Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

bwia

Today the whole world is the same age!
 

Today is a very special day. There's only one chance every 1,000 years.

Your age + your year of birth, every person is = 2018.

Its so strange that even Chinese and foreign experts cant explain it!

You figure it out and see if its 2018. Its a thousand-year wait! Good shot! 

abacomike

bwia said:

https://forums.edmunds.com/post/quote/18576/Comment_5254542

At the very beginning of this YouTube training presentation, what the trainer did was to identify objections to purchasing the car.  What he said was, “...if I understand you correctly, aside from the payment of $600 per month for 60 months, is there anything else keeping you from buying the car...?” or something very close to that.  What he is trying to do is teach the salesmen about identifying objections to buying the car and dealing with those objections.  He even mentioned to the buyer about having selected the right car.  This is intended to isolate the main objection to make sure you are dealing with the one reason keeping the salesman from closing the deal.  In this scenarios, the only objections to buying the car was the monthly payment.

Now the salesman will go over the selected vehicle and its features to see if an adjustment to the selected vehicle can be made, i.e., a model with less equipment in order to move the negotiations closer to a conclusion.  A car without LED lights might be enough to bring the cost down to $560 a month and even lower to close the deal.

That’s how I trained my salesmen at Infiniti - eliminate and/or identify all objections to making the sale.  If you don’t, you won’t make the sale.

Drivingfool

It works!! Turning 64 soon and born in 1954. 1954+64=2018!!

bwia

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

bwia

ab348 said:

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not convinced that Nautilus is a great name for a vehicle. 

Linguistinctly Navigator, Aviator, andNautilus does not sound quite right. But it works under the general theme of adventure by land or by sea.

ab348

bwia said:

Today the whole world is the same age!
 

Today is a very special day. There's only one chance every 1,000 years.

Your age + your year of birth, every person is = 2018.

Its so strange that even Chinese and foreign experts cant explain it!

You figure it out and see if its 2018. Its a thousand-year wait! Good shot! 

Now, wait a minute...

Curiously, the same thing happens with every year.

Almost had me though.

snakeweasel

bwia said:

Today the whole world is the same age!
 

Today is a very special day. There's only one chance every 1,000 years.

Your age + your year of birth, every person is = 2018.

Its so strange that even Chinese and foreign experts cant explain it!

You figure it out and see if its 2018. Its a thousand-year wait! Good shot! 

And this unusual how? As long as you already had your birthday that year your age plus your year of birth will always be the current year. So next year your year of birth and your age will be 2019.

explorerx4

@bwia,
MKC is also getting renamed; Corsair.

berri

The former top of the line Edsel I believe

abacomike

bwia said:

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

Selection of a vehicle is essential to determine if the customer is a buyer.  In other words, “...sir, if the price is right, is this the vehicle you want to take home with you?...”

The answer to that one question after a car is selected will determine if the customer is a buyer.  Examples of possible responses are:

1 Well, I need my wife here to decide
2 I don't have my checkbook
3 I have 4 more payments left on my lease
4 I really wanted leather seats..or..etc.
5 Well, I am really just looking
6 The car is for my daughter
7 Yes!

Answers 1-6 are objections to buying now.  It means the salesman must eliminate all objections except the price before he can proceed.  

1 Here’s the Keys- Drive It home and let her see it.

2 A credit card is fine or we have an internal draft you can sign until you bring in the check

3 I can take care of those remaining payments by buying the car from the leasing company

4 I have a car in stock exactly the way you want it equipped with leather seats “or” I can get that exact car by tomorrow morning 

5 No problem.  We have the car you want and I know we can price it right where you want to be.  How much did You want to pay?  $600 a month?  I know I can get it st that price or possibly less.

