cars to are very nice and considerate. I don't get paid on commission, so I don't care how much they pay for the car. So normally, all of my customers are getting a very good deal. Most who actually buy, like the idea of buying through the internet and enjoy the haggle free process.
I think I already posted this elsewhere, but I'll re-post since it belongs here. I recently bought a Hyundai Elantra GT (stop the snickering!) and had a fabulous buying experience. I used email to contact a Jerjuan Lawson at Extreme Motors in Bloomington, IL to first ask if a specific car was available. When he replied and said he could get one, I made an offer that's about $300 over invoice. He called me back to say that the offer has been accepted.
I drove over the next afternoon to pick up my car and everything went smoothly. I knew going in that I wasn't going to get much for my old car and was even willing to just have them take it off my hands. I also knew that it would be difficult to get a decent finance rate because I haven't been in the US long and had very little credit history. I went to the dealership with pre-approved financing but with a terrible rate (15% for 48 months). I was willing to pay that, but asked the F&I guy, Tim Nice, if he could possibly beat that. He not only found me better lending terms, but he also told me to re-finance in a year or less (as soon as I get my credit rating high enough) and gave me other tips on how to build up my credit quickly.
The whole experience was effortless for me. I was so thrilled by the whole thing that I even drove back (over 60 miles) the following day to deliver some home-made cookies. I have also given them a glowing report on the Hyundai survey. Also, I love my car even if I get a few raised eyebrows when people ask me what I bought.
I'm happy to read that your experience with the MAG dealership has been positive. I'll give them another look. My experience wasn't positive and I had just about written them off.
Two weeks ago, I filled out the Ford request-a-quote for a Focus ZX3 Premium w/side air bags and ABS in either green or red. I received three emails back, only one of which mentioned Focus, and none quoted a price. So I sent another email, but this time didn't receive any response.
So a week ago I went to the showroom and a sales rep grabbed me as I entered the floor. Nice kid, who was up front and said he wasn't very familiar with the Focus. We sat down and I told him specifically what I wanted and asked for a quote to be emailed to me. He filled out a form and took my name, address, phone, etc., and said he would email me a quote. Six days later I receive a form letter signed by the sales rep that misspells my name, has other typos, doesn't even mention Focus, and closes with contact-me-if-I-can-be-of-further-help.
MAG seemed so clumsy in my three unsuccessful attempts to get a price quote, it made me very leery about the level of service I could expect if I did buy a car from them.
However, 42's positive experience convinces me to give that dealership another shot--which since I live just two miles away from them, makes things much more convenient.
i had the most pleasant experiance buying from this dealer. the salesman was a little confused and the owner came right out asked what i wanted, looked at my trade, and said he would call when 02 pathfinder prices came in. owner called in 3 days with price and best trade i ever received. no running back and forth with a manager who will not even confront you. also service dept did everything i wanted with no hassle.
I had gotten a quote from them via internet, However, due to the slowness, and my need for a car quickly, I went over there in person. (If you are in NYC, there is no reason not to)
I just bought a new 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada and was shocked at how smoothly the whole process went! In fact, I was so impressed with my salesperson, Allen Talmadge, that I actually walked over to the manager after the sale was finalized and let him know! We test drove several vehicles, he answered all of my questions, and when he didn't know the answer, he took notes and promised to get back to me... which he did! I went in on a Thursday, and bought that Saturday. Throughout that time, I felt no overwhelming pressure to buy. When I came in Saturday to negotiate price, we struck a deal in literally 10 min. He asked if I had been pricing, I acknowledged that I had gotten several internet quotes. He asked what my best price was on what I wanted. He plugged everything in, and came back with a price that was about $300 over invoice prior to a $2002 rebate (about $200 better than TMV and Carsdirect.com), so I actually got the Bravada for about $1700 under invoice. True to his word, since they didn't have what I wanted in stock, he got EXACTLY what I wanted and nothing I didn't, and he had it ready for pickup on that Monday!
Never ask a chubby female if she is pregnant. Even more important, never ask a car salesman how much a car costs. All you will get is an inflated price or a complete run-around.
Since you know exaclty what you want, use the resources in this web site to determine a price that you think might be accepted, and then offer that price to the dealer.
OK, I wasn't planning to buy but $2502 rebates on Buick Century was too much to pass up.
Anyway I went to Roger's Buick, North Syracuse NY (Isellpotiac-these are your guys!), spoke to my regular salesman. He treated me well, gave me a fair price and played no games. Didn't even require a deposit.
Tonight I picked up the car. Everything was ready on time and no probs with the delivery.
Both transactions were relatively quick and painless.
I have had several good experiences with Burdick group dealers.
If anyone wants the name of my salesman, email me because I don't think his name should be bandied about on the 'net recklessly. This guy will get all 4s on his eval (I guess that's the highest)
I bought a new Z28 today from Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet in Greenville SC. I made 2 offers over the past week, and was pleasantly given counteroffers within 5 minutes each time. Closing today was lightning fast, all paperwork was ready to sign when I arrived, no hard sell on Extended Warranty, the car was thoroughly prepped. A perfect carbuying experience. BTW, my salesperson's name is Judy Girardeau.
My Uncle wanted me to go with him to purchase a new Impala. He hadn't bought a car in 14 years so he was a little skittish about going alone (75 yrs old). He knows that I read a lot about cars and am familiar with the buying process.
So, off we go to Chuck Hutton Chevrolet and met a really nice (extremely non-pressure) African American lady who came out in the frigid cold evening to show us 2002 Impala's. We looked, sat in a couple and then told her we would think about it. She gave us a brochure and said give her a call if we were interested. So, two days later, we decided to check prices (also, the weather warmed up). We picked out a Medium Bronzemist base Impala with the Group 1 option. Listed for $21,735. Their first offer was $800 off list and then after a little negotiating, they came down an additional $400 for a total of $1,200 off list and then the rebate brought it down to $3,202 off list. That seemed fair, my uncle was very happy and we drove off in a new Impala. There was no problem in the F/I office, very pleasant young fellow. We paid cash and there was no mention of "mop and glow". He did ask if we wanted an extended warranty, we said no, he then quickly had my Uncle sign all of the papers and off we went.
