Been "car shopping" lately?

[Bird]

when I appraise a customers vehicle, I immediately return their keys to them

And the dealer from whom I bought my last car does the same.

How many dealers allow customers to test drive a vehicle without the salesman going with them? I don't know if they do that with everyone, but my dealer says they have to make a photo copy of your drivers license, then take the car home to try out if you wish. I know some would not want a copy made of their drivers license, and I can understand that, but I also understand the dealer's position, and they give that copy back to the customer on his return. Of course they could have made more than one copy, but I doubt that they did.

Way back around 1966-67, we had a rash of thefts in Dallas. Someone was going into dealerships, taking late model used cars for a test drive, then returning them. What they actually were doing was going out of sight and taking the spare tire and wheel, then returning the car. The dealers and their employees didn't think to check the spare until they sold that car, so they usually couldn't provide any information about who or when the spare was stolen. And that was when they started having an employee/salesman accompany customers on test drives.

 

[Western]

I have seen the "lost key trick" many times, more so in the 70's-80's. I think it is an old "wear them down" trick used primarily now by tote-the note type sellers. The word got out pretty well on that tactic.

The new area to do the real "shafting" happens in the finance office, called padding or packing I believe. They can make more in that room than on the new car if they have negotiated into the dealer hold-back cash. Tire protection and the new infamous theft deterrent, "window etching" anywhere from $199-$400!! Then again the finance rate jacking, that was still used on me the past 2 weeks at major dealers. Both hit me at 4 pionts higher in the beginning than what I was approved for by the finance company. Having a open check from Navy Fed CU, made them back up to punt.

 

[bucktaker]

Bought a Honda Accord in 08 no real games as we were trying to get out from under a dieing durango and gas had hit 4 bucks a gal...Same dealer ship sent us a personal mailer 2011 promising us a guaranteed amount for our Accord. Wife wanted a SUV so we wnt in to check out a CRV and what they were offering....Big Mistake we were so insulted after they started low balling are car and changing tactics. I just about lost it on the sales manager as he came out and said what a favor they were doing us taking our Accord in ....I got the wife and we left before it got ugly...of course her heart was broken as she could already see herself in the SUV again... Will never step foot in that dealership again.....

2012 she is still wanting a SUV so I find a nice used 2011 60 miles away in NKY. I take her car and go check it out...real nice condition HOnda Pilot. Made an offer on it and they countered back and forth including my 08 Accord in trade, Brought out the sales manager who tried the 4 square method, tried the payment method.. Kept my keys hostage the whole time. Ran my credit and came back with another offer. So once I had good terms I asked What about a new 2012?
I ended up getting the 2012 for 5k more than the the used 2011 with 28k miles. They didnt want to give me my keys back when I said they had to wait till my wife got off work and drove down to pickwhich Pilot she wanted.

We feel we got a good deal but the process was painful.

 

[dave1949]

The nicest dealer we have in town is the Chrysler-Jeep lot. The owner is often sitting at an open desk near the entrance and says hi when you walk in. I didn't even know he was the owner the first couple times I went in. All nice people, no sales tactics, good service department.

We'll need a new car in the next year or so, and I would shop there first, but I'm curious to see how this Fiat purchase of Chrysler will work out. We can make good use of a Jeep SUV around here.

 

[toppop52]

I've been through the car wars years ago, but my best friend over the last 20 years owns a dealership, so my battles are over, thankfully. I don't miss them!

 

[jinman]

Wow, some of these car shopping horror stories. Maybe I'm niave to what goes on at other dealerships, because I thought those tactics ended in the ninties; maybe not.
I kind of bowed out of this discussion because of all the negativity.

To be honest, not all my experiences have been negative. It's just that if you go car shopping at several dealerships, many of them will use tactics that are very irritating. I don't think there is anyone who has not had a negative car shopping experience. That's why we universally loathe trying to make a car deal.

I have a '96 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins that I bought new. At about 100k miles, I needed a new fuel sending unit in the tank. My dealer is about 60 miles from where I worked, but only 20 miles from my house. I asked the service manager how long the job would take and he said 1-1/2 to 2 hours. At that amount of time, it didn't make sense for me to rent a car or try to go to work. I just decided to sit in the customer lounge and read.

After being in the lounge for about 1/2 hour, the sales manager came in and introduced himself. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He told me that I could use his personal pickup if I needed to go anywhere in town while my truck was being serviced. I really had no need to go anywhere, so I declined and thanked him very much for his consideration. It's funny, but that little gesture meant the world to me. :thumbsup:

 

[Western]

Jim, sounds like he was doing you right, letting you drive a newer "cough" Dodge, letting you feel the "new"

 

[jinman]

Jim, sounds like he was doing you right, letting you drive a newer "cough" Dodge, letting you feel the "new"

Well, if it was a sales tactic, it didn't work. My same '96 Dodge is sitting outside right now with 370k miles on it. I MAY be in the market for a new truck at around 500k.

 

[toppop52]

Well, if it was a sales tactic, it didn't work. My same '96 Dodge is sitting outside right now with 370k miles on it. I MAY be in the market for a new truck at around 500k.

Sounds like me, I get in my '96 2 door Tahoe every morning and go where I gotta go, it's low mileage compared to yours at just 167000. I have other vehicles, but this one fits me, if you know what I mean.

 

[Western]

Well, if it was a sales tactic, it didn't work. My same '96 Dodge is sitting outside right now with 370k miles on it. I MAY be in the market for a new truck at around 500k.

:laughing: Jim, I bet he was being nice and "planting seeds" in the interim. Either way, he sounds like a guy that opts-out of the pressure craap.