Have you been upfront with the local dealer and let them know you were shopping the price? If so I would let them know that you really prefer to buy from them can they match this offer? Another thing to think about is service. If you buy from the distant dealer don't expect to get any preferential treatment from your nearby one ( Yes we can fit you in on the 6th Tuesday this month:-). Just something else too think about.
In the end can you make the deal with the far away dealer and still sleep at night. The answer to that question will help you decide how to play this.....
Service is always an important consideration. Can your friend make sure you get good treatment at his dealership when the car needs to be fixed? If so, that is worth $250 easily.
If you feel you need to negotiate with him, perhaps frame it in a way that you make the deal half way between the two offers. This way you are not grinding him for the last penny, and preserve the relationship.
Gimme a break here... save $250 after driving two hours? Maybe there will be extra "stuff" tacked on to the deal after you get there... happens alll the time. Maybe not, but jeez, you got one heck of the deal from your local guy, take it and don't forget to thank him. In case you're wondering, the TDA is legit, and I strongly suspect the other item is, too. I wouldn't even consider buying from far away, are you nuts? This thing is going to need service at some point, and $250 is small potatoes compared with the lukewarm approach you might be getting from the service department when you bring it in to fix a rattle or squeak or something serious. This may not be the case, some dealers welcome everybody, but it sure would make a difference if I owned the place... and I"m not even in the business. Buy it. -Mathias
Yes, I have a good deal locally, but if the out-of-town dealer is $400 below the local's "I'll give you a good deal because you're a friend" offer, who is the chump here? That's my main beef. I guess I don't want to be a chump. That's why I checked around on his price.
My father lived next to a dealer (Mr. X of X Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth) for twenty years. When he finally bought a Dodge, he told Mr. X that he wanted a no-hassle good deal. Mr. X sent him to his salesman, and said give him the best deal we can. When my dad said he was thinking about a Ford, that was $1,000 cheaper, the salesman dropped it $1,000. Lesson learned.
That said, I will probably buy the car locally. I will let the local guy know that I turned down the other offer, and they then dropped it another $200. I'll let his conscience decide whether he thinks it's right to make me pay $250 more than another dealer can sell the car for. In either deal, the dealer is making a ton of money. I've never seen a poor car dealer, and I know several.
I told them I'd pay $750 over invoice. He said OK. Later, I found his invoice was $600 over my (Edmunds/CR/KBB) invoice. That's when I shopped the deal--for two reasons: 1. I couldn't get him to call me back, and 2. to see if all dealers charge MAF and TDA, the two things that make him $600 over CR invoice.
He is still $450 over my initial offer. The out-of-town dealer is $200 over my initial offer.
Just buy the thing locally. Pay the extra $250. It will be your second step towards getting over the rampant (on these boards anyway) "I-don't-want-to-be-a-chumpitis".
The first step is admiting you have a problem.
Take these steps Corpus...a much better life with fewer worries will be in your future.
Based on what you have been posting, "another" dealer will beat their price .. and that's If, they will beat the price when you get there .l.o.l... most Sienna's right now are doing in and around the MSRP zipcode, give or take $700.
**A dealer that tries to screw you on service because you bought elsewhere is unethical**
A customer that shops 3/4 dealers and doesn't tell the "originating" dealer is *unethical, besides it's his store and he can do what he wants ... and are you comparing oranges to oranges, as far as options are concerned .? .. put that aside, if the service dept isn't important to you then go someplace else, if you really feel you can get a better deal, then go someplace else .. all this for 140 miles (280 miles round trip), 2 tanks of gas and 5/6 hours of your time .. hmmm, I bet that living room set in your house made that dealer waaay over $250, I bet that ring on your wifes finger made that dealer waaaaay over $250, etc ..
It's your $250, do as you please .. if you didn't already have misgivings you wouldn't be posting here ..
Or you could do like my wife and I did. Since our salesman was busy with a grinder extrordinare, we went to the sales manager and politely gave him our written offer. He was a real nice guy.
I see VERY few cars that are EXACTLY like - and the ones that I do see are someting like fleet Tauruses with the standard fleet packages.
On "hot" models, the OTD price is going to be pretty close no matter where you buy it. If there is a BIG difference, you probably don't have an "apples to apples comparison".
