Ya know, it all comes down to what's important to you.
I have reached the stage that anywhere I can save aggrivation is worth the extra money. For example, I shop at a higher quality, more expensive clothing store, than my friends because I know the salespeople, and they can help me get in and out quickly. To me, the fact the clothes are nicer is just a bonus. The compromise I make is that I buy fewer things.
We keep our cars at least 10 years, so over time, that extra $200 we might pay will average out to $20 a year. And, obviously, the salemans we are dealing with figured out what our "hot button" was - low hassle when buying a long term car.
Now - I have to hop over and ask a question about how dealing with Honda Financing is - they offered to beat our rate from a company we love to deal with, but I have to decide if its worth switching to a new finance company.
Thanks again for the help - its been YEARS since we bought a car.
" Now - I have to hop over and ask a question about how dealing with Honda Financing is - they offered to beat our rate from a company we love to deal with, but I have to decide if its worth switching to a new finance company. "
Who is "they"? Honda financing or the dealer? I've never heard of Honda Finance saying that. Usually their rates are posted firm, which are usually pretty good BTW. If it's the dealer saying that, then I'd stay with your old finance company.
Given a choice between my local CU and ANY finance company including Honda Finance, I'd stay with my CU They might beat the CU rate, but not by enough to make it worth it.
All good points. It is with Honda Financing, but I don't know why they offered to beat our current rate offer. It could be their everyday rates are just lower. However, this is a discussion for a different thread.
"Save the $200 .. but wait in line for service and be the last name on the parts list .... your choice."
My dear departed grandma, who was born the same year Custer was killed at Little Bighorn, taught me that a bird in hand is worth more than two birds in the bush.
I will take the $200 savings now and worry about the service later.
.. **My dear departed grandma, who was born the same year Custer was killed at Little Bighorn** ...
Speaking of "Little bighorn" ... did you see the History Channel when they replicated the battle.? .... our boy Custer certainly wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer ..l.o.l.....
Yes, from what I know, Custer had his faults. However, he had the courage to attack an overwhelming force of Native Americans encamped along the Little Bighorn River. Many people admire the bravery he demonstrated in the Civil War and in later military engagements. He finished last in his class at West Point and, at the age of 23, became the youngest soldier to ever attain the rank of General. He even had a beautiful wife, Libby.
When we have fellow Americans like him to admire, how can we say we are intimidated by a sleazy car dealer with a high-pressure staff and number-spinning F&I guru? Like Custer, we should have the courage to attack that kind of dealer head on to get the car we want for a rock bottom price.
We live in Northern Virginia. Inspired by Custer's bravery, we have had the courage to buy four Hondas from the local R** chain of dealers, who many people fear. And my wife, who just brought me a cup of coffee, with Irish Cream, and a slice of toast as I type this important message, is very nice looking.
you've found a way to make car buying comfortable and enjoyable! that's all anyone can ask for! everyone is going to do things differently (as we all know based on what we read here). while you say "a bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush" i like to say, "you get what you pay for"
whichever saying you live by (whatever it may be) hopefully it makes your car purchasing experience PLEASANT! otherwise, switch sayings! ;-)
heres my experience with on-line quotes.just leased a new accord lx-se after a month of shopping.most of these"internet dealer quotes"are BS.i only received a price from 1 dealer.others never responded or sent a bulk e-mail.last night i got a call from a dealer i requested a price from on may 17! i finally found the car i wanted in a local dealer and contacted them.they called me back the next day and we were able to come to a deal the old way.{six trips back and forth to the managers office.}internet quotes may be ok for some.but left me disappointed.
I'm in the market for an MPV (big incentives, Mazda discontinuing the model after this year) so I used Edmunds' tool to ask for quotes from three local dealers. My email indicates my first and second choice of color and the options I wanted (listed by the option code).
