Any Questions for a Car Dealer?

raybear

Ask him to clarify.

nyccarguy

I've placed a call to him and left him a voice mail. Granted all of our correspondence has been via email, so technically I could be a 15 year old wasting his time...

If he calls back, then I'll ask him to clarify. If he finds a car for me, I'm willing to give him a deposit. But to give him money just to do a locate doesn't sound right to me.

raybear

A commitment on your part. Doing a locate is no big deal, so if he finds the car make sure you know it'll have a couple hundred miles on it when it comes in so there's no surprises. If you want it trucked home expect to pay several hundred more.

Give him a deposit when he finds the car, that's fair.

jonbgood

I was looking at a Mazda dealership the other day and they have a leftover new 2001 626 V6 ES w/every option. The sticker scares everyone away. Driftwood color is Ok but I'm not crazy about the spoiler. My ? is how much of a discount should one expect on a leftover that has obviously been hard to sell. I think there is $3k back from Mazda which should be irrelevant when it comes to what the dealer should be willing to discount above and beyond the rebate. Any ideas?

millerro3

I think maybe I can shed some light on what's happenin' here.
Ex. I run a locate on a car and I get a list of cars back that have the options you want in it. Great, I've "found" your car! Now is when I would want to write up a sales order and take a deposit, then get on the horn and start making the phone calls to the sales manager of the dealer closest to us. ring ring, "Hi, may I speak to ____ ____.?" "Yes, what is it in regard to?" "This is Rob from ____ BMW, I'm trying to do a dealer swap." "Hold on please." "Hi, you've reached the voicemail box of ____ ____, please leave your name and number and I will get right back to you." "Blah Blah Blah, my number is xxx-xxx-xxxx, please let me know, thank you!"
Now the wait begins, no call in couple hours, so I call back, no return call that day, call back the next day, "He'll be in at noon." "OK, thank you...No, I've already left him a voicemail, I'll try back later, thanks." Try him at 4 o'clock, get him on the phone, "where are you from?" "I'm from ____ BMW." "Tell you what, I'm right in the niddle of something, let me get right back to you." "OK, thanks." Two hours, four hours, end of day, no call back. Ugghhh, but think about it, what's his incentive to call ME back, trading a car he makes no money on, so I'm his lowest priority, so I must continually hound him to get an answer, of whether it's a sold car or not, and if it is sold, I just spent all this time doing it for nothing, just to confirm it's not available. On to the next car, which I would have been calling on concurrently with the first car, what's goin' on with this one? It typically takes a lot of time on the phone to get a dealer trade done, sometimes I get lucky and get the guy on the phone the first time around, he tell sme the car is available, and I get it, but that is not the norm. So that's why I take the deposit before I start making phone calls. Say I didn't, and I spent a couple days trying to find an available car, I finally get one, call the customer, and they say, "Oh, I've changed my mind, I can't afford the car now", or "I already got one from ____ BMW." I want a commitment from someone that once I get the car, they're gonna be there to buy it. And no verbal agreements will suffice, because we all know verbal agreements are only worth the paper they're written on. Hope this helps you out a little bit.:-)

ps--thx for the info, I gotta wait to go home so I can download it, the office mgr. is leery of having us download anything on the company's computers:-/

Rob

audia8q

If you want to make an absurd offer as if the car was a "used car" you probably wont get the car...if you offer somewhere in the neighborhood of $3400-3500 behind invoice you should be able to strike a deal. I would start at $4000 behind invoice and see if they take the bait.

from the dealers standpoint there is No need to take a loss on the car but every reason to sell the car at net cost. invoice minus everything.
My advantage would be to move the unit and gain a customer who hopefully uses the service department and refers friends and relatives to the dealership based upon his or her "great deal".

fencesitter2

How much do you discount new vehicles that are very old new vehicles?I.E. 2001's still on the lot now? Does the factory offer incetives to move these ,or are the dealers on their own?

rroyce10

..... Depending on the manufacturer .. most have some nice incentive money on em', to make them go bye bye ...

What kind of vehicle is it ..?

