truck i want is delivered, dealer lets me know. dealer adds $2100 of "aftermarket" stuff into price. sales manager willing to knock this $2100 down to $1000 for about $500 worth of crap i don't want/need. i walk away(metaphorically, this has all been email/phone).
i found a higher optioned vehicle from large volume dealer on ebay for 4k less with buy it now or best offer. seriously considering that route at this point.
I walked away from a van because they wouldn't remove $500 worth of wheel locks, nitrogen in the tires (really) door edge protectors, and some other crap. Said they had to add it to every vehichicle. I hate car dealers so much.
Every time, I've either had them remove the stuff completely or just deduct it from the price. They've never refused one or the other and I've never had to walk.
I always just search autotrader for the exact trim I want then go to the dealer that offers the best deal.
I am pretty sure that Pat is trying for a custom spec'ed pickup for towing.
I think you are saying that the dealership ordered in a specific option package for you but then tried bait/switch when you actually came to buy it.
I would visit this dealership to drive and inspect the truck to be sure this is the combo you want. I would then finish with, "thanks but no thanks."
From there head off to another dealership to buy. Before you order, have that second dealership do a regional inventory search. They may be able to pull that exact truck from dealer #1.
Some of the dealerships around Charlotte have become so huge and impressive it just baffles me. Where do people think the money to build these places comes from?
In reply to patgizz:
I feel your pain. I'm still looking for a used 1 ton for around $15k and the dealers are ridiculous with what they want with these high mile trucks.
mazdeuce wrote: I walked away from a van because they wouldn't remove $500 worth of wheel locks, nitrogen in the tires (really) door edge protectors, and some other crap. Said they had to add it to every vehichicle. I hate car dealers so much.
I saw the green caps and the $120 Nitrogen fee and I told them to suck it out and put air in. They deducted it and surprise surprise they left the nitrogen in there. Free Nitrogen can you believe it?! 
this truck was priced to my specs and then ordered accidentally without my deposit 2 months ago, so it literally was exactly what i was looking for. minus the extra crap.
i'm not one to bend over for a dealer, if i can't have things my way they're not happening. i've even had the "price marked is not negotiable" dealers throwing extra parts in for me since they wouldn't talk price.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to patgizz: I feel your pain. I'm still looking for a used 1 ton for around $15k and the dealers are ridiculous with what they want with these high mile trucks.
i looked in the 20k range and i was finding 10 year old trucks with 200k miles and no warranty. for that, i may as well buy new with a 100k mile warranty. i tried the used higher mile route with the avalanche, my first car payment. my loan is $321 a month, but effectively with all the repairs i've made since i bought the truck with 110k(now has 156k) i've been paying in excess of $600 a month for the trucks with the repairs spread out over the almost 3 years i've had it. that's brand new diesel 3500 numbers.
This reminds me of the time that I went to look at a Ranger, just before I bought my C1500. The dealer said $4k, so I went to see it. The topper was falling apart, but it was otherwise fairly solid. I asked if I could see it once it's had a wash and vacuum, and they said that it would be no problem. They call me up a few days later, and said that the truck was cleaned up. I went down there, and it looked really good after just a wash and vacuum. I start talking numbers, and they said that they cleaned it up, and threw on a set of used tires they had in storage, so it was now $6k. Needless to say, I walked.
G_Body_Man wrote: This reminds me of the time that I went to look at a Ranger, just before I bought my C1500. The dealer said $4k, so I went to see it. The topper was falling apart, but it was otherwise fairly solid. I asked if I could see it once it's had a wash and vacuum, and they said that it would be no problem. They call me up a few days later, and said that the truck was cleaned up. I went down there, and it looked really good after just a wash and vacuum. I start talking numbers, and they said that they cleaned it up, and threw on a set of used tires they had in storage, so it was now $6k. Needless to say, I walked.
that's shady dealer stuff right there, unfortunately it seems like that is the norm and not the exception in the business.
i had been keeping an eye on a local one that checks the most important boxes, it'd cost me around $600 to get the missing bits and install them myself(gooseneck underbed hitch, gooseneck wiring, side steps). last night it dropped 3k, to a whopping 12k below the one i was ready to make a deal on yesterday. there are a few compromises that i'm more than willing to live with and once i have a new truck i'd probably forget about anyway.
when my wife gets up i'm going to see if she feels like going to a dealer.