Dealer A responded with a canned email that has pics of three MPVs with little details on the equipment nor pricing. I sent back my original email and the "Internet manager" responded "the white one seems to fit you best ... here's your net price including customer rebate, financing credit, and New College Grad rebate" I emailed asking why he thought the white van was perfect when 1) it wasn't one of the two colors I specified, 2) he never listed the list of options, and 3) remind him that I'm not a recent college grad. He emailed back saying he had a van in my second-choice of color with the options I wanted and mentioned the MSRP and the selling price, which included the customer rebate, financing credit, and New College Grad rebate. I checked his MSRP against Edmunds, KelleyBB, and carsdirect and found it to be $500 too high so I asked him to verify the options on that vehicle ... I also reminded him that I'm not a recent college grad. He emailed back asking if there's anything wrong with the price. I emailed him my previous message asking him to verify the equipment on the van. He emailed me saying he went to Edmunds, Kelley, and carsdirect and cannot seem to equip the vehicle in a way such that the MSRP matches his number. He told me he'll throw in another option to make the numbers work out. I emailed him saying that I don't want another option, I just wanted him to verify the options on the aforementioned van. He replied saying he has another van in my first-choice of color and with the exact options and quoted a price which included the customer rebate, financing credit, and, you guessed it, the New College Grad rebate.
Dealer B responded by saying he's offering $6500 off MSRP. I emailed him my original message indicating my choice of color and equipment and he responded with a quote on a fully-loadedvan which he said was closest to my config.
I can't wait for the third dealer to respond. [sigh]
I hate to say this, but if there is that much confusion about exactly what equipment, etc. you are cyberly discussing, wouldn't it be much simpler to judt swing by the dealer, look at it (and the sticker) in person, so you at least know a) what they have , and b) what the heck you are negotiating about? You seem to know what you think the price should be, so just verify you want a specific van, and simply say "how much for that one"?
Either that cut to the chase and you are happy, or you can counter with what you want it to be. In any case, you might invest less total time than you would with all the emails to clarify the lst clarification email!
Seriously, no matter what they put in the Email, aren't you going to have to go in person to see the van (to make sure it is what you want and as represented), before you will finalize the deal? ALthough I suppose you could do the whole deal via Email, and have them send the van out to you sight unseen.
i'd do a dealer search (i believe you can do that with mazda's site) and email the dealers that DO have vehicles you would be interested in, then specifically ask for a price quote on THAT vehicle. that way, you arent emailing someone saying "im interested in an MPV with xxx and yyy for options, what can you do?
a lot of dealers, instead of looking for your exact requirements at other dealers and swapping, they try to sell you one in stock (thus, all the emails with these vans that dont quite fit what you are looking for)
again, best bet is to actually locate the dealers that HAVE the van you want, and you will find you can get a better deal that way as well!
...we should change the name of this thread to "Real World Internet Car Buying Experiences". Seems like for every person who gets 6 dealers clamoring for their business, there are 2 or 3 that get no response or lousy responses.
I think it's still a very hit or miss prospect, but I suppose the only thing it costs you to try is your wasted time...
one problem with the manufacturer (and dealer) sites is that quite often they get out of date. That is, cars are sold for a while before they get updated, and sometimes should allocated cars that haven't arrived yet. So, you can really rely on the car being there just becasue you see it on the Net.
the real fun (at least to me) is checking out the cars, test driving, etc. to decide what you want. That part has to be done in person at least.
So, I actually do things backwards. I go in person to find the car I want, then I negotiate. Doing it it this way makes the email (or phone) process much simpler, since you are talking about a specific, tangible unit.
what sounds better (and will allow the dealer to focus better):
"how much for a Buzz Mobile, either an LX or EX, red/yellow or purple/ with package A or C"
stickguy ... I think you missed the point. Total time invested : 5 minutes over two days in between web surfing!
I'm not harping on the prices nor was there any negotiation going on. I just want to make sure I get the van with the right level of equipment in it. I -am- doing comparison shopping but there's a chance that I may be comparing two vans with different equipment. I wanted to make sure that Internet Mgr didn't leave out any options (since his MSRP didn't match mine).
From the two responses I've gotten so far, the theme seems to be: ignore the customer's questions, give them your usual pitch, and hope they won't notice.
I thought my initial email was pretty straightfwd: I want this model, with this equipment only, in this color or that color. You'd think they'd get requests like this everyday!
"a lot of dealers, instead of looking for your exact requirements at other dealers and swapping, they try to sell you one in stock (thus, all the emails with these vans that dont quite fit what you are looking for) "
Maybe I got a lazy-[non-permissible content removed] Internet Manager or something because he -did- find the van in my config and color in his stock after the 5th email.