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
I have been buying from the same guy for years. It's a good sign when you walk in to buy a car and he tells you to "take a number. There are two ahead of you". The other salesman are standing around watching the inventory not move.
I come back after a few hours, drive a car he recommends and buy it. Except for that damn Lincoln I insisted he sell me, it's been really good.
They're motto is "Nice People to do Business With" and as far as I'm concerned they are 100% correct. A year ago I was looking for a nice car I shopped many brand and makes as I have no loyalty to any one (Other than my family). My wife and I stopped by to look at the 300M. We were greeted by Tony Crawford. He let us take it for a drive and we wanted it. They didn't have the one we wanted on the lot so he located one at they're other dealership in Countryside. We drove one 300M there and ours back. We noticed a scratch on the door. He gave us an IOU for the service work. My wife loves to bargain and once he knew we knew what we wanted we agreed on a good price and a great trade in. Had pre arranged financing and that wasn't a problem. He has followed up extremely well with us over the past year and was a pleasure to deal with.
Geri Serber Sweet of Buerkle Honda in White Bear Lake, MN.
I've been pestering her with questions for months while I make up my mind on a car purchase. She has alot of product knowledge, is very straight forward and has been very patient with my indecision. I will definitely buy a Honda from her and recommend her to others as well!
We just picked up our "new" '99 S70 Sedan yesteday and wanted to post our very positive experience with this dealership in Montclair, NJ and our saleman Pablo.
From our first meeting he was nice and polite and more than willing to answer any and all of our questions. Looking through the different cars available he just handed the keys over and said "go have fun, see you later." When we finally decided on a particular car which had just come in, he had it sent to the shop to have a full service done, including new tires, brakes and rotors. As an added bonus, when we picked up the car, he had upgraded the stereo for us. We had noted that this particular car only had a am/fm/cassette while all the others we had tested had the combo am/fm/cass/cd player. I know it was probably nothing much to add this, but it's the little things that count.
During negotiations he was upfront about our trade (1990 Volvo 740) and even gave us the number of someone they sell their wholesale cars to.
Overall we felt we got a fair deal, but more than that, we treated with respect and left feeling good about the whole experience. Now my wife want to get rid of our explorer in favor of a Wagon or XC, though she was really drooling over the C70 convt. in the showroom.
Peeter
Just noticed that it's been almost a month since anyone posted to this topic. I guess it really is easy to complain, I've done it myself, but I also believe in giving credit where credit is due.
I had a very pleasant experience with Hillside Honda, Queens, NY when I bought 2002 Honda CRV. ( 1 week ago). It started when I called them for a quote and was quoted $200 bellow TMV of Edmunds. Everybody else in New York area gave me MSRP. So I came down and saw Robert - salesperson who gave me the quote. Very nice guy, polite and straight forward. I gave a deposit for the car I wanted, because they were sold out (like everybody else). I was told to wait about 4-5 weeks. In 4 weeks got a call from Robert with VIN number so I could start shoping for insurance. In another week he told me that car is in. I decided to to go with my own financing with PeopleFirst.com and got 5.85% from them. When I arrived to the dealership and saw their F&I person, she offer me to try to beat this rate. I didn't want to run my credit report multiple times but she said that she will try just one bank that she prefered to work with. Well, they approve me for 5.5% + free GAP insurance. I accepted. After that she ask me if i want any accesories, I wanted only wheel locks so she added $60 to my price. Thats it! No additional advertisement fees no other bs fee, Just Destination charge and doc fee-$20. She never mention any warranties or rust protection. Everything took about 20min. Then she ask me when i want to pick up my car and I choose Sat. (in 2 days) because i had to return my expired lease car back to the dealer. On Sat. at 9am (time when they open) I came to the dealer and was greeted by Robert (salesman). We finish final paper work (down payment, financial documents, lemon law...etc) and I was given keys from my new car that was already waiting for me outside - nice and shiny with 2 mi on the odometer!. Robert spent additional time with me to make sure I understand where everything is, all the controls, etc... and that it! one more hand shake and I 'm on my way in my new car. It was the best car shoping expirience I ever had (can't even compare with experience to lease my Nissan Altima but this is another story for another forum (inconsiderate sellers?)). Thanks
or at least we bought one from a person who fits my image of isell. We had the best car-buying experience I've even seen last evening. Buying a Honda Civic LX should not be difficult anywhere, but somehow some dealers can screw it up. Not Bernardi Honda, in Natick Mass, though.
My daughter was the buyer, and qualified for Honda's 4.9% financing. We were pre-shopped, and fully equipped with all the pertainant data on the car, and had met the salesman once before when she test drove a Civic. Before leaving home we looked at Edmunds just to get the numbers fresh in our minds, and decided that for a car in that price range it was senseless to expect below TMV. We also agreed to be flexible and not get anal over $100 or so. We agreed to shoot for $15,400 base, add remote entry and floor mats, and expect about $16,000 net, to negotiate from $16,200 and to walk if they were firm above that. Ityold hetr to expect about $17,000 bottom line with tax, title and license fees. So, time to do it.
She wanted a red Civic, which was not in stock. While she filled out the credit ap the salesman rounded up a car at another dealer. When they were both done the salesman told us that not only had he found a car equipped the way she wanted, but it was at a dealer to which they had already arranged to sell another car, turning the deal into a simple swap that cost neither dealership anything. Score one!
We were ready and well informed, and really wanted to cut to the end of the story, so he suggested a price that was nearly dollar for dollar what we were targeting, first offer. Knowing how little there is in a Civic to work with, and that the only incentive available was the financing, which she qualified for, we simply accepted the price. Deal done - score two!
The whole transaction, entry to exit, took about an hour. Not only that, since they also are a VW dealer, I had the opportunity to look over a W8, which was an added bonus. Kudoos to Bernardi.
My wife wanted a 2002 Chrysler Concorde with only the options she wanted and no more. Well just my luck I find one at one of the worst dealers around. We stopped buy, looked at it but the salesman wouldn't even open it up (it was out on the lot). He couldn't wait to show me 300M Special and a maxed out Sebring. He even asked why would you buy a Concorde when you could get a 300M. I smiled, asked him if he knew the under-pinnings on the cars were the same, got his card and left.
