Car dealership incentive question

z31maniac wrote: Maybe people are being too combative?

Well... Let me relate my attempt to purchase a new S10 back in 96.... I went to the large Chevrolet dealer, which was Berger Chevrolet to be exact, as about every one of the other dealers suck, and sales weasel comes out to meet and greet. I had what I wanted written down, 4.3/5spd/3.42's. Sales weasel looks at my paper of what I want and point blank says, "You don't need that. Or that either.." I take my paper back and leave without saying anything. A few weeks later, I walk out of the local Ford store with a 96 Ranger no real haggling and close enough to what I wanted.

So who was combative?

Sounds like my experience with the local Nissan dealer. At least he spoke to you. The Toyota dealer here didn't have the time to talk to me, and when the Mazda salesmen actually made the time, it was all bullE36 M3. You'd think they'd actually want to sell cars.

when i was shopping midsize 4x4 SUVs, i really wanted a manual trans xterra with the off road package, since i didn't very much want an automatic. i stopped by several nissan dealers, looked at what they had (most only had 2 or 3 xterras, one or none off road or 4x4), and told the sales guy what i was looking for. the most common response was "what you want 4x4 for? this is Houston!" to which i'd say, "yeah, well i plan on getting out of the city from time to time" and then they'd tell me i'd have to special order it and they didn't want to bother with that anyways.

i ended up buying a couple months old used from a dodge dealer for nearly 5k less than i would have paid for a new one at invoice pricing, but even that ate up a whole weekend of back and forth with the dealer.

All the local KIA dealers have a $3k ADM sticker on every car, even a $13k Rio.

I told the sales guy, "I don't buy cars with ADM stickers, sorry."

He said, "Oh, that's negotiable."

I said, "If I'm going to negotiate, it's from the invoice price, not some phony markup. Have a nice day."

EvanR wrote: All the local KIA dealers have a $3k ADM sticker on *every* car, even a $13k Rio. I told the sales guy, "I don't buy cars with ADM stickers, sorry." He said, "Oh, that's negotiable." I said, "If I'm going to negotiate, it's from the invoice price, not some phony markup. Have a nice day."

That is the way it is here. And they don't budge from the ADM price either, typically $1995 to $3995, meaning you buy from sticker price and not invoice.

Ranger50 wrote: I had what I wanted written down, 4.3/5spd/3.42's. Sales weasel looks at my paper of what I want and point blank says, "You don't need that. Or that either.."

I actually owned a '98 with that combo......4.3L/5sp/3.42lsd/zq8 2wd/and literally no other options besides the pewter metallic paint. Sucker didn't even have air.

EvanR wrote: All the local KIA dealers have a $3k ADM sticker on *every* car, even a $13k Rio. I told the sales guy, "I don't buy cars with ADM stickers, sorry." He said, "Oh, that's negotiable." I said, "If I'm going to negotiate, it's from the invoice price, not some phony markup. Have a nice day."

Wait, you managed to get a kia dealer to talk to you longer than 10 seconds? I went to a few when I was looking for a koup sx 6sp to replace my then aging Ion Redline........I was told by 4 dealers "Why would you even want a manual trans one anyways?" After that point, the salesman would walk away and ignore me.

yamaha wrote:

Ranger50 wrote: I had what I wanted written down, 4.3/5spd/3.42's. Sales weasel looks at my paper of what I want and point blank says, "You don't need that. Or that either.."

I actually owned a '98 with that combo......4.3L/5sp/3.42lsd/zq8 2wd/and literally no other options besides the pewter metallic paint. Sucker didn't even have air.

My son has that same truck, in black.

I don't deal with stealerships, but contemplating it soon, just to bump the credit score a bit hopefully. Last time I walked into one I got the runaround that seems normal for this town. Looking at a Nissan sentra with the ex-wife as we were borrowing a vehicle from my parents and our current car was seemingly breaking every week. Example of said runaround went something like this:

What kind of deal can you work on the car?

Well the MSRP is X minus the rebate of 1500 + your trade = Y

Well, that's not a deal, you're giving me no reason to buy this car...

Blank stare... sure it is we are giving you 1500 off the price of the car.

No, you're keeping MY rebate, that's mine. I keep it if I want to.

Cycle repeats to where wife is tears, I'm pissed off, and his boss comes in and repeats the whole thing. I tell them I will walk before I EVER walk back into that dealership, and walk away. Got a phone call or two asking us to come back in. I reiterated what I said in the lobby and Hung up.

In reality I have talked to some great dealers and some real jack rods. Walk away from the tools - work with the good ones.

Datsun310Guy wrote: In reality I have talked to some great dealers and some real jack rods. Walk away from the tools - work with the good ones.

This. I don't understand what the big deal is.

When I bought my Mustang a few months ago I called and said, "Your dealership is close to both my home and work. I know what invoice is. Call me back with the correct price and I won't even bother shopping the other Ford dealerships in town."

When I bought my truck, the 2 of the 3 Nissan dealers were a bit more of a pain to work with. I didn't buy from them.

I called all 3 and said, "I want X truck, with X options, in X color. I will be shopping you against the other two dealers in town. Here is my X trade-in, it's 1 year old, perfect condition with X miles. Call me back when you have a package worked out."

I ultimately used the dealer that did the entire thing over the phone and made it hassle free.

There seems to be quite a bit of "case study becoming a generalization"

Not sure why I care, meh. Carry on.

Obviously, this is your stereotypical local car dealer advertising. But for this much money, I'd hire an attorney when they start shoveling the $hit on why they can't fulfill their advertisements. I wouldn't settle out of court either, I'd set a precedent.

I remember one time a salesman tried to charge us $33 and change for lisence plate installation. I asked if I could install the plate myself; he denied saying that the technicians had to use special tools to install the plate!! Like you know, a wrench. We strung him along for a while to hear his BS charges; funniest thirty minutes of my life. I wish I had wrote them all down, they ended up coming out to over $400.

z31maniac wrote: When I bought my truck, the 2 of the 3 Nissan dealers were a bit more of a pain to work with. I didn't buy from them. I called all 3 and said, "I want X truck, with X options, in X color. I will be shopping you against the other two dealers in town. Here is my X trade-in, it's 1 year old, perfect condition with X miles. Call me back when you have a package worked out." I ultimately used the dealer that did the entire thing over the phone and made it hassle free.

I don't even talk to them. I research to figure out about what I should pay and start asking dealers for their best quotes. From their, the silent bidding begins. I'll take the best quote, let's say $32,000, and then knock off say $300 and ask another car dealership to give it to me for $31,700. When my mom was looking for a car, I knocked off $1,800 from the "best quote" which was already $100 under invoice!

You'll also be amazed by the power of the following term: "money factor". If your looking to lease just ask what the money factor is even if you really don't understand what it means. One dealer dropped the monthly lease payment by $120 a month after I mentioned this in the showroom.

However, if you're planning on trading in your car, then Internet trading is not for you; the dealers usually just burn you on your trade-in instead.

Maybe my dealer issues are especially bad because of my location. Geographically speaking, Las Vegas is a bit of an island. Excepting a couple of small-town Big 3 dealers, the next closest place where cars are sold is LA.

The dealers in Vegas know it. I'm not saying they collude, but every Hyundai and Kia dealer in town have a $3k ADM sticker on everything on the lot.

If I was in the market for a new car, I would do my deal online or by phone with an LA-area dealer, and fly or bum a ride down there to pick up my car. It would be well worth it.

You have already answered your own question.