Car Dealership Etiquette

[gjcva1]

Please remember this car buying advice from Consumer Reports:

Never discuss how you intend to pay for the vehicle, or how much you are willing to pay, UNTIL you've agreed on a purchase price.    

Really? I've never heard that... May I ask why they suggest that?

well, first you do the whole bargaining thing.  this is the hubster's part of the deal, as he attended the Carnegie sales school for military recruiting duty, and he knows (and uses) all of their tricks.  this bores me to tears, so i spend that time reading the book that i always have at hand.  the saleman negotiating the deal assumes, because most people do, that you will be financing through the dealership, and for approximately 5 years.  that's money in the company's, and ultimately in the dealership's, pocket.

at the end of the wheeling and dealing, when we are asked how long we wish to finance our vehicle, that's when i put down my book, and pull the check from our credit union from my purse for our pre-approved loan at a much lower interest rate than would be offered through the car dealership and their wholely owned finance company.

so if we had told the salesman how we intended to pay for our truck, the price would probably have been higher, as they would have known that the company would not be receiving any benefit through financing.

[NOVA Lady]

Random sorta side note: it is unlawful for the dealership to check her credit without her written (signed) approval of it being run. They would be in big trouble.

My funny car buying experience:

My parents were buying me a new car. I know it makes me seem like kind of a brat but my parents offered to buy me and my sis each 1 car (not when we got out licenses, I paid for my own car then by working from 14 years old onward and saving). It was going to be a college grad gift but the car I bought myself 4 years prior to that point died and I was moving to the suburbs and needed a car.

Well apparently it looked really bratty to the car salesman. He was about my age (Juniors in college) and driving an 83 honda which he mentioned everytime I said something I liked about the car (a brand new Acura). He would constantly say, "wow it would be NICE to get a new car, must be nice." as if my life was funded by my parents full way. Of course he didn't know I picked up my own college tab (merit based scholarship paid for about 80% of tuition) from junior year on, I paid for my own apartment/food/insurance/etc. My parents were certainly more then generous and did not have to buy me a car/owe me own or anything of the sort. I was grateful and I hate how he made me feel like a total brat about it. But we loved the car and decided to go purchase it at a different Acura dealership. After the car was purchased I wrote the owner of the first dealership as well as the vice president of customer service of Acura America about the incident and my displeasure that someone at one of their dealership would work that way. I now have a free 10 year warranty instead of the standard 5.

I was polite but firm in the letter about what was unacceptable to me as a customer and why I would not return, now would I recommend anyone else I know pay them a visit. And to the VP I wrote that I expect certain treatment while purchasing one of their vehicles and why a dealership acting in this way makes a poor impression of the brand in general.

Marina-

[MissBoop]

I agree that it is never a good idea to tell the dealer in advance how you are paying for the car. 

Mr. Boop and I have bought something like 10 cars over the years and this is how we do it.

1.We do our homework.  We have an idea of what we want in a car and what that car is worth. We know how this car compares with other similar cars.

2. WE tell  THEM what we are willing to pay for the car (even if there is a sticker on the window).

3. We are  willing to negotiate but know ahead of time our upper limit. 

4. Once we agree on the price of the new car,  ONLY THEN, do we discuss payment (financing, cash, whatever.)

5. If we meet resistence at any stage of the above process, we give the dealer our phone number, ask them to call us if they change their mind, then we WALK.

Sometimes, they  scurry right after us into the parking lot with a better deal to propose.  If  so, we  go back and negotiate with them.  If we still  can't make the deal we want, we  WALK.

Often,  there there is a message from them with yet another offer on our answering machine by the time we get home.

A lot of people, including me, have a hard time bargaining and sticking to their guns.  The dealer may act hurt and you may feel as though you are being rude.  by insisting on what you want.  Car buying and house buying are different from other kinds of purchases.  There is a great deal of money involved and the list price is seldom set in stone. I have learned through observing Mr. Boop (who is a master negotiator) that it is possible to be a tough bargainer without being rude and if the dealer refuses to negoiate on your terms, it is not impolite to leave.   

Of course, it helps if there are several competing dealerships in the area and you will be at a  disadvantage if the car you want is in high demand and short supply.  It is best if you have alternatives in mind and are not wedded to the idea of one particular car.  This is easy for me to say now but once we were negotiating on a new Miata and I wanted that car so badly, I would have chewed through the strap on my handbag if we hadn't gotten the return call when we did.