Searched the internet for our region and that's the only one with the options and color she wants.
The next day I called Thompson Dodge and asked them to get me the car. Picked it up from their Chrysler dealer a few days later, below invoice, rock bottom financing and as always, no hassles.
There are good dealers out there. When you find one, make sure you support them.
you didn't miss much. The poster posted it to just about every smart shopper topic. kirstie is muttering in the speak to the town hall hosts topic, after deleting 50+ of his posts.
i hope to have a good experience soon, my last purchase '01 infiniti i30t went pretty well, $3k under invoice last fall
easy negotiation, salesman stepped aside to let me deal w/ mgr easily when he saw i was serious and low
he wasn't super knowledgeable, and they attempted to stick me in F&I but I will say this,
after the first test drive, and he saw i was still trying to figure out whether that was the car i wanted or not, he indicated that they were motivated and he was motivated to sell that particular car, and recommended i check the internet and do my research, come back and negotiate, he didn't tell me what they'd sell it for, but it was enough to motivate me, i would have done and had done some of that research already, but honestly was looking at '02s, and most likely if it came down to '02s at the time, the Acura would have won, not the Infiniti, but with such a deal on the '01, with the color and options I wanted, he got the sale, in part because he didn't play too many games, instead of pressuring me w/ some kind of 'this is the last one' kind of thing, he tactfully mentioned that, but rather encouraged me to empower myself to get a good deal on it if it was the car I wanted
Just noticed your post. Glad ya got the car there. Montclair is where I used to work. Excellent store to do business with. They are very professional. Their service dept is also very good. Herb Wiley and Pete are both great guys, so is Egon Kanter the manager too.
We're enjoying the car alot. Even though it's primarily a commuter car, we still use it for trips here and there (love that huge trunk). We've dealt with their service before (previously had a '90 740 GL sedan that we bought from them as well) and always found them on the up and up.
While shopping for the S70 my wife fell in love with an '02 C70 convt. in the showroom. Unfortunately, that would be a very unpractical car w/ 2 kids. Therefore, since we've sold my boat (sniff, sniff) and no longer need a tow vehicle (Explorer), a station wagon seems to be our next purchase. And, as luck would have it, my wife likes the V70's so there may be 2 Volvo's in our driveway soon.
Peeter
ps We ended up selling our 740 on eBay for to someone who bought it sight-unseen, picked it up and drove it from home to Mass.
My story starts with the 2000 Ford Focus ZTS I bought new 3 years ago ("ZiTS?" a friend of mine said to me, "is that the demographic they're going for?"). To make a long story short, the Focus was a car with great design and handling that sucked beyond all belief in the quality dept. After already suffering through 8 recalls, and having numerous problems fixed under warranty, the feds recently announced that they are investigating the Focus for engine fires, engine stalling, needless airbag deployment, and--get this--rear wheels falling off. Two of these defects have the potential--however small--to kill you. I was in no mood to trust the life of my family to this car any longer, and when Click and Clack, the NPR car talk guys, said "for safety's sake" to avoid the Focus, that was enough for me.
The Honda Accord is now in its last few months for this design, but as a result they are having a great prices right now. I looked up an ad price of $15,665 for an Accord LX 5 speed at the local dealer and called them up. I got Richard of Sam Swope Honda and I asked him (politely) if the price was legit. He said it was, and that they had two at that price, one black, one gold. I asked about financing, since I'd already been approved by Toyota for low financing, and Richard said they had low financing too for those who qualified, and to come on down. Somehow Richard's manner just struck me as great right off the bat--no games, just straighforward and pleasant.
I came right in and he showed me the gold car, demonstrating several nifty features that the Accord has. I took a short test drive, and then showed him my trade--the black low mileage Focus ZTS with 5 speed and side air bags. Edmunds said my car had a trade in value of almost 9k. Frankly, after all the bad publicity about the Focus, I didn't believe it. Plus, I knew from my research that Richard and the dealership were giving away the Accord to me, with as far as I could tell no profit whatsoever, and possibly a small loss. Plus by then I'd been preapproved for 4.75% financing for 60 months. So, when Richard came back and offered me 7500 on the Focus, I took it and we sealed the deal. I have no problem at all with him making some profit. My wife decided she didn't like gold and wanted the black one, however, but by the time this was ironed out the black one had been sold. Here's where taking Richard's somewhat low offer on my trade paid off for me, I think, because he then located exactly the color my wife and son really wanted, dark blue, and had it professionally driven from a dealership over 100 miles away. Plus he threw in mudflaps and carpet mats. When I came to pick up the car a few days later, he personally made sure it was [non-permissible content removed] and span, and took the time to demontrate all sorts of features, and we took another test drive. I plan to give him 100% A++ marks on the survey. My payment with my $3200 in trade equity down came to 260 a month, and I added the 7/75 warranty for 695, which took my payment to 273--six bucks less a month than I was paying on that darn Focus. For me, it was the car buying experience I was looking for, and I'm very pleased with my new Accord.
This past Sunday I met a couple whom I shall call Ken and Marsha. It was late in the afternoon and we were about to close. (We were open from 12-5) I saw them drive around the lot and finally park by the Sienna vans. I walked over to them and introduced myself. They told me they were "just looking" and had just started their car shopping and were looking at different vans. They asked me about the Sienna and the different trim levels. After I explained the different options and accessories they asked me if I had a red one. I look through my inventory sheet daily and remembered there was one due in within the week. "How late are you open?" they asked. "Today we close at 5." I replied. "You wouldn't happen to have the key for this one on you, would you?" Ken asked. "No, I don't but I'd be happy to get it for you." I said. "I need to use the ladies room, do you have one inside?" she asked. "We sure do, let me show you where it is and I'll get a brochure for you to take with you." I answered. We walked inside and I got the key for the van and also a brochure. We walked out to the lot and I opened the van for them. I showed them some of the features and they seemed to like it. "We are really interested, If we give you our name and number will you call us when the red one comes in?" Marsha asked. "You bet! I'll call you as soon as it gets off the car carrier." I replied. "It should be here tomorrow or Tuesday." I said. "Ok, thank you for your time. We'll be expecting your call."