6 Let’s Drive the car to your daughter and have her test drive the car to see if it fits her needs.

7 OK, let’s see what I can do with management to get your price.

There are other approaches - but once you have a selection of a desirable vehicle, negotiations begin.  Without a solid selection, you have nothing.

dino001

I never let anybody push me into a payment conversation. I think the best way to make the pesky salesman to go away is to say you think the competition has a better product and you need to check it out.

driver100

abacomike said:

bwia said:

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

Selection of a vehicle is essential to determine if the customer is a buyer.  In other words, “...sir, if the price is right, is this the vehicle you want to take home with you?...”

The answer to that one question after a car is selected will determine if the customer is a buyer.

 .




Great responses. To sell, you have to find out if there are objections....and then have an answer that solves it.
Another thing is to try to ask a question that has to be answered with more than a 'NO". For example, rather than asking can I help you today, ask, is there a particular model you are looking for? NO, ends the conversation, a good question opens up the possibility of a conversation.

driver100

dino001 said:

I never let anybody push me into a payment conversation. I think the best way to make the pesky salesman to go away is to say you think the competition has a better product and you need to check it out.

I would be as honest as possible, and say, "I am considering this model, but I want to compare it to an X or even an X and Y". And that is a very fair and reasonable thing to say.

bwia

abacomike said:

bwia said:

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

Selection of a vehicle is essential to determine if the customer is a buyer.  In other words, “...sir, if the price is right, is this the vehicle you want to take home with you?...”

The answer to that one question after a car is selected will determine if the customer is a buyer.  Examples of possible responses are:

1 Well, I need my wife here to decide
2 I don't have my checkbook
3 I have 4 more payments left on my lease
4 I really wanted leather seats..or..etc.
5 Well, I am really just looking
6 The car is for my daughter
7 Yes!

Answers 1-6 are objections to buying now.  It means the salesman must eliminate all objections except the price before he can proceed.  

1 Here’s the Keys- Drive It home and let her see it.

2 A credit card is fine or we have an internal draft you can sign until you bring in the check

3 I can take care of those remaining payments by buying the car from the leasing company

4 I have a car in stock exactly the way you want it equipped with leather seats “or” I can get that exact car by tomorrow morning 

5 No problem.  We have the car you want and I know we can price it right where you want to be.  How much did You want to pay?  $600 a month?  I know I can get it st that price or possibly less.

6 Let’s Drive the car to your daughter and have her test drive the car to see if it fits her needs.

7 OK, let’s see what I can do with management to get your price.

There are other approaches - but once you have a selection of a desirable vehicle, negotiations begin.  Without a solid selection, you have nothing.

Mike, thanks for the Master Class. This is truly the art of the deal. Come to think of it I don't remember any car salesman trying these tactics on me.

venture

abacomike said:

bwia said:

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

Selection of a vehicle is essential to determine if the customer is a buyer.  In other words, “...sir, if the price is right, is this the vehicle you want to take home with you?...”

The answer to that one question after a car is selected will determine if the customer is a buyer.  Examples of possible responses are:

1 Well, I need my wife here to decide
2 I don't have my checkbook
3 I have 4 more payments left on my lease
4 I really wanted leather seats..or..etc.
5 Well, I am really just looking
6 The car is for my daughter
7 Yes!

Answers 1-6 are objections to buying now.  It means the salesman must eliminate all objections except the price before he can proceed.  

1 Here’s the Keys- Drive It home and let her see it.

2 A credit card is fine or we have an internal draft you can sign until you bring in the check

3 I can take care of those remaining payments by buying the car from the leasing company

4 I have a car in stock exactly the way you want it equipped with leather seats “or” I can get that exact car by tomorrow morning 

5 No problem.  We have the car you want and I know we can price it right where you want to be.  How much did You want to pay?  $600 a month?  I know I can get it st that price or possibly less.

6 Let’s Drive the car to your daughter and have her test drive the car to see if it fits her needs.

7 OK, let’s see what I can do with management to get your price.

There are other approaches - but once you have a selection of a desirable vehicle, negotiations begin.  Without a solid selection, you have nothing.




It seems some salespeople think they can tell if someone is a serious buyer.

A few years ago I went to look at the previous model Ford Fusion. A former friend of mine was selling Fords so that made it easy.

