Darn car salespeople.....

[dave1949]

There are lots of small used car dealers in Maine. Modern-day Yankee horse traders perhaps? It looks like they buy cars at auctions, but sometimes they will have a string of almost identical vehicles, maybe from a rental outfit?

I've often wondered how, or how much, money they make doing that. Some have 20-30 vehicles sitting on their lots and the turnover doesn't seem very fast just from casual observation.

 

[Bird]

We still have plenty of used car lots, but nothing like the number that existed in the '50s. Ross Avenue in Dallas was just a long line of used car dealers with the best known and I believe most successful owned by a fellow named Goss. He had some interesting signs: "Goss on Ross, Tradin' Hoss" and "All Cars Guaranteed Until You Cross the Curb Line". In reality, he had a garage and mechanic(s) and apparently took pretty good care of his customers.

But also in those days, I don't think ANY new car dealership would have a used car on the lot with more than 50k miles on it.

 

[rkeith]

The dealership is called Montgomery Auto Group. They are on Facebook and the owner, Mike, even posts a "Steal of the week". Basically of all his weekly sales this is the customer that got the best deal and he even includes the prices... what the customer paid, trade-in, and retail. He does sales all across the Southeastern US but he charges a delivery fee to bring the vehicle to you.

Montgomery Auto Group on Facebook

 

[Cat_Driver]

I'm the guy that buys those lost leader cars, you know the stripped-out specials with no radio or AC etc. The dealers advertise these to get suckers to come in then they flip them to higher priced vehicles. They never ever want to sell those cars because those are their "bait cars" and they only have one and it attracts all the suckers. For me they're perfect. I once bought a bran new Jeep wrangler for 14K, at the time the lowest price for the same Wrangler was I think 20-22K. It had no AC no radio etc.
I walked in said can I take that Jeep you have on special for a ride, sure the guy said, but it doesn't have air or radio etc - I said that's OK with me, lets go. During the ride he was doing his best to not get me to buy it, I never heard a sales guy talk so poorly about a product they had to sell.
We got back I said OK lets do the deal. The look on his face was priceless. He gave me the totals with like 12% interest, or something ridiculous.
I said no I'll just get my own loan and be back tomorrow, OH SORRY he said the sale is only till 5PM today. OK I'll put it on my American Express card, OH SORRY we don't take credit cards for vehicles. Ok, I'll pay by check then...err, ahhhh, huh... ok I guess.

I never fought so hard to BUY a vehicle. They had two separate managers come over to talk me out of the sale, forced me to sit almost an hour hoping I would walk out.

As I was filling out the check I said "man this is a great deal, I'm putting this on E-bay when I get home for 18K, you guys are GREAT........

 

[forgeblast]

Anyone use a service like this? lets you contact used car/new car dealers in your area if they work with the service to buy a new/used car. I get the service through my work.

"Search for any new vehicle and view a wide range of used vehicle listings. There is never any cost to use the service or obligation to buy plus all dealers are prescreened to provide you with the best car buying experience.

See Guaranteed Savings on NEW CARS

Members have seen an average savings of $3,078 off MSRP*
Get a price and your Guaranteed Savings** before going to a dealership
Work with pre-screened dealers for customer savings and a great experience
Member Discounts on USED CARS

Save up to $1,000 off used vehicles
Used car pricing tool lets you know you’re getting a great deal
Free CARFAX reports and/or warranties on select vehicles"

 

[Bird]

I'm the guy that buys those lost leader cars, you know the stripped-out specials with no radio or AC etc. The dealers advertise these to get suckers to come in then they flip them to higher priced vehicles. They never ever want to sell those cars because those are their "bait cars" and they only have one and it attracts all the suckers.

At least sometimes they have more than one.:laughing: And for many such ads, when you call, they just sold that one, but come on in.:laughing: Then end of October, 1969, after I'd just seen the new 1970 vehicles at the State Fair of Texas, a local Chevrolet dealer ran an ad for a new 1969 Chevy half ton pickup to $1,948. Of course the ad included a stock number. I called and naturally, that one had just been sold, but the salesman said "Come on out; I'm sure we'll have something you'll like." When I insisted that it would be a waste of time unless he had one as advertised. He finally said he had one for $10 more and I told him I'd take it; no radio, no A/C, not even a cigarette lighter, but it did have a rear bumper and spare tire. It made a nice little vehicle to drive back and forth to work.

 

[dave1949]

Here is best way to save money on a new car :laughing::
Police suspect 'Pretender' scam artist in Maine car dealer thefts - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram


The guy sounds slightly wacky.

 

[JDgreen227]

Something that really ticks me off is the obscene difference in prices between trade-in value and dealer selling prices for a used vehicle...according to my research my '04 Saturn L-300, a low mileage, well cared for cream puff, is worth $4880 trade-in value, yet I could sell it to a private party for nearly $6000, and a dealer would do the same. Why do they deserve to make over $1000 over trade in value? The disparity is even worse on later model, high priced vehicles. WHY???? Oh, yes...it's the "document preparation fees" that are one of the biggest ripoffs in the car sales business. Back in Y2K when I purchased my GMC the selling dealer charged me a document preparation fee, although according to the GM purchase plan, document preparation fees were against the rules. I got the business manager to put into writing her reason for charging the fee, and then I sent it to the GM regional office and as a result, she and the dealership owner were FIRED and a huge fine levied as it turned out they had been charging other GM purchase plan owners the same fee. GOOD!!!!!!!

 

[MikeInEburg]

Something that really ticks me off is the obscene difference in prices between trade-in value and dealer selling prices for a used vehicle...according to my research my '04 Saturn L-300, a low mileage, well cared for cream puff, is worth $4880 trade-in value, yet I could sell it to a private party for nearly $6000, and a dealer would do the same. Why do they deserve to make over $1000 over trade in value? The disparity is even worse on later model, high priced vehicles. WHY????

How much do you think a dealer should make in a trade-in? The dealer has to buy, clean, inspect and sell, and then wareant for some amount if time. For less than $1000, I don't think that it's worth the risk.

 

[JDgreen227]

How much do you think a dealer should make in a trade-in? The dealer has to buy, clean, inspect and sell, and then wareant for some amount if time. For less than $1000, I don't think that it's worth the risk.

IN my case, the dealer would have to do NOTHING, as the car is in PERFECT condition and to say they have to buy it :laughing: clean it :laughing: inspect it :laughing: and least of all WARRANT IT :laughing: and it would cost them NOTHING as they would just put it on the lot and sell it.