>> **A dealer that tries to screw you on service because you bought elsewhere is unethical** <<
It happens all the time. If you buy at a distant dealership, the local guys will work on your car ... eventually. I am having that problem with Volvo dealers in the Chicagoland area with one of our company officers. A sample exchange:
"No, jlaw, I didn't tell him that I wouldn't perform warranty service on his car because he didn't buy it here ... but I don't have an appointment available for 8 weeks. Take it to the dealership that the leasing company bought the car from. I am SURE they will get you car in sooner."
"A dealer that tries to screw you on service because you bought elsewhere is unethical" Sure. Who said anything about unethical behavior?
Turn it around: Is the dealership going to go the extra mile for you?
I always stick with my salesperson, if they've been at least "ok"... I send them referrals is I can... When I stop by to look at a new model or whatever, I'll usually say Hello, takes 30 seconds... And if I ever have a problem in service, I'll say: " Mark, could you please talk to the service advisor and tell him I'm not a flake? I have a feeling he isn't taking me seriously". Don't you think that makes a difference?
...for me, $250 on a $25-30K purchase isn't worth 4 hours of driving and the chance that the deal will sour once you actually get there. Once the they know you've travelled 2 hours to get there they'll be more likely to hit you with a price increase (e.g. doc fees) because they know you won't want to have wasted all that time to just come back empty-handed. My feeling is that this other dealer is low-balling you with the intention of doing just as I described and your local dealer knows that but is doing what they can to retain your business.
is not about whether or not the salesperson knows where you bought it. 17 keystokes will tell the service advisor where you bought it. And if there is a conflict between what you need and what a customer needs, you will lose. There's no ethical drama involved. It might just mean you have to wait till Monday to get your appointment instead of Friday. That's only smart business on the dealerships part.
I have to agree with you there. I wouldn't drive 4 hours to save $250.
I mean we drove 5 hours one way to buy the Dodge, but that was a different situation, i.e. Cal Worthington has a STRONG finance department and that's what we needed with credit the way it is at the moment. Thier doc fee was the lowest I've ever seen at $150. Most dealers up here charge $250 on up.
Of the past few vehicles we've bought I think we bought one from a Fairbanks dealer and the rest in Anchorage. No real reason except we can get more for a trade and a better deal since there's more dealers.
The weary "smart" shopper drives two hours to "save" 250.00.
" Oh, I thought you wanted a five speed"
" Oh, that car sold two hours ago"
" Well, that deal was for yesterday only"
So, instead of storming out and returning to the first and honest dealer, the tired shopper caves in and buys (for more money) from the store that lied to him!
Lowballed on a trade last week, course couldn't really blame then, but they could have been honest. I called back the next day after I worked the numbers backwards and figured out the whole deal......they played on hoping I was a payment shopper.
Anyway, negotiated the deal with the finance manager, hehehe, that was fun. Kicked the trade and she discounted the truck $3000. Of course now I'm stuck trying to sell the trade.....hmmmm, maybe I should have taken their $1000 offer.
People are a little stuck on the two hour drive. That's not an issue to me. Pretend I'm in south LA, and the other dealer is in north LA. That's about 2 hours, unless you hit it between 3 and 5 am.
I would not make the drive until I had a VIN/window sticker and a signed contract, so forget the lowball. Not gonna happen.
What I am interested in is the ethics of playing one dealer off another. I really didn't intend for it to happen, but that's what's happening. I checked with the other dealer because I wanted to know if everyone marks up the invoice $600 above Edmunds/CR invoice. I suspect that my "$250 over" or "$400 over" are really $850 and $1,000 over, but they are passing the costs of doing business along to me with "MAF" and "TDA."
Again, I said I'm going to tell the local dealer I'll buy from him, and oh, by the way, the other guy came down another $200 and is now $250 below him. Then let him discount it further if his conscience tells him to (which I don't suspect it will). I just floated this balloon because I love a good debate.
then there's unethical consumer behavior. If your income depended on working hard to make a car deal and someone played mind tricks with your money, you wouldn't appreciate the debate quite as much.