Terry.

godeacs

There's a Dodge dealer in town (known for it's high pressure sales, "sleaze", etc) that is constantly on TV with ads on 2001 Neons and Intrepids! Neons for "$199 down, $199/month" and Intrepids I believe for $13,900....has lots of them.....Funny, they NEVER advertise 2002s...........lol

odd1

I've been looking at picking up a used Toyota Sienna recently. I noticed that at two years old they are running about 60% of new. Why? These are Toyotas aren't they? It is the engine sludge problem rumors? Are they rumors when the WSJ is running an article on it? Are these engines a problem? Are these "problems" really happening in higher percentages is Siennas and the Lexus SUV?

My personal feeling is that that won't be known until we see if these engines reach 200K miles in the same percentages as previous Toyota engines. Of course I don't want to wait ten years to if out if the problem is real or not.

Lastly, if I wait another 3 months or so is the price of a used Sienna going to drop further on all this speculation on the engines?

nyccarguy

You both make very good points. I was thinking all along that it is a lot of work for a dealer to do, and I'm sure he'd make a lot more money off of me if I were looking for a Civic or An Accord, but a discontinued Prelude that he's selling me for invoice! Truth be told, I'd rather buy the car from this dealership becasue it is closer to my house, provides loaner cars, has a fabulous service department, and they're open on Saturdays too. If I call him up and tell him to put $100 on my credit card, would that be sufficient enough to run a locate?

Thanks again for everyone's help!

fencesitter2

There are a few 2001 Olds Aurora 4.0's still around.What puzzles me is i've been told the 2002 dollar GM rebate doesn't apply to the 2001's. I was baffled by this as logic would tell you these are the cars they need to move first.That was what brought about my question.

dmgstewart

I thought I'd post a couple of weird encounters I had while car shopping last weekend. Perhaps the various car sales people can shed some light on this??

1. Nightmare "Sales Manager". I know this sounds like a stupid question, but is a sales manager what I think it is - i.e. the person in charge of sales, and/or the other salepeople? I ask because either I just encountered the worst manager imaginable, or they're actually not what the name suggests.

While I was waiting for my salesman to finish up with some other people (I had called ahead for a test drive), the "sales manager" (as he introduced himself) appeared out of thin air, and then acted like the worst car salesman I've ever met. His behaviour (constant badgering, pressuring to buy, lied about the car features, was very negative about the competition, etc., etc.) practically drove me out of the dealership! It was a relief when the salesguy (who like the other sales staff seems decent), finally was free! What gives? I would have thought he would have been the best, smoothest salesmen out there? Instead he was awful - I wouldn't have bought from him.

2. Not too interested in Selling? At a different dealership (a Lexus dealership), I went into look at the IS300. First, there was no one there - not a soul. I had the place to myself for 3-4 minutes. Finally a someone walks in from a back room, glances at me, and then walks over to his desk and works on his computer. I'm happily looking over the car in the showroom, and figure once he's finished, he'll come on over. No luck. I then go over, and say I'm interested in getting some information on the car and going for a test drive if convenient. He says he doesn't have any pamphlets or other written info, he'll answer me any questions I may have once I'm finished the drive, and says he'll bring the car around. He does so, copies my license, and makes vague suggestions on where I should drive, and walks back inside. Suprised, off I go, enjoy the drive, but feel I'd better get back before he begins to worry. I go back into the dealership, and there's the saleguy (and now some others) still working away on his computer. He asks "how was the drive?", doesn't really wait for an answer, and goes back to working on his computer. I try asking some questions about the car, but he makes it clear he has other work to do. So, I wander off to find a more interested dealer.... While he was perfectly pleasant and polite, he could have cared less it seems. I almost wanted to make him tell me about the car, and sell it! I understand being busy, but this was bizarre! I made it clear I was serious, was dressed in a suit (came from work).... I'm stumped!

Cheers,

Mike

nyccarguy

So the dealer calls me yesterday and says to me that he's found the car I want at a few different dealers. He's just got to call to verify the cars are still there. He's off today, but said he will call me on Wednesday. He's a nice guy and offering the car to me at a reasonable cost, so I hope I can buy the car from him. Thanks again for all your help!

rroyce10

........... Aaah, let me guess -- You were in a Lexus store right ...?

Get used to it .. they all seem to be like that. And I have been in about 30 of them.

