Why are car dealers shady?
- Thread starter TARHEEL78
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Blue Spot Octopus
2500 Club Member
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If you are buying a car from another city or state never tell them that, if they know that you drove 300 miles to get the car they will stick it to you. Then laugh when you drive home empty handed, then call you back to see if you will fall for it again. I usually make all my deals over the internet not phone. If they change the deal I walk.
My biggest advice to my kids on any large purchase...you've got to be willing to walk away from a deal you don't like.
I'm saying prices shouldnt be negotiable in the first place. Thats for third world countries. The dealer should list the price, it should be the same price for all buyers, and the buyer should either buy it or not.
When prices are negotiable, some people are charged more than others for the same item. In a sane world, that would be considered criminal.
We've gotten rid of this nonsense on almost everything. Only a few markets still have negotiated prices. Someday we'll complete the process and get rid of it entirely.
Buy direct from a seller and avoid the whole mess. I've bought every car I ever owned from craigslist or the classifieds (back when dead tree newspapers were a thing) 
Not everyone behaves like a car dealer. But all car dealers do.
Not everyone behaves like a car dealer. But all car dealers do.
C. Eymann
2500 Club Member
The only "no haggle" dealer is car max, and their prices are robbery as it is.
As Ed Bolian says, always be a shrewd negotiator!
motortrendz
2500 Club Member
I work for gm as a tech, your better off with the camaro than the SS. Those Ausi made cars (holden) are pretty on the outside but junk.. lol. Well the driveline are nice.. interiors are always creakin and squeakin.
I worked for dealers my while life except a stint of 6 years I left to save the world... failed and came back to make money.... I worked for chrysler for 8 years and have been at chevy for 4, I've always watched the sales dept and laughed. They all fight over the customers. They're always over crowded and theres more salesman than desks. I honestly dont know how they do it. I've bought new cars, hate buying new cars, even with employee discounts they still try to hit you for doc fees, higher interest rates(bc that's how the finance guys get paid, if you get approved for 3% they charge you 5% that 2% is theirs, and is negotiable) then the gap ins which they sell for doulble their cost(also negotiable btw) then to the warranty administrator.... that's always sold as double the cost as well and is also negotiable.
But for those who say dont get the extended... I think your silly... as a tech, i see the stuff that fails, and the cost it is to replace... engines and transmissions rarely fail within the initial warranty and the bumper to bumper warranties are usually 1/3 of the powertrain.
The extended warranties through the manufacturer (not those dumb aftermarket ones that never cover anything or only cover a percentage of the failed part only) will cover the failed part and any parts failed bc of the initial failure. And is worth the money if you plan on keeping. (Example: your ac compressor failed and puked its guts though your condenser and evaporator, the after market will cover the compressor replacement but the other parts and labor are on you, where h manufacturer warranty is exactly the same as the initial warranty and will cover all failed and subsequent damaged parts in the system. ) I've seen it kick customers in the butt bc they warranty company replaced the 400$ compressor but the 12 hour dash removal and evap replacement was on them.
Sorry for the rant... my point was I hate buying new and dealing with sales depts. it sucks. Even when you work for them you still have to know what's going on or you'll get screwed too.
C. Eymann
2500 Club Member
I felt the interior quality on my SS is better than any Camaro or impala I have driven?
It's the same platform as the Camaro was (zeta ) and same drivetrain.
Guess I'll agree to disagree, lol.
I think it's one of the best sleeper cars ever made! esp with holden badges! nobody knows what it is! they certaonly dont expect a 6.2 l V8 to be living under the hood. lol
Well theres the problem, dealing with a car dealer
I think you're right, theyre all that way. I've shopped with other people at dealerships. It always felt exactly like haggling with a street vendor in a third world country, and I always left with the same feeling: that they'd just ripped me off. Which they did; they always do. Because the prices are negotiable.
Buying direct from sellers is great. They advertise the price and you either buy it or dont. They never add extra fees.
motortrendz
2500 Club Member
Lol all you ss guys are the same hahha. But I do agree they are great sleeper cars.. nobody but gm guys know what they are. the golden badge everyone thinks is some wild luxury badge... they are super pretty cars. Interiors are very nice looking.... just from a repair stand point, I've had more dashes out bc of creaks and squeaks, tons of broken driver motor mounts and a ton of interior electrical issues... door handle radio receiver failures and usually caused by water intrusion through the windshield or sunroof.
The reason I say go camaro is bc it's the same driveline for 20k less. But that large backseat is nice for a family car.
