Any Questions for a Car Dealer?

akangl · March 2004

I completely agree, me personally, I'm always honest about little boo-boos with my vehicles.

I just hope he either totals it and is done with it, keeps it, or is honest when it comes to trade in time. Of course he knows if he's honest no dealer in a 500 mile radius will want that thing, I know as a buyer I would run like the devil was on my rear with a flamin' pitchfork away from that truck.

turboshadow · March 2004

There is a car I am interested in on a local lot. Apparently it was a lease return and has been sitting on the lot for 80 days. Can the dealership sell it if they were waiting on the lease company to get it? Apparently, there are a lot of cars that have been sitting on the back lot and nothing has been done with them....

grandtotal · March 2004

I imagine the dealer can sell it if they own it, or if the lease company allows them to in some "on consignment" fashion.

volvomax · March 2004

Dealer has to buy the car from the lease company.

bowke28 · March 2004

make an offer on it. if its enough for the dealer to buy it from the leasing company, and hold a little profit, they will jump at the chance. they can do all the paperwork when you buy it to transfer from the leasing company to them to you.

dsattler · March 2004

I have a friend who "negotiates" with absurd numbers. For example, if a car stickers at $30k and the invoice is $27k (and there are no rebates/incentives) he'll go for a test drive and then say "I saw this car for $22k at another dealer." His number is absurd, and he knows it, but he thinks he's being slick. How do you handle customers like that? Every few years he has a new car, so someone is selling him a car somehow.

thel · March 2004

Is he always buying GM vehicles?

driftracer · March 2004

lying never gets anyone respect or consideration. You could easily say "I saw this car cheaper at dealer X" if that was the case instead of quoting a specific, fictitious number.

It's easy enough to verify a lie like that since every dealer (usually) cross-shops each other's ads.

bowke28 · March 2004

"ok, great. which dealer?"

the customer will then waffle...or say the name of a dealer. if they say a dealer's name, i reply:

"you should go get it...and while you are there, can you pick up 10 or 12 of them for me?"

if they do a john kerry, i leave it at that. they will negotiate properly at that point.

audia8q · March 2004

It all depends on the guy...often enough I will fold up the tent and say something like..."well I can't beat a great deal like that, good luck to you".....99% of the fibbers will start to stutter as I am walking away and say "well what is your number?" (big clue the guy is lying) of course my reply is "nowhere near that, so what difference does it make?" ...they usually press for a number and I turn around and say, "why would I waste your time with a number that isnt as good as the one you haggled elsewhere"....by this time the liar is stuttering up a storm and squirming in the chair and I know I got them and they know it to......I give them a chance to get off off the hook and say, are you ready to make a reasonable deal now? if I get anything other than "YES" I say good day and walk away for good.

bobst · March 2004

What do you mean the buyer pulls a "John Kerry".

Does the buyer say that all of the foreign leaders think you should sell the car for $2K under invoice?

isellhondas · March 2004

Once I get lied to, I lose interest.

My response would be the same as Rich's (post 7270).

The customer will quickly learn I'm up to his tricks.

bowke28 · March 2004

john kerry = waffle

turboshadow · March 2004

Can I have a Belgian Kerry with butter and syrup?

;-)

mfullmer · March 2004

Or maybe a triple scoop ice cream in a Kerry cone.

robr2 · March 2004

Can we call the little fibs some people in the industry use shrubisms??

steine13 · March 2004

$7,000,000,000,000
-m

grandtotal · March 2004

Any way you look at it seven trillion dollars is 3 words.

kyfdx · March 2004

"Once I get lied to, I lose interest"

Funny...it works the same way for me when I'm buying. I think the liars deserve each other.

regards,
kyfdx

landru2 · March 2004

cust: I can buy one for $22,000.

salesman: Wow, that's way better than our price.

cust: Well, how much would you sell it for?

Who would care what the salesman's price is if they can actually get it cheaper somewhere else? This is the most obvious tip-off to the lying price shopper. Amazing that people still try it.

mark156 · March 2004

I was looking at the Sunday paper today and zipped through the "help wanted" ads. One whole page was dedicated to the Automobile industry with very large Ads for car salespeople. Some of them said "make $1000 a week guaranteed". Another said, "Make $10,000-12,000 per month."

What would be a realistic starting salary for a green pea? And, for an established seasoned car guy/gal moving to a new dealer?

