Why does buying a new car have to suck so bad?

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  • THE BIG SITT

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Aug 14, 2012
    1,480
    48
    Greenwood
    We are looking at getting my wife a new Chrysler Pacifica, but really hate the whole car buying process. The whole thing sucks. I hate the entire pricing process of figuring out what a good price is, what a crappy price is, what incentives we qualify for, who is having a sale... seriously, shoot me now. (Kidding, please don't)
     

    wabashman

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Dec 6, 2012
    290
    18
    Just went through the same thing a couple weeks go. However, we settled for a 2 year old Town and Country instead. 1/2 the price as the Pacifica. Came from TX so has never seen salt or the like. Super low miles on it, and fully loaded to boot.

    But yes, I do agree it sucks.
     

    singlesix

    Grandmaster
    Industry Partner
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    May 13, 2008
    7,197
    27
    Indianapolis, In
    I had a sales person actually use the line "I have to go talk to my manager". Last time I bought a car I used my Ins Co. (USAA) car service, they give you the price and add on prices for a car model so you can figure out if the "deal" is really a deal.
     

    Bigtanker

    Cuddles
    Emeritus
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Aug 21, 2012
    21,688
    151
    Osceola
    The dealership makes all the difference. While shoping for our last family vehicle, we went to a major dealership (Gurley Leap). We found what we wanted and talked price. They wouldn't budge and when I asked what other fees besides sales tax thete were, out came a list. $500 window etching fee. Really? And I had to buy it. There were several other fees too.

    So I offered the guy the sticker price for an "out-the-door price and he said he couldn't do that. So I got up and walked out.

    I have found a few dealerships I'll go back to because of how they treated me and they had fair pricing.
     

    spec4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 19, 2010
    3,775
    27
    NWI
    If you don't want to get screwed you need to be prepared. First, know what the car you want is worth. Check KBB.com and Edmunds.com. If you are trading a car in, know how much you must get for it.
    They will high ball you on the new and low ball you on the trade, it's in their DNA. If they jack you around, walk. There are other dealers.

    If you don't have a trade, it gets easier. Just go to Edmunds and ask for quotes. I did that in 2011 and saved over $2K. Good luck and keep your walking shoes on.
     

    jsharmon7

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    119   0   0
    Nov 24, 2008
    7,822
    113
    Freedonia
    My last vehicle purchase wasn't so bad. I shopped local dealers' online inventory and found what I wanted. I then got into some of the auto sites and found out what the price range for such a vehicle should be. What the dealership wanted was toward the low end of the range so I went in to talk. I didn't get the best deal on my trade-in but I was satisfied overall. Be sure to know your credit score before you go in because the one they had for me was much lower than the 3 major bureaus showed for me. It was interesting to see how some of the things I learned in negotiator training are used in the car sales business.
     

    aturk

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 25, 2016
    248
    16
    Charlotte, NC
    My brother has a side business getting the best prices on new cars for people. Charges between $250-$500 and takes some leg work out of it.

    Basically all he does is targets several local dealerships, pits them against each other, and gets them to come with their best price via email. Most of these people are not really informed buyers, so they aren't looking for anything truly specific. They aren't also knowledgeable to be able to get a car for invoice pricing. So my brother saves them 2-4k, and they think they are getting a great deal.
     

    rob63

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    May 9, 2013
    4,282
    77
    As others have said, figure out what you want and the price you are willing to pay first before you begin negotiations, and then always be willing to walk away and start all over somewhere else. Yes, I agree, the whole process is a pain.

    My favorite was a dealer we talked to that wanted to play the "how much of a payment can you afford" game. No matter how many different ways we asked him to simply tell us what the price of the car was, he wouldn't budge. He needed to know what the payment could be first, and then he would be able to tell us a price. We walked out and went elsewhere. He later called me to see if I would come back and when I told him that we had found something somewhere else he exclaimed "I knew you were ready to buy a car." Umm, yeah Sherlock, that would be why we went to a car dealership and asked them how much it would cost.
     

    Nojoy621

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Aug 10, 2016
    390
    18
    Crown point
    Now is a great time to buy or lease a new car. Not only is it the end of the month, but it's the end of quarter too. Dealerships have certain programs with the OEM that end in a few days. Dealers will be willing to take a lose on a vehicle to make big money in the overall quarter.
     

    Tripp11

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jan 3, 2010
    1,180
    48
    Fishers, IN
    My brother has a side business getting the best prices on new cars for people. Charges between $250-$500 and takes some leg work out of it.

    Basically all he does is targets several local dealerships, pits them against each other, and gets them to come with their best price via email. Most of these people are not really informed buyers, so they aren't looking for anything truly specific. They aren't also knowledgeable to be able to get a car for invoice pricing. So my brother saves them 2-4k, and they think they are getting a great deal.

    This.