I bought my RX8 from Kings....pretty straight shooters, but I had most of my dealings with the Sales Manager. So far, service has been exemplary.
About a year ago, I tried to buy a new Sentra from Wyler on Rt #4 as my "run around town" car. Had a deal struck, but they had to get the one I wanted from their EASTGATE store sent to their Rt# 4 store. All of a sudden an additional $250 showed up on the deal as a "transfer fee". Understand that Wyler owns both Nissan dealerships and they are within 25 miles of each other. Sales Manager went on about having to have someone go get the car and it took 1/2 a day. If I would have known that, I would have driven to Eastgate to get it myself.
Long and short of it, I didn't buy there. They finally had agreed to drop the "transfer fee" but the whole scenario left me with a bad taste so "no deal". It took me two weeks to get my deposit back from them, too.
About 3 months ago, I went back to Wyler to try and make a deal for a 350Z (before I drove my current RX8). They didn't have the color I wanted and offered to get it from Eastgare (again). I asked about a "transfer fee". They told me it would "only" cost $500 this time.
I got out of there in a hurry. Won't deal with them ever again.
Oh yeah....one last thing....Bengals spanked KC yesterday.
I'm saying that a dealer can say the price is whatever but until you're sitting across the desk from them you don't know for sure whether they'll honor it. With your local guy, who's even a friend of a friend, you can be pretty sure. And if not, not much time was wasted. But if you go 2 hours out of your way to find out the other dealer was screwing with you, that's a major hassle.
I have seen some good screamer deals from Wyler over the years. However, my brother refuses to deal with those folks. I am not sure of all the particulars but I am sure that it relates to a "fast one" that they tried to pull.
I have dealt with 32 Ford in Batavia and Thomson- McConnell Cadillac on Beechmont. I have been happy with both on the several deals I have made. The latter tends to charge "top dollar" but the vehicles that they sell (used) are the cream of the cream.
Corpus, I think your ethics are fine. It seems that you got two dealers in a bidding war of sorts, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
If you had made a definite offer and then backed out after it was accepted, or if you had lied to the dealers, then your behavior would be more questionable.
Like I said before, if you go to the local dealer and make a definite offer that is lower than the price he gave you, he might accept it.
By the way, don't forget that tomorrow is the 25 year anniversary of the mass suicide/murder in Jonestown.
I hit the refresh button on the "message posted" page, thinking I was refreshing to get the latest messages. My message was re-posted. Would the moderator kindly delete the above message?
Thanks to everyone for their insight.
P.S. Champion Toyota of Corpus Christi has had 4 Siennas on the lot for two weeks now. I ordered mine, because they put $3,000 worth of Gulf States Toyota JUNK on those vehicles. They have not sold these vehicles. Down here, it looks like supply has caught up with demand.
[i]P.S. Champion Toyota of Corpus Christi has had 4 Siennas on the lot for two weeks now. I ordered mine, because they put $3,000 worth of Gulf States Toyota JUNK on those vehicles. They have not sold these vehicles. Down here, it looks like supply has caught up with demand.[/i]
I can almost guarantee that Corpus Christi Texas Toyota is going to wake up with a full email inbox and 25 calls tomorrow. Dealers have an 8 day supply of '04 Siennas and are selling those for sticker. I suggest you negotiate the price without the extra dealer installed options instead of haggling over the last couple of nickels.
On the bright side you may have made someone's day in Texas
I believe it may be regional on the Sienna waiting list. I know they are still hot in the dc area (Cliffy or Mac could confirm).
Kind of like 1 year ago when in DC and Seattle, there was a waiting list for Oddy's. But is parts of the country (midwest), they were going for 2K under msrp.
Actually, if I had known that, I would have driven to one of those magical midwest cities; instead, I bought an '02 Sienna. (I would have bought an Oddy EX if I could have gotten it for MSRP without a 1 month wait).
I live in the NY area and am searching for XLE pkg. 12. The MSRP is 32,675 with Z1 (floor mats, etc.) for 274 for total of $32,949. The best I've found is $500 off MSRP. However, I'm noticing more inventory in my area and prices are starting to come down a bit. Any suggestions on getting a better price. I'm willing to look in NY/NJ/CT area. Thanks.