A reporter is interested in speaking with people age 50+ who live in Southern California and have researched or purchased a car online. If you fit this description and would be interested in speaking with a reporter, please send your name and daytime phone number to Pam Krebs, Edmunds.com PR, at pkrebs@edmunds.com by Tuesday, July 5.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
i'll tell ya - i often email the other dealers in the area pretending to be a consumer looking to purchase a vehicle - and very few reply - some with a generic "we'll get back to you, why dont you stop by in the meantime!" or "msrp is $xx,xxx and invoice is $yy,yyy - make an offer". being an internet manager for my store, my responses are like this (feedback would be great!)
dear joe,
thanks for your interest in the supermobile. here at xyz motors, we work hard to make your car purchasing experience a simple and pleasant one! regarding the supermobile you are interested in, pricing and equipment are as follows:
2005 Supermobile XE Black exterior Tan leather interior performance package Floor Mats Splash Guards
MSRP: $xx,xxx Invoice: $yy,yyy XYZ internet Discount: $300 Supermobile Factory Rebate: $2000 Total Sale Price: $zz,zzz plus tax, registration and dealer conveyance fee.
- the rest is about giving me a call and looking forward to meeting you, yadda yadda. i find that there is NO ONE else in my area that even comes close to responding as such (a definitive price on a car they want - even if its a locate) so i guess that gives me an edge, or so i'd like to hope!
..."i often email the other dealers in the area pretending to be a consumer looking to purchase a vehicle -
we read over and over on here about dealers who don't pay much attention to email because of so many phoney requests and here we have an internet person sending out phoney requests.....mmmm
the national average for sales from the internet is 2% - pretty crummy! I average around 7-8%, 9-10% in a good month! I know that there is a possibility that people will take my numbers and shop, but on the other hand, if i dont give any numbers, who in their right mind would just come in? its my understanding that internet shoppers are on the internet to shop price - so thats what i give them - an aggressive price. if they like it enough, they'll come in, if not, there's always someone else!
perspective from the internet managers point of view ;-)
Thanks for that ... so, if it takes, on average, 3 minutes to compose an email, and you earn $200 for every sale made, the ROI looks like this:
100 emails x 3 minutes = 300 minutes (5 hours)
8 sales x $200 commission = $1600
$1600 / 5 hours = $320 per hour
Not too shabby! Methinks I'm in the wrong business.
DISCLAIMER - I'm only assuming that you make $200 commission on an internet sale; that number may be higher or lower, but that's not really my business. However, if you would like to share real world information, that's OK by me....
Heck, if we up the time it takes to compose an email to 5 minutes and reduce the commission to $100 per sale:
The avg salesperson sells 10 cars per month...using your formula the guy is making between $12,000-$25000 per year. Any salary is beer and gas money, not much more...
all of a sudden $96-320 per hour doenst sound so great huh? LOL This is a big reason why internet mgr/salepeople don't last long and you almost never find anyone but a rookie in the position.
unfortunately, for giveaway cars like internet cars usually are, i only make $50 commission. also, i dont just work the hours i sell cars, im here all day, so if you take my 10 cars a month, times $50 bucks a car, and add in my barely adequate salary (most people dont even GET a salary - many salespeople are strictly commission) i average about $30k per year, working 45+ hours a week, and thats before taxes (i dont even wanna know what i take home after...its miserable!)
... **all of a sudden $96-320 per hour doenst sound so great huh? LOL This is a big reason why internet mgr/salepeople don't last long and you almost never find anyone but a rookie in the position** ...
i've been in sales nearly two years - i joke with the managers here that they only expected me to last a month. one, because i am a woman, and two, they figured i didnt know about cars, or couldnt handle the pressure.
well hey, when you are a ref (or used to be) for soccer, and deal with cranky screaming parents who most of havent even played the game, you can deal with a few customers here and there ;-)
anyways, i like cars, i like reading about them, and while im not techincal (with the mechanical parts of them) i certainly can give you horsepower figures, features, benefits, future model information, etc. i find it very interesting!
but the turnover ratio is very high for salespeople - there are quite a few that get into this business that really truly want to be good and honest - and those are the ones that get downtrodden when people come in thinking they'll be taken for a ride, and are angry and frustrating with the salesperson. those who last are the ones that can dish it right back, or have been dishing it all along, or can learn to get past that and work hard to earn the trust of the people they are trying to help.
i am not a career salesperson, and consider this only a stop on my road to wherever i end up - but i certainly tried my best to change the face that people come to know when they go to a dealer, and i certainly have taken a lot from it.
as frustrating as it is - i recommend everyone take a couple of months and try it - you'd be surprised!
