Car Buying Stories

[Grayson]

From mid-2015 through early 2017, I made it a mission to buy a new or extremely low-mileage used truck for under $30,000. On a whim, I went to Meador Dodge to look at a couple. Ended up talking to a sales rep and he said "well, we don't have that one anymore [the one I saw on the internet] but let's see if I can find anything else."

At this point, I had gone and sat in so many sales offices that it was 2nd nature how to talk to them and also to not be bullied by them. I purposely would "shop" with absolutely zero intention of buying, mostly because I didn't have a job, just to understand how the process worked.

So we go in there, and sure enough, he finds a black ram 1500 for $29,000. I don't get too excited. I want to see it. Plus, it was "used"... He tells me that it was a loaner truck for when people would bring their vehicles in for repairs and maintenance. I look at it... It was perfect. Only 1 minor scratch on the entire truck. 7,500 miles on it. Loaded with custom leather seats, navigation, the 8" screen... It literally marked every single check mark on my search to find a truck under $30k.

I played it cool. Told him I liked it. That was all it took and he said he'd talk to his sales manager. They came and knocked an additional $1,500 off the truck, so now it's $27,500. This is interesting because at all the dealerships I had been to, no one would take more than $200 off a used truck. "That's the market right now," is what I was told at each dealership.

At this point I look at my then-fiance. I tell her I see our family in the truck. I see it being easy to get a kid in and out of this truck. She's nervous, doesn't want me to spend the money. I know I'll never get what I want in marriage so this is my last moment to splurge while I can mark "single" on the census.

I agree to $27,500. The sales manager says, "Ok, I gotta talk to the manager and get signatures." I wait about 45 minutes and I'm really nervous. No clue what's taking them so long. Finally the sales person came back and said, "Hey the manager wants to talk to you."

It was a good 'ol boy from Grand Prairie, back when Grand Prairie was a prairie and that's where country folk came from. The manager said, "Look here. We made a big mistake, and today is your lucky day. That truck was mis-priced. We were not supposed to sell it for less than $32,000. But we're keeping our word on this one. You just tell your buddies to shop here."

So i ended up getting the $32,000 truck for $27,500 and I love getting into that truck every single time. I kept my '97 chevy to keep the miles low on the ram. So far, only 39k miles.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ram_trucks/.../my_new_truck/

You took the time to write up all that and you still forgot to tell all your buddies on here where to shop!

[Grayson]

From mid-2015 through early 2017, I made it a mission to buy a new or extremely low-mileage used truck for under $30,000. On a whim, I went to Meador Dodge to look at a couple. Ended up talking to a sales rep and he said "well, we don't have that one anymore [the one I saw on the internet] but let's see if I can find anything else."

At this point, I had gone and sat in so many sales offices that it was 2nd nature how to talk to them and also to not be bullied by them. I purposely would "shop" with absolutely zero intention of buying, mostly because I didn't have a job, just to understand how the process worked.

So we go in there, and sure enough, he finds a black ram 1500 for $29,000. I don't get too excited. I want to see it. Plus, it was "used"... He tells me that it was a loaner truck for when people would bring their vehicles in for repairs and maintenance. I look at it... It was perfect. Only 1 minor scratch on the entire truck. 7,500 miles on it. Loaded with custom leather seats, navigation, the 8" screen... It literally marked every single check mark on my search to find a truck under $30k.

I played it cool. Told him I liked it. That was all it took and he said he'd talk to his sales manager. They came and knocked an additional $1,500 off the truck, so now it's $27,500. This is interesting because at all the dealerships I had been to, no one would take more than $200 off a used truck. "That's the market right now," is what I was told at each dealership.

At this point I look at my then-fiance. I tell her I see our family in the truck. I see it being easy to get a kid in and out of this truck. She's nervous, doesn't want me to spend the money. I know I'll never get what I want in marriage so this is my last moment to splurge while I can mark "single" on the census.

I agree to $27,500. The sales manager says, "Ok, I gotta talk to the manager and get signatures." I wait about 45 minutes and I'm really nervous. No clue what's taking them so long. Finally the sales person came back and said, "Hey the manager wants to talk to you."

It was a good 'ol boy from Grand Prairie, back when Grand Prairie was a prairie and that's where country folk came from. The manager said, "Look here. We made a big mistake, and today is your lucky day. That truck was mis-priced. We were not supposed to sell it for less than $32,000. But we're keeping our word on this one. You just tell your buddies to shop here."

