Car salesman trying to play me?? PLEASE READ!!

[Ken785]

so there is this car i want selling for $13,888 at the dealer right? its used. its a 2003 acura tl but it has 100k miles on it. I went to the dealer a couple days ago to look at it, trying to compare it to the 2001 mercedez c class for around the same price...saw it but was still debating if i wanted the mercedez or not to the car salesman (my gameplan) i told them the benz is 2 years older but has half the miles...

of coarse they were trying to sell me thier car but then after the test drive he took me to his managers office and there he asks me what price will it take to have me take it home right now...

i said: "ugh...12k..."

he said: "ok for 12 u take it home right now?? lets do it...im a straight shooter, i dont play, and blah blah blah..."

so i said i had to think it over and come back in a couple days....he wouldnt let me leave and then i lied and i said i had to think it over with my wife first cuz were debating between the 2 cars...he said he understood.

so then im back today and i drive it again...there 2 deep stratces and both bumpers and the front has big paint cracky swirls on the side of the bumpers but they said it was a clean title no accidents ACCORDING to the carfax report and theyd fix it for me.

so then im back in his office and then he runs a credit check, i have a 690 so im good. i told him id throw 2k down and finance the rest IF i deicde to buy it (all still apart of my gameplan) he asks me again...what will it take for me to take the car home...and quit thinknig about the mercedez (i kept mentioning it like a really wanted it, they hate that!...lol) i said 12k out the door w/ taxes, registration,etc, and i insist he fix the bumper. he said ok...lets do it...he brings the paper work his another office....i told him i want to look at the car again...he later came out and said "No way! go but your mercedez, have anice day!...$13,888 or dont buy it!"...all aggressively all of a sudden when 2 seconds ago he was all nice and crap....

so now my question is...is he just playin me?? i lift after that...he said you wouldnt be back here if you didnt like the car...blah blah. last time i bought a car from the dealer i made them a offer and then they said no but called me a few days later and said yes....you think this is the same situation and that they think im going to cave in??

 

[DJDamage]

If you ever buy a car try avoiding buying it from a used car dealership.

Most of those cars have been in accidents or have broken down.

Never ever purchase a car before having your own mechanic inspect the car.

Go look for private owners who are the original owners of the car. You probably will get a better deal from them.

DjDamage

 

[Desdinova]

Go look for private owners who are the original owners of the car. You probably will get a better deal from them.

Agreed if you're buying used. You also don't get the sales rep bull5hit from private owners. I fvcking hate sales reps.

 

[AC/DC]

I also want a 1.8T Jetta or Audi... I'm only gonna have like $4000 cash and need about $9000 to get it.... I need the car ASAP.. would you say I should avoid a used car dealership altogether??

I'm not afraid to buy a car and work on it, mod it out and stuff... what you guys think?

 

[Desdinova]

Do any of you have a credit rating? If not, I suggest getting a credit card and begin building up one. Buy dumb 5hit on it and pay it off immediately.

Also, if you wanna get a car and have some cash stored away, get a loan to buy it anyway. You might need someone to co-sign for it. Try to get a loan to pay for the whole car. Once you get it, start paying it off. Use any money you have saved up to pay off the loan. Banks also don't like giving out loans for small amounts of money. Even though it might cost you a bit more (interest) to buy the thing, you'll build a credit rating by doing this.

Cash does not equal a credit rating. Loans do. This will help build you up for future investments such as other cars, a house, etc.

 

[ShizamDaMan]

Who the hell does that salesman think he is, telling you 12K is fine then switching his mind 15 seconds later? Car salesmen aren't paid to think, they're paid to get that car off the lot. I'd be pissed be he treated me that way, and I would have straight up told him "What is your problem, you just told me 12K like 5 seconds ago?"

I say f*ck that guy and walk on over to another dealership. If they want to play games then you can just take your money to a place that won't blow smoke up your ass.

 

[Bible_Belt]

An insistence upon doing the deal "today" is a red flag for you, but it is just normal salesmanship on his part. He is probably a good salesperson.

