Tips for dealing with car dealerships please.

[MultiTroll]

Hit us with good comical and/or effective ways you've come up with to deal with them.

I've previously had a great time with a couple dealerships, really.
The General Manager all the way down to the receptionist hottie were just fine.

GM gave me a killer loan rate based on our having a mutual network friend.

That having been said, the GM retired and I'm looking at other brands now.
Ideally i would get a Tesla mini SUV. Not gonna happen today.

My Qs for you SpursTalkers is, on the other end of the spectrum, that being the pushy, invasive blah blah blah car sales experience, do you have ways -especially comical ones- to deal with these people? And their headgamey intent, which is to extract money from us. They are in sales and trying to make a buck. Fine. What's annoying is when they try to get that regardless of the damage it does to the customer.

Leasing or buying. Whenever they advertise "89 a month!" we all know the fine print bullshit is going to add tons. "*$3579 due at acquisition." Well gee mister or ms dealership dude, it's really no where near $89 a month over the life of the lease, now is it? I simply wanted to know IN ADVANCE what is all the add on costs amount to. For example "dealer fees". Ok, what exactly are the "fees" over the life of the loan? Taxes. If leasing, are the taxes on simply the 24 month lease amount, or do you dealers scam the entire price of the cars and tax that -even tho the lease is only two years?

Example. Just now i went online at Kia. On comes the chat rep. I tell her exactly WTF i want and state that until those figures are met, we have nothing else to discuss. Then comes from her the "could i have the correct spelling of your last name?" Me: Not a chance.

Could i have your phone number in case we need to contact you?
Me: That's the whole point of this chat, i don't want to tie up my work number.

"What day would it be best for you to come in?"
Me: What day would it be best for you to answer my loan figure questions?

So you get it. Just hit us with good comical and/or effective ways you've come up with to deal with them.

[DJR210]

First

[Blake]

Yeah leasing sucks unless you're very good at keeping the mileage very low. I got suckered into a lease to own on my first car and det balloon payment at the end.....

My advice is to go to bank/credit union first and see what kind of rate they'll give you, then go to dealer. Some/most banks have partnerships with dealers to give you discounts.

My overall advice is to buy used tho....but that's me

[MultiTroll]

My overall advice is to buy used tho....but that's me
100% agree. Careful shopping for quality used get one 25% off. Even more.
You find the people who took meticulous care or the ones who didn't and thus have to sell for a fraction.
I've mechanic friends who are "flippers" and wow the profits they get by doing the labor themselves and having wholesale priced parts access.


I'm just in a rare circumstance where leasing may work this time. I probably will not end up leasing. It's just that as i look it's comical to compare their come on ads vs the bottom line actually paid. I heard how they "sandwhich" the paperwork when in person thinking they can sneak stuff past you like "dealer fees" aka junk bonds. Etc etc.

And there it is......a phone call from the dealership after i had just told chat chick NO CALLS. No i did not give it out, they got it off caller ID.

[MultiTroll]

Yeah leasing sucks unless you're very good at keeping the mileage very low. I got suckered into a lease to own on my first car and det balloon payment at the end.....
do you recall what the *dealer fees* were per month?
If it had become a nice, buried memory sorry.

[DisAsTerBot]

you agree on a price "out the door" and don't sign anything that has a different price.

[ColinB]

I've never really had an issue with the salesperson being shady or willing to strike a deal. It is the finance people who like to screw you with extra fees because they are getting a draw from that.

[MultiTroll]

you agree on a price "out the door" and don't sign anything that has a different price.
Nice. Will announce this right at the start for a time saver.
Thank you.

"What is the absolute best 'out the door' price you can give me on that Model X?"

[Dirk Oneanddoneski]

If you have mechanic friends why are you going to a dealership? There has to be a ton of laid off oil workers selling nice vehicles you can snag a good deal on. If you're looking for something thats over 75k miles check if they've changed the water pump/timing belt on it and have the paper work to go with it

[MultiTroll]

If you have mechanic friends why are you going to a dealership? There has to be a ton of laid off oil workers selling nice vehicles you can snag a good deal on. If you're looking for something thats over 75k miles check if they've changed the water pump/timing belt on it and have the paper work to go with it
Agree 100%.
For tax purposes leasing is an option.