[MineralDiva]

CRUD MONKEYS!!  He was rude and insulting to the bazillionth power!  Had he only given YOU the information you asked for, he might have sold a car!  Instead, he guaranteed the sale to his competitor.

He probably didn't believe you had cash.  And now he'll never know that you did!  What a jerk!

[MineralDiva]

My mother used to sell cars.  She told me there is a saying amongst those sharkey creatures we call "salespeople" in the car business:  "The best deal on a car, is the one the customer THINKS they got!"

Pretty scary!

[Brentwood]

Too bad, because he just cost his dealership a good sale. It bothers me that there are many salespeople out there who just presume that younger people cannot handle large purchases.

Not just younger people. Almost 18 years ago, when my mother was 50, she was ignored and put off by several salespeople at a car dealership. She was treated like a non-entity. Before she left the dealership, she showed one of the salespeople the ten grand in cash she had in her pocket. She informed them she would take her business elsewhere, and she did. Not only that, but subsequently, my father, my sister, and I all bought cars from the dealership that DID help her. Their shabby treatment of my mother cost the first dealership four sales.

[Alida]

A little over a decade ago, we were invited to a cocktail reception at Harry Winston's in NYC.  Now, me in my (then) mid-20s, my DH nearing 30 - went shopping for proper earrings for me to wear with my gown.  It was cold, so I wore jeans and a big denim jacket and boots.  We went to the chic little town near us where all the good stores were.  Into the best jewelry store in town we went.  And were promptly ignored.  FINALLY a salesclerk came over and I asked to see either sapphires or onyx (to go with the black strapless floor length gown - hey, I weighed all of 110 lbs).  He showed us a few things that were, uh, tacky.

I sighed and looked up at my husband.  "I couldn't show up at Winston's in those.  I might as well go without jewelry than show up at the cocktail party in something that looks like costume jewelry."

Well, when I said that name, spines cracked in that store.  Suddenly, they were offering to ship in jewels from out of state for me.  Suddenly I was someone.  But not someone who spent money in their store.

I got nicely understated onyx and diamond earrings at Macys.  I sure wasn't going to try to compete with Harry Winston's jewelry!

[Quesselin]

I read on another site that a mother & daughter were out shopping at an up-scale department store (not top of the line - upper middle I guess you'd have to characterize it as).  They were in clean denim jeans and nice tops with casual shoes, as they had been cleaning house at the ranch earlier that day............they were almost ignored - until someone spotted that the older woman's purse was a COACH leather bag (even on eBay, a used Coach bag rarely sells for less than $50 USA - new is four times that price or more - real leather, stamped with an ID number, and a LIFETIME warranty where you can send it back for repairs/refurbishing of hardware or lining).

You know, your story reminds me of an experience of my own.
In my city, there are two fancy, upscale shops, who both sell high-end clothing, furniture, house hold items, make-up, etc. Or rather, one of them *is* very fancy, the other one would just like to be (it is a nice store, but not that nice). They're as good as neighbors, btw.

So, how can you tell the difference between a nice store and a *really* nice store?

Well, back when I was in my early twenties, which means I had funny colored hair, heavy "punkish" make-up, torn jeans, facial piercings and all that, I went to the would-be fancy store to look at panty hose. They didn't want to serve me. The two sales girls literally walked away when I walked towards them. I left, after telling them they were an embarrasment to the good name of the store.

A couple of months later, still looking pretty much the same, though I had by now added an old officer's jacket from the Soviet army to my "look", I went to the *real* fancy store. I walked around for a couple of minutes and noticed that... hey... nobody's following me to see if I'd steal something (which I'd obviously never do, but I was used to people thinking I would). After walking around another minute, a very posh looking shop assistant in a suit that probably cost as much as I make in a year, came up to me. "May I help you, madam, or are you merely browsing?" I told him what I was looking for. "Well, if madam would care to follow me"...

He spent 15-20 minutes helping me find the correct teensy weensy little thingie in exactly the right color, costing basically nothing compared to most of the other stuff in the store. After I bought the thing, he came up to me again at the cash register; "Have a nice day, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you (the formal, polite you (we have two "you's" in Danish) again at "Store Name". I noticed he did the exact same thing to the lady in the 50.000 kroner fur coat in front of me.