So i ended up getting the $32,000 truck for $27,500 and I love getting into that truck every single time. I kept my '97 chevy to keep the miles low on the ram. So far, only 39k miles.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ram_trucks/.../my_new_truck/

That’s a good one

[Burnadell]

I call and talk to the Internet Sales Manager or the Fleet Manager. I let them know I am buying a vehicle this week. I then tell them exactly what I am looking for and that I am calling 4-5 other dealers and will take the best price. Forget the hassle of salesman to manager negotiations. Make sure you always deal only with a manager. I did this on my vehicle 4 years ago. Most recently, my dad did this and got a smoking deal on a 2019 Tundra. The key is to know EXACTLY what you want, and more importantly, everything that you don't so they don't try to add it later.

^^^ This is how you do it! ^^^

For those of you who say everyone is screwed, well...that is crazy. I have NEVER been screwed buying a vehicle.

For those of you who play their game and wait 45 minutes, well I would NEVER sit around for even 20 minutes after the salesman left me to go talk to "his manager"!

I will go to the car lots on a Sunday when they are closed so I won't be bothered by the sales people, and check out the vehicles, look at the window stickers and write down (or take a photo) the various options and their LIST prices, etc. Then I go to the manufacturer's website to see what options are available (colors, interior colors/finishout, electronics, powertrain, and other options. Then I go to one of the websites (Kelly Blue Book, NADA or whatever) that give you the list prices and dealer's invoice costs for each of those options. I then list what vehicle I want, colors, and each of the option packages including the dealer's invoice costs and list (window sticker) prices for each. Total the invoice up in one column and list prices in another column.

Then I either call the sales manager, internet salesman, fleet manager, or in some cases the owner if I know them. I ask them how much over INVOICE do they need to sell me the vehicle I want. If it is more than $500 over INVOICE, I pass on the deal. I used to buy my new cars at $250 over INVOICE, but I have gotten to feeling sorry for for them and offer them a little more . Window sticker price NEVER enters my conversation!

Often the color of the vehicle I want is not in their inventory, so I give them a copy of my list of options, and they will locate the vehicle at another dealership and swap out with that dealer. I bought a new GMC P/U locally (Longview) once that the dealer located in Arkansas, and they had that truck delivered. Paid $500 (or less?) over INVOICE. You can also search online for all the dealers in your area to see if they have what you want. Start with that dealer.

I have dealt with a salesman before, but I tell them right up front that I am ready to buy a vehicle, already know exactly what I want, don't want to waste their time and energy, and I will not play a game of back and forth. I tell them to go right then and see if their manager will accept $250-$500 over invoice. If not, I thank them and go somewhere else.

The invoice price is actually usually higher than what the dealers wind up paying for the vehicle due to their rebates, special deals, etc. That is why they will usually (not always) deal with me. The key is to do your homework ahead of time and be ready to make a deal right then. You should have your financing already lined out or even accept theirs if the rate is especially low, which it usually has been the last 10-15 years. Usually, it helps to make the deal toward the end of the month/quarter because they are trying to make their quotas.

Oh, and I NEVER accept any of their add-on junk, nor have I EVER let them sell me an extended warranty. Why would I want to pay for a warranty that would not even be effective until after the new car warranty expires?

I have only traded in my used vehicle once because I did not want to mess with selling it at that time, but every other time I have sold my used vehicle by owner, saving me several thousand dollars.

[Big Lee]

I’m shocked at how many people are willing to sit around for 45 minutes or more. I value my time way more than that!

[Mike D]

The most important thing is know what you are willing to spend and don’t spend a dime extra. Shop every dealer in the area over the internet. Play them against each other. It helps to know what the vehicle cost is and what they are selling for in the market. Don’t be afraid to check out of state dealers also.

If you don’t have the time or desire to go through all of that because it is a pain in the ***, call Tony Gutierrez at Jerry’s Chevrolet in Weatherford. He is the ONLY sales person I spoke to that I felt shot me a fair price the first time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Palmetto]

^^^ This is how you do it! ^^^

For those of you who say everyone is screwed, well...that is crazy. I have NEVER been screwed buying a vehicle.

For those of you who play their game and wait 45 minutes, well I would NEVER sit around for even 20 minutes after the salesman left me to go talk to "his manager"!

I will go to the car lots on a Sunday when they are closed so I won't be bothered by the sales people, and check out the vehicles, look at the window stickers and write down (or take a photo) the various options and their LIST prices, etc. Then I go to the manufacturer's website to see what options are available (colors, interior colors/finishout, electronics, powertrain, and other options. Then I go to one of the websites (Kelly Blue Book, NADA or whatever) that give you the list prices and dealer's invoice costs for each of those options. I then list what vehicle I want, colors, and each of the option packages including the dealer's invoice costs and list (window sticker) prices for each. Total the invoice up in one column and list prices in another column.

