I hate vehicle shopping!

[Oaktree]

The only thing that I won't buy is a Dakota... I had two and the guys at the local garage promised to shoot me if I bought another.

Curiously, what kind of problems did you have with the Dakotas? I've had 2 (an '88 and currently an '02) and I thought they were great trucks. IMHO none of the other small/midsize trucks even came close. Didn't much care for the styling on the 3rd generation ones though ('04 on)...just looked wimpy. Don't know what I'm gonna do when it comes time to replace it (hopefully not for a long time).

 

[RalphVa]

I walk into a truck place and tell them I want a stick shift diesel, as my wife cannot drive an auto. There they are licking their lips and saying, "Yeah, we have stick shift diesels." Then I tell them I want it to return 40 mpg. They walk away.

Still waiting. Could have it with a VW TDI engine in a Tacoma 1995-1999 body (only 3,000 # extracab). No body has it yet because the government hasn't tightened the fuel mileage screws enough for trucks.

Ralph

 

[IXLR8]

The last several Toyoda dealers, and one Honda dealer, I went to look at new vehicles. I told them the vehicle I wanted, the options I wanted and asked them the bottom line out the door price. All the salesperson wanted to talk about was monthly payments. I finally said enough and headed out, they stopped me and got their managers... same deal, all the manager would talk about was monthly payments, I never could get a bottom line number. Out the door I went leaving several confused folks staring at me. One of the dealerships called me a few days later asking what they could do to make the sale. Just give me the bottom line number for the vehicle, they just went right back to talking monthly payments, I just hung up on them. A friend had the same experience at a Ford dealer. What is wrong with these people??? I have cash in hand ready to buy a vehicle and they can't give me a sales price!! I have to agree.... I hate vehicle shopping!!!!

 

[IXLR8]

I walk into a truck place and tell them I want a stick shift diesel, as my wife cannot drive an auto. There they are licking their lips and saying, "Yeah, we have stick shift diesels." Then I tell them I want it to return 40 mpg. They walk away.

Still waiting. Could have it with a VW TDI engine in a Tacoma 1995-1999 body (only 3,000 # extracab). No body has it yet because the government hasn't tightened the fuel mileage screws enough for trucks.

Ralph

It will mean a bit of work... but how about this option.

smythcars

 

[oosik]

I hate shopping for vehicles. I have a pickup & a Jeep - both are ten years old. If they should die before I do - then I'll be shopping for a new pair of Redwings.

 

[EarPlug]

I guess I got of easy Saturday. We were in need of a work van (used). Decided to check a couple of dealers in the area to see what they had in stock. First Dealer had a couple of hundred new pickups but no vans. Second place had a few scattered around so just went inside to speak with a salesman. Pulled up their listings and found a great deal on a 2014 with 18k miles. It was priced at $2-3k under book value. Within 15 minutes of arriving we were on a test drive. Came back and filled out the credit app. Finance Dept was a little backed up so we went to lunch. Decided to check with the bank for a loan. The pulled up all our info on the computer, had us sign on document and told us we would have an answer within an hour. Went to lunch. Back to the bank, picked up a check, and back to the Dealer.

Started the whole process about 10am. Left the Dealer at 3pm with a great price and a great loan from the bank.

 

[SPIKER]

I have been looking for some time using a few services free ones, such as TRUECAR which gives you a certificate for a price and local dealers around you.

Seems best way and I can use my discounts from military Alstate (and other) companies too.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I used to hate dealers that wanted to talk monthly payments instead of price but I have a trick I play on them. I let them fill out all the paperwork but take my sweet time reading every word and every number while they sit there and sweat. They have to disclose the price and any/all fees and tax and payment info on this paper but you have to look it over very carefully. Take out your phone and calculate the numbers yourself and see if they come out where you want it to be. Remember, you ain't signed a thing so until you do, you aren't bound to the contract. You can walk out even then. You'd be surprised how many "errors" you catch going over their figures. It's time consuming but you won't get ripped off in the end.

 

[tractchores]

True car is decent, but in the last 2 cars I got earlier this year I just used it as a starting point and got probably 10% + lower than that.

