Best way to screw the dealer post deposit

[Pharkus]

The enjoyment I get when going out to buy a new car is knowing that the dealer has presented me, based on all available information (and there is a heap of it on this forum) with a "fair" deal. Now this may mean that the price fluctuates from person to person. Person A may not care about what the price is but needs the car immediately fully optioned up etc. Whereas Person B will base their decision on price alone. You, as the buyer have to be satsified with the price you are offered. You have the choice not to take it and look elsewhere or even for a different car (if you can't afford it then don't go QQ'ing on a forum about how to rip more money off a dealer).

The dealer also has the right to refuse any price you put on the table.

Personally, I would rather the dealer takes what I consider a fair profit from the sale and treats me with the service that I expect afterwards (servicing, problem resolution etc.) than screw them out of the last dollar. Think of it this way, the less dealers there are the less bargaining power we as buyers will have.

Further, I also appreciate that building a relationship with a dealer will yield me far better "savings" in the future when I go back to purchase another vehicle. I'm informed by reading forums and other articles on the internet, I know what I want and pretty much just want to get down to the point of purchase. No use wasting hours of my time and the dealer with a price that neither of us are willing to accept.

In terms of aftermarket fitment, I think Mav has summarised it quite concisely for you. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

In summary, if you do your research before hand you should at least have a ball park estimate of what things should cost. Otherwise its a tax on people that don't do their homework.

The worst behaviour I have seen is people bargaining with one dealer on a GREAT price driveaway, only to turn around and travel to the next dealer cos they'll match it less $50.

[Rocket36]

While I don't think the attitude of "screw the dealer" is all that great, this made me chuckle a bit: "These days it's mostly people out to the get the cheapest price and whatever they can get along with it. There is no fun, no enjoyment, no excitement, no sense of accomplishment, and NO FEEL GOOD FACTOR for either party."


I LOVE the whole process of buying a car, I enjoy it, I get excited about it, I feel I've accomplished something AND I DEFINITELY feel GOOD about it. But at the same time, I won't buy a car from someone who isn't willing to negotiate and give me the best deal they can. I'm more than happy to walk away from a dealer and go to another one. No skin of my nose. So of course I'm going to haggle and make them crunch the numbers. Dealers will NEVER sell a car unless there's a profit in it regardless of how much they complain about a buyer wanting too much of a so called "discount". If they agree to a deal, they're still making money.

[Allegiance]

YES - And that is what makes reading post's such as this one all the more depressing sometimes. There used to be a time when selling cars was fun, mostly because people ENJOYED the buying process and the excitement of getting a new car.

These days it's mostly people out to the get the cheapest price and whatever they can get along with it. There is no fun, no enjoyment, no excitement, no sense of accomplishment, and NO FEEL GOOD FACTOR for either party.

Im am 100% in favour of getting a good deal. But I’m am utterly shocked by this thread title, and the attitude of it's author.

Dermot,

Can you honestly say in your entire career in car sales that you have not taken advantage of (even to a small degree) a single customer?

[Frankenstrat]

No one is forcing them to work in that business. They must do it for a reason?

Yes, they probably thoroughly enjoy their work, but there is bound to be a downside; occasionally they'll find themselves dealing with certain members of the public who have a low opinion of sales staff.

I'm not particularly interested to know how much a dealer earns, nor how much commission they make, I don't regard that as any of my business.

One thing is for certain, I would not want to walk out of a dealership with the staff glad to see the back of me, ultimately I feel that I would have done myself a disservice. I can't see the point of driving a hard bargain, or entering into protracted negotiations, nor playing off one dealer against another. To me, that would be a hollow victory. I may well be in the minority with this attitude, but there again, I'm old school.

[Rocket36]

Dermot,

Can you honestly say in your entire career in car sales that you have not taken advantage of (even to a small degree) a single customer?

No need to "take advantage". PLENTY of people would walk in off the street and pay list price, no questions asked. Plus so many people get talked into those pathetic "paint protection" options for a couple of thousand dollars when for a few hundred dollars you get a better finish and better protection from a professional car detailer. Then there's fleet sales. PLENTY of money to be made their. Hagglers would be the minority of buyers.

[triode12]

The enjoyment I get when going out to buy a new car is knowing that the dealer has presented me, based on all available information (and there is a heap of it on this forum) with a "fair" deal. Now this may mean that the price fluctuates from person to person. Person A may not care about what the price is but needs the car immediately fully optioned up etc. Whereas Person B will base their decision on price alone. You, as the buyer have to be satsified with the price you are offered. You have the choice not to take it and look elsewhere or even for a different car (if you can't afford it then don't go QQ'ing on a forum about how to rip more money off a dealer).

The dealer also has the right to refuse any price you put on the table.

Personally, I would rather the dealer takes what I consider a fair profit from the sale and treats me with the service that I expect afterwards (servicing, problem resolution etc.) than screw them out of the last dollar. Think of it this way, the less dealers there are the less bargaining power we as buyers will have.