Trust me, I understand that you're there much, much longer than it takes to compose 100 emails. It takes a lot of work to make a semi-decent living selling cars .. I've been around Edmunds long enough to know that.
I guess my point was that internet sales, if you have the determination to stay on top of the leads, can bring back a pretty decent return on the time invested. Sorry that my math example didn't really make that point too well.
thene - as the internet manager, do you still work "ups"? The guy I bought our Focus from was promoted to "internet manager" and had 2 people working under him when we went back to the dealership a year later to look at the Escape. The way he made it look, he didn't have much time to do a lot of face-to-face; in fact, he delegated the test drive to one of the guys who works for him.
if i have an appointment coming in from the internet, i am the one who takes the test drives, and does the walk around, etc. etc. right now, our internet department is only me - and i manage a computer (such a good subordinate!) but we may look into expanding - will i be here long enough to see that happen? not sure - we're going through some weird ownership changes, etc, so who knows.
everyone does it different, some internet managers just arrange appointments, then pass them off to salespeople when they get here - i see it through from start to finish.
usually, at least in my case - all my prices (without haggling) were below invoice by $300-$500 depending on the vehicle. essentially, i was not expecting to make any gross on a vehicle that was quoted over the internet.
I tried buying an 04 Corolla last night and the dealer told me that they give better deals for buyers over the internet versus a guy who walked in off the street. He also told me 23% of internet shoppers at their store end up buying from their store. Is he full of it?
Hi, I'm looking to buy a new car within the next week (or ten days). I contacted a internet car sales company (from autobytel, autoweb, carsdirect, carsprices, ...). Their represtative came back with a quote on the phone, based on my wishlist. The out of door cost came to $17,750, based on their "base price" of about 16,000$.
The rep added charges of $499 documentation fee on the base price that looked wrong to me.
For the same specs, Edmunds.com came up with a TMV of $17,00 MSRP, $15,400 invoice, and $15,780 of "what others are paying" - "base price".
I've not called any other internet company. Would it make a significant difference if I did?
Also, the small town I'm living in has a dealership for Toyotas, but they are not in the "network" of the internet company I'm dealt with so far. Would it hurt if I talked to their sales and named a price below what I'm getting online?
Oh I did go in and make an offer, but they wouldn't budge. I thought it was comical that they said they give better deals via the internet. My understanding is that whether I make contact via the internet or walk in, I should be able to get the same deal.
... **they said they give better deals via the internet** .....l.o.l.....
This "urban legend" has gotten more legs than a centipede .... there is no difference between internet and showroom pricing ......
I think the reason why some folks "like" to think that, is they can tell their buddy's at work .. "yep, I spent 7 minutes online and saved $2,500" .... in the meantime, they sent out 15 emails, 12 were dropped into the circular file and then they battled the next 4 days on the remaining 3 and had to drive 95 miles to the store, spend 2 hours on the paperwork and the delivery set-up -- and oh yeah, pick up the car and drive 95 miles back ........
Unless it's some kind of nutty color or option list (or make/model) .. 97% of the time, if someone does the proper research and doesn't try to offer some crazy price, then they could have had the car in their driveway a week ago from the dealer down the street ..........
I called the dealer back, offerred more after taking my trade-in to carmax for an appraisal and got the bad news. And they accepted!!!! . I didn't bother wasting Terry's time over at RWTIV as he appraised it last year for mid $4K's and my son has been in a couple fender benders, which have been fixed, but I'm sure someone knowledgeable could tell. Darn mailboxes kept jumping out in front of him.....
" I called the dealer back, offerred more after taking my trade-in to carmax for an appraisal and got the bad news. And they accepted!!!! "
I should have known. I should have known. I go in to sign the papers for what we agreed to over the phone and the guy starts negotiating again.....ggrrrrrrrr. To make a long story short and save the ghory details......I left very upset w/o the car. . I should have known something was up when he calls me last night and asks if I can come down since there's someone looking at the car.
At least you learned something from the experience.
It is safer to not believe anything the salesman says until you see it on paper.
I have had several deals acepted over the phone. When I went to the dealer, I gave them a check for the exact amount we had agreed to pay and drove the new cars home. However, you can't always count on things being so simple.
I think customers can be more dishonest than car dealers.
