Playing the Dealership Game

If you go with W, be sure to place a call to E and let them know that you did.
You will feel empowered.

 

I did this once. I was negotiating a used car at a local dealer and they wouldn’t budge (we were about $1000 apart) so I walked out and finally bought a similar car at a dealer out of town.

I happened to see the first dealer had lowered the price on the car that I wanted to less than my offer. I promptly called the salesman to make sure he remembered that had he taken my offer he would have sold it for more $$$ and sent him a pic of the car I ended up buying. That was satisfying!

Stupid idiot really didn’t seem to care either.

 

Yep. The closest dealership to me had a Pro and we went back and forth for about a week. The deal fell apart when they wouldn't remove a charge. I went back when my daughter was looing for a 4runner and got the same salesman. He asked if I got the other Pro and I told him I did. I'm sure he didn't care but it made me feel good.

 

Yep. Always have to be prepared to walk away. I’ve gotten all the way to signing papers and walked out when the finance office played some bs.

 

Yes, Toyota only works through authorized dealers and all dealers have access to all local inventory, including acquisition records.

I haggled with 3 dealers for my truck. The color and configuration I wanted was at a dealer I didn't want to work with for reasons similar to what you are experiencing with E. I was able to get the truck off their lot but through a different dealership for less than the first dealership was willing to sell.

As someone else has said, these dealers are not your friends. Be professional and courteous but firm. They will rake you over the coals if they get a chance. Dont be afraid to press them for the best deal - its a big purchase.

 

I had this happen with a house once. It needed some work so I made an offer well under his asking price based on the needed work. My offer was rejected. About a year later, and after the seller did most of the work I was going to do, he sold it for less than I offered. The pics in the new listing showed the work he did. He would have been about $30k richer today if he had taken my offer. My wife always watches local real estate and she caught it.

 

The saying is very true: something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it!

 

Thanks much... I'll be excited to post pictures once he arrives!

 

Agree 100%! And at this point, I've walked away from both E and W at different times, so they know I'm willing to do that. I do think I've haggled to the lowest price at this point, and thankfully with W, who I trust more than E after all this.

I did send an email to E and told them that W is receiving the truck in the timeframe E said it would be here, but now won't be until near January. Also that W beat their price. I received an email back from E yesterday saying the truck from them was delayed (yeah right... wasn't even in the Toyota system 3 days ago according to W), and said, "It will be here in late December if there is anything I can do to keep you with us." But I don't think they'd go low enough on price to justify waiting another 1-2 months to finally get the truck. Especially since I've been dealing with this since September.

I think I'll wait to respond though until the truck actually shows up at W next week and just to make sure the deal goes through as planned. If not, W will know I have another option.

 

Good plan. Now just make sure you get the proper interest rate. They’ll definitely try to make money there also.

 

I've personally found that I do better when I find someone I trust and stick with them. I have a dealership with a guy that I trust. He finds me which vehicle I'm looking for within the price range we've previously discussed with the features I want. I give him a list of colors I don't like. From there, it's just him being my personal shopper. The finance guy never changes anything. He has to offer the same crap he offers everyone else, but he warns me before he does it and then shows me what it will look like before I ever even listen to any of the additions.

It took me a long time to find that person, and it took me walking out of a few dealerships (loudly, in order to hopefully steer others away). But really - I'd try to find a person you trust rather than jockey them around. It's what we all hate them doing to us, and if we play that same game then it never changes. Even still, you've got to know what you want and know what your bottom price is that you're willing to pay. Just be honest up front with that. If everything they show you from there is above your price, tell them you're not interested in working with them and find someone else.

Probably unpopular, but it works for me.

 

Concerning item #1 above. I do know for a fact that the guy I deal with at my local stealership can see (by vin #) who is ordering what and where they go. When dealing with these guys and you are referring to what you want they can talk by Vin #. as someone mentioned ask for the spec sheet of you truck and it will list everything that is on that truck. if it's not on that spec sheet and they promise it to you make sure you have it in writing.

My $0.02

Good Luck and go with your gut and make sure your happy with the deal.

