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

[jkaetz]

Internet shopping is the way to go. If you contact a dealer 50+ miles away and tell them you're interested in a specific car of theirs, they won't screw with you. They know you're after a particular vehicle and none of their usual BS will bring you in the door to "negotiate". They either have to meet your price or let you go to another dealer. At worst you'll just have to endure a phone call with them trying to make you feel like they are loosing their shirt over the car if you don't give them more $$. You can either play along or say thank you and move along. It's much easier pressing the end button on a phone than walking out of a dealer showroom.

 

[THE BIG SITT]

I am lucky that 3 good friends are in the car sales/dealer ship market. When I want something I make a few calls. It has never failed me.

Any of those friends Chrysler dealers?

 

[Bennettjh]

My girlfriend just went through this process. It did suck.

My cars are all from 80's and 90's from individuals so I've never experienced it. When I bought my new(to me, 2011) Harley, that was painless. I do have a good relationship with our local dealer though.

 

[KittySlayer]

I have 2 Chrysler products that sit in my garage every night.

My condolences.

Do they both also sit in your garage every day too because you cannot get them to run?

I had to drive a Chrysler product with a nonfunctioning air conditioner from Indiana to Montana and back one very hot July. I am not sure which was worse, sitting in a puddle of sweat that had run down my butt crack and soaked the seat or listening to my wife complain about sitting in a puddle of sweat that had run down her butt crack and soaked her seat. I have a long memory and never again will they see my money.

 

[700 LTR 223]

If you don't want to get screwed you need to be prepared.

Absolutely! I was at Penske Honda in Indy and the sales guy had no clue 0.9% financing was going on for select used cars and was pretty adamant about it. After looking it up he said "Wow , you're right , I won't doubt you again." But they still tried to screw me out of $500 by trying to add GAP insurance to my payment even though I was only financing 7 grand on a 3 year old Accord.

 

[Route 45]

Do they both also sit in your garage every day too because you cannot get them to run?

I had to drive a Chrysler product with a nonfunctioning air conditioner from Indiana to Montana and back one very hot July. I am not sure which was worse, sitting in a puddle of sweat that had run down my butt crack and soaked the seat or listening to my wife complain about sitting in a puddle of sweat that had run down her butt crack and soaked her seat. I have a long memory and never again will they see my money.

Mine runs, but I also just repaired the broken air conditioning. It's a Charger R/T. I think R/T stands for rattles/ticks. It's a hoot to drive, but given the (lack of) durability of the front end/suspension, I think it may be made of ramen noodles or balsa wood. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Like a beautiful woman who is also insane, it's a lot of fun when it isn't causing me problems.

I'll not own another one.

 

[churchmouse]

Last Chrysler was a new Concord. Comfortable, handled well, but totally unreliable. First trans went out after about 3 months. After the third trans went, and numerable other problems, got rid of it before it went out of warranty. The Chrysler service manager was OK, but I really got tired of seeing him and the inconvenience of having the car tied up in the shop.

Funny, my two brothers in law wouldn't consider anything but Chrysler. They act amazed that I've had so many problems with mine. Also had a new Voyager that blew the trans under warranty.

You are an animal.....

 

[JBP239]

I hate the process of buying a new car too, we just went through this buying a new car for my wife a few months ago. Internet shopping is a valuable tool, saves you some aggrivation and wasted trips to dealerships. I've walked out of dealerships several times because I didn't like the salesman. One dealership wanted to talk us into leasing no matter how many times we told them we didn't want to lease a car. Some will try to talk you into what ever model car they have on the lot even though it's not even close to what you are looking for.

We ended up buying a car at Stoops Buick GMC in Plainfield eventually and had a very positive experience. Salesman was laid back, professional, and we got a good deal.

 

[churchmouse]

Any of those friends Chrysler dealers?

Bow tie born and bred here.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I've found if I do my homework before going in, things usually go a lot smoother. I know what I want and I know what the websites say my used vehicle is worth. I know what stuff is worth (to me) and I don't try to get that very last dime out of the guy's pocket. If I'm buying new, I go find out what incentives are going on and if me or my vehicle qualifies. In fact one time, I decided to buy a new S-10 pickup and they had a deal going on that I'd seen advertised. I told the salesman about it and he hadn't even heard of it at that time. I had him go check and yep, I there it was. Don't be afraid to walk away. If you're being reasonable (but firm), chances are the next guy will be willing to make that deal.

