Any Questions for a Car Dealer?

afty

I bought a Nissan Altima at a dealer about 45 minutes from my apartment. There's a closer dealer (about 15 minutes away), but he didn't have the options I wanted and also wanted $1500 more for the car. I called this closer dealer last week to get some warranty work done, and they flat out refused to work on it. They told me they would not do warranty work on a car they didn't sell, and that I should take the car back to the dealer I bought it from.

I know I could complain and get them to work on my car, but I certainly don't want them coming anywhere near it with that attitude.

landru2

The cars are owned by individual businesses. They transfer between themselves only as a courtesy. I will gladly transfer to other dealers (depending on the rarity of the vehicle) because I know that tomorrow I may be the one doing the asking. If I suspect that "my" customer is trying to buy my car from another dealer then no way will I give up the unit.

In your case it doesn't sound like your local dealer can come up with the vehicle you want so you don't have much choice. In order to stay on good terms I would give them one last shot at getting you what you want and state that if they can't then you will have to buy at ABC Ford. Try to stay on good terms and you shouldn't have any future service problems.

dillydill

I apologize if someone else has already asked this question, but are there any reasons not to buy from an independant used car store that states the cars are "Lexus direct" and "Acura direct"?

I guess I am just wondering how some low mileage used cars end up with independant stores rather than at the new car dealerships. There seem to be many local used car stores that have much better advertised prices on similar mileage cars than new car dealerships.
Thanks.

im_brentwood

Simple.

The auctions where they sell these cars are open to any dealer, as a rule. Some manufacturers do have "closed" sales, but mainly those are for:

A) So-Called "Program" cars which are either Company Service vehicles or ex-rental/fleet vehicles.

Buybacks, Factory demos that are untitled, etc..

I can tell ya that, as an independent dealer, I can and do sell Jaguars that are the same cars that the local dealer sells. I also sell them for a LOT less $$. I cant sell them as Jaguar Select Edition cars, as I am not a Jag dealer.

Heck, There's a 2001 SAAB 9-5 Auto sitting out front on the lot as we speak. 11K miles, I bought it from Enterprise rent-a-car IIRC. And the local SAAB dealer has 2 of em just like mine.

But hes asking $3K more than me

Bill

dillydill

Using your example of his price being $3K higher.
Is that because they have more overhead? And can certify it? I have not purchased a car from an independant dealer but cannot help but look at the savings.

My wife is interested in a new Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe loaded with moonroof, but I am trying to show her she might be able to get a '99 Lexus RX 300 FWD/moonroof for a few thousand more (around $24-25K) as opposed to a similar car at the dealer for 2-3k more.
I appreciate your help.

Dillydill

lancerfixer

9-5, you say? I'm intrigued...

:-)

bretfraz

9-5 you say? Hmmmm....... I'm thinking Mom needs one of those.

Pretty nice cars from what I've heard. ;-)

im_brentwood

Yup.

The cars all pretty much come from the same place. Figure a 99 FWD RX with, say, 40-45K on it in clean shape will do $22-23Kish across the block. You can buy them all day long for $24-25K (Color depending...) here in FL. Every 2-4 weeks they blow a ton of em through the auction in Ocoee.

Why are franchise stores higher? Probably to offset new-car dept losses (sellin new cars at invoice or real close to it. Also.. they can get it I suppose. Certification..etc.

Me? I just want to flip them. Quickly.

Bill

im_brentwood

Yeah... for the $$ a used 9-5 is a killer bet.

Im driving a 99 Base Auto Right now.. and I love it.

Bill

annie34

Please let me know if this is legit or not. I am always skeptical of being taken advantage of in any sales situation.
I signed a lease agreement over a month ago with a Honda dealer for a Black 2002 Honda CRV (EX). I knew they were not currently in stock (not at any dealerships in my area which, by the way, is suburban Detroit) and that I would have to wait a couple of weeks to get one. No problem. After almost 3 weeks I had not heard from my dealership, so I called. I was told it would be at least another 10 days. 10 days later I called again (at no time has the dealer ever called me to update me on the situation) and was told "Oh, they are just not making black ones right now." ?? Does this sound possible? If it makes any difference, this particular vehicle is made in Japan. I'm not sure if my salesman is giving me the straight scoop. He has not tried to unload any other colors on me, to his credit, but apparently I am supposed to wait indefinitely until the vehicle miraculously arrives. They have received other vehicles in the same black color (Accords), but those vehicles are made at a plant in the U.S. Is this a factor?
Please separate fact from fiction for me if you can. Any advice to pursue this matter would be most appreciated. Like most people, I despise the auto buying process and would like to avoid starting over again with another dealer if possible. I thought about contacting Honda's customer relations department. Does anyone think that would help?

rbrenton88

Aren't you racking up the miles on half your inventory by driving them around all the time?

im_brentwood

Pretty much

leomort

question for all you car salesmen guys. What do you do when a person comes in to buy a new car and has an older, high mileage vehicle as trade-in which this person has an unrealistic expectation what their trade-in is worth? How do keep from making yourself the "bad guy" when their trade-in is no where close to what they expect?