When I showed up at the dealership he had one of the assistants they had there take me out in his demo Fusion. It was a used car he was driving at the time. It said "9 miles to empty" on the gas gauge and the brakes were shot. You had to pump them to stop.

He just didn't seem interested so I left.

A year or so later he made a comment that I wasn't a serious buyer then. He couldn't have been more wrong. I bought a Buick Regal 2 days later.

It makes you wonder how often this happens and how many sales are lost because a salesperson is a know-it-all.

karhill1

Why would any knowledgeable car buyer allow a car sales person to engage them in a discussion which the sales person intends to use to eliminate and/or identify perceived "objections"?

The single most important component of a solid buying strategy is for the buyer to assume control of the process. An essential part of assuming control is control of the discussion.

abacomike

dino001 said:

I never let anybody push me into a payment conversation. I think the best way to make the pesky salesman to go away is to say you think the competition has a better product and you need to check it out.

Determining whether a customer is a buyer or not is not the single most important element in sales.  The most important element is developing a relationship with the customer.

Just because a customer comes into the showroom and states they are just looking or they are comparing brands is not important.  The job is to turn that looker into a future customer who will come back asking for you.

I can’t tell you how many “lookers” have bought cars from me that first visit - it’s because I was interested in what they wanted or needed or just providing him/her with honest and truthful information.  It’s developing a relationship with the customer.

abacomike

karhill1 said:

Why would any knowledgeable car buyer allow a car sales person to engage them in a discussion which the sales person intends to use to eliminate and/or identify perceived "objections"? The single most important component of a solid buying strategy is for the buyer to assume control of the process. An essential part of assuming control is control of the discussion.

Why?  Because that is how sales are made, karhill.  Most customers are not as aggressive as you claim they are or should be.  Whenever I would greet an aggressive or cocky customer, I just relaxed and let him control things until I had developed a relationship.  Rather than fight him, i just relaxed.  If I felt I was being “run over” by a customer, I let him “run me over” until he satisfied himself that he was in total control.  That is the way to deal with aggressive buyers.  Provide answers to his questions and if the interactions became overwhelming, I just thanked him for coming in.

Obnoxious customers are different.  They not only want control, but are nasty and antagonistic.  Those are the ones I just let the sales manager handle when I sold cars.  When I was a sales manager, if they continued their “run me over” attitude, I just gave them the name of a competing dealership and showed them the door.

But those cases were few and far between - thank goodness.

snakeweasel

dino001 said:

I never let anybody push me into a payment conversation. I think the best way to make the pesky salesman to go away is to say you think the competition has a better product and you need to check it out.

Everyone is a payment buyer, the question is how many payments are they going to make?

snakeweasel

karhill1 said:

Why would any knowledgeable car buyer allow a car sales person to engage them in a discussion which the sales person intends to use to eliminate and/or identify perceived "objections"? The single most important component of a solid buying strategy is for the buyer to assume control of the process. An essential part of assuming control is control of the discussion.

The customer always has control, they are the one who decides if there will be a sale or not. The salesman can control the conversation all he wants, I control the sale.

dino001

snakeweasel said:

Everyone is a payment buyer, the question is how many payments are they going to make?

Not really. The real questions are how much do you want for the car, what's the cost of the money (if applicable) in a particular form of financing, and how much will you give me for my car, if I trade in. The payment will come out of that automatically and in places I have bought my cars the don't make "math errors" at F&I. If they did, that would be end of discussion. I could afford twice or now even thrice the payment that is appropriate for a vehicle and term I'm seeking (not that it would be a good idea), so discussion of $XX per month is completely irrelevant to me.