Further, I also appreciate that building a relationship with a dealer will yield me far better "savings" in the future when I go back to purchase another vehicle. I'm informed by reading forums and other articles on the internet, I know what I want and pretty much just want to get down to the point of purchase. No use wasting hours of my time and the dealer with a price that neither of us are willing to accept.

In terms of aftermarket fitment, I think Mav has summarised it quite concisely for you. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

In summary, if you do your research before hand you should at least have a ball park estimate of what things should cost. Otherwise its a tax on people that don't do their homework.

The worst behaviour I have seen is people bargaining with one dealer on a GREAT price driveaway, only to turn around and travel to the next dealer cos they'll match it less $50.

This was not the case with us and CCC. I stated what I wanted and was willing to put down the deposit on the vehicle. Instead they kept ****ing us around instead of saying that they cannot do the deal after agreeing to the price.

We would agree with the junior sales person on a price and commit and then the manager would say no. They could have just said from the beginning - we can't do it - sorry and we would have dropped it.

The price we were asking was the price advertised by other dealers online. Not some extremely low price.

And we even had someone who has previously purchased from them with us negotiating with them.

No more dealings with CCC for us.

[Allegiance]

No need to "take advantage". PLENTY of people would walk in off the street and pay list price, no questions asked. Plus so many people get talked into those pathetic "paint protection" options for a couple of thousand dollars when for a few hundred dollars you get a better finish and better protection from a professional car detailer. Then there's fleet sales. PLENTY of money to be made their. Hagglers would be the minority of buyers.

In my opinion trying to sell paint protection for a couple of thousand dollars is taking advantage of a customer.

[Rocket36]

I guess but if people pay for dealer "paint protection" then they are very poorly informed and probably aren't going to be haggling much about the price.

[triode12]

I guess but if people pay for dealer "paint protection" then they are very poorly informed and probably aren't going to be haggling much about the price.

There are lots of these people - that is why dealers are able to get away with murder and are not so keen to do fair deals.

They just visit the dealer and take the price quoted to them.

[Allegiance]

One saving grace for this thread is it's a lively one

[Rocket36]

There are lots of these people - that is why dealers are able to get away with murder and are not so keen to do fair deals.

They just visit the dealer and take the price quoted to them.

Yup. That was my point.

The majority of sales dealers make are fairly straight forward. Of course amongst forums like this one, and any car enthusiast or someone well informed, there's going to be a concentration of tough negotiators and people not willing to pay more than they have to.

Like I said, EVERY sale makes money or they wouldn't agree to make the sale. Negotiating the best deal and driving a hard bargain with a dealer doesn't make it less fun, it makes it MORE fun and MORE satisfying.

[Pharkus]

@Triode

Sorry to hear that mate. Maybe I got lucky. But I've been returning to the dealership that I bought my car off specifically because they now know me, know not to stuff around and provide me with a price that is "fair".

You've had a bad way of finding out that dealing with that particular dealership wasn't to your liking. Hopefully the next one will provide you with a better purchasing experience. Based upon the feedback survey you are requested to fill out afterwards, a key KPI is the whole purchasing experience.

When I take my car in for service the dealer know to park my car, away from others and in a special spot in the workshop in the shade =) (I'm very pedantic about it) Servicing price was a little more than some other places, but a quick ring around before hand and quick search here provided me with an estimate of what to expect, put that to the dealer and matched quickly no fuss.

They're there to make a buck like the rest of us, but both parties should be still expected to approach the negotiations in a professional manner.

[Pharkus]

In my opinion trying to sell paint protection for a couple of thousand dollars is taking advantage of a customer.

So if they sold paint protection to a person who doesn't have the ability nor inclination to go out and wash their car, does this still count.

If price isn't an issue to a purchaser, is this an issue?

They aren't forcing you to take paint protection.

Of course, you could always save on paint protection to spend on a professional detailer every year to clean your car.

Or, you could go out and purchase car care products and put in the hard work yourself.

Once again it comes down to what financial situation the purchaser is in and what factors are more important to them. Just because you don't see the value in it, others don't have to see it the same way either.

Rocket36, pretty sure this is across all things that you can buy out there. Why by BBS CH 18" wheels from here when you can have them shipped from the US at much cheaper prices? Why would you buy oranges at coles when they may be cheaper at safeway just 5 mins down the road.

If some people are happy to take list price, good on 'em. For those that like to bargain, just fight nicely.

[KWICKS]

One saving grace for this thread is it's a lively one

Complete with deleted posts and no explanations... ahh vww at its best.

[Allegiance]

So if they sold paint protection to a person who doesn't have the ability nor inclination to go out and wash their car, does this still count.

If price isn't an issue to a purchaser, is this an issue?

They aren't forcing you to take paint protection.

Of course, you could always save on paint protection to spend on a professional detailer every year to clean your car.

Or, you could go out and purchase car care products and put in the hard work yourself.

Once again it comes down to what financial situation the purchaser is in and what factors are more important to them. Just because you don't see the value in it, others don't have to see it the same way either.

They are selling it way above what it's worth, hence taking advantage of the customer.