I always us Honda filters anyway on the Acura and AC on the Pontiac. The Honda filters are about $10 at the dealer but on-line they are less than $6 each if you order half a dozen at a time. A couple dollars more maybe than WIX or Fram and no question of the quality.
Not even $150, probably less than $100 saved. Youâre thinking of the retail value of those services, when the only cost that the dealer incurs is the direct cost for parts and labor (I wouldnât figure in indirect costs because theyâre not going to change due to a single vehicle). They may give you back that direct cost in the price, but theyâre not going to ârefundâ the markup that they charge on those services just because you donât want them.
Given the time that would be wasted on this conversation with the dealer, followed by the almost-inevitable âNo we canât do thatâ, youâre better off finding your cost savings elsewhere.
There is always a âgotcha,â there is always a surprise. You, as the buyer, expect it, wait for the bottom line price, do whatever haggling you deem necessary, and then take it or leave it. FWIW, I have taken my checkbook and walked out, more than once.
As for your âgodlike wisdom,â I seriously doubt your friends will be impressed. They can probably see through your BS at least as well as I can.
I really dislike the whole process of buying a car and I just want it over with. Still I always have a price in mind that should be close to the offer. On the last car, our normal dealer wasnât even close, so I walked away for 6 months. Back again, still wanted a car, but same deal, and we were off I donât remember, a couple thousand maybe. Went to the auto show and conversed with a second dealer. There are only three in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Assured us if we gave her a try they would sharpen the pencil. So I gathered up our title etc. and paid them a visit. We were still off just about as much as the first dealer. Wife was hopeful, I said no and went to the menâs room. Made them think we were walking away. Came back, said OK how about the winter floor mats and a bottle of touch up paint. Worth about $200. Theyâll prep the car and bring it around in about a half hour.
What did I save? Really nothing. I liked the second dealer better and easy to get an appointment but they are 30 more miles away. Sometimes you can deal and sometimes you canât so either shoot yourself in the foot and walk away or take your lumps and be done with it. I know some of you folks will spend hours trying to squeeze the very last nickle out of a deal but sometimes you just want a car and close the deal best you can. Plus I suppose taking a car in trade that they couldnât sell for months due to the air bag recall didnât help matters.
Whatâs your opinion on haggle free dealerships?
Nice concept but there are two things to consider: The price of the car itself and is it high or low or just right, and the allowance given for a trade in and is it too low or just right? Just have to do some homework first. Now a new Buick I bought in 86 was easy. They were participants in my credit union buying program. You went in to the fleet sales manager, list the options you want, and then they added $150 to the bottom line dealer cost and ordered the car. Took less than an hour but didnât have a trade. Of course they still got the manufacturer hold back but they arenât going to give you that anyway.
We used TrueCar on our last purchase, and the price was excellent; below dealer invoice. There were no rebates or dealer incentives available.
I guess your life experience must be worse than mine.
Most of the dealers around here donât try to change the deal after you negotiate a price. The ones that do, are ones that come in from out of town with a lot of hype and don;t do well here.
Why such a hostile attitude, I am not the one who shafted you on a car deal.
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Not worse but clearly different. The chain of dealerships in question has been around for decades, theyâre far from fly-by-night. There is no âdealâ until you sign on the proverbial dotted line. Until then youâre just playing the game. Once the dust settles and the numbers have been added you can take it or leave it. I didnât get shafted by anyone. My wife and I bought a car we wanted at a price that we found acceptable. Iâm sorry if that offends you.
And FWIW, when people use the safe anonymity of the internet to talk big and call complete strangers stupid, that tends to provoke a certain degree of hostility.
Oldtimer never called you stupid . He made the same statement I would have made . When someone told me I had to pay 1095.00 for a years worth of oil changes and tire rotation I also would have walked just on principal because those services would be 200.00 at the most.
Donât be so sensitive .
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Iâm asking cause Iâve found a 2020 Sante Fe. The haggle free dealer who is locally reputable, has a price. The next dealer is over 2 hours away that has the same vehicle for thousands more before any haggling. I have never haggled before and am very green at it. I can probably be considered a pushover. So my thought is maybe to call the dealer farther away and see if they can beat the price over the phone. Iâm willing to pay some extra to stay local though. Just wondering if I am on a good train of thought.
Knowledge is key in negotiations. You need to know a good price when you see it. Websites like Edmunds and TrueCar will show you recent sales near you for similar models. Get that, then go to the dealerâs website and ask for an internet price on a specific car you want. Maybe that price is good enough, or you can then drive out and try to negotiate a better price.
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As long as you use a quality filter. A local parts store sells me the Wix filters by the case at a good discount.
You donât say.
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He said I let myself be cheated. Thatâs not something you say about someone you consider intelligent. But the truth is that my approach is simply different from yours or his. Based on prior experience with other dealers, I expect a âgotchaâ at some point and I consider it part of the negotiation.
In this case, âThe Napleton Experienceâ includes oil changes and tire rotations, and free repair of the first dent and incident of fabric damage for a year. The chances weâll take advantage of this coverage are slim but the dealer has to make a profit somewhere. Again, as long as the bottom line price is within reason I donât really care how I get there.
The difference being Iâd call him on his BS if we were face to face.
I seriously doubt it.
And youâre welcome to believe that.
( The Napleton Experience ) does not sound all that pleasant when you read all of the complaints about the Napleton Automotive Group on several sites.
Toyotaâs new car warranty is NOT 3 years-36 months. Itâs 2years, 24 months. This has caused me to buy Honda or GM, and NOT Toyota. They need to wake up and smell the roses: If they had more confidence in their autos, it would show up in a comparable warranty.