..the first time I bought a new vehicle in '97. We ran into an older salesmen (pretty much retirement age) who took his time to select the vehicle that my wife really wanted, explained everything to her and answered all her questions. Having never financed a new vehicle before, it was almost an educational session. At the end of all this, we realized that we hadn't comparison shopped at all, and needed to see what the "Auto Megamall" could offer. I was actually expecting a negative reaction from him, after spending so much time with us. He just gave us his card and said: "Yes, I would probably do the same. However, I'll be here tomorrow, and I'm quite sure I'll see you then."
What can I say ? The 3 hours at the megamall reminded me of some of the case studies I see on the "buyer beware" type of websites. It only took so long to get out of that place, because of the endless attempts to switch us to a different truck, after it became evident that they didn't have what we wanted.
We bought the truck from our original salesmen the day after. I consider myself quite lucky, because having experienced what the buying process should be like, I have lost all tolerance for high pressure sales.
Last spring I was doing the research to buy a new vehicle. Replacing my 13yr old/200Kmi RX-7 with something more drivable in New Hampshire winters. Stopped in at Team Nissan in Manchester, N.H. Told the very pleasant salesman (turned out to be fleet salesman) that I was just there to look at colors. I knew what I wanted but was waiting until summer to purchase.
We talked for a bit about the stock they had on hand and I asked for his card to come back and see him when I was ready to buy. He gave me his card and asked if I was dead set on waiting until summer. I told him that I was willing to go through the negotiation/pitch process with the clear understanding that I was planning the purchase for the summer, after the snow season was done. I would only change my purchase plans with the right incentives, a good deal on the truck and drive it home that day.
Got a better deal than I was expecting on the Xterra and drove it home an hour later. The dealership got the price to below what I had expected to pay considering the popularity of the Xterra at the time. Recieved follow up calls from both the salesman and the dealership's owner. The dealership even sent a couple of "thank you" gifts a week later.
I've recommended this dealership to everyone I know that has been looking at Nissans.
I consider them a wonderfully considerate dealer, and I tried to be a considerate buyer by not being rude or misleading them about my intentions at all.
I have plenty of inconsiderate stories, but I want to try to focus on the positive...
First rep at caddy dlr west side, he sent me to caddy dlr east side, told caddy dlr east side that rep #1 sent me, he said ok, we looked at some stuff, i was getting the impression he wanted to sell me directly, considering i only talked to the other guy for about 5 minutes and he never called me back before I went back to see him again, only to talk 5 minutes again, I just rolled with it, and figured they'd figure it out.
Well Rep#2 wanted me to take the truck home knowing that I felt he had a reasonable (not crazy) asking price, but I would only buy if I paid less, if you really want me to take it, I will as feel that's a good oppty for me
Next morning Rep#1 calls, you like it etc.? I explained to him where I was, he said come on over see what we can do...I assume they are on same page
well, rep#1 on over at west side can only do about $2.5k over fair retail, i try to explain that's not really a fair price, i'm willing to negotiate, they say that's the lowest, maybe we can show you somehting else....I leave the truck there
Here is the considerate part.... Rep #2 from east side calls, why did you leave it over there, he just found out,
I explain what happened, I thought he knew what was going on etc., he replies well, I don't know what all happened I apologize if you felt caught in the middle, I don't know if my SM can sell it any less than they can, but if he can, I'll do everything I can to get you into the vehicle, can you come by to talk about it...
I go see #2 next day, we can't agree on a price, simply because I told him that it was a 99 in white, not a 00 in blk, although i'd pay more for a 00 in blk, or be willing to do a 99 in black for his price, that i would need a little better price to do this deal today
he wasn't able to do the price, but he came within $500 of a fair price, a couple grand less than west side, we agreed to think it over on both sides, in the mean time keep an eye out for a blk one
So that in and of itself was considerate, and I would buy a car from him if the right one for right price, but he did something else, he called someone he knew at another unaffiliated shop who had a blk 00 in stock, they called me up, long story short, that deal blew up, but the #2 rep at east side caddy was still very considerate to try to find me a vehicle at another dealer
Had I been able to do the deal on his associate's truck, I would have gone back to drop off a $100 thank you, but since it didn't work out, I still tried to call him to thank him for his time, he was out today, I'll call him tomorrow
I'm confused here. Rep1 told you to go see rep2. Do these guys know each other and are both Caddy dealers owned by the same person/company? I would never send a customer to one of my competitors (selling same brand). I would send them to one of our other stores (owned by our company) if they were looking at something comparable in another make we carry.
Rep #1 works at west side arnold palmer cadillac Rep #2 works at east side arnold palmer cadillac
I met rep #1 a couple weeks ago, talked for 5 minutes, came back to ck inventory, asked for rep #1 again, he was about to do a delivery, didn't have any inventory I was interested in anyway, so he sent me to East Side store, to look there and to tell anyone who helped me that I was working w/ him...
Rep #2 apparently wasn't too concerned w/ rep #1, so that may make him inconsiderate internally at the dealer, but he was considerate to me, because in the end, he was willing to give me a better deal on the car I was somewhat interested in, but more importantly, when we agreed to disagree on price, he was willing to call (friend, former associate, I don't know how he knew him) a rep from a non affiliated Lincoln Mercury dealer who had a black '00 Navigator like I wanted....so my point was, he was trying to help me get what I wanted, it seems he was the top rep at this caddy shop for some time, I saw all the plaques, I guess he figured he was going to be around awhile so he figured he could sell me a car down the road, or someone I knew a car, as well as potentially help his friend out, if he helped me find the car I wanted, as used inventory is more limited than new inventory, he can't exactly order one up for me, I don't fully understand his motivation, but I do appreciate it, that's all I'm saying
Make any more sense now? I hope so, I think people are tired of my long posts I was trying to keep it short!! lol karz
Just got a new 02 Deville. Sick of waiting for a Caddy dealer to do GMO/GMS deal on a CTS ! Shopped the GM buypower site found 2 Devilles with the goods I wanted. Called the dealers (both had appraised my 96 Deville recently). The ruby one was sold but the other guy said the white one was ready to go ! And we will still give you 6k for your 96 ! I told the guy I am jamming at my motel in Alexandria bay NY and couldn't get away ! He said NO PROBLEM....sent me a couple of fax papers and brought the 02 to ME! Told him to bring wife too and stay over nite. He did and took the 96 back to the dealer. NO MUSS NO FUSS ! Auburn NY to Alex Bay must be a 300 mile round trip too ! Note: I have bought a few cars and trucks from FOX automotive group. Salesman asked me not to post his name here ! But if you email I can tell ya ! BTW: I get the gm employee discount so no arguing about prices ! Easy painless deal ! .............Happy Geo......Happy salesman and wife
So here is my car buying experience which I am very impressed about.