A good deal on a car has a lot to do with timing. If you want the absolute best deal you want to do it right at the end of the month (ideally the last day). Most dealers have a monthly quota from the manufacturer, the reps are on a monthly commission. Dealers can get great volume incentives meaning they'll go ridiculously low (even lose money) on a car if its the one that gets them to the right count for the incentive. If you choose a slow month (Nov - Jan are slowest) it can be even better. For me the half day or so spent on the phones and email is well worth it - I just don't have the time or patience to spend a day at the dealer.

 

[Jstpssng]

The last several Toyoda dealers, and one Honda dealer, I went to look at new vehicles. I told them the vehicle I wanted, the options I wanted and asked them the bottom line out the door price. All the salesperson wanted to talk about was monthly payments. I finally said enough and headed out, they stopped me and got their managers... same deal, all the manager would talk about was monthly payments, I never could get a bottom line number. Out the door I went leaving several confused folks staring at me. One of the dealerships called me a few days later asking what they could do to make the sale. Just give me the bottom line number for the vehicle, they just went right back to talking monthly payments, I just hung up on them. A friend had the same experience at a Ford dealer. What is wrong with these people??? I have cash in hand ready to buy a vehicle and they can't give me a sales price!! I have to agree.... I hate vehicle shopping!!!!

When my brother got out of college and was looking for a vehicle, our father went to the dealership and tried to get the price for a new Renault Alliance. Cash, out the door. They went round and round, until the salesman finally went and got the sales manager... then they tag teamed him until he left in disgust... without the price. That was 30+ years ago, and it's even worse now. They must make a lot of money from financing, especially with the "credit challenged" financing; they don't seem interested in cash sales.

The last time i priced new trucks back when I was self employed, I walked into the local GM dealer and asked them for the best no-trade price on a new S-10. (Or whatever they were called then.) He walked over to the truck, looked at the sticker and read it to me.
Heck, I could have done that. I went down to the Ford dealer, who had no Ranger's on the lot; instead I ended up buying a nearly new full sized truck because they were interested in selling a truck.

 

[check]

I LOVE shopping for a vehicle, especially an F150 pickup truck! Dealers all compete in the papers, and you just play one off against the other. Works every time.

 

[tractchores]

Interesting listen about working at a car dealer. It's well done by "this american life" and gives you some insight into the 'monthly' dynamic in the business too: 513: 129 Cars

Dealers actually make very little money on a new car sale. Most of the dealership's money is from parts and service. On a new car they want to try to get as much as possible, hence all the stuff in the finance office (loan, warranties, etc). All that stuff is big profit. Often you can get a slightly better price if you finance VS cash, so one thing you can do is actually take the loan on the vehicle and then just pay it off immediately. Kind of a PIA, but doable at minimal cost to yourself if the difference in the two prices is enough.

 

[bspeedy]

I strongly urge those of you who are cash buyers to to purchase a slightly used car through a private owner. Much better deals to be had that way in all price ranges. Car dealerships are all about giving you the run around and maximizing their profit. When buying from a private party, it is the buyer who holds the power. The buyer has the $$$$$$. Creates a much better business relationship. Plus, what better way to check out a used car than with information from the guy who owns it?

To the OP - forget the stealership - go to a private party and make a fair deal for both of you without the hassle.

 

[Jstpssng]

I strongly urge those of you who are cash buyers to to purchase a slightly used car through a private owner. Much better deals to be had that way in all price ranges. Car dealerships are all about giving you the run around and maximizing their profit. When buying from a private party, it is the buyer who holds the power. The buyer has the $$$$$$. Creates a much better business relationship. Plus, what better way to check out a used car than with information from the guy who owns it?

To the OP - forget the stealership - go to a private party and make a fair deal for both of you without the hassle.

I'm looking both dealership and private sales.

 

[OKnewguy]

I strongly urge those of you who are cash buyers to to purchase a slightly used car through a private owner. Much better deals to be had that way in all price ranges. Car dealerships are all about giving you the run around and maximizing their profit. When buying from a private party, it is the buyer who holds the power. The buyer has the $$$$$$. Creates a much better business relationship. Plus, what better way to check out a used car than with information from the guy who owns it?

To the OP - forget the stealership - go to a private party and make a fair deal for both of you without the hassle.

