."

I've heard that from a number of people and even experienced it myself. I think it's because they know that if they broom you out the door after your below invoice offer there will be someone right behind you. Honda has developed a reputation as a car of mythical reliability and some people worship it like a god.

That gives the salesman some flexibility to try the strong arm tactics.

The thing is, not all sales people or stores are like that. I've had friends who were given arrogant treatment at one store but great treatment at another. They bought at the other.

jipster

Why are all of the Honda sales staff so arrogant?

The few that I dealt with were okay. So, maybe it's just 99.9999% of all Honda sales staff are arrogant.

And while we are on the subject of Honda, when will they hire someone other than apes to assemble their vehicles?

You must be talking about the dreaded grease monkey. These fellows work on your car when it needs repaired... they don't assemble them.

marsha7

It is probably a sticky situation...the dealer sold, and the buyer bought, the car based on that $4,500.00 C4C money...the "gov't" has guaranteed that amount with our tax money...if the gov't does not pay would the buyer be liable for the $4,500.00???...my guess is yes, they would, as they probably signed some document that protects the dealer if the gov't check fails to materialize...regardless of the holdback, I am sure that dealers do not have $4500 additional profit built into the vehicle, so, until they receive the $$$ from the gov't, the dealer is sucking wind...considering that the same people administering this program are of like mind to those who run the Post Office, efficiency and speedy checks would be the last thing I would expect to occur...

Mr_Shiftright

Many outspoken critics you hear these days about these various economic policies we are bandying about, are espousing views that would please a 19th century anarchist, which is, to me, is an untenable position in the modern complex world.

As someone said recently about one gray-haired senator: "He has a fine education, which unfortunately stopped in 1888".

As for the U.S. Constitution, most Americans have never actually read it, and fewer understand it IMO. Everyone tries to wear it but it's a stretch fit for most. :P

The best protectors of the Constitution are ironically the ACLU. How do I know this?---because they TICK OFF EVERYBODY! (usually a good sign that someone's defending the abstract concept of "rights").

Obama is just another free-market centrist. He's no better or worse than any other President in that regard over the last 50 years or so. It's business as usual, so what's the beef?

If you like capitalism, you'd better like boom and crash, because that's what it does for a living.

A President doesn't control the economy...he basically 'surfs' it IMO.

tidester

I think we should get back to discussing "quick questions for dealers" and relegate questions of politics and constitutional law to another venue. A little off topic banter is good but it should not displace the intended topic which is what members come here to read.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

plainane129

The car has less than 4500 miles on it and is going for $17,100. A new one (the premium model) goes for between $21K and $22K. That's kind of a big difference, especially when financing. I did ask the salesman why such a new car would be traded in and he said Subaru has their high executives drive them for a few months to test them out and then they sell them at auction. They did offer to install an automatic starter for half the normal cost. What do you think?

verdugo

oh, so it's not "used." It sound like it's a demo. Make sure pay "half of invoice cost" for the starter rather than "half of MSRP." You also mentioned that it had some noises, right? Not sure how the factory warranty works with a demo, but ask and double check their answer. And if it's not in writing, it doesn't mean anything.

You also mentioned that the engine sounded like it was straining, IRRC. It's a 4 cylinder, so expect that if you push it really hard. We used to take our previous generation impreza wagon to Lake Tahoe (8,000 feet evelevation gain in 60 miles, and the engined told us it wasn't happy :-). My wife loved it, and she still gives me grief for trading it in for a V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

boomchek

There could be a hundred different reasons why a car would be traded in early. They all could be bad or good reasons. It is doubtful however that anyone will give you a bad reason why it was traded in.

A lot of times upper management does drive new cars only for a few months so that is very possible.

Here are some other common reasons why a car might be traded in so early:

-It could have been an ex rental and company went belly up so they sold it off
-Retail customer bought it and really didn't like it or it didn't fit them so they traded it
-Someone was leaving state/country and had to sell it
-Company car and company went belly up and had to sell off assets
-Had mechanical issues, was traded in, fixed and now is being resold
-Repo
-Dealership demo for customer test drives
-Dealership demo for service customers
-Dealership demo for staff or management

british_rover

Subarus has a lot of 2009 cars coming off of rental right now. We have bought about a dozen of them so it is prob a rental.

Just ask to the see the title.

mitchflorida

I test drove a new Mazda6 on July 26th. This is in South Florida. Today, I called up my salesman to ask him a question. This is an exact transcript of the telephone conversation:

"Hello, may I speak to Walter?"