 

I realize that my previous post doesn't really do you much good in your current situation - sorry for sounding like an elitist pr*ck. With regard to your second question however, if you're in a negotiation and you're just looking to get the best price and not form a relationship, the onus is on them to know where to stop. This is an unpleasant way to think of it, but I had it described to me this way in a negotiations class: The person you are negotiating with is a dishrag. You're job is to keep wringing them until they stop dripping. They need to know when to stop dripping.

 

LOL... not at all! I appreciate the advice!

I've weighed my pros and cons at this point, and I've decided it's more important to me now to get the truck sooner rather than later (and by later, I mean if I continue to dicker). And it's settling with a dealership I trust more than the other, so that's all good. Could I get another $1k off the price if I really pushed it? Meh, maybe, probably... but at this point, I'd rather be driving it next week than still going back and forth between E and W.

I'm pretty comfortable with my decision at this point. I'm still $4k down from the starting price, and that doesn't include the $1750 incentive. So I feel good about it

 

Awesome! At the end of the day, that's all that matters.

 

If you can get extra price concessions by financing with Toyota or other dealer-arranged financing, go ahead and do it. I just refinanced my loan for a better interest rate after keeping the Toyota loan for 120 days. I got an extra $500 off by financing originally with Toyota, due to a military discount.

 

It's hard to develop a relationship with a dealer when you only buy one new vehicle every 8-10 years or so.

 

Fair enough - my wife and I are sort of on staggered vehicle purchases, so every ten years is really more like every 5 for us.

 

...or every 20+ years! I actually have a SUV for my daily driver which is a 2016, but my other truck is a 1997 GMC Sierra Z71 that I bought off the showroom floor in October 1996. Still have her. I decided it's about time to tow with something a bit newer!

 

The guys who buy GMs say you don't even have to wait that long to refinance the loan.

 

Be sure and post pics of the new truck when you get it and let us know what you think about it.

 

Absolutely - will do!

 

Just check the terms... they may have some phrasing in the loan documents about minimum loan term or early payoff, but most don't. The 90 - 120 days is usually the period the loan needs to be with the dealer's preferred finance company (Toyota, local bank, etc...) for the dealer to get some kickback from the loan. Dealers frequently try to tell you that you can't do it for XXX days because they are trying to lock in their kickback.

If not explicitly stated in the terms of financing, you can pay it off and refinance with your preferred source as soon as you want. Although, it may take a few weeks for the loan to show up and allow you to actually complete the payoff / refinance.

Just my $0.02...

 

I'll definitely keep that in mind, thanks!

 

I’ve refinanced within days...I bought a car a while back and went with the dealer financing. I called my local bank a couple days later and they refinanced and beat the interest rate by 0.5%

 

As someone who has worked in car sales for the last ten years I can confirm that these car dealerships are in fact trying to make a profit. I know it’s disgusting but most profitable businesses do try to make profits from their customers.

Don’t be mistaken, by all means go out and find the truck you love and get yourself a great deal!!!

But a car dealership is not some evil entity that we must fight. There are a lot of great, honest and knowledgeable people at these dealerships trying to make a living selling a product they love and believe in and helping people get into vehicles they want or need.

You will also run into lying, deceitful, and downright nasty people and you are welcome to treat them as such(because they do deserve it). Make sure you do not sacrifice your integrity in the process by belittling the ones that are trying to help you buy a truck just because they are trying to make a living in the process.

I would rather buy with a salesperson I want to support if they are someone you can trust you even if that means you have to spend a little more to do it. That’s why I buy all of my vehicles from myself

 

Heck around DFW I don't think sales people stay more then a year or 2 at same dealership.

 

Dishonest salespeople don’t stick and dishonest dealerships can’t keep honest salespeople but a talented honest salesperson will stick around an honest dealership for a long time and that’s exactly who you want to work with.

 

I can tell you from personal experience, this was said to me and it was a lie. We played this exact game with my wife's Highlander. If you didnt put any $$ down, walk away.

 

I won't dispute what you're saying. But it's kind of like saying, "98% of lawyers give the rest a bad name." I know that is an exaggeration, even for lawyers, but it is the perception. I also know that the salesperson is subject to the limitations placed on him by the bean counters in the finance department. I treat them all with respect as long as they treat me with respect.