"Afford" is never a question to me for the vehicles I'm buying - I figure that way before I come to a place, it's only how much do you will sell it for, so all that discussion on Youtube, while entertaining, makes no difference to me - other than any attempt like that would make me walk away after couple of minutes. I suspect though, really good salesman/closer would know that, so they'd keep things on target. Especially, considering that I'm not overly "greedy" on my expectations. I won't let them push me into excessive markups, but I don't need a "deal of a Century" to close, either. And "per month" screamer offers really annoy me, especially if they don't disclose enough pertinent details (which always is the case). I remember once a young Mazda guy (long time ago) insisted on them to pencil me an "offer", after I just wanted to test drive it. I had another 30 minutes to kill, so I said OK. Then he brings that magic XX/month for 60 months on some form. So I ask him what's the interest rate, "I don't know", show me components for this number, he stared at me like I just asked him to write a Shrodinger's equation. I knew that was it, so I thanked him for his time. He was still asking "is the number OK?", I was like "I don't know enough to say". I wasn't buying anyway, but the approach to business told me this was NOT the place I wanted to go, if actually shopped for Mazda.

roadburner

abacomike said:

Determining whether a customer is a buyer or not is not the single most important element in sales.  The most important element is developing a relationship with the customer.

Just because a customer comes into the showroom and states they are just looking or they are comparing brands is not important.  The job is to turn that looker into a future customer who will come back asking for you.

I can’t tell you how many “lookers” have bought cars from me that first visit - it’s because I was interested in what they wanted or needed or just providing him/her with honest and truthful information.  It’s developing a relationship with the customer.

I treated every person that walked into our showroom as a potential buyer in that I gave everyone the same amount of attention and respect. My second sale was to a couple that were "just looking" to replace their totaled E46 M3; they test drove an M240i and at the end of the test drive decided to buy it on the spot. What was really kind of funny was that the salesman who usually exceeded his targets every month had a couple coming in to look at the same car. They rolled up just after my NCM accepted my customers' offer. The other customers didn't have a deposit on the car so they only got a quick glance at it before I drove it to the detail bay...

roadburner

abacomike said:

Obnoxious customers are different.  They not only want control, but are nasty and antagonistic.  Those are the ones I just let the sales manager handle when I sold cars.  When I was a sales manager, if they continued their “run me over” attitude, I just gave them the name of a competing dealership and showed them the door.

But those cases were few and far between - thank goodness.

Same here; the thing was, those obnoxious jerks could get a fantastic deal and they would still trash you on the survey, so for me it just wasn't worth it.

stickguy

Number one (gotta talk to the wife) is my go to excuse. Though I did have a dealer tell me to take a car home overnight. That was fun.

That has a name. It’s called the “ puppy dog close”

dino001

roadburner said:

abacomike said:

Obnoxious customers are different.  They not only want control, but are nasty and antagonistic.  Those are the ones I just let the sales manager handle when I sold cars.  When I was a sales manager, if they continued their “run me over” attitude, I just gave them the name of a competing dealership and showed them the door.

But those cases were few and far between - thank goodness.

Same here; the thing was, those obnoxious jerks could get a fantastic deal and they would still trash you on the survey, so for me it just wasn't worth it.

A**holes are everywhere, customers, salespeople, managers. It's quite funny. I know the type - the world is out to get them, constantly unhappy, constantly smelling a conspiracy. However, I do keep my guard in places I described before (some of those "popular" brand dealership). Those places bring worst in people on both sides. They breed not only bad sales and managing staff, they also breed bad customers. Many people would become combative and nasty after experiencing enough of that stuff over there that they won't believe that other places can do business a different way. If you are a Honda buyer in Tampa Bay, for example, you simply have no choice but endure this boiler room environment, if you want to buy one. The curse with them is that the product is good enough for people to take that abuse - especially that stored of their direct competitor, Toyota, is not much better, or can be worse. Buy three-four Hondas or Toyotas that way and you believe everybody else is like that.

BTW, there were some other outfits in the area that were even worse, literally criminal. The most infamous was thank God defunct Bill Heards Chevrolet. You read stuff you can't even believe was possible. I only think those people who used to work in place like that - how they slept at night and looked at the mirror in the morning.

graphicguy

@abacomike ...only when you have a solid selection, the negotiations can start....