We traded in our Taurus in Feb 1995. It had about 77K miles.
I was home sick one day (it might have been the day of the Oklahome City bombimg) and someone called saying they were from some state government agency. They said the person who bought our Taurus from the dealer had found a service receipt in the car showing 90K miles (or something like that) in 1993. They were accusing the dealer of rolling back the mileage.
I told him the car had 77K miles when we traded it in. Furthermore, I told him I had saved all of the numerous service receipts. Since it was a Taurus, you know we had a bunch of them. They would all show the car mileage. The guy on the phone seemed satisfied and nener called back.
The buyer must have found an old service receipt we left in the car and changed the mileage on it.
Later I called the dealer and told them I could give them copies of the service receipts if they need to show the buyer was trying to cheat them. They never caled to ask for them, so I guess the buyer dropped his complaint.
Almost made me want to become a car salesman, so I went and bought a gold chain and plaid pants. Then I changed my mind.
You're absolutely right Terry, there are plenty of BS customers as well. I like to think the regulars here on Edmunds, both customers and folks in the biz, don't fall in to that category. . If the guy couldn't meet my price, then just kindly say..."Sorry Mike, we can't do that, but here's our best offer". But his exact words after I offered $1000 more over the phone than when I was there yesterday were "fair enough, we can do that, when can you come in?". So when I show up this morning, he starts negotiating. When remind him of what he said, he says, "sorry for the misunderstanding, it was hectic yesterday afternoon". . What he did was unethical.......I sure wish I could post his name and the name of the NISSAN dealership. . Stepping off my soapbox now, thx Terry and Bob for listening.
.... **so I went and bought a gold chain and plaid pants** ......... I don't need the gold chains, but I can use the plaid pants if they're just goin' to sit in the drawer ya know ......
I had an email exchange with a salesman today that was an interesting study in writing something so that it can be read in two different ways.
He quoted me an above average selling price. But he also quoted a great interest rate and length of loan, and what he could get our monthly payments down to. But, he never said all the numbers in one sentence. When I told him to verify the complete offer, and that we would be down immediately to close, he instead replied with three different scenarios - one was great interest, one was short term loan we want, one was long term with low payments (lots of interest over time). :confuse:
At least the email method saved us both a lot of time - much quicker than going in, and then having to walk out.
Comments
Save the $200 .. but wait in line for service and be the last name on the parts list .... your choice.
Terry.
I have reached the stage that anywhere I can save aggrivation is worth the extra money. For example, I shop at a higher quality, more expensive clothing store, than my friends because I know the salespeople, and they can help me get in and out quickly. To me, the fact the clothes are nicer is just a bonus. The compromise I make is that I buy fewer things.
We keep our cars at least 10 years, so over time, that extra $200 we might pay will average out to $20 a year. And, obviously, the salemans we are dealing with figured out what our "hot button" was - low hassle when buying a long term car.
Now - I have to hop over and ask a question about how dealing with Honda Financing is - they offered to beat our rate from a company we love to deal with, but I have to decide if its worth switching to a new finance company.
Thanks again for the help - its been YEARS since we bought a car.
Who is "they"? Honda financing or the dealer? I've never heard of Honda Finance saying that. Usually their rates are posted firm, which are usually pretty good BTW. If it's the dealer saying that, then I'd stay with your old finance company.
Given a choice between my local CU and ANY finance company including Honda Finance, I'd stay with my CU They might beat the CU rate, but not by enough to make it worth it.
"Save the $200 .. but wait in line for service and be the last name on the parts list .... your choice."
My dear departed grandma, who was born the same year Custer was killed at Little Bighorn, taught me that a bird in hand is worth more than two birds in the bush.
I will take the $200 savings now and worry about the service later.
Bob
Speaking of "Little bighorn" ... did you see the History Channel when they replicated the battle.? .... our boy Custer certainly wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer ..l.o.l.....
Terry.
When we have fellow Americans like him to admire, how can we say we are intimidated by a sleazy car dealer with a high-pressure staff and number-spinning F&I guru? Like Custer, we should have the courage to attack that kind of dealer head on to get the car we want for a rock bottom price.
We live in Northern Virginia. Inspired by Custer's bravery, we have had the courage to buy four Hondas from the local R** chain of dealers, who many people fear. And my wife, who just brought me a cup of coffee, with Irish Cream, and a slice of toast as I type this important message, is very nice looking.