Monday, did my homework, got a preapproval, insurance quote, etc. and went to go look at a '03 honda accord. Test drove a '03 Coupe LX 5MT and an '03 Sedan EX 5AT. Impressive vehicles. Told the salesperson that I would have to comeback and have my fiancee see it and sit on it. very good experience so far.
Tuesday, Called up, told him I was headed in, and he was waiting when I showed up. He was ready to talk shop. Fiancee doesn't care for them, but what the hey(doesn't like car shopping). So went in, and straight up they took a look see at my truck, and did their fanaggling, and came up w/ 21k on trade(KBB wholesale of 22,5) and MSRP on the new car. Total out the door(upsidedown 3000 on trade) was 25,8. Told them 23,5 was my cap and they came down to 24,9. Final. This all took about 2hrs so I was very impressed. No hassle, no pressure, just pretty straightup pricing. So I told them I'll sleep on it and see if I can help. I called them back 4hrs later, and offered 24,4 and they rejected it.
Called the other local dealer, got the internet sales manager, and he is giving me 750 above invoice, and he did a dealer search for the car(none in OR, other dealer wouldn't do it. mildly irritating to negotiate on a car that may not exist) and found one. With the trade the other dealer gave me, he came up w/ 24,243 out the door. So in consideration, I called dealer "A" back and told him my offer, and he said it would cut into profits too much, wouldn't even take it to his manager, but if anything fell through, they would stand by their initial offer. So I have an appointment tomorrow to get an appraisal on my truck, and hopefully its worth 21k or more to dealer "B" so I can maybe get it cheaper. My car will be there w/in 24hrs of signing, and I'm a happy buyer.
Overall, I am very impressed with both dealerships, and their honesty. I'm used to spending hours on end negotiating both new and old car price(TB took 16hrs to negotiate). Even my fiancee was very impressed and suggested that if the difference was $400 I should buy from dealer "A" and I agreed, but $650, plus I may get more on the trade? I feel bad, but they had their fighting chance... (2x) Hopefully I'm not an inconsiderate buyer... tried my best not to be... I have dealt w/ the same person in each dealership the whole way through... Heck, I may even buy dealer "B" lunch if he can get me more for my trade... =o)
I did not. went into dealer "B" like I was supposed to today. Everything was as stated, and we were about to begin the paperwork, and they wanted a confirmation of pre-approval on the loan, so I called to get it. Talked to the loan officer, and she was more than happy to send it over, but she wondered why I needed 24k for a 22k car... I told her that I was upsidedown on the trade and was planning to get the $150 gap. She says that they only finance MSRP. No go. Dealer "b" was very polite, explained the options, but all of them put me over $400/mo. So we parted on good terms. If you are ever looking in the Portland, OR area, Thomason Internet sales is very hassle free, and very upfront. Just disappoints me that my CU didn't tell me they only financed MSRP, they knew that I was upside-down on it... errrr... Hopefully in a few months, I will be able to do it if I am not so upsidedown... 4-6 months from now... =oP
Stopped at my local Chevy dealer, just to pick up a brochure on the new Colorado pickup. I have a teenager that will be driving in about a year and have to give up my 03 4Runner(he ain't driving it!) I figure the pickup will work great - no V8 power, but he can haul his dirtbike in the back to go to practice, but at race time we can still tow the trailer. Anyhow, back to the salesman. I explained that I was not a near-future buyer - maybe by mid summer. He was very helpful & even strongly suggested that I drive it, if I had the time. Went for a short test drive - liked the truck. He gave me his card and a brochure. Told me to call when I'm ready or if I had questions. I hope this guy is still there when I'm ready to buy.
Very considerate of you. Now do this: Put his business card in your wallet so that when you are ready to buy you will know who to ask for and not turn into an inconsiderate buyer that, 1) lost the business card, 2) forgot his name, 3) ended up buying from a different salesperson. : ) Mackabee
Got his card stapled to the brochure along with the Edmunds' pricing report. I'll watch the ads for a high volume dealer that we have about 25 miles from here, just to make sure I'm getting a fair price, but I'll most likely go back to this guy to buy because of the way I was treated, plus his dealership will be where I get parts and service.
Sounds fair to me! Just a word of caution. When reading those high volume ads make sure you look at the fine print. That's where they get you. Lure you in with an unbelievable low price than the adds start adding up. Prep fee, lot fee, mother-in-law fee, etc.. you get the picture. Do your homework and determine a fair price or some price where you and the dealer will be happy and go from there. One of my competitors was recently reprimanded by our distributor for using very misleading advertising. Things like "Sequoias for $26,990.00, Camrys for $11,990.00" etc. Any educated buyer knows darn well you can't get a Sequoia for that. Heck, base price on the cheapest one is not even close to that. : ) Mackabee
Comments
Chris
I drove over the next afternoon to pick up my car and everything went smoothly. I knew going in that I wasn't going to get much for my old car and was even willing to just have them take it off my hands. I also knew that it would be difficult to get a decent finance rate because I haven't been in the US long and had very little credit history. I went to the dealership with pre-approved financing but with a terrible rate (15% for 48 months). I was willing to pay that, but asked the F&I guy, Tim Nice, if he could possibly beat that. He not only found me better lending terms, but he also told me to re-finance in a year or less (as soon as I get my credit rating high enough) and gave me other tips on how to build up my credit quickly.
The whole experience was effortless for me. I was so thrilled by the whole thing that I even drove back (over 60 miles) the following day to deliver some home-made cookies. I have also given them a glowing report on the Hyundai survey. Also, I love my car even if I get a few raised eyebrows when people ask me what I bought.
