Philips Buick
 

A very good friend and TV permanent resident wants to buy a new Buick LaCrosse in the next couple of months. She is concerned that she will be taken advantage of and wants me to help.

Have any of you bought new from Philips Buick in Fruitland Park and if so what was your experience like? Can you recommend them or would you suggest another dealer? How about a trusted contact that will be fair and honest?

Believe it or not this will be her first brand new car :a040: and she is very nervous about paying too much or getting talked into something she doesn't need. :faint:

Your advice will be very much appreciated.

phillips scramble ..
 

I can't comment on this as I no longer do business with them ....
They used to sponsor the PHILLIPS GOLF SCRAMBLE every year which many of the golfers in TV dearly loved ....They dropped their sponsorship with no apparent explanation .......and so I go elsewhere........

fumar

I just purchased a new Buick from Phillips. The best buying experience I have ever had and I have purchased a number of new vehicles. While there I spoke with a member of the Phillips family. The reason the Golf Scramble was stopped, TV kept raising the price of everything. I had heard that from others within TV, but this was confirmed by a Phillips.

I never said that it wasn't a good place to do business ......All I stated was that many of us were upset that they dropped the scramble ...
The story that was given to us was that Phillips senior retired and the two boys took it over , The boys don't play golf so they pulled the plug....Just because they have the right to do it , doesn't mean we have to like it....I should add that I used to play on amateur day at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc Michigan ...........I now drive a Lincoln.....

miffed fumar

The LaCrosse has been a big success for GM/Buick and demand is pretty high so there probably aren't any great deals out there right now.

Hopefully, she'll be treated fairly and get it for a decent price.

It is a given that she will be "taken".

In her car purchase she must pay for all of the overhead at that huge dealership, and with all the figures that will be thrown around, and all the schmoozing, it's rather easy for the salesman to make extra money at her expense.

If you really want to help her, pick up an issue of Consumer Reports and send for their new car price quote. It will cost a few dollars and take a little time, but patience and persistence will result in saving thousands of dollars. She has two big advantages - she doesn't need a car immediately and she knows the make and model she wants. Once educated to the real cost of cars and options, she should be able to negotiate a fair deal, even with a big dealer.
Do not be swayed by the idea that you must buy from the local dealer in order to get good service later. All dealers are required to service their brands, and unless you negotiate something special at the time of purchase, there is no discount for vehicles purchased elsewhere.

Good Luck. As my Dad used to say: "I'm going to buy a new car. It's a sort of biblical experience - you know - the lamb to the slaughter..."



If you want to assist

Buying a car
 

My suggestion is do your home work on the Internet and have a price in mind before you go to a dealership, contact a few dealers on the Internet and this way you will have a pretty good idea what the car is gong to cost you. I just bought a new car and didn't see a person until I was ready to buy the car.

I was in car sales for 8 years and the one thing
 

and the one thing i learned is don't buy a new car. It loose's 20% in value when you drive it off the curb. Best bet a 2 or 3 year old lease return with no more than 10,000 miles a year on it. What ever price they ask offer $1,500 less and get an extended warranty :bowdown:

ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!! I have not purchased a new car since 1975 and have probably saved 100k because of that decision. I have cultivated a firm friendship with a small dealer/repairman who buys me just the car I want at auction, every few years. I drive 'fully loaded' cars which list for 30-40k. They are a year or two old with 10-20 thousand miles on them, and cost me abut 20k. My dealer gets such a kick out of finding an auction car which looks like no one ever sat in those lovely leather seats.

However. Many people just want a new car. Some want it so bad that they are willing to go get fleeced by their 'good friend' over at the impressive mega-dealership. It's an experience. Feels good. Expensive, but hey, you only live once.

I, too, have never purchased and brand new car. If I were to do so, I would definitely do my research. A web site I recently started using with my students is www.truecar.com. It is a great site that may help your friend from feeling as though she will be "taken".

I hope your friend gets the car she wants and a price that she finds acceptable.

Buick LaCross
 

Check this website for priding out a new or used car. The LaCrosse least expensive price is $26,250 only $735 below MSRP. It's for American Express cc holders. It's very good.
http://amexnetwork.zag.com/main.html?referrer_id=ZAMX000204&om_rid=$TRAqW&om_ mid=_BKa9dHB7uaKj3m&

I challenge anybody to get a better price buying a new car!

I agree with the recommendation to use Consumer Reports (CR). Using the CR New Car buying tool, you can find out exactly what the dealer paid for car and what the dealer paid for each option. If the dealer got any special deals or incentives on the car or any of the options it will let you know. Here are additional suggestions.