Mike....could not agree with you more. If the selection isn’t done, or you’re just kicking tires on more than one car, nothing’s going to happen.

I can’t tell you how many sales people have tried to close me in the lot while I’m browsing several cars.

Some examples...

“You buying today?”-I dunno.....I’m not sure you have anything I want.

“This is a great car for families. Yours would love it”.-The car would be only for me.

“The car you’re looking at is one of our most popular colors”-I’m not very fond of it.

“Let’s fill out a credit app to save you time”.-Ummmmm.....let’s not. I don’t even know if you have what I want.

The list goes on and on. All resulting in a “no sale”.

graphicguy

karhill1 said:

Why would any knowledgeable car buyer allow a car sales person to engage them in a discussion which the sales person intends to use to eliminate and/or identify perceived "objections"?

The single most important component of a solid buying strategy is for the buyer to assume control of the process. An essential part of assuming control is control of the discussion.

Old school thinking. The old “I’ll control the sales process”. If control is what you want, roll into the showroom with a wad of Benjamins and yell to anyone who will listen “who wants to sell me a car?”.

You want to waste time? Keep trying to work towards controlling instead of getting the car you want at the deal you want.

I’ve said this time and again, if you walk into the dealership thinking you’re going to grind, you’ll lose.

1. You don’t know the price you’re going to pay before you walk in the door because you’re focused on grinding that last $50 instead of what you’ll be spending overall

2. What you save on the front end, you’ll give away on the back end.

For the last 15-20 years, I figure out what the car is worth and what it can be sold for. I add in my “pre-figured” tax, title and license fees. And, then present that number to the sales person/manager. They can either accept it or reject it. If they reject it, I move on. If they accept it, I just bought a car.

They get ONE NUMBER. I don’t care what their doc fee is. I don’t care what addies they may try to charge for. There’s no bumping for extraneous fees in F&I. The number is the number.

Negotions are easy. No stress. I’m happy with the deal (since I penciled it) and the dealer is happy with the deal (since they accepted it). It’s quick, too.

berri

Number one (gotta talk to the wife) is my go to excuse.

When i was growing up there was this radio spot on WLS for I believe Arnie Yussim (or something like that) Chevrolet where he says, "I'd like to give 'em away, but the wife won't let me"

jipster

venture said:

bwia said:

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

Selection of a vehicle is essential to determine if the customer is a buyer.  In other words, “...sir, if the price is right, is this the vehicle you want to take home with you?...”

The answer to that one question after a car is selected will determine if the customer is a buyer.  Examples of possible responses are:

1 Well, I need my wife here to decide
2 I don't have my checkbook
3 I have 4 more payments left on my lease
4 I really wanted leather seats..or..etc.
5 Well, I am really just looking
6 The car is for my daughter
7 Yes!

Answers 1-6 are objections to buying now.  It means the salesman must eliminate all objections except the price before he can proceed.  

1 Here’s the Keys- Drive It home and let her see it.

2 A credit card is fine or we have an internal draft you can sign until you bring in the check

3 I can take care of those remaining payments by buying the car from the leasing company

4 I have a car in stock exactly the way you want it equipped with leather seats “or” I can get that exact car by tomorrow morning 

5 No problem.  We have the car you want and I know we can price it right where you want to be.  How much did You want to pay?  $600 a month?  I know I can get it st that price or possibly less.

6 Let’s Drive the car to your daughter and have her test drive the car to see if it fits her needs.

7 OK, let’s see what I can do with management to get your price.

There are other approaches - but once you have a selection of a desirable vehicle, negotiations begin.  Without a solid selection, you have nothing.

It seems some salespeople think they can tell if someone is a serious buyer. A few years ago I went to look at the previous model Ford Fusion. A former friend of mine was selling Fords so that made it easy. When I showed up at the dealership he had one of the assistants they had there take me out in his demo Fusion. It was a used car he was driving at the time. It said "9 miles to empty" on the gas gauge and the brakes were shot. You had to pump them to stop. He just didn't seem interested so I left. A year or so later he made a comment that I wasn't a serious buyer then. He couldn't have been more wrong. I bought a Buick Regal 2 days later. It makes you wonder how often this

How you like the Regal? It's on my list. :-)

jipster

snakeweasel said:

dino001 said:

I never let anybody push me into a payment conversation. I think the best way to make the pesky salesman to go away is to say you think the competition has a better product and you need to check it out.