"Yes, please hold on . . Ummm, Walter no longer works here."

"When did he leave ?"

"Oh, about 2 weeks ago."

"Okay, thank you."

Car sales, what a great career!

lrguy44

So a guy leaves a dealership - as you did. Many people change jobs. I can tell you that at this dealership we have 4 salesmen - the junior guy has been here 5 1/2 years. Also , he had previous LR background Total the 4 of us have 34 years of LR expirience. So what is your point? I might add that we have all made a lot of money. What a great career is right.

mitchflorida

That's great, but I doubt if you work in South Florida. The owners of the car dealerships in Florida tend to be sleazy. And it is the fault of the car manufacturers that they let them get away with all this high turnover crap.

I once mentioned the high turnover to the General Manager of a Toyota dealer, and he told me , "You don't understand. That is part of the business plan."

lrguy44

My point is do not take pot shots at all dealers because of your Miami expirience.

oldfarmer50

"...There could be a hundred different reasons why a car would be traded early..."

#37--sales manager's kid took it for a joy ride and rolled it into a swamp.

Get a Carfax and have a trusted mechanic look it over. Then appraise it here on Edmunds as a USED car with the same milage.

My Chrysler dealer gave me a rental because they had to keep my car overnight. The guy from Hertz who picked me up was formerly from NYC. On the way back to the office he rode the bumper of every car he could, hitting the gas and then slamming the brake. I thought I was going to get whiplash.

it made me realize that a rental car can lead a rough life. :lemon:

chuckfromli

I was gonna use his tirade as a bargaining tactic. You know, in case negotiations get bogged down.

oldfarmer50

I just got off the phone with Chrysler. They were doing a CSI on my recent service visit to the dealer. I was not real happy with the service as I waited for a total of about 5 hours on three separate occasions for them to fix a lousy seat belt buckle. The last time they kept the car over the week-end. When the dealer called a few days ago I told them I wasn't very impressed with the service.

So anyway, Chrysler corporate calls today and wants me to rate the service 0-10 (10 being the best). For a moment I think I'll tell them the truth but then I give them all 10s. You sales guys have trained me well.

So my question is, does the CSI for service count as much as it does for sales?

volvomax

So my question is, does the CSI for service count as much as it does for sales?

Generally speaking, yes.
Different manufacturers can weigh it differently, but it is an integral component of the motor co's recognition endeavors. Like Chrysler's 5 Star award.

mitchflorida

With Honda Warranty work I can say a resounding yes. The Service Manager leaned on me so hard to give him a perfect score that it really got on my nerves. I think if he hadn't bothered me about it so much, I would have given him a perfect score. But he bugged me so I refused to take the CSI at all. You can only pressure someone so hard. He also had his secretary call me up prior to taking the survey.

jipster

So anyway, Chrysler corporate calls today and wants me to rate the service 0-10 (10 being the best). For a moment I think I'll tell them the truth but then I give them all 10s. You sales guys have trained me well.

If you recall in a previous post of mine, a dealership had on their records, in their computer system, that I had complained about a previous service experience, I believe it was an internal survey, and not through corporate. One year later the service manager lets it slip out that I had made a complaint, somewhat jokingly. When I ask him about it he backpeddles and changes the subject. They did ask for and got "goodwill" from corporate for me in a previous visit, so they didn't seek revenge when they had the opportunity. So, yeah, you have to be careful when making complaints, even when they are justified.

crimsontide

Okay, I have a question. My car came with LOJACK preinstalled. The finance person asked me if I wanted to activate it for a fee. I said no.

But the LOJACK is already installed right? If the cops wanted to, couldn't they use it to find my car if it was stolen, whether i paid for activation or not?

jmonroe

But the LOJACK is already installed right? If the cops wanted to, couldn't they use it to find my car if it was stolen, whether i paid for activation or not?

I don’t know this for a fact but if it is like satellite radio it’s useless unless you subscribe for the service. Look at it like this, your car has the availability to be found if stolen but without activation the system is just taking up space.

Don’t you just love these things that you pay for and didn’t want to start with? :confuse:

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

"...you have to be careful when making complaints..."

I did complain when the dealer called. They kept telling me that the part they ordered was bad too. :confuse: I figured that wasn't their fault so I didn't rat them out to corporate.

What I did chew the dealer out for, when he called, was that despite "Free Lifetime Car Washes" which were part of my deal, the car was dirtier coming out than going in.