Terry :-)

stevestein

I got a Lexus LS last year. When I came in the dealership a receptionist greeted me, and asked if I would like to look at the cars first or see a salesman. I said look. She said fine, and that she would have a sales person check to see if I had any questions in about ten minutes, or if I wanted help sooner just let her know. Right on time a sales person introduced himself and was very helpful. It took me several visits and a couple of test drives (including having the car from Sat. evening to Monday a. m.)before I finally bought the car. At each visit the sales staff were there at exactly the level I wanted (or didn't want). Same has held true for both service department and parts (accessories).

sban3k

We're in the market for a used Minivan, and stumbled across a reputable Ford dealership offering a 2001 Windstar LX for 14,999. Went to see the car today, and it LOOKS like a winner - nicely outfitted (Cassette/CD, Keyless Entry, Alarm, Roof Rack, etc.) Downside is it has 35k miles. We ran a carfax and it was a rental car - the dealer says its been on the lot for 65 days, and they have a 60 day or boot policy.

Does this sound reasonable? Should I be wary? Any help you can offer would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

SBAN3k

audia8q

Do you have a local garage that can look at the van for you?? The important thing to look for is previous body work. A repaired scratch or ding is OK but major bodywork is something to avoid.
Since the van is near the end of the factory warranty you might want to haggle a Ford extended service plan.
60 day turn policies are not unusual, the used car manager's pay plan is usually tied to turning the used car inventory. 60 days is usually the window to get out of a car at the auction without losing too much $$

bretfraz

I'll bet you could score a good deal on that Windstar. Hopefully Terry will offer a wholesale price on that baby. Give the dealer a serious "I'll buy it today" offer on it and I'll bet you could come out a winner. If everything on the van checks out to your satisfaction, that is.

rroyce10

...... This is a 3dr Windstar LX right ...?

Smart dealer ... "turn em' and burn em'" in 60 days or less. Get the bad eye at 45 days, and get your walkin' papers in 60 .. l.o.l....

At $14,900, that's not a bad price. The dealer probably bought it at auction at the Hertz sale.... (no big deal, I have bought a few there myself) .. I'm thinkin' he paid around $12,900 for it, probably has $13,7 after transport, service and pack in it .. would roll it for $13,9/$14,200 just to loose it.

Audi is right, try to work a deal with a warranty ...

I hope this helps ....

Terry.

alank8

I just bought a Camry Le and will be picking it up
tomorrow. The dealer wants $500 to install an alarm. I can probably get the same alarm installed outside for around $200.
He told me that if I have any electrical problems
they would not honor the warranty.
I would appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thanks

isellhondas

Good question, but are you sure it's the "same" alarm? 200.00 sounds too cheap for any kind of a quality alarm.

I just think I would be nervous of the thought of some 19 year old installer under my dash cutting wires, splicing things etc.

This is a brand new, expensive car we are talking about! Is "saving" a couple hundred dollars worth the risk?

And, yes, if they screw something up, it'll hardly be the fault of Toyota.

Last thing...do you REALLY need an alarm?

alank8

I live in NYC where stolen cars and breakins are not uncommon. The 15% off my insurance is another incentive to having it installed,even though I don't think they are very effective.
Can I bring it back to the dealer in the future if I decide to have it installed later on?
Thanks again for your advice.

bobst

I recall a posting where a person complained about the "knuckle-draggers" at Circuit City who messed up the electronics in his car when they installed a CD player. Forewarned is forearmed.

nyccarguy

For $500 it better have everything (as far as an alarm goes): Remote Entry, Trunk Release, Remote Start, Windows roll up and down... I paid $500 for a dealer to put an alarm in and it was worth it to me because it had the remote start. If you go to a reputable alarm (car audio) place, they will do the job fine.

suvshopper4

alank8: Having an alarm installed by anyone other than the dealership can give the dealer's service department an 'out' on the warranty coverage if there is a problem that they say is even potentially, remotely related to an electrical installation.

dfasulo

I just "bought" a Miata at a local dealership. They didn't have the configuration and color I wanted in stock, but located one "nearby" that fit the bill and gave me a decent deal on it. They promised to call the dealership and have it sent over the next day. I already have the VIN.

Well, the next day has just passed, and I've been told "the other dealer is really busy today and can't return our calls. I'm sure it'll be tomorrow though."

