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!