I was actually surprised to see So many Ads.

Mark

driftracer · March 2004

usually belong to green pea factories - huge stores that hire and lose 15-20 salespeople per month.

The wring a few sales out of them, give them minimal training, a "guarantee" of $1500 a month or so, and use them for meeters and greeters so the closer can have a chance at a few more people.

In principle, it works pretty well.

Most newbie salespeople don't make it past 3 months. Most of those that last longer truggle along with mediocre money ($20-30k) for a year or so, then either "get it" and stay with it for the long haul or bail at that point.

There certainly are salespeople making $100,000 a year - I think there were 14 of them at last count.

isellhondas · March 2004

Our store must be exceptional.

fredvh · March 2004

Can anyone in the greater Chicago area tell me what, if any, prices were advertised in the Sunday's Tribune for the I35? The I35 is just not advertised much. Can one get an I35 in the Chicago area for around 27K?

fredvh · March 2004

Can anyone tell me if there are any other incentives on the 2004 LeSabre other than the $3000 rebate and the Military discount? I keep hearing about some type of GM loyalty and/or an additional amount if you own a non-GM product but I cannot find the information. I am in the mid-west.

driftracer · March 2004

I know there are many more than 14 - most of the screamer ad stores want newbies to think that EVERYONE makes $100K a year, and that's just not the case. It's only about 80%....

driftracer · March 2004

new car/used car page, and click on rebates/incentives. If there are additional regional rebates, you may need to contact a couple of local dealers to get the specifics.

bowke28 · March 2004

at 3 dealerships. the first was a luxury dealer with 12 salespeople. 4 made 6 figures.

the second was a high volume honda dealer with 25-30 salespeople, and 6-8 made 6 figures.

this one is a HUGE ford dealer with a large nissan dealer...about 50 salespeople. probably 5 people make 6 figures here, but the average is higher overall. we go through about 5-8 newbies a month, but the core salesforce has been here forever.

driftracer · March 2004

I'll be looking for a 2003 Cobra (coupe) in late summer....

CarMan@Edmunds · March 2004

Hi fredvh. There is a great discussion on incentives right here on this Smart Shoppers Message Board titled "Rebates, Incentives, APRs - Questions & Comments." If you have any questions on this subject, you will get better responses by posting them in that area. In answer to your specific question, in addition to the $3,000 customer cash that General Motors is providing on the 2004 Buick LeSabre, most consumers are eligible for an additional $1,000 incentive. This additional money is provided in the form of $1,000 owner loyalty cash to current GM owners and in the form of $1,000 conquest cash to current owners of non-GM products.

Car_man
Host
Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards

mark156 · March 2004

A good friend of mine just bought a 2003 Ford Mustang GT convertible (dark grey with a black top and black leather seats) with only 9,000 miles (Ford car, never titled). It listed for almost $32,000 and bought if for $17,800. Just curious, was that a decent deal?

Mark

bowke28 · March 2004

depends on what kind of "ford car" it was. it couldve been a lemon, crash test, or couldve been involved in a crime of some kind. oh, wait...it was...your friend stole it! ;-)

drift...

cobra, mach 1, roush1, roush 2, roush 3, saleen, or saleen e?

driftracer · March 2004

OK, used car factory on the line??

I want a 2003 Roush Stage 3 with less than 10k miles, owned by an old lady who didn't realize it had more than 100 hp. For under $25k.

I'm serious about a Cobra, perhaps a Saleen or Roush, but I don't want to buy a new one.

fredvh · March 2004

bowke28 · March 2004

email me.

driftracer · March 2004

suv_fan · March 2004

I'm interested in $30K SUVs but lease estimators state $500/mo, which I won't do. Are these estimators accurate?

How can I get estimated lease payments from salespeople? It seems like people are leasing for less than that.

I am honest about my credit, which I believe stinks. I also realize ads are for high credit scores.

Thank you!

jratcliffe · March 2004

Hmmm. Well, first of all, you should find out about your credit, not what you believe. Go to myfico.com, or to the credit bureau (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) sites and get your credit score. Then you'll actually know your situation.

As for the payment, if you're talking about an SUV that stickers at $35k, which you're getting for a sale price of $30k (something Explorer-ish), 36 month lease, 50% residual value, 0.0025 money factor (equivalent to a 6% interest rate), you're looking at about $540 a month, so the $500 a month #s you're getting look pretty sane. You probably can lease for less than that. I'd look at cars that hold their value well (Hondas, Toyotas, etc.) - they have lower payments, since the car is worth a larger % of its original value at the end of the lease.