I suspect they are having more trouble than they're admitting negotiating a trade for the car from the other dealership. I realize it is too early to complain yet, but I'm just wondering what happens if the dealers can't come to an agreement? I thought dealer-to-dealer trades were common, but is this something I should avoid in the future? It does seem like there's the potential for mischief when buying something from a dealer that the dealer doesn't actually own.

pohsyb

Who pays attention to a car alarm anymore? When they first came out they may have been effective, but now they are just annoying background noise that no one cares about (except to hope that it will stop).

audia8q

Dealer swaps are usually easy but sometimes some dealers can be "difficult". Often a customer is very specific and that makes it even more difficult. Let's say you worked out a "skinny" profit deal and the dealer who has "your car" wants your dealer to give up a big profit vehicle like a Tribute in return for the swap. This could easily put the brakes on the swap.
Also, some dealers only have "one guy" who handles swaps and it forces us to work on "his" schedule....
We're working a Mazda swap out now with a NY dealer who always gives us the cars we need but they always seem to take 3-4 days to wrap up the swap...

Remember, the dealer doesnt make any money until you drive way in the car...so they have a good incentive to get the car. Call your sales manager and ask him or her to try and expedite as best they can....nothing to worry about yet.

ejones31

I've been on this board a couple of time about my up side down 2000 mazda 626. I have $7000.00 dollars of negative equity. I have $4500 dollars to easy some of the negative equity. I was at a Toyota dealer in the Atlanta area and this saleman told me to keep some of my money and lease a 2002 Camry SE and they could hide some of the negitive equity. If this is true how does that work.

abtseller

car at invoice, they will put MSRP as the sell number on the paperwork and add the difference to your negative equity. Its very common to roll neg. equity into a lease. You're definitely paying for it, but at the tune of $20/month per $1000 neg. equity financed, the monthly payment on the lease will still be about the same (or less) than the payment on a financed deal.

Of course, you don't own anything at the end of the lease, but you will be free and clear of your neg. equity, which is more than most people can say.

Ed

tiredofmanual

There is an issue with the dealer-installed alarm you may need to consider. I know a girl who had a dealer-installed alarm but, while on an internship literally halfway across the country, had an electrical problem and none of the dealers in her area would even look at it. She was finally able to find one that would (a 45 minute drive from her), but only after she was able to get the dealership where she bought the car to call the servicing dealer to confirm that they had, in fact, installed the alarm. This was on a Honda, but don't think for a second that this couldn't happen with a Toyota or a Ford or any other vehicle make. Just keep this in mind...

rlambertinga

I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can answer ASAP please.

First, I have a 2000 Sienna XLE in good condition that I may trade or sell privately. To get premium tradein price, is it worth investing $150 to get it professionally detailed before taking it to dealership for trade-in evaluation or should I just leave it to the dealership to do it later.

Second, in the state of GA if I do trade it in and lets say get 20,000 for it with a payoff of 9,000 leaving 11,000 for downpayment on a 28,000 car, will I be taxed on the full 28,000 or the financed 17,000? Help me know what is best please

meridian1

Spoke with a dealer's "internet sales mgr" today. Right off the bat he told me that I can have the car I want for $100 over invoice -- will be a factory order. After a while, I said that I would get back to him. Edmunds says there is a 3% of MSRP holdback (this amounts to about $1,200). From a dealer's perspective, will it be reasonable for me to ask the dealer to share some of that holdback with me? They also charge $175 for documentation.

abtseller

the holdback at all. Some dealers may, on a car that they have to give away, but I doubt you'll have much luck,

Ed

tronsr1

Why don't you just ask the dealer to "GIVE" you the car.Don't you think the dealership is entitled to a profit. You are already getting a vehicle for $100.00 over invoice. What more do you want??? Holdback is almost always a non-negotiable item {and not always a profit}!!!!!

rbrenton88

Have any of you dealers ever dealt with an auction outfit called NADE in central NJ? Supposedly owned by Manheim.

I know someone offered a job there and is curious about their reputation in the industry.

dusti

If you think $100 over invoice is too high, offer less. Don't need to tell the dealer what profit (or lack therof) he's getting.

The dealer knows what his expenses, profit, losses are. By mentioning holdback, you're telling the dealer you know his books better than he does. Recipe for getting booted out of the dealership.

