[OT] I hate car dealerships...

[der_kluge]

We're in the market to buy a new car, but haven't started looking yet; just done some research online. This isn't comforting.

My Dad used to sell cars, and his advice is this:
Go at the end of the month - dealers have quotas they have to reach, and you'll always get a better deal on the 31st than you would on the 1st.

Negotiate - tell them what you expect to get for your trade in, and tell them what you expect to get for their car. Never pay full price for a car.

Work out a system - if there's one thing that a salesman is afraid of, is that you're going to leave their parking lot without buying their car. Tell them "I want this car for $18,500", and then they tell you they can't do that, then say "Well, Fred down the street was going to sell me this very car for $18,500".

My Mom and Dad are the world's greatest car buyers. Once, my Mom had gotten back in the car - upset with the dealer, and was ready to leave. My Dad had gone back inside to ask for directions on how to leave (they were out of town). My Dad came outside, and motioned for my Mom to come back inside. The Dealer told them they had basically gotten the car at cost once they had closed the deal.

 

[Paradoxish]

Re: Talking about frustration ...

How much is a Passat W8 worth in the US? (approx. - new)

I'd like to compare with the prices here.
I've got a nasty feeling about that.

They start at around $37,000, putting them at the very upper bounds of my price limit. Unfortunately, it's the only vehicle VW offers with power and features comparable to my Maxima.

I just remembered why I've been avoiding VW.

 

[The Grey Dwarf]

Frustration !

They start at around $37,000, putting them at the very upper bounds of my price limit. Unfortunately, it's the only vehicle VW offers with power and features comparable to my Maxima.

I just remembered why I've been avoiding VW.

Here they start at $55,000.
Bas###ds!

 

[kenjib]

If you work for a big company, check and see if you can get a good break through your employer. I work for a software company, but I can get cars from certain companies for close to what the auto company employees pay.

 

[Trip]

Here's a humdinger . .

Not to long ago I bought one of the new ford f150's with the V10, f4d, loaded with pretty much everything. Great truck in all . . . for about a week. I bought this truck used from a ford dealership. The person before me was an older fellow, who ended up needing a truck with a bigger bed, but a bit smaller engine. So it only had just over 8000 miles on it. The first week was great. After that I went out one morning, and had no heat. So i took it down to the dealership, and they said it was the radiator. So they flushed it all out. Thinking it was kind of odd for it to be just that, I asked about the heating core . ."oh yeah" they said, let us check.

OK first off they should have checked this right away. So off they went, about 20 min later they came back, said it was fine, and all was god.

((35 $ for the radiator flush, not covered by a warranty))

So I hopped in and headed home. About 20 minutes on the way home . . the heat stopped. Rather upset I figured I would just wait till the next day.

Next day came, so I took it down, dropped it off, and had them drive me to work . . which we won't get into. At about noon they call and said they flushed the radiator again, and that they though it might me a heating sensor. Low and behold, this sensor is not on the warranty. Had to have it I figured, so they replaced it.

((35 $ for the flush 200$ for the sensor))

Picked it up, and I had heat all the way home, and for the rest of the week. Great. Until a few days later I went out and had no heat. By this time I was getting really upset. Took it down, B***ed them out, and had them take me to work. Later that day they called, said they flushed the radiator. I was like "no . ." Obvioulsy it was not that, and I was not going to pay them for it, after arguing for a few minutes they hung up. About an hour later they called, "it's your battery!" I was like "NO" A battery will signal on the dash, and if the battery was bad, the truck would have problems starting, among a ton of other things. It's not the battery. So off they went. I finally got out of work, went down, and they said they replaced the heater core. Ummmm did'nt I ask about that in the first place? Flushed the radiator, then put a NEW radiator in. Yet they still charge me for the flush . . GRRRRR. Obviously i refused to pay.

Finally I had heat. Till about 2 weeks later. Stopped at the store in the morning on my way to work, came back out, and watched pretty much everything thing in my radiator (including nuts and bolts) fall to the ground. Off to the phone I went. THey came and picked it up, put a whole in the tire as they were loading it, and took it to the dealership. Later that day I called and said forget it, I want the money back (NYS Lemon Law comes into effect here, 3 times, no fix, and under warranty). Yet they refused. So I was like OK, then give me another truck valued the same. They refused. Getting really p****ed, I headed down to get the truck myself, take it home, then call my lawyer. I got there and they had the truck in the showroom. And refused to give it too me, cause of a bad temper.

So now I set 25+k in the whole (payed with cash) and no truck . . lawyers will be called tomarrow . . .

OK i'm done . . I think . . Felt good to rant a bit though.

 

[Paradox]

Yeah, rent or buy the movie Used Cars. It'll cheer you up.

 

[kenjib]

Re: Here's a humdinger . .

I got there and they had the truck in the showroom. And refused to give it too me, cause of a bad temper.

At that point, is it possible that they are crossing the line into a criminal offense?

 

[Trip]

At that point, is it possible that they are crossing the line into a criminal offense?

I'm honestly not sure . . . seems like it. Considering it is mine in all aspects, fully paid for, I have the title, warranties, everything, and they have absolutly nothing pertaining to it. I was thinking along the same lines. Technically even stealing & theft of you really think about it. Guess I will find out tomarrow.

 

[Claude Raines]

Please don't believe this - their is ALWAYS haggling - even at no haggling dealers. (they call it price matching or a good customer discount or something like this - but it really is haggling)

When I bought my Saturn, there was absolutely no haggling or price matching involved. I picked out a car, got quoted a price ($12,250) said I wanted payments under $400 and paid $381 a month. They never came back to me and said, "Well, how about $415?" Did I pay a bit more than if I had haggled some place? Probably so. But to me it was worth it to be treated with respect.

 

[Umbran]

If however, you are willing to put up with harrassment - no haggle dealers are overpriced.

Not necessarily true. I helped my girlfriend shop for a new car. Did a lot of compare/contrast, lots of shopping around. Had our best haggler try to get dealerships to come down on prices. Saturn's no-haggle price was still better. And it's a quality vehicle, backed by great customer service.

YMMV, of course.