I Eat Car Dealers for Lunch...
When I went to buy my Durango (and I knew everything about it, how much they retail, what options, everything...), I did my usual. I dress in torn up jeans, nasty old stained T-shirt, old sneakers, and then park off the lot and walk in.
So what do they do? Without exception, to date, they send out the youngest and/or greenest salesman they have. This is what happened outside Kansas City... (I drove 2.5 hours to get the one I finally wanted.)
The guy comes out, he's maybe 25 and tries to steer me away from the more expensive area to the bragain lot. I chuckle and say I may end up there, but I want to look at these first. Sure! But no test drive... So I ask about several upscale SUV's, then get to the one I was after in the first place. Keyless entry? check. CD? check. 4WD? check. So, how much is it?
$22,500
"Wow!" says I. "Do you finance?"
"No... you have to get your own."
"Awww, darn. But hey, if I could manage a loan of, say, $16,000, could you do it?"
"Well, maybe for $17,000." (Way below book. I was willing to go to $19,500)
"Great! Done... Here's my social, run it, and we'll take a quick test drive, and I'll sign!"
"Uh..."
He went it, and who comes out next? The head salesman! "Mr. ____ , we can't go that low on that Durango, I can offer you $21,000, though."
"No, you already offered me $17,000, an I accepted. My wife was standing right here, and you knew that number or you wouldn't have said 'that low'. Ready for the test drive?"
"He didn't have the author..."
"If he's a salesman, he had the authority. By the way, see that old Ford Tempo on the street? You'll be paying that off and giving me a $500 credit toward a purchase on the Durango."
"Well, if the blue book is less than you owe, you have to add that to the price of the vehicle."
"No, your ad says, 'We give you $500 and pay off your car no matter what you owe!"
"You have to read the fine print..."
"Radio ads don't have fine print."
I was the customer from hell, but I paid the $16,500, bought the "gold warranty" (It covered ball joints that I replaced 30 days later knowing they were bad from the test drive), and even made them replace the windshield... it was cracked in the view of the driver, and by law had to be fixed. I finally ended up dealing with the owner, and got everything I wanted....