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buying a car
- Thread starter SoKlueles
- Start date
Razorguns
Well-known member
I can also suggest one caveat to beware:
The "belittling" factor.
Example:
Car costs $10,000. You decide beforehand that it's really worth $8,000 and that's what you want to pay. You go to salesperson (who never gives you answer really, but wants you to "step inside) who then hears your offer.
He laughs. He belittles. He questions your "ability" to understand car economics.
His job is to BREAK you down. Accept HIS reality, not YOUR reality. QUESTION your facts. He'll go down a whopping $200. So it's $9800. His job is to make you believe he CAN'T go down at all. That you'll get the SAME price elsewhere. This car is WORTH it.
These guys are MASTERS at the mind game. If he has to sit for an HOUR to wait it out, just to make the extra $1,000 profit -- bet your ASS he'll do it (if he KNOWS that you are serious about buying, and it's just a matter of figuring out the price).
Unless yo'ure damn good at mind games back at someone -- you'll probably lose. These guys do this shit day in/day out.
So HOW do you avoid the dreaded negotiation, and belittling and arguing back and forth where they fight for an hour to go down $50, and you're still $3000 away from *their* price and they're making it seem YOU are the one who isn't being 'realistic'?
Walk.
Put the leverage in your corner. When they sense that you WILL walk and go try your luck elsewhere -- comes the leverage. Stop answering their rhetorical "questions"
"But Cindy DON'T you like this car?" "Don't you agree, it's beautiful?", "have you EVER had problems with this model before? It's WORTH it!" blah blah).
Treat it like a professional business meeting. Act like a lawyer. Make your case, present it and say THAT'S it. If they can't reach it -- make your best offer, and you'll take it back and sit on it. You're NOT going to sit there for an hour so they can *convince* you. You just want their BEST offer and that's what you're WAITING for.
Trust me. Making a stand and STICKING to it si *much* easier than playing a battle of wits game with a sales person. WAY easier.
The "belittling" factor.
Example:
Car costs $10,000. You decide beforehand that it's really worth $8,000 and that's what you want to pay. You go to salesperson (who never gives you answer really, but wants you to "step inside) who then hears your offer.
He laughs. He belittles. He questions your "ability" to understand car economics.
His job is to BREAK you down. Accept HIS reality, not YOUR reality. QUESTION your facts. He'll go down a whopping $200. So it's $9800. His job is to make you believe he CAN'T go down at all. That you'll get the SAME price elsewhere. This car is WORTH it.
These guys are MASTERS at the mind game. If he has to sit for an HOUR to wait it out, just to make the extra $1,000 profit -- bet your ASS he'll do it (if he KNOWS that you are serious about buying, and it's just a matter of figuring out the price).
Unless yo'ure damn good at mind games back at someone -- you'll probably lose. These guys do this shit day in/day out.
So HOW do you avoid the dreaded negotiation, and belittling and arguing back and forth where they fight for an hour to go down $50, and you're still $3000 away from *their* price and they're making it seem YOU are the one who isn't being 'realistic'?
Walk.
Put the leverage in your corner. When they sense that you WILL walk and go try your luck elsewhere -- comes the leverage. Stop answering their rhetorical "questions"
"But Cindy DON'T you like this car?" "Don't you agree, it's beautiful?", "have you EVER had problems with this model before? It's WORTH it!" blah blah).Treat it like a professional business meeting. Act like a lawyer. Make your case, present it and say THAT'S it. If they can't reach it -- make your best offer, and you'll take it back and sit on it. You're NOT going to sit there for an hour so they can *convince* you. You just want their BEST offer and that's what you're WAITING for.
Trust me. Making a stand and STICKING to it si *much* easier than playing a battle of wits game with a sales person. WAY easier.
OMG when me and my ex bought a new windstar van last year, they did that crap to us then......like they COULDNT go down......because it was such a nice vehicle which it was, but im sure other vehicles are just as nice.....i so have to get my mind on this
My dad is awesome about this stuff, he fenangles and if he dont like what they say, he walks, its his money so he walks.
My dad is awesome about this stuff, he fenangles and if he dont like what they say, he walks, its his money so he walks.
vinylgroover
New member
Will you be finacning the whole purchase?