 

[WebSnyper]

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.

Some credit unions also offer a car buying service. You can let them know what you are looking for, make, model, features, etc, and they will give you a price on a specific vehicle by VIN, and you can say yes or no. I've done this before and never stepped into a dealership, as car was delivered to me at work. Price was excellent, better than I could get via internet at the time, etc, and no direct fee to me that was charged separately (I'm sure they just added $ to the price as a broker fee, but overall price was better than anywhere else).

Another time I was researching for specific vehicle and got the dealer's internet price on that specific vehicle and went back to the buying service, and the person at the buying service, said take the dealership's internet price as I can get close, but not down to the same level. So, I dealt with the dealer completely through email until I went in to inspect the car and sign the paperwork.

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.

Yep, I've done this as well, minus the trade in, as I just sold my own vehicle. The less time you can spend in a dealership no matter how you go about buying the better you will be in the long run. There is no reason that purchasing something should suck. If it even starts to go that way in any interaction, just walk away. Do not get attached to anything in the process.

Internet shopping is the way to go. If you contact a dealer 50+ miles away and tell them you're interested in a specific car of theirs, they won't screw with you. They know you're after a particular vehicle and none of their usual BS will bring you in the door to "negotiate". They either have to meet your price or let you go to another dealer. At worst you'll just have to endure a phone call with them trying to make you feel like they are loosing their shirt over the car if you don't give them more $$. You can either play along or say thank you and move along. It's much easier pressing the end button on a phone than walking out of a dealer showroom.

Agreed, internet shopping is the way to go once you have an idea what you want.

 

[MCINDIANA]

Then when you are go to pick up the vehicle you need to sign a ton of papers.

If that is not bad enough, they try to sell you paint protection, a maintenance agreement and on and on!

 

[JTScribe]

Is there any advantage to just going to say, Ford.com, and ordering exactly what you want?

 

[bacon#1]

Just don't get stuck with the undercoating, rusting proofing, and dealer prep.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Is there any advantage to just going to say, Ford.com, and ordering exactly what you want?

Can't say about Ford but with GM, you can go to their site and "build" your own vehicle. But they'll still make you go to the dealer to actually order it and go through the riggamarol...

 

[jkaetz]

Is there any advantage to just going to say, Ford.com, and ordering exactly what you want?

Can't say about Ford but with GM, you can go to their site and "build" your own vehicle. But they'll still make you go to the dealer to actually order it and go through the riggamarol...

This is true for all manufacturers but Tesla. Tesla is a direct to customer car company. All the others have to go through a dealership.

 

[Expat]

My employer gets us someX program through Ford, so I don't have to worry about the negotiating if I want a new Ford.

 

[funeralweb]

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.

USAA car buying service helped me locate EXACTLY what I was looking for in a van -no unwanted options- and at a very good price.

 

[thunderchicken]

Do they both also sit in your garage every day too because you cannot get them to run?

I had to drive a Chrysler product with a nonfunctioning air conditioner from Indiana to Montana and back one very hot July. I am not sure which was worse, sitting in a puddle of sweat that had run down my butt crack and soaked the seat or listening to my wife complain about sitting in a puddle of sweat that had run down her butt crack and soaked her seat. I have a long memory and never again will they see my money.

Chrysler by default to me is Dodge...and lets face it Dodge. Even they're name tells you to stay away. They have some decent design concepts but they're poorly executed in part due to crappy parts suppliers ( probably due to years of financial issues)

 

[Snipercop]

I remember when you could haggle with dealers... Anymore, they don't want to budge... They call it no-haggle pricing. They also want to tell you that your 2015 car with 60,000 miles is too high but that their 100,000 mile car of the same year is worth what they are asking. I feel for you. Going to hold on to my cars until the wheels fall off and I'm forced to get something else. Will buy low mileage vehicle from a private party who has already taken the hit on depreciation.