And that's how you recognize a fancy store from a would-be fancy one.

[Lynda_34]

My daughter and I went to a furniture store to buy a new living room set.  We'd been working at the school where I was teaching.  We were cleaning the lab and were dressed very casually and probably looked grubby too.
Not one single salesperson came up to us as we walked around the store.  We'd picked out two different living room sets but weren't going to make a decision until I brought my son back with us. As we were leaving a woman sales person asked if we'd found everything to our liking.  I let her know how I felt and how I'd been ignored.  She apologized and gave me her card. 
Sunday, better dressed, we went back and showed my son the two sets.  It was easier for my daughter and I to make the initial decision but I felt he should be involved at some point. 
The salesmen came out of the woodwork. I asked for the saleswoman I had spoken to previously and was told she'd be in at 1 pm.  I said I'd be back then, we went to lunch, (that had been part of the plan) and came back at 1.  We chose the set we wanted and she made a tidy commission on the $5,000 I spent. (paid cash) and surprised everyone. 

[nordique]

This thread has been very helpful.

I'm European, always lived in the middle of a metropolitan area without the need for a car so I never had to go through the hassles of purchasing one. But in a few months I'll be relocating to the US and to suburbia to boot, so one of my first purchases will have to be a car. All the helpful hints and horror stories of car salesmen will definitely make me alert when negotiating the price etc.

Thanks!

[VorFemme]

I'm European, always lived in the middle of a metropolitan area without the need for a car so I never had to go through the hassles of purchasing one. But in a few months I'll be relocating to the US and to suburbia to boot, so one of my first purchases will have to be a car. All the helpful hints and horror stories of car salesmen will definitely make me alert when negotiating the price etc.

There is one car manufacturer that has a stated price on every vehicle.  No "haggling" involved in that part of the transaction............if you are trading in another vehicle, there may be some room to negotiate..........but DeHubby is the one who does the best at that.  I just want to get the item (car, dress, meal, whatever); get out of the store, dealer showroom, or restaurant; and get on with the rest of my life.........

The name is Saturn - there are lots of locations around the USA.  The vehicles seem to be very well made.  I don't work for them, but I am driving a Saturn mini-van that we bought this summer just before vacationing in Florida (driving a thousand miles or so there, several hundred miles around the state, and another thousand miles home).  It is the second Saturn that we have owned.  We were very happy with the first one as well.

As the sticker on the vehicles says at the dealer "your mileage may vary".

[madmusician]

I'm European, always lived in the middle of a metropolitan area without the need for a car so I never had to go through the hassles of purchasing one. But in a few months I'll be relocating to the US and to suburbia to boot, so one of my first purchases will have to be a car. All the helpful hints and horror stories of car salesmen will definitely make me alert when negotiating the price etc.

There is one car manufacturer that has a stated price on every vehicle.  No "haggling" involved in that part of the transaction............if you are trading in another vehicle, there may be some room to negotiate..........but DeHubby is the one who does the best at that.  I just want to get the item (car, dress, meal, whatever); get out of the store, dealer showroom, or restaurant; and get on with the rest of my life.........

The name is Saturn - there are lots of locations around the USA.  The vehicles seem to be very well made.  I don't work for them, but I am driving a Saturn mini-van that we bought this summer just before vacationing in Florida (driving a thousand miles or so there, several hundred miles around the state, and another thousand miles home).  It is the second Saturn that we have owned.  We were very happy with the first one as well.

As the sticker on the vehicles says at the dealer "your mileage may vary".

Yes, I have always admired Saturn, especially for their customer service; my sister buys all her new vehicles there. But my boyfriend doesn't like Saturn, from a traumatic experience when he was about four.. So sad. Yes, the Saturn dealers around here are incredible.

[Heavenly]

We bought our last car at Saturn and we too have been very happy with it.  In fact, we had a great experience with their dealership.  When we financed through them, the financing rep told us that while he was giving us the best interest rate he could (we were at the end of some financial difficulties) he HIGHLY recommended that we refinance as soon as possible (and gave us the names of several banks and credit unions that could give us a better rate.)   