If not, take cash with you to the negotiations and after getting them to their lowest figure, then say to them 'o.k, now how much for cash'.
Make sure you shop around and always write down your offers from other dealers and make each dealer try and beat the other.
Just be tuff and shrewd and as the others have said, be prepared to walk.
If not, take cash with you to the negotiations and after getting them to their lowest figure, then say to them 'o.k, now how much for cash'.
Make sure you shop around and always write down your offers from other dealers and make each dealer try and beat the other.
Just be tuff and shrewd and as the others have said, be prepared to walk.
Also, I'd go with a used vehicle unless you are absolutely dead-set on getting a model with your own custom options/color scheme or you have absolutely no faith in peoples past driving with used cars (which is lame).
I wouldnt buy a 2004 model car tomorrow even if I won a lump sum of $500,000. Well, maybe there a couple exceptions (new Chrysler 300C w/Hemi: the "poor" man's Bentley or maybe a Yukon Denali XL), but there are used cars I would be looking for even before those. With used cars at least 2-3 yrs old, you dont have to deal with steep depreciation either (or at least not as fast). The car will have already gone through its large initial depreciation and you will at least have a chance of making a decent portion of the money you spent back when it is time for resale.
New reliability ratings came out for the past year, the top 5 in quality were: Lexus, Cadillac, Buick, Lincoln, and something else (cant remember).
I would also *never* trade a car in to a dealer. They live for that shit b/c they will nitpick EVERY possible flaw on your car in an attempt to lower their already low offer. People end up getting $800-1000 credit on a $6000 car thats not too old just b/c they want a new car and dont want the hassle of trying to sell the old one.
I wouldnt buy a 2004 model car tomorrow even if I won a lump sum of $500,000. Well, maybe there a couple exceptions (new Chrysler 300C w/Hemi: the "poor" man's Bentley or maybe a Yukon Denali XL), but there are used cars I would be looking for even before those. With used cars at least 2-3 yrs old, you dont have to deal with steep depreciation either (or at least not as fast). The car will have already gone through its large initial depreciation and you will at least have a chance of making a decent portion of the money you spent back when it is time for resale.
New reliability ratings came out for the past year, the top 5 in quality were: Lexus, Cadillac, Buick, Lincoln, and something else (cant remember).
I would also *never* trade a car in to a dealer. They live for that shit b/c they will nitpick EVERY possible flaw on your car in an attempt to lower their already low offer. People end up getting $800-1000 credit on a $6000 car thats not too old just b/c they want a new car and dont want the hassle of trying to sell the old one.
I will most definately be getting a used car. Im driving a 1993 Lumina Van right now with over 200,000 miles on it so in the Kellys book its worth like 400 dollars, I want a newer car, thats cheaper on gas. I will be financing, but would it be cheaper to get a loan from a bank instead of getting a loan thru the car dealer?
If you get the loan through a bank, you have much more negotiating power. If you have to finance through the dealer, theyhave more leverage.
Buying used? Whatever price they quote, cut $5000. Start negotiating there.
Buying used? Whatever price they quote, cut $5000. Start negotiating there.
Bran987 said:
That advice was based on a detailed conversation I had with a guy I was in the Army with. On weekends, he sold used cars at a high volume dealership.
i remember him saying
"We get our cars through auto brokers whohandle trade ins. When you trade your car in, a dealer will give you something for it t get you and keep you asa customer. but he doesn't want it or need it. So he sells it cheap to an auto broker who sells it to a used dealership.
The other source of our cars in industry only auctions like Mannheim. (Monster auction in PA, dealers only).
Once we get them, we will never tell a buyer what we paid. And we mark it up at least $5,000"
Now - this was at a high volume dealer. At a luxury car dealer, you might have less luck - if the Lexus is $40K and you say $35K, that dealer may prefer to wait for the next buyer.
or, he bought it and marked it up $10K.
You don't really know, but dropping $5K off the price of the car is a good start. (Note, if it is under $10K, cut it in half).
Here is what I will occasionally do.
The price is $30K. Me: $25,000 is my number.
Dealer: blah blahblah
Me: I see. $24,500.
Dealer blah blah blah
Me: OK, fine $23,000.
make them negotiate against themselves. I do this in business all the time.
ANyway, the hard $5K is usually a pretty good guideline.