But if the car has any semblance of popularity, offer on the table sounds fair to me.

meridian1

This has overtones of "why do people want to pay dealer cost" -- a great discussion. No, I don't want the dealer to "give" me the car. I want the best deal I can get. One hundred dollars over invoice is NOT a great deal IF the dealer would have sold it to me for less. I don't want to mention the holdback to the dealer. BUT, knowing of its existence (and we are not talking about a popular car) I just wondered what a deaeler might think if I asked to pay less. This is business for the dealer and me, isn't it? There is nothing insulting about either of us getting the best deal we can, but I cannot get my best deal if I don't ask. Thanks for everyone's opinions.

isellhondas

I guess I'll never understand the great importance of getting the "best" deal.

I guess money means everything...

A lousy 100.00 over invoice and this poster still wants to see if he/she can dig into holdback.

Sorry...not meant to be a flame...I just don't understand, that's all...

rroyce10

...... If it's a slow mover .. than $100 over is a great price.

When you start huntin' down the road of holdback, and as a rule, it will get you nowhere. It's not a profit margin ..and it has nothing to do with the cost of the vehicle.

I hope this helps ...

Terry.

nyccarguy

That you're getting the best deal or that you can afford what you've negotiated to so far, what is $100? It is nothing really. Starting to go through the holdback route is asking for trouble. $100 over invoice is a good deal.

audia8q

The "best" deal is rarely the lowest price.

bretfraz

The best deal you can get is the best deal YOU can get. Not the best deal I can get or Isell can get or Terry can get or your neighbor or your dog can get.

Maybe the person before you paid $500 over invoice. Maybe the person after you will get $200 under invoice. So what? You'll never know the best deal avaiable since it varies from day to day, customer to customer. And the only true way to know what the "best" deal is will be to compare your complete deal to others and that never happens.

So take what you can get and go on down the road.

afk_x

If you want to name your own price go to PRICELINE.COM and make an offer of 500 below invoice. Of course if they take your offer you'll never know if they would have taken 600 under...

mirth

You're splitting hairs at $100 over invoice for a car that retails for $40,000 (if 3% of MSRP is $1200)? I think that's a good deal.

As far as I understand it, the dealers pay interest on the price of their vehicles every month (loans on all vehicles). The manufacturers pay the dealers the holdback like only once a quarter. The invoice price is just what the dealer has to pay the manufacturer back - it doesn't cover interest. So holdback is far from pure profit - it's going to pay the interest charges on ALL the vehicles on the lots. Maybe if a dealer can get rid of their cars really fast they can make money on this, but somehow I doubt it.

mpyne

i always check carsdirect first
then go from there

moonlight

I wanted some basic advice as to what a reasonable purchase price would be for a 2001 Escape. I have purchased two new vehicles in the past using info from Edmunds and those two purchases were the best transactions I've ever had with a car dealer. But now purchasing a used vehicle has me a little confused. Is it realistic to think I can get an XLS, automatic, V6, 4WD, say with anywhere from 13,000 to 18,500 miles for at most $17,000? I used the customized TMV pricing and really the Escape should be closer to $16,000. I'm sure this would not make a present owner of one happy. But that seems to be the price I arrived at. Seems dealers that do have them available are "asking" $20-22,000. That is ridiculous to me as an '02 might not cost the higher end of that, especially with the rebate. I have found a few dealers who have an '01 that has not been previously titled. I am also wondering what ballpark the price for one of those would be in. Would dealerships be less willing to deal because there are not that many used '01's available yet? Bottom line is I don't want to spend over $17,000. Is that realistic?

ejones31

I purchased a new Nissan Maxima SE Yesterday and the dealer told me my becon score was 630 and because it was a little low the creditor wanted me to purchase gap insurance($389.00). Now I could have said no but I was purchasing the car for $5000 under MSRP.
Was I stupid to purchase gap insurance? or was it ok to have it. I lease a new car 10 years ago and it was free.

a_m_bancroft

I'm about to buy a 1998 BMW 328i (41K miles, leather, sport package, computer) for $21.5. The dealer gave me a good price for my trade in (compared to other dealers I've been to).

According to all the online guides this is a good price. Carfax says it's OK (yeah, I know they're not 100% reliable) & I'm having the car inspected by a mechanic before I sign.

Is this a reasonable price for the car?

Also, the dealer refuses to offer a short warranty (say, 30 days). Given the cost of repairs on a BMW, this has me worried. Should I be or is this normal practice?

Thx in advance.