I hope you are having a great day too.
Bob
you've found a way to make car buying comfortable and enjoyable! that's all anyone can ask for! everyone is going to do things differently (as we all know based on what we read here). while you say "a bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush" i like to say, "you get what you pay for"
whichever saying you live by (whatever it may be) hopefully it makes your car purchasing experience PLEASANT! otherwise, switch sayings! ;-)
-thene
My email indicates my first and second choice of color and the options I wanted (listed by the option code).
Dealer A responded with a canned email that has pics of three MPVs with little details on the equipment nor pricing.
I sent back my original email and the "Internet manager" responded "the white one
seems to fit you best ... here's your net price including customer rebate, financing credit, and New College Grad rebate"
I emailed asking why he thought the white van was perfect when 1) it wasn't one of the two colors I specified, 2) he never listed the list of options, and 3) remind him that I'm not a recent college grad.
He emailed back saying he had a van in my second-choice of color with the options I wanted and mentioned the MSRP and the selling price, which included the customer rebate, financing credit, and New College Grad rebate.
I checked his MSRP against Edmunds, KelleyBB, and carsdirect and found it to be $500 too high so I asked him to verify the options on that vehicle ... I also reminded him that I'm not a recent college grad.
He emailed back asking if there's anything wrong with the price.
I emailed him my previous message asking him to verify the equipment on the van.
He emailed me saying he went to Edmunds, Kelley, and carsdirect and cannot seem to equip the vehicle in a way such that the MSRP matches his number. He told me he'll throw in another option to make the numbers work out.
I emailed him saying that I don't want another option, I just wanted him to verify the options on the aforementioned van.
He replied saying he has another van in my first-choice of color and with the exact options and quoted a price which included the customer rebate, financing credit, and, you guessed it, the New College Grad rebate.
Dealer B responded by saying he's offering $6500 off MSRP.
I emailed him my original message indicating my choice of color and equipment
and he responded with a quote on a fully-loadedvan which he said was closest to my config.
I can't wait for the third dealer to respond. [sigh]
Either that cut to the chase and you are happy, or you can counter with what you want it to be. In any case, you might invest less total time than you would with all the emails to clarify the lst clarification email!
Seriously, no matter what they put in the Email, aren't you going to have to go in person to see the van (to make sure it is what you want and as represented), before you will finalize the deal? ALthough I suppose you could do the whole deal via Email, and have them send the van out to you sight unseen.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
a lot of dealers, instead of looking for your exact requirements at other dealers and swapping, they try to sell you one in stock (thus, all the emails with these vans that dont quite fit what you are looking for)
again, best bet is to actually locate the dealers that HAVE the van you want, and you will find you can get a better deal that way as well!
good luck!
-thene
I think it's still a very hit or miss prospect, but I suppose the only thing it costs you to try is your wasted time...
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
So, I actually do things backwards. I go in person to find the car I want, then I negotiate. Doing it it this way makes the email (or phone) process much simpler, since you are talking about a specific, tangible unit.
what sounds better (and will allow the dealer to focus better):
"how much for a Buzz Mobile, either an LX or EX, red/yellow or purple/ with package A or C"
-OR-
"How much for stock number 1234, MSRP of $xx,xxx"
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I'm not harping on the prices nor was there any negotiation going on. I just want to make sure I get the van with the right level of equipment in it.
I -am- doing comparison shopping but there's a chance that I may be comparing two vans with different equipment. I wanted to make sure that Internet Mgr didn't leave out any options (since his MSRP didn't match mine).
From the two responses I've gotten so far, the theme seems to be: ignore the customer's questions, give them your usual pitch, and hope they won't notice.
I thought my initial email was pretty straightfwd: I want this model, with this equipment only, in this color or that color. You'd think they'd get requests like this everyday!
Sample response:
"Y'know we have a CPO unit just like it for much less"
"If you can come in today, we'll quote you our best price!!"
"It's a net cost of $xxxxxx after all qualified rebates."
Maybe I got a lazy-[non-permissible content removed] Internet Manager or something because he -did- find the van in my config and color in his stock after the 5th email.