Everyone is a payment buyer, the question is how many payments are they going to make?

LOL. Cars aren't free, are they snakie? ;-)

snakeweasel

dino001 said:

Everyone is a payment buyer, the question is how many payments are they going to make?

Not really. And a lot of other stuff deleted to save bandwidth so there more room on the internet for cat memes.

Well unless the dealership is giving away cars everyone is a payment buyer, even if it is just one payment. 

Personally I really don't care how they come up with the numbers, in the end all that matters is how the cash flows. If I want that new Sludgemobile LX and my research shows that $25K is a real good price and I will put down $5K and I can get a 48 month loan at 4% then I know my monthly payment would be $502.95 a month (presuming 8.5% sales tax and $150 for tags). Now if they come up with that monthly payment or less why should I care how they got it? It still meets or beats what I figured out was a good deal. If they give me the car for free charge me $6K in doc fees and charge me 363.5% interest for 48 months I'm still at the $502.95 a month.

dino001

Today it really is much easier, as you can see the inventory on line, so you can figure out real price before walking in. It wasn't as easy years ago, you didn't know what they had and the range of prices is too large to come with "one number", unless you come with exact configuration in mind and you either hit it or not. Otherwise, you'd need some formula to figure it out on the spot.

I was fortunate not to run into too many "buy today" people. Probably because I stayed away from those places, but most likely they almost never had the configuration I wanted. My taste has always been "off the mainstream".

For example, last time I bought my 430, I came to a Volvo place, as I considered red V60 wagon, R-trim. But they don't have a single V60-R in stock, other dealers in the area may have couple in black or white. They have S60 sedan in the same engine trim. I ask them to show it to me and I want to test drive it. I'd mention multiple times during the test drive that I'm also considering 430, I would tell them what I like, what I don't and I still have things to look at. We talk enough details so they know I didn't come to joyride, I'm really looking into it, most likely an order. We may even mention pricing (their usual opening salvo is MSRP, or something like 1000 bucks off). I may discuss it further, or not, depends on my mood. There is no room for "close today" in this whole conversation no matter how much they may try and they know they'd likely lose the sale if they started the whole dance and push right now. We shake hands, I take the card and keep contact until decide. I'd do that in two-three dealerships per model, as there is always something new to learn about the car each time. Once I decide what, I take an offer from one dealer away, so I know I have somewhere to go and I go to the frontrunner. I strike the deal based on that offer with an extra concession, but nothing outrageous, they agree fairly quickly. It most likely leaves something on the table, but I don't care. I let the rest know it's over, I owe them that much.

PF_Flyer

bwia said:

Today the whole world is the same age!
 

Today is a very special day. There's only one chance every 1,000 years.

Your age + your year of birth, every person is = 2018.

Its so strange that even Chinese and foreign experts cant explain it!

You figure it out and see if its 2018. Its a thousand-year wait! Good shot! 

So... just as an example, someone born in 1900 would add their age, 118, to their birth year and get 2018. Well...yes... because addition works. It also worked EVERY year. Same with someone born in 1954, who would turn 64 this year 1954+64=2018... but also in 1969 when they turned 15, 1954+15 =1969

This "once in a thousand years" thing sure happens a lot

carnaught

You’re just adding how many years ago you were born to the year you were born to get the current year. Not rocket science when you think about it.

venture

jipster said:

venture said:

abacomike said:

bwia said:

Closing the sale is hardest part of the deal. But how do you identify early in the process whether a person is a serious buyer and not just a browser. 

BTW, that video was meant for @iluv

Selection of a vehicle is essential to determine if the customer is a buyer.  In other words, “...sir, if the price is right, is this the vehicle you want to take home with you?...”