I am in the same boat as the poster who could save $250 by driving four hours.
I received a written price including all fees (doc fee, plates, taxes, etc) from a dealer that is two hours from me. The quote was via email. My local dealer says he will match it, but he is giving me $250 less on my trade-in (they are giving me a fair amount).
I am going with the local dealer. It is not worth my or my wifes time to save $250. We have to go during a weeknight (busy weekends plus Thanksgiving is next week), and we have a 5 month old. It is too much to juggle to save $250. Plus I hope that if I have issues with the car the local dealer will maybe treat me a little better because I gave them my business (a long shot, but it might come up some day).
I took two long test drives with the local dealer and he has spent a decent amount of time with me. The dealer two hours away sent me a couple of emails. I'd rather give my money to the guy that 'helped' me, as long as he does not try any tricks once it comes time to buy. We will goto the other dealer if the price magically changes when we arrive at the dealer.
The car is a 04 Accord LX with absolutely no options (overpriced wheel locks, etc). I should be buying it Thursday - as long as the dealer keeps to his promise of exactly matching the numbers I gave him.
1) If you order a car through the dealer instead of taking an in-stock vehicle, does the dealer get any holdback $$, since the car was never officially on the lot for public sale. Or does the dealer get the maximum amount of holdback $$ since the car was delivered to the dealer and sat on the lot for a day or two before the customer picks it up.
2) Given the answer to #1, would a customer be able to get a better deal if they ordered the car or if they bought an in-stock vehicle.
I have a dealer friend who always talks about messing up the numbers of trade-ins. For example, the other week, some guy traded an old Taurus with a trunk bungee-corded down, and he told the guy he'd give him $1800. According to him, he owns it for $100. For dealers with prices not affixed to their cars, it doesn't seem to be too hard, just high-ball the car they're trying to buy and remain firm, and giving an unreasonable trade amount. However, this dealership lists all of their prices in a window sticker, which I can't mathematically understand how he does it sometimes. What techniques do dealers and salesmen do to fudge the trade-in numbers they tell consumers?
Also, what, in your opinion, sells more cars and/or is more profitable for the dealership: prices on the cars or the 'ask and we'll tell' method that seems to be prevalent, at least around my area?
Dealer gets the maximum amount of holdback on every car they sell. What varies is the amount of finance charges incurred to keep it in stock. Yes, a factory ordered car will cost the dealer less in finance charges than one that has been sitting on the lot. However, the clock starts ticking for the dealer from the time they get invoiced, not from the time the car shows up. The dealer can be invoiced 2 weeks before they see the car.
The answer to the second question is yes and no. :^) Depending on the situation, a dealer may be willing to give a better deal on a factory order they know won't have to be in stock. On the other hand, a dealer may want to get rid of a particular car that's been on the lot for a while and may be willing to give a better deal on it. Sometimes, regardless of holdback considerations, the dealer may just want to get a deal done now rather than than risk that it might not happen later. A bird in the hand ...
lmp180psu - I hope I am a happy person driving my new Accord Thursday night and posting positive remarks about my experience instead of being an unhappy person posting very negative remarks about my local dealer on this forum.
While I want to give my business to my local dealer, something tells me to really watch them. They really lowballed me on my trade-in and high-balled me on the Accord when I first asked for their best offer. Of course they were just trying to make money off of me, but it let me know how they start their negotiations.
Or maybe what is telling me to watch them is my CPA wife that won't sign anything until it ties out exactly as we want.
dnunn said that the dealer posts the price of their cars in the windows. So if they post a price of 21,000 for your example, how do they get the profit giving $1800 for a $100 trade-in? The only thing I can think of (not being a dealer) is a very overinflated fee of some sort.
Comments
Another thing to think about is service. If you buy from the distant dealer don't expect to get any preferential treatment from your nearby one ( Yes we can fit you in on the 6th Tuesday this month:-). Just something else too think about.
In the end can you make the deal with the far away dealer and still sleep at night. The answer to that question will help you decide how to play this.....
Duncan
If you feel you need to negotiate with him, perhaps frame it in a way that you make the deal half way between the two offers. This way you are not grinding him for the last penny, and preserve the relationship.