[CosmicCowboy]

Hit autotrader on a 300 mile radius and spec what you are looking for. The Internet sales guys rock. The last 5 vehicles I have bought were from out of town and they delivered them. I still haven't found a dealership in San Antonio that doesn't want to play games.

[Leebrix]

I don't buy any used cars south of Austin.... too many shady people that will fuck you over in a second.

But I guess if you know someone you trust that hits up the auctions it's a different story.

[Blake]

do you recall what the *dealer fees* were per month?
If it had become a nice, buried memory sorry.

I don't know what you mean by dealer fees. I paid the bank on the lease and then had to refinance the balloon payment.

[Blake]

I don't buy any used cars south of Austin.... too many shady people that will fuck you over in a second.

But I guess if you know someone you trust that hits up the auctions it's a different story.

Because San Antonio is shady like that

[Leebrix]

Because San Antonio is shady like that

Yep, SA is the worst.

[InRareForm]

Everyone is a car buying expert

[Avante]

Never take a woman with you.

I was in sales for 33 years, these guys are trained to work on her just like I was in the insurance business,

[MultiTroll]

^^ I thought a list was coming from you.

Cal Worthington
____ ______
____ _____

[Avante]

^^ I thought a list was coming from you.

Cal Worthington
____ ______
____ _____

It is amazing isn't it. And all of them right off the top of head.

Being an x- insurance saleman I toy with car salesman, being well aware of all the little tricks.

[bigzak25]

You walk in like a muthafuckin boss, pick your ride off the show room floor and drive off in that bad boy!

Easy peezy lemon squeezy!

[spurraider21]

Never take your daughter with you.

I was in sales for 33 years, these guys are trained to work on her just like I was in the insurance business,

[Holden_Caulfield]

make a list of demands/preferences and if they dont meet it you will walk. dont budge. ever.

oh and go towards the end of the month

[Xevious]

The best advice I have is to do your homework. Know what vehicle you want and what it costs. With autotrader, carmax, and the no-haggle new car lots all posting their inventory and prices on the internet, you should have an idea what your going to pay and if somebody is trying to screw you.

And like somebody else said - never negotiate payments with the salesman. You negotiate the price of the car. Have your financing in order before you even go to the lot.

[MultiTroll]

The best advice I have is to do your homework. Know what vehicle you want and what it costs. With autotrader, carmax, and the no-haggle new car lots all posting their inventory and prices on the internet, you should have an idea what your going to pay and if somebody is trying to screw you.

And like somebody else said - never negotiate payments with the salesman. You negotiate the price of the car. Have your financing in order before you even go to the lot.
I'm on it. Again, for tax purposes i am considering leasing and not buying.

Found this dilly on a WSJ article. Whaddaya think?

Step 6. Talk price first— Once you’re ready to return to a dealership to strike a deal, don’t tell the dealer you plan to lease until after you’ve negotiated a purchase price. Most people who lease are unaware that their monthly payments will be based on the final agreed-upon price.

[MultiTroll]

The Internet sales guys rock.
Thank you Senor. Your post motivated me to find this article on the Interweb.
http://guides.wsj.com/personal-finance/buying-a-car/how-to-lease-a-car/

Step 7. Negotiate up— Negotiate the final price of the vehicle up from the rock-bottom cost to the dealership. You can find out what new cars cost a dealer for $14 per vehicle at Consumer Reports (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm). Your monthly payments will be based on the price you and the salesperson settle on. That price will fall somewhere between the dealer’s wholesale price and the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

Do you know if the Internet guys you dealt with do leases also?

[Nbadan]

for used cars the best place to buy is from leasing/rental company lots..most cars have low mileage, and are very well maintained....just walk in with your financing in hand...and walk out with a great car at a great price...

[MultiTroll]

^ great maintenance usually but what about the poem "The Rental Car" aka "The Company Car"?
Goes 40 in reverse, hops curbs etc.

Something I am looking at is buying out the remainder of a lease.
Not the cars total value price outright, just the remainder of the lease.

If original leaser put fat down payment and has lots of miles left before turn in date, viola.
Low monthly payments plus oodles of miles to use.

I've found several national sites, but the reviews on them were so so and one (LeaseTrader.com) was ranked bad.
If anyone knows of a solid one, holla.