Buying cars from dealers.

[ecodiesel1]

I'm curious to see how your experiences have been. Buying the gf a new vw bettle and long story short they wouldn't move off the sticker and I brought up a few points about what was wrong with the car and they didn't seem to care. Salesman was a jerk and you could tell he didn't care if I bought it or not.

Spoke to the manager and he told me I should just go somewhere else. How does these people stay in business ??

 

[BoostN]

Personally.. as a customer you need me to keep your doors open. The dealer needs to treat you with respect. I would of walked out and made sure my friends and family knew about it.

 

[Ramconvert]

This type of thing happens more then you might think. I looked at a 14 Ram longhorn and they wouldn't move at all either.
When shopping for my wife's car one of the salesmen we talked to wouldn't even look at her. He kept talking to me. Even after explaining very clearly this is for her and her decision.

I bought a brand spanking new Dodge Ram in 07. Sticker was 37 something. There was a used 06 next to it for 30. I wound up buying the new truck because they would not move off the used trucks price??? The new truck wound up costing LESS too. Figure that one out?

Problem is, your salesman additude comes from the fact that as soon as you walk out. The next guy will walk in and pay sticker. Sad but true.

As a side note. The Internet has really leveled the playing field for us as consumers. It's hard for one dealer to charge much more than the next now. My advice. Figure out what you want. Know what features you want and, what features are available on the car. That way you can compare apples to apples. Usually without even leaving your home.

 

[super32]

a very novice experience here - as I've never personally purchased a new vehicle from a dealership - rather I've sat in on purchases of new vehicles, and on occasion a used vehicle.

(my experience and opinion) Like another mentioned, it all depends on the dealer. Some dealerships are "popular" and don't necessarily *need* to make a sale on every customer that walks on to the lot; these popular dealerships get so much traffic into their dealership lot that the statistics of making a deal on one of those customers gives a pretty good count to the overall sales.
Other dealerships which may not see as many customers walk in, or perhaps may not see buyers with "fatter" wallets, need to make sales to keep open like you mentioned.

Also depends on the popularity of the vehicle too. Not sure how popular the VW Beetle is, but perhaps with women, they're quite popular and if they don't make the sale with you and your ladyfriend, maybe they will on the next.

Again to echo what another has already said - just keep your options open. Or, if you already know what you want, you can try the internet approach. Many dealers are going this route. Establish your "must-haves" and contact the dealership by email. Let them know that you refuse to step onto the lot or testdrive (mainly because you already know what you want and have test-driven already it sounds like) until they can assure you a price that you're comfortable with. This will save you time, gas, and hassle of sitting in a dealership hours-on-end while the dealer walks back and forth between you and the finance manager

good luck!

 

[ecodiesel1]

a very novice experience here - as I've never personally purchased a new vehicle from a dealership - rather I've sat in on purchases of new vehicles, and on occasion a used vehicle.

(my experience and opinion) Like another mentioned, it all depends on the dealer. Some dealerships are "popular" and don't necessarily *need* to make a sale on every customer that walks on to the lot; these popular dealerships get so much traffic into their dealership lot that the statistics of making a deal on one of those customers gives a pretty good count to the overall sales.
Other dealerships which may not see as many customers walk in, or perhaps may not see buyers with "fatter" wallets, need to make sales to keep open like you mentioned.

Also depends on the popularity of the vehicle too. Not sure how popular the VW Beetle is, but perhaps with women, they're quite popular and if they don't make the sale with you and your ladyfriend, maybe they will on the next.

Again to echo what another has already said - just keep your options open. Or, if you already know what you want, you can try the internet approach. Many dealers are going this route. Establish your "must-haves" and contact the dealership by email. Let them know that you refuse to step onto the lot or testdrive (mainly because you already know what you want and have test-driven already it sounds like) until they can assure you a price that you're comfortable with. This will save you time, gas, and hassle of sitting in a dealership hours-on-end while the dealer walks back and forth between you and the finance manager

good luck!

Good information. I really dislike buying cars, but the last purchase wasn't so bad for me. the salesmen was nice and respectful of my and my family, which makes everything better.

 

[RamMan]

My biggest hate is the salesmen that harass you when you pull into the parking lot!

 

[HTMRAM]

I went on to the lot just to look at the 2015 Ram ED, I already knew what I wanted, and the sales team (more than one guy) were very nice.... just looking quickly turned into buying after the test drive . I love this truck!

 

[Crawler Hauler]

I would say it all depends on where you live as well. Here in the Dallas area there is a lot every few miles. I always let them know up front if they aren't going to deal the way I want someone else will.

 

[BoostN]

I would say it all depends on where you live as well. Here in the Dallas area there is a lot every few miles. I always let them know up front if they aren't going to deal the way I want someone else will.

My "better half" always tells me to stop being so rude when I act like that. Same for buying tires.. I told the last guy if his price isn't close I'll just go some where else.

 

[jdn112011]

My "better half" always tells me to stop being so rude when I act like that. Same for buying tires.. I told the last guy if his price isn't close I'll just go some where else.

My "better half" reacts to my attitude in situations like that pretty similarly. But I get my point across at the expense of a little trouble with her. I guess it's the price you pay.

Someone somewhere is willing to do GOOD business. I'd rather take the time to go there and continue going there in the future.