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
I guess I'm the odd one. I love my local Chevy dealer. I even enjoy shopping for new vehicles. They list every car on their lot on their website. I do my homework, find a truck on their lot with everything I want. I will only look when certain discounts are available. Then I decide how much I want to pay. I figure out how much I want for a trade in on my current vehicle, too.
Then, I go to the dealer with a printout of the truck I want along with my numbers. My first time there it took a bit for the salesman to realize I was firm on everything and wouldn't take a different price or vehicle.
I haven't negotiated at all for my last 4 vehicles. I don't try to lowball them, they are great to me, so it works.
For my current truck I had an interesting experience. It's a 2017 Silverado XLT. They had it on their website marked at over a $15k discount. The XLT's NEVER get that kind of markdown but the 2019's were about to hit the lot. I went there to ask about it, didn't really do any homework. The sales guy explained that they were "program" trucks with 10k to 15k miles. I told him that I thought 2 of them were new, based on the website using different photo layouts for the program cars. Sure enough, 2 of them were new.
This was on a Friday afternoon. There was never any discussion about not selling the truck for it's advertised price but it needed a new battery and new tires from sitting so long. I picked it up on Saturday afternoon. The salesman said it was a pain because their software isn't set up to allow selling new vehicles at a loss. He said it took longer to get the sales price entered in the system than it did to get the truck cleaned up and ready.
Then, I go to the dealer with a printout of the truck I want along with my numbers. My first time there it took a bit for the salesman to realize I was firm on everything and wouldn't take a different price or vehicle.
I haven't negotiated at all for my last 4 vehicles. I don't try to lowball them, they are great to me, so it works.
For my current truck I had an interesting experience. It's a 2017 Silverado XLT. They had it on their website marked at over a $15k discount. The XLT's NEVER get that kind of markdown but the 2019's were about to hit the lot. I went there to ask about it, didn't really do any homework. The sales guy explained that they were "program" trucks with 10k to 15k miles. I told him that I thought 2 of them were new, based on the website using different photo layouts for the program cars. Sure enough, 2 of them were new.
This was on a Friday afternoon. There was never any discussion about not selling the truck for it's advertised price but it needed a new battery and new tires from sitting so long. I picked it up on Saturday afternoon. The salesman said it was a pain because their software isn't set up to allow selling new vehicles at a loss. He said it took longer to get the sales price entered in the system than it did to get the truck cleaned up and ready.
motortrendz
2500 Club Member
That's pretty good... and yes we replace batteries on new vehicles all the time and the truck tires wind up with flat spots from sitting. Both are a pita for service bc the battery cost goes to sales bc it's their responsibility to maintain a charge and the flat spot tires need to be verified by a rep before they will cover them under warranty. Sometimes takes a few days.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
They initially asked me to put 500 miles on the truck before changing the tires but they were bad enough that they didn't think it was safe so changed them without it. Had no idea about the battery.
It was a bit odd driving a vehicle with 20 miles on it off the lot looking brand new except the finish on the windshield wipers was flaking off from sun damage. I'm sure they would have replaced them if I asked but I figured it was painful enough for them.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Wish I had known! I replaced them myself after a few months because they didn't work well. I wouldn't have guessed the wipers were covered by warranty.
motortrendz
2500 Club Member
And yes they usually ask you to drive them for a while, some tires go back to round. Others will always have the flat spots when cold and go away as you drive, but still annoying and will show up on the road force tire balance machine and the print out will show the bad spots as confirmation for the replacement. Gm actually has a road force spec for warranty replacement. Trucks I believe are 15lbs and cars are 7lbs. I've seen some trucks as high as 60lbs of force. It's like driving with a pipe under one part of the tire. Thud thud thud lol
I have had much better luck and felt more satisfied with a low miles used car purchase from a dealer than I ever did with a new car purchase. For the last couple decades I've only bought 1-2 year old cars from dealers. They come with a warranty (sometimes an excellent one), you do not have that first year depreciation so the car retains it's value, the dealers are much more willing to negotiate and research on the cost/price is much more accurate because there are no add-ons and you have a known car/model history. You can also get some very good financing rates on the top used cars if you need it as well (not as good as new of course - and walking in with a pre-approved loan from your bank or credit union is the best way of negotiating a good rate - they have to beat yours).
I'm talking premium dealers here, not 'used car lots'. The premium dealers (Chevy, Ford, whatever...) keep the best used to sell themselves.
I'm talking premium dealers here, not 'used car lots'. The premium dealers (Chevy, Ford, whatever...) keep the best used to sell themselves.
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