Quote:
Originally Posted by Gpsma
Can you share how to properly buy a car?
|
Many years ago when my young adult daughter wanted to buy her first car I gave her a book. I think but am not sure it was 'The Car Buyer's Art' by Darrell Parrish, a former car salesman. My daughter is a reader and learns well that way. She has now bought many cars, some used, but mostly new, and seems to do OK.
I have many car buying war stories and can report each situation was different. It very much depends on the vehicle you want and when you want it. If it is the latest Corvette in September expect to pay more. If it is late February on a drizzly day and aging inventory of an unpopular model has been sitting on the lot four months expect to pay less. A couple of times the deal I made was apparently so good the salesman angrily stormed out of the room and refused to speak to me again, but I got the car at the price I wanted. lol. I have had them and sales managers get up and walk away without a word. I have left an offer and walked out and been stopped as I was opening my car door or received a call a day or three later telling me they would take my deal. I believe the more time a salesperson invests with a buyer the better deal a buyer can negotiate. If one starts out with a lowball offer with no salesperson time invested they just walk away. It is a rough and tumble no holds barred business.
The saddest event I ever witnessed at a car dealership was in the Virginia DC suburbs back in 1970. A recently widowed woman came in with her husband's highly collectible and valuable Mercedes SL in pristine condition. A salesman offered her peanuts for it on a trade-in. I was around the corner and several of the salesman were laughing it up big time at her being taken. It disgusted me.
Most of the dealerships where I have had my vehicles serviced in the last 30 years were modern facilities and have had their service manager offices adjacent or very near, as down a hall from, their sales floors. I usually wander onto to the sales floor if I am in for a short service and get approached by a salesperson. I just tell them my vehicle is being serviced and I am just biding my time. I have never been pushed to buy or get off the showroom floor. My ex-wife has been pushed to buy at the Mercedes dealership she uses, and not in a good way. It was on a used model Consumers Report reported was a lemon.