I generally agree with this, but there are certain instances where it does not make sense. In 2010, my wife and I where shopping for Accords. We could buy 2-3 year old vehicles with about 20 to 30 thousand miles for only $2000-$3000 less. We have always bought used, but this was not worth it. We bought a new accord and did not have to put up door dings, and questionable maintenance. Plus alot of the used cars needed tires, so you figure $600 to $700 for a set and the difference was even less.
To me this only applies to a select few models thou, most loss value so fast it is much better to buy used.
Accords, Civics, some toyotas, and maybe the Jeep Wranglers. I swear the Wranglers hold their value better then any domestic!
Food for thought, Dave

 

[mark02tj]

Accords, Civics, some toyotas, and maybe the Jeep Wranglers. I swear the Wranglers hold their value better then any domestic!
Food for thought, Dave

I bought an '02 Wrangler in 2007 for $12,500. I think the sticker on it new was somewhere around $17k. About a month after I bought the Jeep I saw an '02 Range Rover on a dealer's lot (in FL) for $12,500. I figure that it stickered new for somewhere around $35k. About a year ago I saw an '02 Range Rover on a dealer lot (in OH) for $3200. I could still get about $7,000+ for my Wrangler.

Anyway, back to topic... It's very true that the dealerships make a ton of money from their "F&I Department" (Finance and Insurance). I agree with someone else's advice to act like you're going to finance the car and then just pay off the loan. But, beware of the terms. When SWMBO and I bought her used Durango 4 years ago, the first loan they "offered" her certainly wasn't the best - FOR US - that they could do. I was looking over the paperwork and asked about a pre-payment penalty. The F&I gal got this "oh, crap!" look on her face and said there was a prepayment penalty. It also turns out that this loan had the interest calculated based on "the rule of 78's" which essentially pre-loads all of the interest expense in the first part of the loan. HORRIBLE for the consumer!! I was about to walk and they offered to finance through a credit union - simple interest 3 points lower than the first loan and no prepayment penalty. I agree- I HATE dealerships.

There is one exception to this - we have a Subaru dealership in our area where my parents have bought since 1978. The original owner's son still runs the dealership. They are the "anti-dealership dealership". NO pressure whatsoever, helpful on financing, GREAT service department, etc. Their Google ratings are 4.7 stars out of 5 stars. I think that's pretty unheard of for a car dealership.

 

[check]

I strongly urge those of you who are cash buyers to to purchase a slightly used car through a private owner. Much better deals to be had that way in all price ranges. Car dealerships are all about giving you the run around and maximizing their profit. When buying from a private party, it is the buyer who holds the power. The buyer has the $$$$$$. Creates a much better business relationship. Plus, what better way to check out a used car than with information from the guy who owns it?

To the OP - forget the stealership - go to a private party and make a fair deal for both of you without the hassle.

Doesn't work for me. A new F150 pickup is a steal compared to a used one, and if you take care of it the contractors will be lining up at the door when it comes time to sell. I still can't believe you can get a nicely equipped new F150 Supercrew XLT with the XTR option for around $30K in Toronto (roughly $23k U.S.), so why risk buying used when used pickup trucks often come with huge abuse?

 

[Jstpssng]

Found one.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My last honda was internet pricing via email. When I went to the dealer it was a done deal.

 

[Redneck in training]

My wife is tough negotiator. We used to own a Subaru Outback with high miles and falling apart in a range of 100 bucks for some part or repair every month. Fortunately to have good reason to get rid of it my wife (unintentionally) rear ended a pickup truck demolishing the front. I hammered it a little bit, put the headlamps back in etc. to make it usable. Few weeks later she saw an add in the paper for a car dealer offering 2000 USD for any car that would make it to the dealership. She looked at the dealer web site and found a used car that would work for her. She drove in and parked the Sub at the edge of the lot. Walked in, found the car she wanted on the lot, checked the radio sound and how cold was the AC (he he) negotiated the price and showed the Sub to the sales lady to get the discount. Then she pulled a credit card to pay for it. They didn't want to do it saying nobody uses a credit card to buy a car. She said you expect me to have 9000 in my purse. Do you want to sell the car or not? Well she got a dealer show car with all the bells and whistles with less than 10K miles, about a year old for about half price. She bought Kia Spectra 5 Automatic, cruise control, alloy wheels, ABS and Moon roof as add on options. The Sub was just about worthless at that point.
We still have the car. It has over 120K miles. Has only one problem: The valve on carbon canister is sticking triggering "check engine" light once a while.