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i'll tell ya - i often email the other dealers in the area pretending to be a consumer looking to purchase a vehicle - and very few reply - some with a generic "we'll get back to you, why dont you stop by in the meantime!" or "msrp is $xx,xxx and invoice is $yy,yyy - make an offer". being an internet manager for my store, my responses are like this (feedback would be great!)
dear joe,
thanks for your interest in the supermobile. here at xyz motors, we work hard to make your car purchasing experience a simple and pleasant one! regarding the supermobile you are interested in, pricing and equipment are as follows:
2005 Supermobile XE
Black exterior
Tan leather interior
performance package
Floor Mats
Splash Guards
MSRP: $xx,xxx
Invoice: $yy,yyy
XYZ internet Discount: $300
Supermobile Factory Rebate: $2000
Total Sale Price: $zz,zzz plus tax, registration and dealer conveyance fee.
- the rest is about giving me a call and looking forward to meeting you, yadda yadda. i find that there is NO ONE else in my area that even comes close to responding as such (a definitive price on a car they want - even if its a locate) so i guess that gives me an edge, or so i'd like to hope!
anyways, blabbing too long...
-thene
we read over and over on here about dealers who don't pay much attention to email because of so many phoney requests and here we have an internet person sending out phoney requests.....mmmm
i respond to everything, it only takes me a few minutes to type out an email - and if i dont get a response, no biggie.
but i do like knowing what my competition does...it doesnt seem like much does it!
-thene :shades:
The fear that many of the salesman here have is that the buyer will take the quote and shop it around to other dealers.
perspective from the internet managers point of view ;-)
-thene
100 emails x 3 minutes = 300 minutes (5 hours)
8 sales x $200 commission = $1600
$1600 / 5 hours = $320 per hour
Not too shabby! Methinks I'm in the wrong business.
DISCLAIMER - I'm only assuming that you make $200 commission on an internet sale; that number may be higher or lower, but that's not really my business. However, if you would like to share real world information, that's OK by me....
Heck, if we up the time it takes to compose an email to 5 minutes and reduce the commission to $100 per sale:
100 emails * 5 minutes = 500 minutes (8.3 hours)
8 sales * $100 commission = $800
$800 / 8.3 = $96 and change per hour
Still not too bad!
all of a sudden $96-320 per hour doenst sound so great huh? LOL This is a big reason why internet mgr/salepeople don't last long and you almost never find anyone but a rookie in the position.
i WISH i made $200 a car!!!
-thene :P
..... and that goes with out saying: Bingo.!
Terry
i've been in sales nearly two years - i joke with the managers here that they only expected me to last a month. one, because i am a woman, and two, they figured i didnt know about cars, or couldnt handle the pressure.
well hey, when you are a ref (or used to be) for soccer, and deal with cranky screaming parents who most of havent even played the game, you can deal with a few customers here and there ;-)
anyways, i like cars, i like reading about them, and while im not techincal (with the mechanical parts of them) i certainly can give you horsepower figures, features, benefits, future model information, etc. i find it very interesting!
but the turnover ratio is very high for salespeople - there are quite a few that get into this business that really truly want to be good and honest - and those are the ones that get downtrodden when people come in thinking they'll be taken for a ride, and are angry and frustrating with the salesperson. those who last are the ones that can dish it right back, or have been dishing it all along, or can learn to get past that and work hard to earn the trust of the people they are trying to help.
i am not a career salesperson, and consider this only a stop on my road to wherever i end up - but i certainly tried my best to change the face that people come to know when they go to a dealer, and i certainly have taken a lot from it.
as frustrating as it is - i recommend everyone take a couple of months and try it - you'd be surprised!
anyways, my 2 cents, as always...
-thene
I guess my point was that internet sales, if you have the determination to stay on top of the leads, can bring back a pretty decent return on the time invested. Sorry that my math example didn't really make that point too well.
thene - as the internet manager, do you still work "ups"? The guy I bought our Focus from was promoted to "internet manager" and had 2 people working under him when we went back to the dealership a year later to look at the Escape. The way he made it look, he didn't have much time to do a lot of face-to-face; in fact, he delegated the test drive to one of the guys who works for him.
everyone does it different, some internet managers just arrange appointments, then pass them off to salespeople when they get here - i see it through from start to finish.
-thene
-thene :-)
I'm looking to buy a new car within the next week (or ten days). I contacted a internet car sales company (from autobytel, autoweb, carsdirect, carsprices, ...). Their represtative came back with a quote on the phone, based on my wishlist. The out of door cost came to $17,750, based on their "base price" of about 16,000$.