The answer to that one question after a car is selected will determine if the customer is a buyer.  Examples of possible responses are:

1 Well, I need my wife here to decide
2 I don't have my checkbook
3 I have 4 more payments left on my lease
4 I really wanted leather seats..or..etc.
5 Well, I am really just looking
6 The car is for my daughter
7 Yes!

Answers 1-6 are objections to buying now.  It means the salesman must eliminate all objections except the price before he can proceed.  

1 Here’s the Keys- Drive It home and let her see it.

2 A credit card is fine or we have an internal draft you can sign until you bring in the check

3 I can take care of those remaining payments by buying the car from the leasing company

4 I have a car in stock exactly the way you want it equipped with leather seats “or” I can get that exact car by tomorrow morning 

5 No problem.  We have the car you want and I know we can price it right where you want to be.  How much did You want to pay?  $600 a month?  I know I can get it st that price or possibly less.

6 Let’s Drive the car to your daughter and have her test drive the car to see if it fits her needs.

7 OK, let’s see what I can do with management to get your price.

There are other approaches - but once you have a selection of a desirable vehicle, negotiations begin.  Without a solid selection, you have nothing.

It seems some salespeople think they can tell if someone is a serious buyer.

A few years ago I went to look at the previous model Ford Fusion. A former friend of mine was selling Fords so that made it easy.

When I showed up at the dealership he had one of the assistants they had there take me out in his demo Fusion. It was a used car he was driving at the time. It said "9 miles to empty" on the gas gauge and the brakes were shot. You had to pump them to stop.

He just didn't seem interested so I left.

A year or so later he made a comment that I wasn't a serious buyer then. He couldn't have been more wrong. I bought a Buick Regal 2 days later.

It makes you wonder how often this

How you like the Regal? It's on my list. :-)



I liked right up to the time a girl t-boned it and totaled it.

stickguy

Snake, that’s how I work lease shopping. The ultimate payment deal. I pick the hard point items (months, DAS and miles), and research to figure out what a good lease payment is, then shop that. Real easy. If my aggressive goal is say $250/mo, and the dealer offers $249.95, sign the papers. How they make it work is up to them.

snakeweasel

berri said:

Number one (gotta talk to the wife) is my go to excuse. When i was growing up there was this radio spot on WLS for I believe Arnie Yussim (or something like that) Chevrolet where he says, "I'd like to give 'em away, but the wife won't let me"

You got it right Arnie Yusim Chevy. On north Broadway if memory serves.

Michaell

That year born plus age thing doesn't work for me.

I'm 54, born in 1963, so 2017.

Guess that makes me special.

Mr_Shiftright

explorerx4 said:

@bwia,
MKC is also getting renamed; Corsair.

Sounds like "Corvair"---not good.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

Number one (gotta talk to the wife) is my go to excuse. Though I did have a dealer tell me to take a car home overnight. That was fun.

That has a name. It’s called the “ puppy dog close”

Exactly. Family gets attached, neighbors admire it. You're sunk.

pensfan83

I had a dealer once try to push me to take it home to make sure it will fit in the garage. No need, I have all the measurements I need from the manufacturer's website and my own tape measure and know whether it will fit or not.

I also don't worry about playing 20 questions with a salesman, I'm only at the dealer to sign paperwork and take test drives. And when I take test drives it's done on a weekday where there is minimal foot traffic so as not to pull them away from a horde of buyers who are buying that day. If the car is a contender I tell them so, get a business card, and promise an update if I decide that's the car I want.

stickguy

back when I had my Scion, when that was in for service (and it was there more than it should have been) I got to borrow the salesman's demo a few times (very nice of him!) the one day, I was driving it and the radio was on CD, so I listened a bit, and the disk in there was some sort of sales training. A guy running through all kinds of different techniques to closing a sale. That puppy dog I remember, but there were a slew more of them. How to overcome resistance, all that good stuff.