Ed
Two weeks ago, I filled out the Ford request-a-quote for a Focus ZX3 Premium w/side air bags and ABS in either green or red. I received three emails back, only one of which mentioned Focus, and none quoted a price. So I sent another email, but this time didn't receive any response.
So a week ago I went to the showroom and a sales rep grabbed me as I entered the floor. Nice kid, who was up front and said he wasn't very familiar with the Focus. We sat down and I told him specifically what I wanted and asked for a quote to be emailed to me. He filled out a form and took my name, address, phone, etc., and said he would email me a quote. Six days later I receive a form letter signed by the sales rep that misspells my name, has other typos, doesn't even mention Focus, and closes with contact-me-if-I-can-be-of-further-help.
MAG seemed so clumsy in my three unsuccessful attempts to get a price quote, it made me very leery about the level of service I could expect if I did buy a car from them.
However, 42's positive experience convinces me to give that dealership another shot--which since I live just two miles away from them, makes things much more convenient.
Thanks.
Why don't you simply walk in and make them an offer instead of screwing around with e-mails etc?
Maybe I'm just old fashioned...
Since you know exaclty what you want, use the resources in this web site to determine a price that you think might be accepted, and then offer that price to the dealer.
Anyway I went to Roger's Buick, North Syracuse NY (Isellpotiac-these are your guys!), spoke to my regular salesman. He treated me well, gave me a fair price and played no games. Didn't even require a deposit.
Tonight I picked up the car. Everything was ready on time and no probs with the delivery.
Both transactions were relatively quick and painless.
I have had several good experiences with Burdick group dealers.
If anyone wants the name of my salesman, email me because I don't think his name should be bandied about on the 'net recklessly. This guy will get all 4s on his eval (I guess that's the highest)
Cyberfire12@classicrock.com
A perfect carbuying experience.
BTW, my salesperson's name is Judy Girardeau.
So, off we go to Chuck Hutton Chevrolet and met a really nice (extremely non-pressure) African American lady who came out in the frigid cold evening to show us 2002 Impala's. We looked, sat in a couple and then told her we would think about it. She gave us a brochure and said give her a call if we were interested. So, two days later, we decided to check prices (also, the weather warmed up). We picked out a Medium Bronzemist base Impala with the Group 1 option. Listed for $21,735. Their first offer was $800 off list and then after a little negotiating, they came down an additional $400 for a total of $1,200 off list and then the rebate brought it down to $3,202 off list. That seemed fair, my uncle was very happy and we drove off in a new Impala. There was no problem in the F/I office, very pleasant young fellow. We paid cash and there was no mention of "mop and glow". He did ask if we wanted an extended warranty, we said no, he then quickly had my Uncle sign all of the papers and off we went.
Mark
I come back after a few hours, drive a car he recommends and buy it. Except for that damn Lincoln I insisted he sell me, it's been really good.
and as far as I'm concerned they are 100% correct. A year ago I was looking for a nice car I shopped many brand and makes as I have no loyalty to any one (Other than my family). My wife and I stopped by to look at the 300M. We were greeted by Tony Crawford. He let us take it for a drive and we wanted it. They didn't have the one we wanted on the lot so he located one at they're other dealership in Countryside. We drove one 300M there and ours back. We noticed a scratch on the door. He gave us an IOU for the service work. My wife loves to bargain and once he knew we knew what we wanted we agreed on a good price and a great trade in. Had pre arranged financing and that wasn't a problem. He has followed up extremely well with us over the past year and was a pleasure to deal with.
I've been pestering her with questions for months while I make up my mind on a car purchase. She has alot of product knowledge, is very straight forward and has been very patient with my indecision. I will definitely buy a Honda from her and recommend her to others as well!
From our first meeting he was nice and polite and more than willing to answer any and all of our questions. Looking through the different cars available he just handed the keys over and said "go have fun, see you later." When we finally decided on a particular car which had just come in, he had it sent to the shop to have a full service done, including new tires, brakes and rotors. As an added bonus, when we picked up the car, he had upgraded the stereo for us. We had noted that this particular car only had a am/fm/cassette while all the others we had tested had the combo am/fm/cass/cd player. I know it was probably nothing much to add this, but it's the little things that count.
During negotiations he was upfront about our trade (1990 Volvo 740) and even gave us the number of someone they sell their wholesale cars to.
Overall we felt we got a fair deal, but more than that, we treated with respect and left feeling good about the whole experience. Now my wife want to get rid of our explorer in favor of a Wagon or XC, though she was really drooling over the C70 convt. in the showroom.
Peeter
Just noticed that it's been almost a month since anyone posted to this topic. I guess it really is easy to complain, I've done it myself, but I also believe in giving credit where credit is due.
It was the best car shoping expirience I ever had (can't even compare with experience to lease my Nissan Altima but this is another story for another forum (inconsiderate sellers?)).
Thanks
My daughter was the buyer, and qualified for Honda's 4.9% financing. We were pre-shopped, and fully equipped with all the pertainant data on the car, and had met the salesman once before when she test drove a Civic. Before leaving home we looked at Edmunds just to get the numbers fresh in our minds, and decided that for a car in that price range it was senseless to expect below TMV. We also agreed to be flexible and not get anal over $100 or so. We agreed to shoot for $15,400 base, add remote entry and floor mats, and expect about $16,000 net, to negotiate from $16,200 and to walk if they were firm above that. Ityold hetr to expect about $17,000 bottom line with tax, title and license fees. So, time to do it.
She wanted a red Civic, which was not in stock. While she filled out the credit ap the salesman rounded up a car at another dealer. When they were both done the salesman told us that not only had he found a car equipped the way she wanted, but it was at a dealer to which they had already arranged to sell another car, turning the deal into a simple swap that cost neither dealership anything. Score one!
We were ready and well informed, and really wanted to cut to the end of the story, so he suggested a price that was nearly dollar for dollar what we were targeting, first offer. Knowing how little there is in a Civic to work with, and that the only incentive available was the financing, which she qualified for, we simply accepted the price. Deal done - score two!