In case you're wondering, the TDA is legit, and I strongly suspect the other item is, too.
I wouldn't even consider buying from far away, are you nuts? This thing is going to need service at some point, and $250 is small potatoes compared with the lukewarm approach you might be getting from the service department when you bring it in to fix a rattle or squeak or something serious.
This may not be the case, some dealers welcome everybody, but it sure would make a difference if I owned the place... and I"m not even in the business.
Buy it. -Mathias
My father lived next to a dealer (Mr. X of X Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth) for twenty years. When he finally bought a Dodge, he told Mr. X that he wanted a no-hassle good deal. Mr. X sent him to his salesman, and said give him the best deal we can. When my dad said he was thinking about a Ford, that was $1,000 cheaper, the salesman dropped it $1,000. Lesson learned.
That said, I will probably buy the car locally. I will let the local guy know that I turned down the other offer, and they then dropped it another $200. I'll let his conscience decide whether he thinks it's right to make me pay $250 more than another dealer can sell the car for. In either deal, the dealer is making a ton of money. I've never seen a poor car dealer, and I know several.
2. The only reason to go to the dealer for service is for warranty service.
3. The dealership is big enough that the salespeople will have no idea whether I bring the vehicle in for service.
Instead, you should tell the dealer how much you are willing to pay.
Go to your local dealer with your checkbook in hand, make an offer that matches the out-of-town price, and see if they will accept it.
I bet the answer will be Yes.
If not, then come back here for more advice.
He is still $450 over my initial offer. The out-of-town dealer is $200 over my initial offer.
Really?
What happens when the car is out of warranty and the local mass merchant or independant can't figure out a complex problem?
But, yes, I agree with # 1.
Just buy the thing locally. Pay the extra $250. It will be your second step towards getting over the rampant (on these boards anyway) "I-don't-want-to-be-a-chumpitis".
The first step is admiting you have a problem.
Take these steps Corpus...a much better life with fewer worries will be in your future.
As far as I can tell, TMV in this area is still MSRP, but I haven't checked in the last few weeks. I am pretty sure there is no stock on hand though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
None of this vague "over invoice" stuff discussed over the phone. That is too fuzzy and open to misinterpretation.
Put some cash on the table (so to speak) and see what happens.
Never hurts to let'em know, as Bobst does, that you mean business.
Based on what you have been posting, "another" dealer will beat their price .. and that's If, they will beat the price when you get there .l.o.l... most Sienna's right now are doing in and around the MSRP zipcode, give or take $700.
**A dealer that tries to screw you on service because you bought elsewhere is unethical**
A customer that shops 3/4 dealers and doesn't tell the "originating" dealer is *unethical, besides it's his store and he can do what he wants ... and are you comparing oranges to oranges, as far as options are concerned .? .. put that aside, if the service dept isn't important to you then go someplace else, if you really feel you can get a better deal, then go someplace else .. all this for 140 miles (280 miles round trip), 2 tanks of gas and 5/6 hours of your time .. hmmm, I bet that living room set in your house made that dealer waaay over $250, I bet that ring on your wifes finger made that dealer waaaaay over $250, etc ..
It's your $250, do as you please .. if you didn't already have misgivings you wouldn't be posting here ..
Terry.
I see VERY few cars that are EXACTLY like - and the ones that I do see are someting like fleet Tauruses with the standard fleet packages.
On "hot" models, the OTD price is going to be pretty close no matter where you buy it. If there is a BIG difference, you probably don't have an "apples to apples comparison".
>> **A dealer that tries to screw you on service because you bought elsewhere is unethical** <<
It happens all the time. If you buy at a distant dealership, the local guys will work on your car ... eventually. I am having that problem with Volvo dealers in the Chicagoland area with one of our company officers. A sample exchange:
"No, jlaw, I didn't tell him that I wouldn't perform warranty service on his car because he didn't buy it here ... but I don't have an appointment available for 8 weeks. Take it to the dealership that the leasing company bought the car from. I am SURE they will get you car in sooner."
Sure.
Who said anything about unethical behavior?
Turn it around: Is the dealership going to go the extra mile for you?