We've had the car for 4 years (bought used) and have only had one problem with it (the sunroof leaked--they fixed it promptly and inexpensively (out of warrantee) and when it leaked again the next fall--they fixed it for free).

[Cz. Burrito]

Recently my boyfriend and I went out looking for SUVs. We are planning on getting married soon and starting a family and would prefer to get an SUV instead of a minivan. We have some cash in savings specifically for a vehicle and were wanting to know if we could get a good SUV for that. We went to a Dodge dealership and test-drove a used Durango. Before we test-drove it, we told the salesman that we were pricing vehicles and wanted to see if we could get what we wanted within our price range. We also told him that we had cash and so we would not need financing.

We are very private people. We do not give out personal info. We gave him our names, but we would not give him our addresses or phone numbers or anything else, because (a) we don't want to get calls/mail from the dealership and (b) we don't want them to run a credit check on us when we might not even buy from them.

So after we test drove the vehicle, we tried (again) to get him to give us the price on the vehicle. He told us he didn't remember, he had it written down in his office, and he would go get it for us. Instead of allowing us to wait outside, he made us follow him into the office (I hate going into dealership offices because it's like when you enter you're halfway into their clutches) and sit down. he again began pressing us--almost rudely--for our information. After twenty minutes we told him that we had to leave for an important dinner with his family, would he please tell us the price so that we can discuss it. He refused. I stood up to leave, boyfriend asked me to go get the car and he'd try to get the price out of the guy. Finally, 15 MINUTES LATER boyfriend comes storming out of the dealership office. The salesman had been nearly harassing in his attempts to get our personal information, all the while refusing to give us the price on the vehicle. Finally, boyfriend said, "I have to leave, we're already late." We'd been at the dealership for 2 hours altogether, which should had been plenty of time to get the info we needed. The salesman once more refused to give boyfriend the price without contact info. Boyfriend said, sorry, you can't have it, I have to leave now. Salesman followed boyfriend out the door insulting him and saying things like "When you're *mature* [I can't believe he threw that in!] enough to buy a car, come back and we'll go through the proper processes.

Now tell me, why do I have to give out personal information just to get the price on a car I'm considering buying? Now, of course, I have NO INTENTIONS of buying from that dealership--especially since almost all the other used cars had prices on them. Is it just me, or was that incredibly rude of the salesman???

A pushy salesperson caused me to buy my lovely new Honda Civic from a different dealership's pleasant saleswoman (a lovely mid-60s Polish woman with a law degree).  I just don't understand why salespeople think that annoying you is the way to get your business.  I wish you better luck with future dealerships.   

[Cz. Burrito]

I'm in my mid-20s. Right after college, my BF decided to buy a car. He had a huge college fund (parents planned very well) and he worked through college and really didn't use much of it outside of tuition and rent. His parents told him he could use the remainder for whatever he chose, so he decided to buy a car.
...
Apparently, three young people and the potential buyer without a job was enough for the woman to REFUSE HIM A TEST DRIVE. We saw over 10 salespeople on the floor and she told BF that he needed to make an appointment and come back during the week. The gist of her reasoning was that these salespeople were for "serious buyers only" and that she was not going to waste time giving him a test drive. He raised his eyebrows and told her he'd come back. He never did. His friend and I were about to scream. We told him that he should find her manager and complain about her. He said no and drove to a Volkswagen dealer. The salesperson there was fantastic. Took BF out for a long test drive and enthusiastically described all the models and the options, blah blah blah. He didn't ask too much about BF's life or finances other than "What brings you in today?"

My boyfriend and I ran into this when he was buying a computer for college.  He had about $1000 to spend on it (some of his own, some a gift from his parents) and was looking around Best Buy.  Nobody would help him because he looked too young to have money. 

Now, at age 25 we both still look even younger than we are (we look like we're not quite legal to vote at times).  We visited quite a few car dealerships together after college because we were both in the market for a car.  By this time, we had both secured decently paying jobs and had quite a bit in savings.  Despite making an effort to dress "older" we still encountered a lot of condescension.  Nobody refused us a test drive, though.

I wore my best work clothes to a particular Honda dealership, so that I wouldn't be treated like a kid, but I don't think I needed to.  There was a girl with brightly colored hair in a ratty t-shirt and jeans who was being treated just as courteously as I was.  We were both being treated the same as the older couple in the dealership.  I bought my car then and there.