Then I either call the sales manager, internet salesman, fleet manager, or in some cases the owner if I know them. I ask them how much over INVOICE do they need to sell me the vehicle I want. If it is more than $500 over INVOICE, I pass on the deal. I used to buy my new cars at $250 over INVOICE, but I have gotten to feeling sorry for for them and offer them a little more . Window sticker price NEVER enters my conversation!

Often the color of the vehicle I want is not in their inventory, so I give them a copy of my list of options, and they will locate the vehicle at another dealership and swap out with that dealer. I bought a new GMC P/U locally (Longview) once that the dealer located in Arkansas, and they had that truck delivered. Paid $500 (or less?) over INVOICE. You can also search online for all the dealers in your area to see if they have what you want. Start with that dealer.

I have dealt with a salesman before, but I tell them right up front that I am ready to buy a vehicle, already know exactly what I want, don't want to waste their time and energy, and I will not play a game of back and forth. I tell them to go right then and see if their manager will accept $250-$500 over invoice. If not, I thank them and go somewhere else.

The invoice price is actually usually higher than what the dealers wind up paying for the vehicle due to their rebates, special deals, etc. That is why they will usually (not always) deal with me. The key is to do your homework ahead of time and be ready to make a deal right then. You should have your financing already lined out or even accept theirs if the rate is especially low, which it usually has been the last 10-15 years. Usually, it helps to make the deal toward the end of the month/quarter because they are trying to make their quotas.

Oh, and I NEVER accept any of their add-on junk, nor have I EVER let them sell me an extended warranty. Why would I want to pay for a warranty that would not even be effective until after the new car warranty expires?

I have only traded in my used vehicle once because I did not want to mess with selling it at that time, but every other time I have sold my used vehicle by owner, saving me several thousand dollars.

How do you find out what the invoice price is? Or do you?

[Throwin Darts]

Everyone who has ever bought a car or a house will tell you what a great deal they got!

[150class]

I’m shocked at how many people are willing to sit around for 45 minutes or more. I value my time way more than that!

Dang. I want to say my extra 5 hours for my ordeal saved me another 5-6k if, I remember what they said it would've priced at correctly.

6000/5=1,200$ a hour.

I envy how much you either make at work or how you value your hourly rate above a grand lol

[Charles]

The person you need to watch out for at the dealership is the Finance guy/gal.

Particularity watch out for dealer fee in the sales agreement.

Had a finance guy try and squeeze $900 dealer fee into the agreement. After I reviewed the agreement I asked him what the $900 was. He said it's a dealer policy for every car sold. I told him I don't agree with their policy and if it's a dealer policy I should have been told that before I ever got to him. I reminded him that I agreed to price X plus TTL. He went on with a bunch of blah blah blah and I replied with blah blah. He made the mistake of saying, it's only $900. I replied with, you know, you're right, it's only $900, so here's what we're going to do, you take out your wallet and give me $900. He said "I can't do that". I replied, why not "It's only $900". Dude tore up the contract, printed the new one with out the $900 dealer fee.

Your best negotiating trait is the ability to say "NO"

[TX_Hoghunter]

My last really good one.

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598382&highlight=Chevy

But as a general rule. They make a lot of vehicles. Don't fall in love with one. Don't be afraid to hurt their feelings. Don't be afraid to walk out. If they are one of these joints that tells you they will not negotiate tell them they are the scum of the earth and walk out.

-john

[doug]

How do you find out what the invoice price is? Or do you?

My question as well. I was about to buy a new Ford truck before this mess started. Might get a better deal now.

Rather take a serious butt whoppin than deal with this though!

[no bait]

If anyone is in the market or needs a vehicle now is the time. I have been in the business for 28 yrs and will advise that its a buyers market no doubt. And if I can help anyone put a car deal together feel free to reach out even if you buy from someone else, just offering free advise and guidance.

[Spearchunker]

Just make sure they dont steal it 10 days later because they added a rebate by mistake.

[RiverRat1]

How do you find out what the invoice price is? Or do you?

Just ask the salesman

Invoice price really doesn't mean much anymore. They do "holdbacks" and other BS

Everyone who has ever bought a car or a house will tell you what a great deal they got!

And 99% got screwed!

[breederbuck33]

I bought my truck from the dealer who supplies us our fleet trucks at work. He sold me a King Ranch F150 for what the other guys locally were quoting me on a Lariat. I was happy when I left, and love that truck.