I always stick with my salesperson, if they've been at least "ok"... I send them referrals is I can... When I stop by to look at a new model or whatever, I'll usually say Hello, takes 30 seconds... And if I ever have a problem in service, I'll say:
" Mark, could you please talk to the service advisor and tell him I'm not a flake? I have a feeling he isn't taking me seriously". Don't you think that makes a difference?
These are people, not machines.
-Mathias
The ability of humans to rationalize any decision is amazing.
A FOUR HOUR drive for 250.00 ???
And a chance...a GOOD chance that there may be hidden charges such aa an outrageous doc fee when they get there?
For 250.00?
Kind a slap in the face for the friend who referred them.
For 250.00 ?....maybe
I'll never understand I guess...
$400 for 4 hours work is $100 per hour, which is not bad pay. I can see why it would be worth his time to drive that far.
I mean we drove 5 hours one way to buy the Dodge, but that was a different situation, i.e. Cal Worthington has a STRONG finance department and that's what we needed with credit the way it is at the moment. Thier doc fee was the lowest I've ever seen at $150. Most dealers up here charge $250 on up.
Of the past few vehicles we've bought I think we bought one from a Fairbanks dealer and the rest in Anchorage. No real reason except we can get more for a trade and a better deal since there's more dealers.
Lowballs work!
The weary "smart" shopper drives two hours to "save" 250.00.
" Oh, I thought you wanted a five speed"
" Oh, that car sold two hours ago"
" Well, that deal was for yesterday only"
So, instead of storming out and returning to the first and honest dealer, the tired shopper caves in and buys (for more money) from the store that lied to him!
Happens all of the time.
Now I don't seriously discuss price until I am at the dealer with the car in my sights.
Anyway, negotiated the deal with the finance manager, hehehe, that was fun. Kicked the trade and she discounted the truck $3000. Of course now I'm stuck trying to sell the trade.....hmmmm, maybe I should have taken their $1000 offer.
*thinking she shot herself in the foot*
I would not make the drive until I had a VIN/window sticker and a signed contract, so forget the lowball. Not gonna happen.
What I am interested in is the ethics of playing one dealer off another. I really didn't intend for it to happen, but that's what's happening. I checked with the other dealer because I wanted to know if everyone marks up the invoice $600 above Edmunds/CR invoice. I suspect that my "$250 over" or "$400 over" are really $850 and $1,000 over, but they are passing the costs of doing business along to me with "MAF" and "TDA."
Again, I said I'm going to tell the local dealer I'll buy from him, and oh, by the way, the other guy came down another $200 and is now $250 below him. Then let him discount it further if his conscience tells him to (which I don't suspect it will). I just floated this balloon because I love a good debate.
About a year ago, I tried to buy a new Sentra from Wyler on Rt #4 as my "run around town" car. Had a deal struck, but they had to get the one I wanted from their EASTGATE store sent to their Rt# 4 store. All of a sudden an additional $250 showed up on the deal as a "transfer fee". Understand that Wyler owns both Nissan dealerships and they are within 25 miles of each other. Sales Manager went on about having to have someone go get the car and it took 1/2 a day. If I would have known that, I would have driven to Eastgate to get it myself.
Long and short of it, I didn't buy there. They finally had agreed to drop the "transfer fee" but the whole scenario left me with a bad taste so "no deal". It took me two weeks to get my deposit back from them, too.
About 3 months ago, I went back to Wyler to try and make a deal for a 350Z (before I drove my current RX8). They didn't have the color I wanted and offered to get it from Eastgare (again). I asked about a "transfer fee". They told me it would "only" cost $500 this time.
I got out of there in a hurry. Won't deal with them ever again.
Oh yeah....one last thing....Bengals spanked KC yesterday.
I guess I'm wondering why dealers are "cheap selling" these new Siennas in the first place.
I thought there was a waiting list?
I drove to that game in my CAR.. just to keep it on topic.
regards,
kyfdx
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I have dealt with 32 Ford in Batavia and Thomson- McConnell Cadillac on Beechmont. I have been happy with both on the several deals I have made. The latter tends to charge "top dollar" but the vehicles that they sell (used) are the cream of the cream.
If you had made a definite offer and then backed out after it was accepted, or if you had lied to the dealers, then your behavior would be more questionable.