Leo

nyccarguy

probably take the guy's car and drive it around for a few months! LOL!

isellhondas

Happens all of the time. After all, these people "know" what their car is worth thanks to the internet.

I will gently let them know that their car is a car would be selling to a wholesaler and suggest they try to sell it themselves.

I realize that the old car has become kinda a part of their family and they may be attached to it in spite of it's value.

I don't want the trade in to be a deal breaker.

If they persist, I'll flat out tell them that their 95 Neon with 145,000 miles is probably worth 5-600.00 to us.

It really becomes tough when they have recent receipts for thousands of dollars of work they had done. Still a 500.00 car.

im_brentwood

Is it a car I would want to drive?

Seriously, sometimes you can educate them, sometimes you cant.

I'll usually handle it like this:

"Well, I base my appraisals on what cars like yours are actually selling for at dealer auctions as this tells us the actual market so we can be accurate and up to the minute. What I have here are some auction recaps from the local auction. Also bear in mind that your car is a car that will go to the auction. If you'll notice, kelly Blue Book is showing an estimated trade value of $14,000 on your 1999 whatevermobile with 56K miles, but if you look here, you'll see that I can buy cars like yours with far less mileage, about 35K on them, for that kind of money. If you look here, youll see that cars like yours with mileage in the mid-50s are doing about $12,500 or so. So we know that we can get $12,500 for your car at the sale. If I sell your car at the auction for $12,500, I'll net about $12,100-12,200 or so. The auction charges me a $175 sale fee for your car, plus we have about $100 to detail it so it will sell, and $40 or so in transport charges. So this is how we have come up with a value of $12,100 on your trade. I hope this explains how we appriase trades and that this makes sense.

Make sense?

Bill

wrightgm

Forgive my ignorance but are alloy tires just a cosmetic thing with hte shiny wheels and all?

rroyce10

...... They are in "super Vogue" right now ..and with the new quality of the wheels today, they are great to have.

Terry.

rroyce10

...... This is the "ugly" part of the job ..and I think everyone else's too.

I'm the 1st dealer on the list -- he has taken Ultra high blue book, forgot to deduct those 71,000 miles off his 98 Crown Vic, there is dog hair in the back seat from having their dog in the back for the last 4 years. The tires aren't bad with 10k, but has rubbed every curb from Delray to Detroit.
He/She doesn't even see the scratches on the rear bumper that are the size of watermelons, from draggin' their golf clubs and Home Depot projects all over the place. And of course, the compressor keeps clinking on and off ( that just started, on the way there) .. that's why their windows have been down for a month. They love music so much, that the cassette tape is still stuck in the the player since 00 (when the warranty ran out).

Except for a few minor "dings" down the side (so I'm told) it looks just like brand new ..! When I look at it, it looks like the "St Valentines day Massacre" --- What ..? was this vehicle used for target practice by our new SWAT team ..?

And let's not forget those pesky little windshield kisses that needs to be replaced ...

Ok ... Now what ..? He/She knows it's worth $9,000 American dollars -- Why..? because they have called their bank or credit union, and that's what Billy Bob told them - ( he's right out Florida State by 6 months and drives a 89 VW Fox, with 181k on it ..that Dad bought him in 97 when he started school) ---- And I'm told .."he should know .. he's the banker" ----- Ok Den, if you say so.

Kinda get the gist here ... l..o..l..

Terry.

leomort

LOL regarding comment about Bill.

Bill, would not want to drive my car around. A '94 Toyota Paseo 5spd w/ 181,700 miles on it.

Leo

leomort

so how do you break the bad news to this guy without being made the "bad guy". It looks like a catch 22.

Leo

bobst

Brentwoodvolvo assumes the customer is a rational human being who will understand why their car has a low value after he explains how the auction process works. In doing so, he shows respect for the customer, and I will bet the customer can sense that. We like sales people who treat us with respect.

On the other hand, Rroyce appears to assume the customer is totally unreasonable, and cannot be convinced that their car does not have the value they hoped. In his comments, I don't sense any respect for the customer.