The whole transaction, entry to exit, took about an hour. Not only that, since they also are a VW dealer, I had the opportunity to look over a W8, which was an added bonus. Kudoos to Bernardi.
Searched the internet for our region and that's the only one with the options and color she wants.
The next day I called Thompson Dodge and asked them to get me the car. Picked it up from their Chrysler dealer a few days later, below invoice,
rock bottom financing and as always, no hassles.
There are good dealers out there. When you find one, make sure you support them.
easy negotiation, salesman stepped aside to let me deal w/ mgr easily when he saw i was serious and low
he wasn't super knowledgeable, and they attempted to stick me in F&I but I will say this,
after the first test drive, and he saw i was still trying to figure out whether that was the car i wanted or not, he indicated that they were motivated and he was motivated to sell that particular car, and recommended i check the internet and do my research, come back and negotiate, he didn't tell me what they'd sell it for, but it was enough to motivate me, i would have done and had done some of that research already, but honestly was looking at '02s, and most likely if it came down to '02s at the time, the Acura would have won, not the Infiniti, but with such a deal on the '01, with the color and options I wanted, he got the sale, in part because he didn't play too many games, instead of pressuring me w/ some kind of 'this is the last one' kind of thing, he tactfully mentioned that, but rather encouraged me to empower myself to get a good deal on it if it was the car I wanted
i like win / win, and i think this was a good one
karz
Just noticed your post. Glad ya got the car there. Montclair is where I used to work. Excellent store to do business with. They are very professional. Their service dept is also very good. Herb Wiley and Pete are both great guys, so is Egon Kanter the manager too.
Enjoy the S70!
Bill
We're enjoying the car alot. Even though it's primarily a commuter car, we still use it for trips here and there (love that huge trunk). We've dealt with their service before (previously had a '90 740 GL sedan that we bought from them as well) and always found them on the up and up.
While shopping for the S70 my wife fell in love with an '02 C70 convt. in the showroom. Unfortunately, that would be a very unpractical car w/ 2 kids. Therefore, since we've sold my boat (sniff, sniff) and no longer need a tow vehicle (Explorer), a station wagon seems to be our next purchase. And, as luck would have it, my wife likes the V70's so there may be 2 Volvo's in our driveway soon.
Peeter
ps We ended up selling our 740 on eBay for to someone who bought it sight-unseen, picked it up and drove it from home to Mass.
The Honda Accord is now in its last few months for this design, but as a result they are having a great prices right now. I looked up an ad price of $15,665 for an Accord LX 5 speed at the local dealer and called them up. I got Richard of Sam Swope Honda and I asked him (politely) if the price was legit. He said it was, and that they had two at that price, one black, one gold. I asked about financing, since I'd already been approved by Toyota for low financing, and Richard said they had low financing too for those who qualified, and to come on down. Somehow Richard's manner just struck me as great right off the bat--no games, just straighforward and pleasant.
I came right in and he showed me the gold car, demonstrating several nifty features that the Accord has. I took a short test drive, and then showed him my trade--the black low mileage Focus ZTS with 5 speed and side air bags. Edmunds said my car had a trade in value of almost 9k. Frankly, after all the bad publicity about the Focus, I didn't believe it. Plus, I knew from my research that Richard and the dealership were giving away the Accord to me, with as far as I could tell no profit whatsoever, and possibly a small loss. Plus by then I'd been preapproved for 4.75% financing for 60 months. So, when Richard came back and offered me 7500 on the Focus, I took it and we sealed the deal. I have no problem at all with him making some profit. My wife decided she didn't like gold and wanted the black one, however, but by the time this was ironed out the black one had been sold. Here's where taking Richard's somewhat low offer on my trade paid off for me, I think, because he then located exactly the color my wife and son really wanted, dark blue, and had it professionally driven from a dealership over 100 miles away. Plus he threw in mudflaps and carpet mats. When I came to pick up the car a few days later, he personally made sure it was [non-permissible content removed] and span, and took the time to demontrate all sorts of features, and we took another test drive. I plan to give him 100% A++ marks on the survey. My payment with my $3200 in trade equity down came to 260 a month, and I added the 7/75 warranty for 695, which took my payment to 273--six bucks less a month than I was paying on that darn Focus. For me, it was the car buying experience I was looking for, and I'm very pleased with my new Accord.
to be continued..
: )
Mackabee
At the end of all this, we realized that we hadn't comparison shopped at all, and needed to see what the "Auto Megamall" could offer. I was actually expecting a negative reaction from him, after spending so much time with us. He just gave us his card and said: "Yes, I would probably do the same. However, I'll be here tomorrow, and I'm quite sure I'll see you then."
What can I say ? The 3 hours at the megamall reminded me of some of the case studies I see on the "buyer beware" type of websites. It only took so long to get out of that place, because of the endless attempts to switch us to a different truck, after it became evident that they didn't have what we wanted.
We bought the truck from our original salesmen the day after. I consider myself quite lucky, because having experienced what the buying process should be like, I have lost all tolerance for high pressure sales.
We talked for a bit about the stock they had on hand and I asked for his card to come back and see him when I was ready to buy. He gave me his card and asked if I was dead set on waiting until summer. I told him that I was willing to go through the negotiation/pitch process with the clear understanding that I was planning the purchase for the summer, after the snow season was done. I would only change my purchase plans with the right incentives, a good deal on the truck and drive it home that day.
Got a better deal than I was expecting on the Xterra and drove it home an hour later. The dealership got the price to below what I had expected to pay considering the popularity of the Xterra at the time. Recieved follow up calls from both the salesman and the dealership's owner. The dealership even sent a couple of "thank you" gifts a week later.
I've recommended this dealership to everyone I know that has been looking at Nissans.
I consider them a wonderfully considerate dealer, and I tried to be a considerate buyer by not being rude or misleading them about my intentions at all.
First rep at caddy dlr west side, he sent me to caddy dlr east side, told caddy dlr east side that rep #1 sent me, he said ok, we looked at some stuff, i was getting the impression he wanted to sell me directly, considering i only talked to the other guy for about 5 minutes and he never called me back before I went back to see him again, only to talk 5 minutes again, I just rolled with it, and figured they'd figure it out.
