Car Buying Help

Most of the time the financing wording is in regards to qualifying for the loan- and yeah they wont outright say it, but them not getting the % that is agreed to is usually a reason where you can just take the car back and the whole sale is flushed down the pooper, its the same as if you didn't qualify in the first place. The first thing you should have said when they called out to tell you this is "I will be right down to return the car, have mine ready- washed and full of gas for me." they would say some bla bla, and you would be getting the rate you where told, or if really they "could not" secure that financing, they need to make up the actual difference in the price.

I believe now most states have cool down laws and 24-48 hour returns etc. but everywhere is different.

Even if that new rate would have been otherwise acceptable to you upon initial negotiation, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves just on general principle for trying to bait & switch you.

Tell them you can either come down tomorrow with a check for the purchase amount, you'll be financing elsewhere, or they can return your trade-in to you and you basically got a free new rental car for a few days. And I'd make sure to return the new car with an empty gas tank if you go that option.

You know, if they called me up and said they had made a mistake, and they couldn't get me the 3.79 that I would be at 3.89 or 3.95 or something, I'd probably be ok with that, honest mistakes do happen. But being off by over a full percent? They're just trying to screw you.

Most people will look at the difference and think "it's only $25 a month more" or whatever it is, and just say screw it, they don't want the hassle of taking it back. But on a 60 month loan you're talking $1500. Would you just randomly give them $1500 for no reason at all? I wouldn't.

Take the deal and refinance it yourself (if you have the cash to cover any needed downpayment that is):

PenFed - Used Auto Loan

I refinanced through nationwide like 3 weeks after buying mine and financing sales tax and lowered my rate by like 3%. A Local credit union have been good and easy for auto loans too. Rate is a little higher but it's nice feeling like you actually have a banker that will handle misc business.

Anyone have a 380 or 560 SL for sale for daily driver use and condition? Not looking for a 100% restore or perfectly preserved.

I am terribad at negotiations. I find a car online, call and email the dealer, have been talking to a salesman, show up, and the salesman isn't there ever though he knew I was coming. So they give me over to another guy. Oh. The car I agreed to buy was sold last night. But he has another one, same make, model and color. The sticker is almost 10k more than the one I was looming at, but I am thinking oh it's a promotion or whatever. But apparently not, he starts trying to push me on this price, giving me excuses about how that car was a loss leader etc. My wife pulls up the website and shows him here see, same car different color but the same price, we'll take this one. He dances around a bit, goes to "talk to the manager" for 20 minutes then comes back and days you know we would have to move like 6 cars to get to that one and you guys are previous clients so we will honor that price on this car, the car just originally wanted. Man, I can't wait until the Internet kills this business completely.

I love/hate places like that. I have gotten some sales people/managers extremely pissed by the end of my visit simply because I am unyielding.

I stopped by a powersports place recently, just to look around really, I had no intention of buying anything as I really have no idea what I want or what I want to pay for it anyway. Of course salesguy Charlie in the trees tags me and starts chatting me up, I was about as vague and evasive as I could be and told him numerous times I was just looking at all models/options on the 4x4 stuff, maybe take a look at the watersports section, etc. Would not leave me alone. Eventually he flagged a sales manager down who, somehow was under the impression I was 'ready to buy' or something- he's like what can we do to make a deal today? I asked him on what and he responds "listen, I don't play games, if you want to make a deal let's talk otherwise don't waste my time" so I respond that I wasn't really sure who he even was and reminded him that he came down here to talk to me. Guy got so pissed he was turning bright red, he ducks around the corner, double takes and comes back and says "what price is going to get you to take it home today?" and I'm like "I have no idea what we're even negotiating, I don't even know what those things in the corner are, is that like a Moped?" he exploded and left. LOL.

chaos_sl said:

I am terribad at negotiations. I find a car online, call and email the dealer, have been talking to a salesman, show up, and the salesman isn't there ever though he knew I was coming. So they give me over to another guy. Oh. The car I agreed to buy was sold last night. But he has another one, same make, model and color. The sticker is almost 10k more than the one I was looming at, but I am thinking oh it's a promotion or whatever. But apparently not, he starts trying to push me on this price, giving me excuses about how that car was a loss leader etc. My wife pulls up the website and shows him here see, same car different color but the same price, we'll take this one. He dances around a bit, goes to "talk to the manager" for 20 minutes then comes back and days you know we would have to move like 6 cars to get to that one and you guys are previous clients so we will honor that price on this car, the car just originally wanted. Man, I can't wait until the Internet kills this business completely.