Years ago, I learned that people will treat me pretty much like I treat them. If I show them respect, they will usually show me respect in return. If I treat them in a disparaging manner, they are the same way to me. I'm sure the same thing is true with car salesmen.

Bob

rroyce10

...... As a rule, they are treated with respect and honesty --- and hopefully, I will earn their business because I was.

But, sometimes that doesn't work -- I always try to remind them please.."Don't shoot the messenger"

Sometimes a consumer will wear themselves out .. after they have heard the same story by the 2nd or 3rd dealer and purchase from the last -- it's not a bad thing, it's just human nature.

Keep in mind Bob .. most of my posts are from "Thinking out loud" ..l..o..l..

Terry.

tlaplante

When ya'll are buying a vehicle at the auctions, how do you know you are getting a vehicle that's worth the money? I assume you're using car fax to check the title and as Bill described earlier you're looking for the tell tale paint work. But what about the mechanical condition? Do you drive them or at least crank them up? Do you pull off the radiator cap and note the condition of the coolant or pull out the dipsticks? What happens if you wind up buying a dog? Do you eat it or do you bring it back to the auction?

Tom

qwalls

Hey guys - this is about the '99 LS400 I asked about last night on real-world trade-in values. I got an email from the dealer, and he said it has all of the options and is in great shape. Of course he'd say that, but he gave me a name and number to call to discuss. I ran a carfax on it, and something seems strange to me. It's a '99, but it was first titled 9/14/99, a model year old, and with only 15 miles as a private vehicle. This is also the only mileage entry, which also seems strange to me. Usually there will be an auction sale, second title, or something. Combine this with the too low price of $32k that both of you say is a steal, and I have all kinds of alarms going off. Is there an easy way to find a previous owner from the VIN number to check on the car? Any thoughts? Usually if something seems too good to be true.....

Thanks,
Quentin

rroyce10

..... Every Dealer works different.

Most dealers come in about 10/15 minutes before the 1st run, usually 9am. Grab a list of what's in the lanes. Look to see what order their particular vehicles might be running -- on kick-off, they look around a little, and buy a bunch.

A rare few really "feel, touch and smell em" before the runs ...

Me personally, I have downloaded all the vehicles that I might be interested in my P Pilot the night before an auction. I get there around 7/7:30am and I look at every vehicle I have a interest in. I check em'.. trunks open, I start pulling carpet, check for moisture in the spares, check under the dashes, pull the seats all the way back and look for potential water damage.

Hoods are up, looking for paint work, I take a Mercury flash light to look at the paint, especially on the short days we are still having, or mechanical stuff, fenders, door jams, kick panels, tires -- why is the oil/tranny pan brand new ..? Drive as many as we can. I'm on a headset, then if this might be a winner .. I call in the VIN's for the Carfax 's.

Then say hello to all the other dealers that come in, and wait for the runs. And hopefully, on some of the nice pieces, I don't get out bidded. l..o..l...

That's pretty much it ... So how is your day ..?

Terry.

rroyce10

....... Take the Vin# .. call your closest Lexus dealer and have them pull the service history... it's easy.

It "seems" .. that nobody wanted that big, old, ugly black thing, and it sat on the lot forever ..l..o..l.. :-) -- then sold on 9/99 with 15 miles ..and that vehicle has just come in on trade, or auction.

Carfax runs "about" 7/10 days behind the actual last sale ..

Terry. :-)

qwalls

I knew that - just too excited to think straight. It has been serviced regularly. The car is the owner's daughter's car, and she wants to get something else, so it sounds like it's still titled to her. They have also realized that their price is too low, so it's going up next week by $2-4k if they still have the car which is doubtful. The salesman said it's a beautiful car except for a 1" scratch on the rear quarter panel, but it wasn't worth painting. I need to figure out how to get there tomorrow after work.

Q

rroyce10

..... I'm excited for you ..!

Hey, tell the boss that you have to be there now -- it's a matter of great National Security. And if you have to tell him, you have to kill him ... what da Ya think ..? Might work ..?

Terry. :-)

crkeehn

When a Dealership changes hands from one owner to another. The Honda/Volkswagen dealer in Laurel changed from one major chain to another. Is the dealer or the owner responsible for the warrantee work.

tincup47

Any promises or agreements that do not involve the factory authorized warranty or extended warranty are null and void. The new owner is not responsible for promises made by the old owner. A wise business man will try to accomodate them when possible, but is under no obligation to do so.

tlaplante

Thanks for the info. I've got my MLC coming up and since the kids are of legal age I've been thinking of purchasing a used still to be determined model sports car. All the vehicle I've owned have been purchased new and extremely boring. I'm a little leary of used car buying process. If I found a vehicle here I would have my mechanic check it out. But if it's out of town that may be a little difficult. Well anyway you gave me something to think about.