But as in any relationship, the one with the most power is the one who needs the other one the least. You have the ultimate control with the power to walk away.

Keep in mind that cars almost always make horrible investments, because they go down in value.

 

[PRMoon]

Okay here's how it goes. I'm an actual salesmen but I sell motorcycles (new and used not cars) which is a similar market but different in some ways that I don't think need to be mentioned here.

First off I ask people what's it going to take to get you on a bike today. I'm a salesmen, the only way I make money is if I roll a vehicle. So by sitting here with you debating the price and which cars you like, your job, your future, blah blah blah, I'm not dealing with any other coustomers, of whom one might be a person with a high credit score and is looking to buy full ride with no BS. So if you're going back and forth between two of my products and you leave the store and come back (I'm going to do WHATEVER it takes to keep you in the store) or say you need to go to a meeting and will be back tomorrow I start getting the feelin that you're not serious about buying something and here I've wasted all this time and made exactly zero dollars. Not exactly the way I want to spend my day, but i'll deal with you because that's my job. Typically, If I'm selling a vehicle used I have to have my mechanics put it through a 20 point inspection to make sure that everything works. If there's anything wrong with the vehicles i'll have it fixed and deduct or add that money from the vehicle sale that whoever is selling or trading the vehicle to my dealership. Depending on the reputability of my dealership this may or may not be legit. If it's an authorized dealership from the factory then it's manditory, but there are people with dealer licences who will do the bare minimum to keep cost low.

By my estimation, because this has happen to me before, when he took that deal for 12K back to his office, his finance manager told him to rip into you. You'd been there for two days, you're still talking about another vehicle, and now you want repair work done. Finance officers are not about to give away repair work for a slashed price, "we're not trying to give these things away" is what mine told me for a similar sale I had. And really they have every right to do so, their primary job is to protect the dealership and produce revenue, not sell mechanic time (which is expencive) for free. So when the median (sales man) came back he was told to be tough and play hard ball with you. You can still work with him but at least try to figure in the damage cost for your vehicle. Instead of 12K go back and tell them 12.5K and sign your name on the write up sheet, or give them a deposit to show you're serious. That will calm down your salesman because that means you want to buy, and though the fiance officer won't be thrilled he'll do it for that price bcause that 1.3K won't be missed due to the fact that you're financing the vehicle.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Do you think it might matter that we are still not yet mid-month? I have never sold cars, so I don't know if they are likely to be on monthly bonus setup.

*If* the car is still there in a couple of weeks, they might be more willing to deal.

 

[splinterkb]

I wouldnt pay 12k for a car with 100k miles on it. And, used car salesmen are trash. They'll tell you anything to try and get it sold.

 

[PRMoon]

Hmmm it depends on the dealership. You generally won't get a bonus for selling an individual vehicle but there could be a spiff board in the sales office with that vehicle on it for like 1 or 2 two hundered dollars. Other then that this looks like a pretty much run of the mill sales man gets between 5-20% of the gross profit for the vehicle depending on the volume of the dealership. Any bonuses for the month are issued at the first and paid in your checks.

Typically time on the lot doesn't do too much for the price. Sure as a salesman i will tell people there's a special on a vehicle but typically i'm blowing smoke. Sometimes there's a clearence for certian vehicles because the dealership wants to stock up on a newer product and has to get rid of the old but used car dealerships don't do that too often unless they're certified by a manufacturer. Other then that they really don't care how long a vehicle stays on the lot, especially around holidays because they know the lot will turnover two or three times before the season is over.

 

[PRMoon]

Originally posted by splinterkb
I wouldnt pay 12k for a car with 100k miles on it. And, used car salesmen are trash. They'll tell you anything to try and get it sold.

I'm not going to comment on the trashstatment because it's partly true.

But there's typically a lot of BS that a salesmen has to put up with especially when selling a used vehcile from the customer as well as the sales/finace office. Also keep in mind sales men have to compete with other sales men who will stab them in the back at the drop of a hat, in order to pick their pocket. Not saying salesmen are completely unethical but sales is a tough buisness and it takes tough men and often times a hustler like mentality to survive in it, and serious skill to be sucessful.