The rep added charges of $499 documentation fee on the base price that looked wrong to me.
For the same specs, Edmunds.com came up with a TMV of $17,00 MSRP, $15,400 invoice, and $15,780 of "what others are paying" - "base price".
I've not called any other internet company. Would it make a significant difference if I did?
Also, the small town I'm living in has a dealership for Toyotas, but they are not in the "network" of the internet company I'm dealt with so far. Would it hurt if I talked to their sales and named a price below what I'm getting online?
Thanks for the help!
A
Why does it matter?
If you want to buy one of their cars, I suggest you go there in person and make an offer.
Which question are you going to ask their sales staff:
"Will you sell that Toyota for $xx out-the door?"
or
"I am offering $xx out-the-door for that Toyota. Do you accept?"
Why not go thru the internet and make the same offer and see if it accepted?
This "urban legend" has gotten more legs than a centipede .... there is no difference between internet and showroom pricing ......
I think the reason why some folks "like" to think that, is they can tell their buddy's at work .. "yep, I spent 7 minutes online and saved $2,500" .... in the meantime, they sent out 15 emails, 12 were dropped into the circular file and then they battled the next 4 days on the remaining 3 and had to drive 95 miles to the store, spend 2 hours on the paperwork and the delivery set-up -- and oh yeah, pick up the car and drive 95 miles back ........
Unless it's some kind of nutty color or option list (or make/model) .. 97% of the time, if someone does the proper research and doesn't try to offer some crazy price, then they could have had the car in their driveway a week ago from the dealer down the street ..........
Terry.
.
I didn't bother wasting Terry's time over at RWTIV as he appraised it last year for mid $4K's and my son has been in a couple fender benders, which have been fixed, but I'm sure someone knowledgeable could tell. Darn mailboxes kept jumping out in front of him.....
I should have known. I should have known. I go in to sign the papers for what we agreed to over the phone and the guy starts negotiating again.....ggrrrrrrrr. To make a long story short and save the ghory details......I left very upset w/o the car.
.
I should have known something was up when he calls me last night and asks if I can come down since there's someone looking at the car.
It is safer to not believe anything the salesman says until you see it on paper.
I have had several deals acepted over the phone. When I went to the dealer, I gave them a check for the exact amount we had agreed to pay and drove the new cars home. However, you can't always count on things being so simple.
salesmancustomer says until you see it on paper** ....... that door swings both ways ya know ...But in Mikes case .. he's a hundred percenter .........
Terry
We traded in our Taurus in Feb 1995. It had about 77K miles.
I was home sick one day (it might have been the day of the Oklahome City bombimg) and someone called saying they were from some state government agency. They said the person who bought our Taurus from the dealer had found a service receipt in the car showing 90K miles (or something like that) in 1993. They were accusing the dealer of rolling back the mileage.
I told him the car had 77K miles when we traded it in. Furthermore, I told him I had saved all of the numerous service receipts. Since it was a Taurus, you know we had a bunch of them. They would all show the car mileage. The guy on the phone seemed satisfied and nener called back.
The buyer must have found an old service receipt we left in the car and changed the mileage on it.
Later I called the dealer and told them I could give them copies of the service receipts if they need to show the buyer was trying to cheat them. They never caled to ask for them, so I guess the buyer dropped his complaint.
Almost made me want to become a car salesman, so I went and bought a gold chain and plaid pants. Then I changed my mind.
.
If the guy couldn't meet my price, then just kindly say..."Sorry Mike, we can't do that, but here's our best offer". But his exact words after I offered $1000 more over the phone than when I was there yesterday were "fair enough, we can do that, when can you come in?". So when I show up this morning, he starts negotiating. When remind him of what he said, he says, "sorry for the misunderstanding, it was hectic yesterday afternoon".
.
What he did was unethical.......I sure wish I could post his name and the name of the NISSAN dealership.
.
Stepping off my soapbox now, thx Terry and Bob for listening.
Terry.
He quoted me an above average selling price. But he also quoted a great interest rate and length of loan, and what he could get our monthly payments down to. But, he never said all the numbers in one sentence. When I told him to verify the complete offer, and that we would be down immediately to close, he instead replied with three different scenarios - one was great interest, one was short term loan we want, one was long term with low payments (lots of interest over time). :confuse:
At least the email method saved us both a lot of time - much quicker than going in, and then having to walk out.