Like I said before, if you go to the local dealer and make a definite offer that is lower than the price he gave you, he might accept it.
By the way, don't forget that tomorrow is the 25 year anniversary of the mass suicide/murder in Jonestown.
Oooh yeeeah, thanks for reminding us cuz' I almost forgot .. I better be using my Ping putter tommorow instead of my Rossa .l.o.l...
Terry
Thanks to everyone for their insight.
P.S. Champion Toyota of Corpus Christi has had 4 Siennas on the lot for two weeks now. I ordered mine, because they put $3,000 worth of Gulf States Toyota JUNK on those vehicles. They have not sold these vehicles. Down here, it looks like supply has caught up with demand.
[i]P.S. Champion Toyota of Corpus Christi has had 4 Siennas on the lot for two weeks now. I ordered mine, because they put $3,000 worth of Gulf States Toyota JUNK on those vehicles. They have not sold these vehicles. Down here, it looks like supply has caught up with demand.[/i]
I can almost guarantee that Corpus Christi Texas Toyota is going to wake up with a full email inbox and 25 calls tomorrow. Dealers have an 8 day supply of '04 Siennas and are selling those for sticker. I suggest you negotiate the price without the extra dealer installed options instead of haggling over the last couple of nickels.
On the bright side you may have made someone's day in Texas
Kind of like 1 year ago when in DC and Seattle, there was a waiting list for Oddy's. But is parts of the country (midwest), they were going for 2K under msrp.
Actually, if I had known that, I would have driven to one of those magical midwest cities; instead, I bought an '02 Sienna. (I would have bought an Oddy EX if I could have gotten it for MSRP without a 1 month wait).
I received a written price including all fees (doc fee, plates, taxes, etc) from a dealer that is two hours from me. The quote was via email. My local dealer says he will match it, but he is giving me $250 less on my trade-in (they are giving me a fair amount).
I am going with the local dealer. It is not worth my or my wifes time to save $250. We have to go during a weeknight (busy weekends plus Thanksgiving is next week), and we have a 5 month old. It is too much to juggle to save $250. Plus I hope that if I have issues with the car the local dealer will maybe treat me a little better because I gave them my business (a long shot, but it might come up some day).
I took two long test drives with the local dealer and he has spent a decent amount of time with me. The dealer two hours away sent me a couple of emails. I'd rather give my money to the guy that 'helped' me, as long as he does not try any tricks once it comes time to buy. We will goto the other dealer if the price magically changes when we arrive at the dealer.
The car is a 04 Accord LX with absolutely no options (overpriced wheel locks, etc). I should be buying it Thursday - as long as the dealer keeps to his promise of exactly matching the numbers I gave him.
2) Given the answer to #1, would a customer be able to get a better deal if they ordered the car or if they bought an in-stock vehicle.
Also, what, in your opinion, sells more cars and/or is more profitable for the dealership: prices on the cars or the 'ask and we'll tell' method that seems to be prevalent, at least around my area?
The answer to the second question is yes and no. :^) Depending on the situation, a dealer may be willing to give a better deal on a factory order they know won't have to be in stock. On the other hand, a dealer may want to get rid of a particular car that's been on the lot for a while and may be willing to give a better deal on it. Sometimes, regardless of holdback considerations, the dealer may just want to get a deal done now rather than than risk that it might not happen later. A bird in the hand ...
Buyer wants a new car with invoice of $20,000. Price tag of $23,000
Used Car Manager appraises trade-in at $100.
New Car Manager tells customer his trade is worth $1800 and discounts new car price to $21,200. Profit is $1200.
The New Car Manager could've told the customer the trade was worth $1000 and sold the new car for $22,000. Profit is $2000.
Theoretically, the customer could be told the trade was worth up to $3100. As this point there is no profit on the new car.
Either way, the Used Car Manager is into the used Taurus for $100.
While I want to give my business to my local dealer, something tells me to really watch them. They really lowballed me on my trade-in and high-balled me on the Accord when I first asked for their best offer. Of course they were just trying to make money off of me, but it let me know how they start their negotiations.
Or maybe what is telling me to watch them is my CPA wife that won't sign anything until it ties out exactly as we want.