Well Rep#2 wanted me to take the truck home knowing that I felt he had a reasonable (not crazy) asking price, but I would only buy if I paid less, if you really want me to take it, I will as feel that's a good oppty for me
Next morning Rep#1 calls, you like it etc.? I explained to him where I was, he said come on over see what we can do...I assume they are on same page
well, rep#1 on over at west side can only do about $2.5k over fair retail, i try to explain that's not really a fair price, i'm willing to negotiate, they say that's the lowest, maybe we can show you somehting else....I leave the truck there
Here is the considerate part....
Rep #2 from east side calls, why did you leave it over there, he just found out,
I explain what happened, I thought he knew what was going on etc., he replies well, I don't know what all happened I apologize if you felt caught in the middle, I don't know if my SM can sell it any less than they can, but if he can, I'll do everything I can to get you into the vehicle, can you come by to talk about it...
I go see #2 next day, we can't agree on a price, simply because I told him that it was a 99 in white, not a 00 in blk, although i'd pay more for a 00 in blk, or be willing to do a 99 in black for his price, that i would need a little better price to do this deal today
he wasn't able to do the price, but he came within $500 of a fair price, a couple grand less than west side, we agreed to think it over on both sides, in the mean time keep an eye out for a blk one
So that in and of itself was considerate, and I would buy a car from him if the right one for right price, but he did something else, he called someone he knew at another unaffiliated shop who had a blk 00 in stock, they called me up, long story short, that deal blew up, but the #2 rep at east side caddy was still very considerate to try to find me a vehicle at another dealer
Had I been able to do the deal on his associate's truck, I would have gone back to drop off a $100 thank you, but since it didn't work out, I still tried to call him to thank him for his time, he was out today, I'll call him tomorrow
karz
: )
Mackabee
Rep #2 works at east side arnold palmer cadillac
I met rep #1 a couple weeks ago, talked for 5 minutes, came back to ck inventory, asked for rep #1 again, he was about to do a delivery, didn't have any inventory I was interested in anyway, so he sent me to East Side store, to look there and to tell anyone who helped me that I was working w/ him...
Rep #2 apparently wasn't too concerned w/ rep #1, so that may make him inconsiderate internally at the dealer, but he was considerate to me, because in the end, he was willing to give me a better deal on the car I was somewhat interested in, but more importantly, when we agreed to disagree on price, he was willing to call (friend, former associate, I don't know how he knew him) a rep from a non affiliated Lincoln Mercury dealer who had a black '00 Navigator like I wanted....so my point was, he was trying to help me get what I wanted, it seems he was the top rep at this caddy shop for some time, I saw all the plaques, I guess he figured he was going to be around awhile so he figured he could sell me a car down the road, or someone I knew a car, as well as potentially help his friend out, if he helped me find the car I wanted, as used inventory is more limited than new inventory, he can't exactly order one up for me, I don't fully understand his motivation, but I do appreciate it, that's all I'm saying
Make any more sense now? I hope so, I think people are tired of my long posts
karz
a Caddy dealer to do GMO/GMS deal on a CTS !
Shopped the GM buypower site found 2 Devilles
with the goods I wanted. Called the dealers
(both had appraised my 96 Deville recently).
The ruby one was sold but the other guy said
the white one was ready to go ! And we will
still give you 6k for your 96 ! I told the
guy I am jamming at my motel in Alexandria
bay NY and couldn't get away ! He said NO
PROBLEM....sent me a couple of fax papers
and brought the 02 to ME! Told him to bring
wife too and stay over nite. He did and took
the 96 back to the dealer. NO MUSS NO FUSS !
Auburn NY to Alex Bay must be a 300 mile round
trip too ! Note: I have bought a few cars and
trucks from FOX automotive group. Salesman
asked me not to post his name here ! But if
you email I can tell ya !
BTW: I get the gm employee discount so no
arguing about prices ! Easy painless deal !
.............Happy Geo......Happy salesman and wife
Monday, did my homework, got a preapproval, insurance quote, etc. and went to go look at a '03 honda accord. Test drove a '03 Coupe LX 5MT and an '03 Sedan EX 5AT. Impressive vehicles. Told the salesperson that I would have to comeback and have my fiancee see it and sit on it. very good experience so far.
Tuesday, Called up, told him I was headed in, and he was waiting when I showed up. He was ready to talk shop. Fiancee doesn't care for them, but what the hey(doesn't like car shopping). So went in, and straight up they took a look see at my truck, and did their fanaggling, and came up w/ 21k on trade(KBB wholesale of 22,5) and MSRP on the new car. Total out the door(upsidedown 3000 on trade) was 25,8. Told them 23,5 was my cap and they came down to 24,9. Final. This all took about 2hrs so I was very impressed. No hassle, no pressure, just pretty straightup pricing. So I told them I'll sleep on it and see if I can help. I called them back 4hrs later, and offered 24,4 and they rejected it.
Called the other local dealer, got the internet sales manager, and he is giving me 750 above invoice, and he did a dealer search for the car(none in OR, other dealer wouldn't do it. mildly irritating to negotiate on a car that may not exist) and found one. With the trade the other dealer gave me, he came up w/ 24,243 out the door. So in consideration, I called dealer "A" back and told him my offer, and he said it would cut into profits too much, wouldn't even take it to his manager, but if anything fell through, they would stand by their initial offer. So I have an appointment tomorrow to get an appraisal on my truck, and hopefully its worth 21k or more to dealer "B" so I can maybe get it cheaper. My car will be there w/in 24hrs of signing, and I'm a happy buyer.
Overall, I am very impressed with both dealerships, and their honesty. I'm used to spending hours on end negotiating both new and old car price(TB took 16hrs to negotiate). Even my fiancee was very impressed and suggested that if the difference was $400 I should buy from dealer "A" and I agreed, but $650, plus I may get more on the trade? I feel bad, but they had their fighting chance... (2x) Hopefully I'm not an inconsiderate buyer... tried my best not to be... I have dealt w/ the same person in each dealership the whole way through... Heck, I may even buy dealer "B" lunch if he can get me more for my trade... =o)
2003 Accord EX 5MT I4.
All prices out the door....
M.
Sorry for the no-sale ...
Terry.
: )
Mackabee
: )
Mackabee