Advice needed

[Jumpy]

I'm very close to buying a new 18 GTI. It needs to be soon because my current car is dying. I emailed a dealer about a specific trim/transmission/color. They don't have that specific combo in inventory, but the sales manager said they can "get one for me" and invited me to "come in and place an order." What exactly does that mean?

There's another dealer 25 miles away that has the exact car I want. Should I just go there instead?

 

[Jumpy]

From what I understand, it should be possible to fully work out a deal over email, right?

Also, can you trade in a car with lots of problems? (It runs, but it has a bunch of leaks and failing parts)

 

[SweetJones_29]

I'm very close to buying a new 18 GTI. It needs to be soon because my current car is dying. I emailed a dealer about a specific trim/transmission/color. They don't have that specific combo in inventory, but the sales manager said they can "get one for me" and invited me to "come in and place an order." What exactly does that mean?

There's another dealer 25 miles away that has the exact car I want. Should I just go there instead?

Got to the dealer that has what you want.

 

[NeedSleep]

Try to work out a deal over email/phone with the dealer that has the car. Definitely have the final negotiated price emailed to you for proof before you drive 25mi.

The one you contacted who doesn't have it might try to do a dealer trade, which could work against you b/c both dealers would now think people (they don't need to know it's the same person) are interested in the car, so it's harder for you to negotiate the price down.

Edit: yes, it's possible to negotiate over email. If they insist in phone calls and you don't want to do it over the phone, just say you can't hop on a call and would rather have the ability to respond whenever you can (which email provides).

As for trading in a car that's dying, I don't know. If they do take it, you might just not get much money for it.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[CosmosMpower]

Play both dealers see what they can offer don’t act desperate or tell them you need a car ASAP.

 

[vj123]

Place the order means specing it from the factory and thats gonna take sometime for the car to arrive. Your current dealer might be able to get the car from second dealer but they might add an additional charge. And if you tell them your situation needing the car, they will not budge in the price. Just negotiate saying you can sign the deal once they are close to the numbers you are looking for. Instead you can contact the second dealer and see what price they could offer it for.

Check the trade in price they are offering. But typically you might get a better deal selling it by yourself.

 

[Shane_Anigans]

From what I understand, it should be possible to fully work out a deal over email, right?

Also, can you trade in a car with lots of problems? (It runs, but it has a bunch of leaks and failing parts)

Yes, it is possible to work out a deal without setting foot in the dealership. To go one step further, I wouldn't bother with any dealer who won't, and if they ask you why, simply answer "it's 2018."

I wanted a specific color/trim/transmission combination, but none were available locally. So I looked on Autotrader, found some within a couple hundred miles, communicated with those dealers using email and online chat, received firm price quotes, and offers on my trade-in. I then used those quotes when talking to my local dealer (via text messages to a salesperson I know) and hammered out the deal for the new car, trade-in, financing, and everything else. I didn't set foot in the dealer until the day I arrived to do the paperwork. Granted, I had the advantage of working with someone I knew, but even if I didn't have a friend at the dealer, it wouldn't have gone much differently. The only thing is, I ended up with a red GTI instead of black or grey like I wanted, but in hindsight, I'm happier with red than I would have been with the other 2.

As for your current car, you can trade in almost any car, though the value of said car to the dealer depends on many factors. In 2004, I was working at Honda dealer, where our used car manager took in a rather tired-looking 1996 Ford Contour for $1. Yes, you read that correctly. How much they offer for your car is going to depend largely on the year/age/mileage and cosmetic condition, which have the greatest effect on its book value. Depending on how your dealer's used car manager does things, any vehicle past a certain age may be automatically sent to the wholesale auction, and won't receive much more than a once-over before they offer you a small amount of money for it. Even the cars that the used car manager might want to put on the lot will rarely go up on a lift before they accept it on trade, because the dealer doesn't want to slow the sales process down on your new car. Besides, they're going to offer you thousands less than the actual resale value of the car, so they'll have enough to do some minor repairs and recondition it, and still turn a profit on it.

If your car is really old and beat, then clean it up as best you can, drive it down there, and see what they offer, assuming you just want to be rid of it. Keep in mind that if you decide to sell it privately, whatever money you put into repairing it before you sell will not be recouped by a higher selling price, unless you do all the repairs yourself using parts you got for free.

TL;DR: shop around online, don't get sucked into following their sales process, and research the value of your car before trading it in. Just out of curiosity, what sort of car are you getting rid of?

 

[adam1991]

That all being said, absolutely do not underestimate the power of face to face communications.