There is a good reason that I just punted and went to Carmax to buy the minivan
tuna55 wrote: There is a good reason that I just punted and went to Carmax to buy the minivan
That's where I took my Mom for her car. The crazy part was she still got a good deal on the car. The pricing was actually less than KBB, so she threw in the warranty. My guess is they priced it low to make it easier to pitch the warranty (which it will probably never need). Price was still decent. Mom has a nice newer car and I don't have to worry about her breaking down in her old POS Saturn.
I just punted our dealer that was servicing my wife's car thanks to their overzealous service department. Found out later that they canned the whole service department management team for unspecified reasons.
My dad has had 2 experiences with CarMax. My best friend has had 1. There have been 0 experiences that they would not repeat.
I always search CarMax when looking for a car. Besides, with their 5-Day Money-Back Guarantee, it is like getting a really long test drive. Dad found out the 2008 5 series he had bought didn't have heated seats after the first day. Back to the dealer it went, and there were no question asked.
In reply to patgizz:
What truck did you order and how did you option it?
Is the dealer nearby? If so--- go there in person, and ask to speak with the General Sales Manager. (GSM) Tell them this is the truck you want, and you are prepared to buy---- today. Also tell them to remove, or not charge you for the extras you didn't order.
If they then still refuse--- walk, and tell them your offer stands.
They may not be taking you seriously, as you aren't there in person. Show up in person, and they will know you mean business. Also--- have your financing in order before you walk through that door. If the dealership is playing these types of games, chances are they will try to screw you in the finance "box" as well.
Or you can search for a dealer that is reputable. They are out there.
The deal (Ha!) is that I (and many others) don't have multiple afternoons to kill walking and out of various dealerships. With Carmax, we spent perhaps an hour on the grounds including test drives, paying, and picking it up. With the PT Cruiser way back, it was an eight hour thing, and that was only counting the successful dealer.
patgizz wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to patgizz: I feel your pain. I'm still looking for a used 1 ton for around $15k and the dealers are ridiculous with what they want with these high mile trucks.i looked in the 20k range and i was finding 10 year old trucks with 200k miles and no warranty. for that, i may as well buy new with a 100k mile warranty. i tried the used higher mile route with the avalanche, my first car payment. my loan is $321 a month, but effectively with all the repairs i've made since i bought the truck with 110k(now has 156k) i've been paying in excess of $600 a month for the trucks with the repairs spread out over the almost 3 years i've had it. that's brand new diesel 3500 numbers.
My problem is that I won't be able to afford new truck payments. My credit isn't great, so I'm stuck with 10 year old trucks with unknown service history. I'm really trying to find a GM Duramax truck or Dodge, but all I'm finding are Ford 6.0L trucks. 
I love the dealership strategy of when they print out the KBB dealer retail price in excellent condition when the vehicle is in poor condition. Then they value my excellent condition vehicle below the poor condition trade-in.
I have a new found angle on the dealer fees, I work for a 3rd party company that works with dealerships and see a lot of the fee's that dealerships add to every car on the lot because we ask that they are displayed to consumers plainly. I always laugh at the $800 of "wheel locks, pinstriping and vin etching" It seems....excessive.
Sitting at a dealer right now, been here for 4ish hours. Kids going stir crazy, i have a headache and didn't eat lunch assuming this should be a 2 hour in and out process.
In reply to patgizz:
ugh, Im dreading dealers.... need a new car for SWMBO....
ncjay wrote: Some of the dealerships around Charlotte have become so huge and impressive it just baffles me. Where do people think the money to build these places comes from?
I feel the same way about Las Vegas 
Used trucks hold their value because you can use them to make money. It's just how the market works.
When we bought our truck (new, because we get a wicked fleet discount and see statement above), the dealer didn't try very hard to upsell. Bedliner, that's about it. I think when we pulled out the fleet discount they just lost hope. We did take their financing because it was stupid cheap.
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