All that being said, many folks here will tell you that if you can't afford the _purchase_ payment, you shouldn't lease the car. Certainly, if you can't afford the lease payment, I'd say look at something cheaper. You can get a good SUV for a lot less than $30k.

isellhondas · March 2004

You won't have to worry about leasing in the first place. You won't be approved.

Depending on how many dollars you plan to use as cap reduction a 500.00 lease payment on a 30,000 vehicle isn't at all out of line.

You may need to examine just how much you really "need" an expensive SUV especailly with today's gas prices.

jasmith52 · March 2004

Everyone is entitled to my opinion so here's my take on your situation Suv_fan:

If your credit really stinks then keep your old car and pay off your credit cards. The last thing that you need is another $540 charge every month.

If your old car is extreamly tired/totaled then maybe consider a 4 year old Buick or something which you can pick up for under $10k with payments on the order of $150 to $200 a month.

kyfdx · March 2004

Look at an Accord or a Civic.. You can lease a Civic for $200/mo. with nothing down, and an Accord for $270/mo. with nothing down. Both with 12K mileage allowances and under warranty for the entire lease term.

If you have to have a new car, inexpensively, you can't beat those deals.

regards,
kyfdx

driftracer · March 2004

those deals are great, but only if approved.

kyfdx · March 2004

that is why I said... "assuming" .. isellhondas probably knows better than I do, but I see some pretty crappy excuses for billpayers getting leases on new Hondas.

regards,
kyfdx

isellhondas · March 2004

It takes decent credit to get approved for a loan or a lease.

Right now, I have NEVER seen money factors as low on Honda leases, especially Civics.

kyfdx is correct. You CAN actually lease a new Civic for 200.00 a month with zero down.

Almost a no brainer.

But then, some people don't want to hear practical advise. It's not a 30K SUV.

jasmith52 · March 2004

I'd like a $30k SUV too. The problem I have is that I don't want to PAY for the $30k SUV.

I always think about what else I could do with that money.

$540 a month and a shiny new SUV or drive a one year old car for $200/month and keep $340 a month for beer purchases.

It was a tough decision but that 12 pack a day beats out the shiny new SUV every time. 12 beers or 4 wheels, 12 beers or 4 wheels - what a dilemma.

By the way Suv_fan bring your $30k SUV by and after we down a couple of 12 packs well take it out for a spin.

suv_fan · March 2004

especially when it's good advice.

I'm currently leasing a 1999 Olds Bravada.

I did not realize $500/mo was actual for $30K. There is no way I'd pay that kind of money, so I will be checking out my other SUVs.

I've heard that people can get a loan (or lease?) with any kind of credit, if they're willing to pay the interest rate.

I do not drink; would put the extra money toward my children. But I agree with the not wanting to have to pay for the $30k SUV!

qbrozen · March 2004

man! a 12 pack a day? Can you say AA?

just being facetious.

kyfdx · March 2004

A good rule of thumb for leasing costs..

$15/mo. for every thousand of MSRP is a fair lease price if it includes tax.

Naturally, this will vary by model, but its a ballpark.. High residual models like Hondas will be cheaper to lease... ASSUMING you qualify.

regards,
kyfdx

jasmith52 · March 2004

Yeah I've cut back some, I used to drink a couple of cases a day. But now I've cut back to only a 12-pack a day cause The bottles were starting to stack up around the house and I didn't have anywhere to keep my life-size Elvis replica. Also I didn't want anyone to think that I had a prinking droblem even though I could handle it.

I could probably buy a good used Kia (if there is such a thing) if I just got the return (CRV) money from all of those bottles. Now isn't beer a better investment than an SUV. A SUV is a horrible depreciating asset wheras beer is a smart investment that can be LIQUIDated at any time.

isellhondas · March 2004

Not really true about people with bad credit being able to get a car loan or qualify for a lease. Oh, there are the "mouse houses" that will finance almost anyone. You can find their late night ads on T.V. These places can be no fun to deal with. You will pay whatever they want to charge you for the car to begin with and you will pay an outrageous interest rate. One day late on a payment and they will "pop" your car.

Question...why does it HAVE to be an SUV? do you REALLY need a clumsy gas hog given your situation?

Just curious...

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