Click to expand...

Just leave and don't bother with dealerships like that.

So I'm looking at this used car on Friday. They tell me their list price is 14 something. I try to talk to the dude saying, look if you can get it anywhere under 13...12.5, 12.8, I'm buying it today. He hems and haws going through all the usual shit, claiming his manager won't let him go under 13.8 and they would lose money after 13.6, blah blah blah. I walk. "We'll call you if we can do anything different."

Today I run an internet search on the same make and model...see this car at that dealership offered for 11.9! So, should I even think about buying this thing now? I like the price of course, but I feel like saying fuck these people on general principle. ONE DAY later? It wasn't online at that price yesterday, I know I've been doing searches, so its not like I missed this thing before.

Let me guess, this is with a $3,000 discount but the car now has a $3,000 'weather protection package'. Or it got hit in the lot...

Yeah, it has an asterisk on that internet price. Now I'm thinking its some bait and switch shit like you get in there and there's a bunch of shit no one would qualify for that makes it that price, or they tack on shit like you said once you're in there. They're closed Sunday so I can't really find out right now anyway.

Or it is that price through dealer financing at a stupid interest rate.

Dealerships can die in a fire. They are absolutely useless in this modern world.

I think I found it now:

Price excludes State taxes, tags, documentaion fee, andreconditioning.

Click to expand...

I was with them up until "reconditioning". The "documentation" fee I think is what's usually called the "dealer fee" and runs around $300 from what I've seen. Which is whatever, everyone's doing it so I expect it. I'm guessing this bullshit "reconditioning fee" is going to be like two grand or some nonsense.

Most dealerships I have ever dealt with, I am negotiating the price out the door to include all the taxes and fees.

(Though I have never heard of "reconditioning".)

Yeah, I've got an email in to the place. I'm going to ask what it is out the door for sure before I would bother going back.

I'm with you though, this dealership shit is beyond outdated. They still survive because its maybe the last bastion of "a purchase you can't do as well online" and its almost solely because of the test drive. Really that could go away too if you're buying new, just need to test the make/model/trim you are interested in then order your specific color/options. That doesn't require a huge lot full of samples per se, you could have regional manufacturer test centers to do that shit and cut all this middle man overhead.

Even eyeglasses are thriving online, which was the other big example of stuff that supposedly would always demand an in-person market.

Its just going to take someone innovating the tech solution to this crap. Kinda like whoever's brainstorm led to the Uber vs. taxi thing now.

I've heard old people say "off the lot" or "tax title and license" when they give prices to minimize the horseshit that's tacked on. I used the off the lot deal for a used car and they actually listed it's sold price as 400 less and still added on the documentation and misc bullshit.

Indeed...always OTD price...the first thing I tell dealers when I approach buying a car is the fact that ANY number they give me, and I give them- is OTD- so if they "forget" and toss me a price...then things get fun while they back peddle.

That's why I've followed all the google university advice to just stick with an internet sales guy and keep it to emails until you have your negotiated price in writing. Walking in the door before that is asking for frustration, aside from bouncing around doing some test drives, but if you know what you want then just search and email. They bother the fuck out of you after you've made contact but its easy to ignore. You can hang up the phone without answering or whatever and they'll still be super polite and shit of course.

That other place never emailed me back. I don't know if someone knew my name from having left it with them at the test drive, but they probably saw my message asking for out the door and what any unexpected fees would be and said forget it. I read yelp reviews of the place confirming that other people went in chasing their low online price, only to find thousands tacked on in "reconditioning" (on a two year old car with one owner and 40K miles?) freight (seriously? from where? on a trade in?) and one guy said they charged his sister $1600 for state inspection. This place is putting inspection certs on shit all day, doesn't their own service department handle that? Even if not, I know from buying and selling multiple older cars on CL that the inspection stations near me charge like $75-$80.

They are just getting people in the door with the way below market shit then hoping they will be stupid or pushovers or just give up and want the car when they run their scam "there's nothing I can do about this fee!". Really, its not like the price is way over market or book, just that it rubs people the wrong way to trick them onto the lot with those advertised prices. Better IMO to stick with a stealership that's willing to give you an actual up front list price online with no hidden fees and then quibble over the final price.