If you are right there in front of them, you have incredible power. You have the power to walk. They don't want you to do that. They WANT you to sign, right there, while you're there. They know that if you don't, the likelihood of them seeing you again is small.

In 1988, I saved my father $3000 on a car he wanted by simply standing up and telling him, "Let's go. You don't NEED a car." It was the truth. We started putting our coats on. You should have seen the sales guy hustle. Ten minutes later, that $3300 gap became a $300 gap.

Important things in the world get done face to face.

 

[Shane_Anigans]

That all being said, absolutely do not underestimate the power of face to face communications.

If you are right there in front of them, you have incredible power. You have the power to walk. They don't want you to do that. They WANT you to sign, right there, while you're there. They know that if you don't, the likelihood of them seeing you again is small.

In 1988, I saved my father $3000 on a car he wanted by simply standing up and telling him, "Let's go. You don't NEED a car." It was the truth. We started putting our coats on. You should have seen the sales guy hustle. Ten minutes later, that $3300 gap became a $300 gap.

Important things in the world get done face to face.

Disagree. If you're right there in front of them, you're in their house, where they have all the advantages. Negotiating via email indicates that you're not a rube who still thinks buying car has to be done the old-fashioned way. It also means they will spend less of their time making the deal, because communication via modern means is much more efficient. They whole "walk away from the deal" tactic works from anywhere. The dealer in outside of Cleveland low-balled me on the trade-in value, so I told them I wasn't interested anymore. They immediately bumped their offer up by $1000.

Ask any salesperson what they hate the most, and they'll tell you it's people who waste their time. If they can close a deal via email without having to go through the whole face-to-face sales process and still make money, the smart ones will do it every time.

 

[adam1991]

Disagree. If you're right there in front of them, you're in their house, where they have all the advantages.

That is something to consider, yes.

That's why, when I bought my GTI, I spent time preparing a couple of spreadsheets--one for the deal, one for financing--and had them up and running at each step of the way.

I may have been in their house, but I had all the facts AND calculations at my hand, ready to go.

And--like I said, a very important part that maybe you didn't notice--even though you're in their house, you have the very important power to WALK.

It's incredible power, realized perhaps only after one has exercised it. This is a business negotiation; if you let emotion take over and you refuse to walk because you really really want your new toy, it doesn't matter if you're in their house or your house.

I was ready to walk, at any step of the process. But that was after I had spent 3 weeks considering the whole thing. It might as well have been over email for those past three weeks, but at the end with the intention of signing the papers, I knew very well that I still had the incredible power to walk.

One never knows what will happen at any point.

Ask any salesperson what they hate the most, and they'll tell you it's people who waste their time.

Absolutely agreed.

Now ask any salesperson what he really wants--and what he wants is a chance to be in front of the guy who has to sign paperwork, with a pen in his hand and said paperwork ready to go. Because if the buyer isn't there to talk to and see the body language and hear the tone of voice and work with, what are the odds the salesguy is wasting his time?

Email can be a huge time waster.

 

[The Fed]

Look on cars.com for the exact car you want. Or look on dealer's websites. If you decide to order a new one, consider joining a VW partner. Make sure the dealer participates in the program. As for trading, go to a few dealers to see what they'll offer you. If you have the time, try a CARMAX too but remember to factor in sales tax.

 

[Shane_Anigans]

T Because if the buyer isn't there to talk to and see the body language and hear the tone of voice and work with, what are the odds the salesguy is wasting his time?

Email can be a huge time waster.

If you're already in the dealership and sitting down, the odds of you walking away are slimmer, in the same way that no one goes to the supermarket just to have a look at the selection of beans.

Email is far more efficient as a means of conducting a transaction, because both parties are free to respond in their own time, as opposed to telephone conversations or in-person, where no other work can be done simultaneously. Plus, both parties have greater security as there's a trail to follow.

Practically every other form of commerce is conducted electronically or online these days, yet car dealers still cling to the past like it's still 1988 and fax machines are cutting edge technology. I'm hoping that by the time I buy my next car, I'l be able to shop online, negotiate the deal by email/text, and sign for the car on an tablet computer when they deliver it to my house.

 

[Jumpy]

Got it done! I ended up using the Costco Auto Program, and the whole process was really smooth. I basically worked out everything via texting, 2 phone calls to answer questions and make a deposit, and one visit to the dealer to sign and pickup the car, which had just arrived fresh from port. Will post pics in a bit!

 

[adam1991]

The Costco Auto Program requires that you visit the dealer in person and present your Costco card before they will give you the Costco pricing.

Did you not have to do that?

 

[Jumpy]

No, just emailed the info