the art of the deal........used car salesman edition

[Sweats]

I went car hunting yesterday (i hate it), but here's the conversation between me and the Toyota sales guy after i test drove a car.....

 

 

me: alright, i like it, so let's sit down and throw some numbers around.......maybe a little negotiating

 

sales guy: oh, i don't negotiate........the price of the car, is the price of the car. Toyota's basically sell themselves

 

me: okay, whatever, buddy

 

sales guy: okay, so you're going to need this and this and that and some of that and don't forget the sales tax and the tax for this and the tax for that and here's your final number

 

me: yeah, i don't like that......if you can drop that price down a little bit and give me a little something better, then i'll sign the paperwork today

 

sales guy: no

 

me: no?.......just no

 

sales guy: the tires are no good, i'll give you that, so i'm throwing in new tires.

 

me: yeah but, you have to throw in tires anyways cause you need them to pass the safety inspection

 

sales guy: yeah but, i'm giving you good tires and these cost $700

 

me: $700 per tire?

 

sales guy: $700 for all four.......they are Toyo, top of the line

 

me: i don't want Toyo.......i want Michelin

 

sales guy: oh no, those tires are too good, so you'll get Toyo

 

me: alright, i think we're done here........i'm headed over to Honda

 

sales guy: Honda?.......those guys don't know how to treat their customers

 

me: okay, i'm going to let you in on a little secret here, guy........we both know that the buyer always loses when buying a used car, it's no big secret. The customer just wants to feel that they've won something, we both know they don't, but they just want to walk away feeling like they did and not even willing to negotiate over a few dollars or give the customer at least a little satisfaction that they made a good deal is heinous

 

sales guy: well, maybe we can put you into a car that's a little more in your price bracket

 

me: you don't even know my price bracket

 

sales guy: i'm starting to suspect your price bracket

 

me: i'm starting to suspect that i should have started my day at Honda.........i'm out

 

sales guy: okay, here's the deal of the day......i'll take out the tires and you can save yourself $700

 

me: but, you still need the tires for the safety inspection which comes out of your pocket, not mine. The cost of the safety certification is yours

 

sales guy: ????????????????

 

me: ????????????

 

sales guy: ?????????????

 

me: ........i'm going to Honda

 

[Augie]

 

This is roughly why I use my personal shopper when it’s absolutely necessary to get a car. She enjoys the game as much as I detest it.  I pulled up in the lot one time and before both feet got out of the car and hit the pavement a guy says “so is this the one you’re trading in?”  We did not stay, I don’t tolerate BS well. 

 

She does her homework with a cousin who is at the auctions and she has other resources. She’s not shy about getting up and leaving a dealership. Not in a huff, but just as part of getting what she wants. She gets a few dealers competing in the search and sees who comes thru. 

 

She wanted to replace my car/dog taxi but I shot that down. I like my dings and scratches and fur. I’d have to worry about a new car, when this one is perfectly broken in! 

[Albany,n.y.]

This is why I buy new: The tires are always new.  

I got screwed at 17 buying a used car & I vowed to never buy used again.  I buy new & run them into the ground.  My current car is 15 years old, with less than 58,000 miles & since I don't drive much anymore it will probably last me the rest of my life.  My last 2 cars before this one lasted 10 years & 13 years, both over 100k miles. 

[BringBackFlutie]

I wanted a better ending...

[Sweats]

4 minutes ago, BringBackFlutie said:

I wanted a better ending...

 

 

 

..........so did i

[Just Jack]

6 hours ago, Augie said:

This is roughly why I use my personal shopper when it’s absolutely necessary to get a car. She enjoys the game as much as I detest it.  

 

That's what I need. I hate car shopping. When I bought my used Ford Ranger back in 2000 (it was a 1998) I asked the salesperson how much, he gave me a price, and I said ok. Found out later I probably could have got about $3K off what he said. 

[PastaJoe]

I’ve always had good outcomes buying certified used cars that still have some of the original warranty. Often they were leased cars that someone turned in after a year.

[dancing_joker]

Try EchoPark for used cars

[US Egg]

1 hour ago, PastaJoe said:

I’ve always had good outcomes buying certified used cars that still have some of the original warranty. Often they were leased cars that someone turned in after a year.

Bought two certified. A Crown Vic, then a Grand Marquis, added the b2b extended warranty, each lasted about 8 yrs. and never a worry about repairs.

[ExiledInIllinois]

About 20 years ago had salesman hide my keys looking at trade.  I was livid when he pulled then out of desk drawer.  Deal breaker.  Over $800 too

 

My kids were just about to go ballistic too, waiting so long, they were about to blow... Should have unleashed them on the popcorn 🍿 machine (yes dealer had a popcorn machine) before we stormed out... But I was the bigger man!

 

🤣 

17 minutes ago, US Egg said:

Bought two certified. A Crown Vic, then a Grand Marquis, added the b2b extended warranty, each lasted about 8 yrs. and never a worry about repairs.

What are you?  A 75 year old retiree OR a cop?

 

😆🤣

 

😜

 

5 hours ago, BringBackFlutie said:

I wanted a better ending...

This is a family board! 

[ExiledInIllinois]

7 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said:

This is why I buy new: The tires are always new.  

I got screwed at 17 buying a used car & I vowed to never buy used again.  I buy new & run them into the ground.  My current car is 15 years old, with less than 58,000 miles & since I don't drive much anymore it will probably last me the rest of my life.  My last 2 cars before this one lasted 10 years & 13 years, both over 100k miles. 

Vehicles are meant to be driven.  Too few miles leads to other issues like dead batteries @ bad mufflers, exhausts... You seem to be in sweet spot though!

 

 

 

 

Edited 17 hours ago by ExiledInIllinois

[US Egg]

5 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

 What are you?  A 75 year old retiree OR a cop?

Nah, needed a roomy trunk for when I moonlighted. 😏

[davefan66]

11 hours ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

..........so did i

2 doors down from the Honda dealer…

[Mike in Horseheads]

8 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

About 20 years ago had salesman hide my keys looking at trade. 

A salesman I knew for a long time was going away for the weekend when I really wanted my 2003 Jeep.  Told me not to worry about it, it will still be here on Monday. So I show up on Monday and don't see it.  I find the guy and he says I told ya not to worry, opens up a desk drawer and waves the keys. "Nobody was selling the car without these". He had stashed it on one of their other lots. 

[Your Brown Eye]

My biggest claim to fame was pitting the three largest Toyota dealerships in Rochester against each other over a 2024 Rav4. I read about the tactic a few weeks prior thought I would try it. Each would chip away at the price by $500 or so, then as the price got lower and lower they began to ask for a offical bill of sale offer from previous dealership so they knew I was not BS'ing them, which was easy to provide, and then they continue to outdo one another. 

 

One dealership dropped out quick, said Toyota's sell themselves so they won't give me much of a deal because someone else will just buy it at full ask. The other two went back and forth for a while, and then the second dropped out saying it was too much for them and not much meat left on the bone. The last dealer standing, took my POS trade-in as well, so overall I saved around $5G off sticker price.

[Mike in Horseheads]

They don't like you when ya pull the Carvana offer out for your trade.

[qwksilver]

@Sweats how did it go at the Honda dealership? Get better treatment or same dealership BS?

[Sweats]

2 minutes ago, qwksilver said:

@Sweats how did it go at the Honda dealership? Get better treatment or same dealership BS?

 

 

 

I was at the Honda place for only about 10 minutes cause they were about to close (that Toyota sales guy ruined my whole scheduled plan for the day with his nonsense)........i've got an appointment for the whole day at Honda tomorrow.

 

Stay tuned.