Yeah, I almost fell out of my chair watching the episode where the guy said that all that he could afford was $350/month, and by the end of the show he drove off in a new car with a payment of $610 a month!

They ripped a lot of heads off in that show, but everyone was happy when they rang the gong!!!

(like I said, MOST of it was staged...)

Leroy Pettit is his name, he's a career guy and he's still there. Sends me information on all the new stuff every month trying to get a repeat sale, but this truck ain't even broke-in yet.

I am lucky that I live in an area that has many dealer within 30miles. I know about what I want to pay and about what I want for my trade. I will tell the salesperson please don't waste my time, if your numbers are close we will talk otherwise I am gone. Many times I have had to walk and if they call I just hang up. I have finally found a Dodge dealer I like and have bought 2 vehicles from him. I know he makes some money, but I don't feel like he is paying all his bills off of me.

The best part? Yesterday he let me drive the new Challenger while I was waiting for my oil change.

Yes, I did buy a lottery ticket on the way home.

sflub, in the car biz that's called a "Puppy Dog" close. It works.

Ha!

The feel of the wheel, makes the deal!


I went to Lake Berryessa for three days, come back, and this thread is still in the top position!

It should be called the "Frankenstein" thread!

You know... Cuz' it won't die!

Some good info shared here...

GFC, at least I don't walk out of the dealership feeling like I need a shower. I feel good and most important: my wife feels good, so I guess that makes me the puppy?

The 2 dealerships I buy used cars from lend their service customers cars that they know they have no intention of buying (wrong type, ex. a truck buyer lent a car). No "puppy dog" close, just good will. Some of you are so jaded you can't see a good will gesture for what it is. I found that the least people trust me, the least trust worthy they are. My most honest customers expect me to be honest as well.

Interesting point Bruce. I'll have to think back on my 10 years in insurance to see if that holds true for me as well.

My brother buys new every three years due to business requirements.

Last time I purchased (the F250) I tried doing it his way. I sent emails to three Ford dealerships. I specified what I wanted and what discounts I qualified for. I told them what ever price they quoted me would be it, I would walk out if they tried to do adjustments for anything.

When the dust settled the dealerships were with 300 bucks of each other and I informed the winner.
The other dealership wanted to know how much they lost by and I told them. They replied they could shave some off of that price but I said no thank you. They then told me that if the deal fell through they would sale me the truck for the price the first dealer quoted. I told them if the deal fell through I would come to their dealership and buy the truck at the price THEY had quoted me. I would not expect them to honor a price that another dealership would not just to lure me to their business.

PH - that sounds like a good way to buy, however if you put yourself in the dealers shoes I bet they get a lot of people who do that that aren't serious buyers. I doubt they are going to send their absolute lowest price via email to someone they've never met. I think you could get a better deal by negotiating on the spot, imo.

Ok. This thread is officially on overload. Time for a story...

Back in the day, my Dad used to order a new car every two years or so. His partner (the senior partner in the biz) drove Oldsmobiles, so Dad couldn't buy anything better than a Pontiac. He bought a total of six new Pontiacs from Totem Pontiac in Seattle, and they always treated him very well.

One very successful year, his partner moved up to a Lincoln, meaning Dad could move 'up' to Mercury. So, he put in an order for a Mercury Marquis wagon in the fall of 1972. Sold his previous vehicle to his sales manager, who dropped him off at the dealership when his new Mercury came in.

Lo and behold! The new car price had gone up nearly $1,000 from the time he ordered it until it came into the dealer. When assured that the new price was, indeed, the price they expected Dad to pay, he excused himself and WALKED back to his office, a mile or so distant.

Called his partner's old Dealer at Riach Central Oldsmobile and asked him if he had a new Custom Cruiser Wagon on the lot 'with all the toys'. Assured that they had JUST the one he wanted, in a lovely blue, available for $100 over invoice, Dad asked him to get it over to him with the paperwork asap.

A couple hours later, two sales guys from Mercury showed up in his parking lot with the Mercury he'd ordered. They came in and told Dad that they'd decided to honor the original price of his 'deal'.

Without letting them sit down, Dad pointed to the new blue Oldsmobile sitting in his parking space and said, "That's my new car. Now get the he** out of my office."

Riach sold him his next five cars.

True story.

I think if you're actually buying a FLEET, you probably get an even better price, though.

LeRoy at Fritts Ford beat the CU buying service price and every other dealer by at least $800.

And yes, you need to know that your are actually working with fleet. It is usally a completely separate building (or at least at Fritts it is -- they sell a lot of work truck fleets out of that building) and there's no line of salespeople standing around in front of it waiting for the next customer.

Another case of knowledge is power.

Good story. The Vista Cruiser was the ultimate family wagon. Our neighbors had one and I was always envious of the window across the roof that our Catalina wagon lacked.

here's an article showing how much the car dealers are making these days...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081005/ap_on_bi_ge/auto_dealers_credit

Jeez, we couldn't just let this thread die a peaceful death?