• Go to the dealership near the end of the month. The dealerships get incentives from the manufacturer for hitting certain sales targets. If a dealer is near one of the target at the end of the month, they are more highly motivated to make the sale. The more motivated the seller, the better for you.
• Walk into the dealership knowing firmly the top price you are willing to pay for the car. If you can't get within that price, by all means walk out the door. Just go to another dealer for the exact same car.
• Tell your salesperson the exact car you are considering and with what options. That'll make him or her think that you are ready to buy. That's ok, that means they don't want to lose you to the competition. Ask for a test drive. The more time you spend with a salesperson, the more vested he or she is in making the sale.
• The first thing the dealer will ask is whether you have a trade in. The correct answer is "no," whether you do or not. Never, ever, ever disclose a trade in until they have agreed upon a price to your satisfaction without one. Then you can "change your mind" and ask what they'll give you for your trade in.
• Don't let the dealer talk you into any additional options. They try to sell you frivolous and costly add-ons. You already know what you want.
• The sticker price should have no bearing at all on what you are willing to pay. None. It's what the dealer paid that counts. In the past when I've purchased a new car, I've offered $500-$600 over what the dealer paid and have never agreed to pay more than $750 more. Period. I have walked out and gone to Dealer B.
• If the salesperson says the offer is to low, pull out your CR sheet and explain the basis of your offer. If he won't accept your offer, ask for a counter. If it's not below your already-decided top price, walk out the door. There are plenty more dealers.
• The salesperson's next step ALWAYS is to say he has to ask the manager about the price you discussed. Now, the dealership's shtick here is to make you wait a long, long time. Odds for them are, the longer they keep you waiting, the more anxious you will become, the more you will think about wanting the car, and the more you will be convinced that you're getting a good deal-- otherwise why would it take so long.
• Not only should you not fall for the "waiting game" anxiety, you should use the waiting game to YOUR advantage. The way I see it, the longer your salesperson is playing this game with the manager, the longer he or she is not with another customer, and the fewer hours he or she has left in the day to make more commissions. The reality is, that salesperson REALLY does not want you to leave after he or she was not on the sales floor for a couple hours. So take a good book with you. Expect the wait. Use it to your advantage to stand firm. (I don't fell bad about this because it is they who kept me waiting. I didn't ask them to play their obnoxious games.)

Oh, one more thing. Car salespeople often assume they can take advantage of a woman. That's actually ok too. There are few financial rewards as good as being underestimated by a car salesperson. :thumbup:

Well, that's how I have paid thousands under the stick price anyway. Why not? Just remember, there is nothing more meaningless than the sticker price of a car!

Good luck!

Negotiator PTurner

Bought a new car three years ago and got it about $5K below MSRP (and $1,500 below "dealer invoice").

What I did was selected model, color and extras and sent emails out to 5 nearby dealers for bids (didn't show other addressee in the emails); then took the lowest bid to the closest dealer and he matched it (assuming he would make it up in service billing).

chuck


.

Thank you everyone! This is precisely the kind of information I was hoping to receive and I will pass all of it on to my friend. I know I can always get great advice and recommendations here on TOTV.

I was going to stay away from this one since I was one of those dreaded car salesman for over 35 years. But here it goes.

It was priviously stated.

The first thing the dealer will ask is whether you have a trade in. The correct answer is "no," whether you do or not. Never, ever, ever disclose a trade in until they have agreed upon a price to your satisfaction without one. Then you can "change your mind" and ask what they'll give you for your trade in.

I hired and trained many car salespeople over the 35 years I was in the auto business and I always told every one of them that when the customer lies to you they are just trying to get a good deal. But when you the car salesperson lies to the customer you know what they call the saleperson. Just remember when you lie you are a lier. In 35 years of selling cars I was lied to a heck of alot more than I ever stretched the truth.

Now let me give you some helpful advice. After you are given the first price by the salesperson. Ask them what the total figure out the door would be and ask them to break that down as to how they get to that figure. Many dealers are charging a crazy documentary fee of $500.00 to $1,000.00 and you won't be hit with that figure till you get to the business office to write the check.

Oh I know many of you are going to say that they won't do that documentary fee to me so I will save you the time of telling us how smart you are. This practice I do not agree with but it is done in this area beware.

All negoiations should be done with a out the door figure. Which includes Sales Tax and Florida plates. In Florida the dealers are by state law to collect your license and title fee's and take care of this for you at the tag office. They will charge you a fee to do this as they have no choice and have to do this service as governed by the state of Florida. This fee can be different at each dealer. I checked with the tag office at the Sumter County Annex on 466 and verifyed this during my last purchase of a car recenty.

When you go into the dealership and are ready to buy. Tell the salesperson that you are going to purchase a car before the day is done and you hope that this is where you are going to purchase that car and that is why you are there. The best day to purchase a car off the lot is the last day of the month. The best time to go to the lot and look over their selection is when they are closed either before they open or after they close. This way you won't even talk to a salesperson.

If you are a lady and want to work with a lady salesperson phone right before you go to the dealership and ask for a lady salesperson and tell her you will be there in 30 minutes and want to purchase a car from a lady salesperson. The reason you want to call right before you go is you don't want to start with a salesperson and just show up and find out they are gone to lunch or off that day.


Below is a link to a site that may help you. Not all of the things listed in this will happen to you but if you read it when and if it does you will know what to look for.

Good luck and remember that not all car dealers are bad guys. But it pays to be prepared.


http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...FsZXItdHJpY2tz

Indy is right. If you are a knowledgable buyer who wants the best deal you can get, you don't know whether you want to trade-in your old car until after you've settled on a purchase price for the new one. That's no lie. If after settling on a purchase price, the dealer offers you a raw deal for your old car, you don't have a trade in. Sell it yourself.

Oh, how did I forget to mention that horrid "document fee" trick? One time I negotiated a purchase price and when I got to the signing table, they added $500 for document work. I said I wouldn't pay. They said everybody has to pay it. I said I would pay $80. They said no. I got up from my chair and walked out. Didn't buy the car.

...Indy's right again, of course. They are not all bad guys. The ones who try to charge you $500-1000 for a document fee and other tricks are just to get you to pay as much as possible for the car.