 

[Derek Flint]

Long read, but it could save you thousands of dollars:

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html

 

[thederekeffect1]

Originally posted by PRMoon
Okay here's how it goes. I'm an actual salesmen but I sell motorcycles (new and used not cars) which is a similar market but different in some ways that I don't think need to be mentioned here.

First off I ask people what's it going to take to get you on a bike today. I'm a salesmen, the only way I make money is if I roll a vehicle. So by sitting here with you debating the price and which cars you like, your job, your future, blah blah blah, I'm not dealing with any other coustomers, of whom one might be a person with a high credit score and is looking to buy full ride with no BS. So if you're going back and forth between two of my products and you leave the store and come back (I'm going to do WHATEVER it takes to keep you in the store) or say you need to go to a meeting and will be back tomorrow I start getting the feelin that you're not serious about buying something and here I've wasted all this time and made exactly zero dollars. Not exactly the way I want to spend my day, but i'll deal with you because that's my job. Typically, If I'm selling a vehicle used I have to have my mechanics put it through a 20 point inspection to make sure that everything works. If there's anything wrong with the vehicles i'll have it fixed and deduct or add that money from the vehicle sale that whoever is selling or trading the vehicle to my dealership. Depending on the reputability of my dealership this may or may not be legit. If it's an authorized dealership from the factory then it's manditory, but there are people with dealer licences who will do the bare minimum to keep cost low.

By my estimation, because this has happen to me before, when he took that deal for 12K back to his office, his finance manager told him to rip into you. You'd been there for two days, you're still talking about another vehicle, and now you want repair work done. Finance officers are not about to give away repair work for a slashed price, "we're not trying to give these things away" is what mine told me for a similar sale I had. And really they have every right to do so, their primary job is to protect the dealership and produce revenue, not sell mechanic time (which is expencive) for free. So when the median (sales man) came back he was told to be tough and play hard ball with you. You can still work with him but at least try to figure in the damage cost for your vehicle. Instead of 12K go back and tell them 12.5K and sign your name on the write up sheet, or give them a deposit to show you're serious. That will calm down your salesman because that means you want to buy, and though the fiance officer won't be thrilled he'll do it for that price bcause that 1.3K won't be missed due to the fact that you're financing the vehicle.

Of course the finance manager isn't going to be thrilled about lowering the price. Especially if there are damage costs... But that's where the dealer is put in a tough position. He still wants to make this guy a potential buyer, but he has to make the finance manager happy at the same time. This is usually where the dealer should negotiate the price up. Not to the price that they want, but not to the price the buyer wants either. Try to meet somewhere in the middle so that both partys are happy.

The part that confuses me is the dealers attitude is all wrong. He shouldn't have came out of the office and said, "go buy the mercedes". That leaves the impression that the dealer has no interest what-so-ever in you as a buyer. While the other dealership is still showing interest. As the customer, I'm thinking, "Wow. This guys a prick. I think I WILL go buy that mercedes. Atleast they want my business. Besides, the mercedes probably has less work to be done to it".

Instead, the dealer should have came out with the mindset of negotiating. Raising the price. Talking the buyer into helping to pay for some of the damage repairs. Especially taking into consideration that the car was advertised without damages, and it turned out that there was. The company should take a little blame for that. Instead of saying, "buy the mercedes", I would have said something that made the customer feel more important. Not like a worthless piece of sh*t despite the fact that he had good credit. Something more like, "Well, I just got done talking to my finance manager. Unfortunally, the terms you want is a disadvantage for us... So, I'm not going to be able to sell the car for the price that you want. But sense you have good credit, I would still like to help you get the best deal you can. So, here are some other options that we could possibly look over if you are still interested".

Oh and someone said, "It's not the dealers job to think. It's the dealers job to sell the car". How do you know what the dealers job is? Are you a dealer. Being a car dealer is nothing like working at your local grocery store and ringing up items. Just like buying a car is nothing like buying a carton of milk. Theres a lot of negotiating involved. Have you ever tried negotiating with a friend? Theres a lot of thinking involved. "Will this deal hurt me? Does it work out for my friend? Okay, lets try this than".