Tom

suvshopper4

Do you think it is on the up-and-up when a salesman gives trade value according to what is in the "Galves" book, and deducting $75 for every 1,000 miles over what Galves shows as mileage for that particular dollar value?

rbrenton88

My old trade is still listed on the dealer website that I sold it to. The vin matches, so I know it used to be mine. 'Cept for one thing. I signed it away with 78k+ miles, but it is listed for sale at 72k+. I'd assume a typo, but the number was something specific, like 72,318, so I was wondering if they clocked it. I know that would be unlikely given the penalties if caught, but...

I pulled a carfax a couple weeks after the sale to see if the numbers matched up, but the dealer hadn't titled it in their names, so no new record showed up.
I'm dying to know if there's some monkey business going on, but even if they were so inclined, why even bother for 6 or 7k miles. Not much diff in value there, right?

rroyce10

..... I'm sure it's a typo -- 6/7 klicks, it's not worth anyones time or energy.

Now if it read like 32K ..then that magic bell would be going off.

I have bought a few vehicles from dealers and auctions that the mileage was off a few thousand or so -- Me, I'm dyslexic ... so I always have to check the mileage and the Vin's about 10 times ..l..o..l..

Terry.

rroyce10

....... In your area (NJ) .. for you, those books are about as handy as a Dixie Cup on the Titanic. -- They show the least value, But handy as heck for the Salesperson though ... l..o..l.. perhaps you need to find a new Salesperson ..or a new Dealer.

Terry.

raybear

Galves is the guide dealers use in the northeast, I've seen wholesalers offer less than the price indicated. $75 per thousand is pretty steep, but it's by the book.

rroyce10

..... I know what the Galves is, I have seen hundreds of them, nobody really uses them unless they are trying to take the consumer for a ... ride.

You won't see any being used at the auctions .. there kinda like a reverse Kelly blue book.

Terry.

raybear

We used it, our wholesaler used it, my manager used it at his last store, it's very common here. Our cars get beat up a lot more than yours do, they can't hold value with all the winter salt and potholes.

rroyce10

..... Oooooh, why didn't you say you are from Conn. ...

I see some of the dealers from your area, Maine and such -- they all get that dead mullet look when they come to the "real" auctions ..l..o..l..

Terry.

crkeehn

Thanks for the response. I didn't buy a car there, however a friend of mine did. I was just curious as I drive by that dealership every day on the way to work.

postoak

If I go into a neighboring state to buy a car, how is that handled by the dealer? Does he treat me just as he would a citizen of the state? That is, he submits registration papers for me, takes the sales tax, etc. Or is some different procedure followed? Thanks.

palanppn

Hi,
I am looking at a 1998 Nissan Altima from a dealer. When I put a check in Carfax, I found that the car was originally registered for commercial use. Otherwise the car looks good, I did a buyer's check at a mechanic and it came out OK.

Is the "commercial use" an automatic redflag ?

Thanks
Jay

abtseller

it could have been anything from a taxicab (next) to someone who owned a small business using it for a tax write off. I wouldn't reject it outright because of the commercial use, but its worth checking further.

Ed

abtseller

on a financed deal, the sales tax and tag are usually handled as if you were buying in your home state. In a cash deal, you can usually handle your own tax/tag work yourself, so you can opt-out. You shouldn't ever have to pay sales tax in a state that you don't reside in, as long as you can document that you live elsewhere.

Ed

nyccarguy

You pay tax where you live (State/County), otherwise people in NY would buy cars in Mass where there is no sales tax.

im_brentwood

Itdepends on the state.

It could have been leased, ergo it was registered in the nameof the leasing company

Or it could have been leased to a company..I.E. company car.

Probably not a huge deal.

Bill

postoak

It would be financed. In fact it would be financed through that dealer.

abtseller - it sounds as if you are saying this would be transparent to me -- that it would be registered by the finance company in my home state and the sales tax gathered and sent back to my home state -- is that right?

Do most dealers do this kind of thing, or is it an extra hassle to them? This is a neighboring state.

abtseller

Most dealerships will have a reciprocity deal with their neighbors. It should be transparent to you. When we sell cars, we do all the tag/ title work and put a paper tag on the car when they leave with it. Their new tags arrive in the mail in a few weeks.

Ed

raybear

That was Bobby, my manager, with the "dead mullet" look, but up here we don't have mullets, we have mossbunkers, pogies or menhaden (same fish).