I meant to burn a copy of it, but don't recall if I ever did. Need to check the music department in the basement!

fintail

Ford UK also used the Corsair name in the 60s (export car pictured):



Notice the very Thunderbird-esque fenders. These could be equipped with a V4.

Mr_Shiftright said:

explorerx4 said:

@bwia,
MKC is also getting renamed; Corsair.

Sounds like "Corvair"---not good.

henryn

graphicguy said:

karhill1 said:

Why would any knowledgeable car buyer allow a car sales person to engage them in a discussion which the sales person intends to use to eliminate and/or identify perceived "objections"?

The single most important component of a solid buying strategy is for the buyer to assume control of the process. An essential part of assuming control is control of the discussion.

Old school thinking. The old “I’ll control the sales process”. If control is what you want, roll into the showroom with a wad of Benjamins and yell to anyone who will listen “who wants to sell me a car?”.

You want to waste time? Keep trying to work towards controlling instead of getting the car you want at the deal you want.

I’ve said this time and again, if you walk into the dealership thinking you’re going to grind, you’ll lose.

1. You don’t know the price you’re going to pay before you walk in the door because you’re focused on grinding that last $50 instead of what you’ll be spending overall

2. What you save on the front end, you’ll give away on the back end.

For the last 15-20 years, I figure out what the car is worth and what it can be sold for. I add in my “pre-figured” tax, title and license fees. And, then present that number to the sales person/manager. They can either accept it or reject it. If they reject it, I move on. If they accept it, I just bought a car.

They get ONE NUMBER. I don’t care what their doc fee is. I don’t care what addies they may try to charge for. There’s no bumping for extraneous fees in F&I. The number is the number.

Negotions are easy. No stress. I’m happy with the deal (since I penciled it) and the dealer is happy with the deal (since they accepted it). It’s quick, too.

I work from a similar standpoint. I usually get my numbers off TrueCar, add 6.25% sales tax, and $300 for license plates, doc fees, etc. That is the number, take it or leave it, thank you very much.

The last new truck I bought actually wound up lower than TrueCar. The dealership had an online sales price which was several hundred lower than TrueCar. When I came in, they wanted to add about $1,000 for “dealer add ons” (wheel locks, door edge guards, etc). I politely declined, said, “I will pay your advertised price, plus 6.25%, plus $300. End of story.” After a few minutes of hedging around, they agreed, the deal was made.

They had done one thing which I had not seen before. For all of their vehicles, they took the window sticker and laminated it, along with an extra piece with the dealer add ons, all laminated together to look like one document. I guess they think this will make the add ons look more “official”.

dino001

henryn said:

They had done one thing which I had not seen before. For all of their vehicles, they took the window sticker and laminated it, along with an extra piece with the dealer add ons, all laminated together to look like one document. I guess they think this will make the add ons look more “official”.

I'm sure they didn't take the sticker off the car (I think this would be illegal, stickers are supposed to be put in the distribution center/port and stay glued to the car until sold), but they could have developed a process of laminating if from the outsider with that junk sticker. The regulars here know that Southeastern Toyota (and Gulf, too IIRC) has a "better" way, i.e. even more obnoxious. Since they control the distribution, they put the add-on stuff there, so the sticker really is official. I'm sure they share the profit with the dealers, or you'd hear them complaining about it to the media.

The SET stickers can sometimes add as much as a grand of that valuable stuff. Then you of course have a "customary" fee, already crossed $1000 at those megadealers ($600 are now "low fee" dealers). So, the starting position is around two grand markup for a can of this, can of that, pimply teenagers spraying it (or not), some paperwork, sometimes first oil change.

bwia

2019 Lincoln Nautilus. Short 2-minute sneak peek video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSPHXDPQeBY

dino001

But can it turn into a submarine?

Michaell

dino001 said:

But can it turn into a submarine?

No, only a Lotus Esprit can do that.

stickguy

the wheels on that thing just look way too big.

berri

Well Shifty, wasn't Corsair the premiere upscale Edsel?