    Once we've decided on the manufacturer and model, I won't step into a dealer until I've emailed 4-5 dealers and worked the best deal possible on the car we want to buy. If we have a car to trade-in, then that's when I mention the trade and we work out a ballpark figure on the trade - subject to their used car manager taking a look at it. I also have them prepare most of the paperwork in advance. I don't think I've spent more than 30 minutes in a dealership in the last 20 years, which is alright by me and alright by the salesman - because he can focus his attention on customers on the floor - my deal is worked via email while he has downtime.

    One time, there was an issue when I showed up to sign the paperwork as our agreed to price wasn't what was on the paperwork, and I just pulled up the email and everything was ok and the paperwork was changed.
     

    Rookie

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Sep 22, 2008
    18,155
    113
    Kokomo
    As others have said, figure out what you want and the price you are willing to pay first before you begin negotiations, and then always be willing to walk away and start all over somewhere else. Yes, I agree, the whole process is a pain.

    My favorite was a dealer we talked to that wanted to play the "how much of a payment can you afford" game. No matter how many different ways we asked him to simply tell us what the price of the car was, he wouldn't budge. He needed to know what the payment could be first, and then he would be able to tell us a price. We walked out and went elsewhere. He later called me to see if I would come back and when I told him that we had found something somewhere else he exclaimed "I knew you were ready to buy a car." Umm, yeah Sherlock, that would be why we went to a car dealership and asked them how much it would cost.

    That happens a lot at the dealer across from the plant. People go over, pick a vehicle, and the only thing they're concerned about is how much more their payments are. Then they'll brag that they're saving $10/month - who cares their loan got extended four years - they're saving $10/month.
     

    lovemachine

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    17   0   0
    Dec 14, 2009
    15,601
    119
    Indiana
    Now is a great time to buy or lease a new car. Not only is it the end of the month, but it's the end of quarter too. Dealerships have certain programs with the OEM that end in a few days. Dealers will be willing to take a lose on a vehicle to make big money in the overall quarter.

    Leasing isn't a good idea.
     

    bocefus78

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    39   0   0
    Apr 9, 2014
    2,023
    63
    Hamilton Co.
    Not only is it the end of the month, but it's the end of quarter too. Dealerships have certain programs with the OEM that end in a few days. Dealers will be willing to take a lose on a vehicle to make big money in the overall quarter.

    Lots of truth in this statement. I go in on the last day of the month. When I bought my truck, the sales manager needed 1 sale to get a free trip for his family. The period ended that night at closing time. The dealership ate 3K$ plus compared to the other dealers I went to, but I got a helluva deal, and the sales manager got his free trip.
     

    KittySlayer

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 29, 2013
    6,473
    77
    Northeast IN
    If you don't want to get screwed you need to be prepared. First, know what the car you want is worth. Check KBB.com and Edmunds.com.

    If they jack you around, walk. There are other dealers.

    If you don't have a trade, it gets easier. Just go to Edmunds and ask for quotes. I did that in 2011 and saved over $2K. Good luck and keep your walking shoes on.

    Just bought a new truck last night and this is what I did this time (and for my two previous purchases). Edmunds gives you what they call a True Market Value. All three times I have used TMV as a guide and felt like I paid a fair price and did not feel like a schmuck. It's okay for the dealership to make some money, just so I don't feel screwed. The email feature(*) is a nice way to get bids from multiple dealers without having to suffer the agony of car lot visits.

    Determine what price you want to pay and negotiate a total out the door price with sales tax and all their magic fees. Never tell them what payments you can afford or want to pay, simply negotiate a total price. One guy brought out a chart with a dozen different payment amounts on it and wanted me to circle one, no friggin way. If you can sell your current car outright and avoid the trade in you remove a huge item of wiggle room from the dealer. Also, buying what is on their lot helps as they want to get it out of their inventory.

    Don't be married to any one particular car, in fact specify something they don't have on the lot and let themsell you what they have. Be willing to walk if the price is wrong or if the salesman is a jerk. The guy I bought from was younger but a good salesman. I could watch him try some of the tactics he was trained to use but he was smooth enough to adapt to how I wanted to be sold a car.

    (*) From Edmunds you can request dealer email bids based on what you put in. Gives you a gut feel who will work with you as well as helps you determine a fair price to offer. You can use these emails as leverage against other dealers. Several years ago I was looking for a unique car. The local dealership was jacking me around and told me there were none in stock east of the Mississippi. Did the email bids for a 150 mile radius and got two good quotes that were within a $100 of each other. Went with the lower price out of Toledo, saving a $100 and they paid to have the exact same car shipped from the Indy dealer who was $100 higher to Toledo (both dealers were bidding to sell me the same car with the same VIN#).
     

    4651feeder

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Oct 21, 2016
    1,186
    63
    East of NWI
    Apparently the planets aligned for my last new vehicle purchase (2015) as it was actually a pleasant experience. Prior to visiting the dealership time was spent on the web researching the option$ available for the model desired and where within reason this vehicle could be found and at what offered price. Honestly, that was the most time consuming part of the process for me.

    For those of you who never purchased a vehicle 40 years ago, all I can say is you have no idea how much of the mystery to buying a new vehicle has been removed for the consumer by technology.
     
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