 

[Shiftkey]

He told you that because you were wasting his time. Time spent with you not buying a car is money lost from other customers. I mean you made two offers and he flat out agreed to both of them, and then you just changed your mind. He might even think you're playing some kind of joke and had no intention of buying anything from the beginning.

 

[GirlCrazy]

I sold cars for about a year. Was good at it, but hated the job with a passion.

You just had an inexperienced salesmen. I would have told you all sorts of stuff like the mercedes is a piece of sh!t (which would actually be true about the C class), you get what you pay for, this isn't a fire sale, this is quality fvckin' merchandise, this *is* the car you really want after all, and I'm sure we can work out a price you're happy with. I'd give you this car for free but the manager is such a hardass, but since we have such a great rapport and you're my new bestest buddy I'm sure the manager will make an exception, and oh yeah my wife's pregnant (I was single - they gave us fake rings) and she's having complications so it's in all our best interests to get you a good deal, blah blah blah, until you either hugged me and said "I love you man" or I turned you to another salesman who related to you better (still giving me half a deal), or you slipped out before the other 20 salesmen could stop you. Oh, and I would've reminded you that every time you visit a dealership and fill out an app, it lowers your credit score by 10 points.

I did what I had to do to make the sale. No regrets there. We all gotta eat after all, but it just made me feel dirty, not to mention it was draining. One day I realized that I didn't want to end up as a 40 year old alcoholic salesman with no self esteem, and went to work for an insurance company for half the money, where I met the folks that are still taking good care of me 15 years (and 4 companies) later. Oh, and nobody yells at me for being honest - it's actually a plus.

Since then it doesn't bother me walking onto a car lot - those guys gotta eat too. But now I know the secret: Every time you start walking towards the door, the price goes down. They'd rather make less money than no money.

 

[ShizamDaMan]

Originally posted by thederekeffect1
Oh and someone said, "It's not the dealers job to think. It's the dealers job to sell the car". How do you know what the dealers job is? Are you a dealer. Being a car dealer is nothing like working at your local grocery store and ringing up items. Just like buying a car is nothing like buying a carton of milk. Theres a lot of negotiating involved. Have you ever tried negotiating with a friend? Theres a lot of thinking involved. "Will this deal hurt me? Does it work out for my friend? Okay, lets try this than".

So what if I've never sold a car, I've sold tons of other stuff including several thousand dollars of computer equipment. I don't feel the need to jerk someone around, I lay it out for them. I'd be more apt to tell someone "Well I'm looking to get X dollars for Y product," and then we go from there. If someone offers too low, I simply go "I can't do it for that much." No storming out to berate them and tell them to go somewhere else, no playing bull**** games to make an extra buck. If you can't treat someone like a human being while negotiating then you have no business trying to do BUSINESS!

I'm just saying that some people are inherently ****ty, and that particular car dealer sounds like one of them. One of my dad's old friends sells cars, and he's one of the most dishonest people I know. He personally ****ed over my Camaro for the tune of at least several thousand dollars and months of non-operation. Needless to say we don't talk to him anymore.

I wish my dad could have talked to that saleman. He knows how to tear them in half. We had a guy ready to sell us a 10,000 sticker price car for 3,000 out the door (title, taxes, etc) with a trade on my broke down at the time Camaro.

 

[penkitten]

isnt that his job?

 

[Levex]

People who buy from dealerships are usually the ones who dont know sh1t about cars and go by what the dealer tells them.

The best way to go about it is to find a private trade(autotrader, local classifieds or just sign on a street).Once you settle on what car you're interested in, pick your own mechanic and do a full inspection (about 60-80 bucks). Run YOUR OWN carfax report, dont trust what anyone tells you about the car, plus you get unlimited reports for 1 month for something like $25 so you can check all the cars you're looking at.

Get an estimate from a mechanic on how much it will cost to fix all major problems(it usually comes out to 30-40% less when you dont get everything done at the same place, shop around).

And just take a good close look at the car. Its fairly easy to tell if previous owners took good care of it or not.