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Dealing with Car Salesmen

Has anybody else noticed that at bigger dealerships, salesmen are a lot more tougher to negotiate with than at smaller dealerships?  I ended up purchasing a car at a local smaller dealership because they were more eager to bend over backwards on the "additional charges" they like to add on.

I've also learned that the best way to deal with a sales person is any time you feel like you're getting pressured or you don't like the price the salesman is giving you, just get up and leave.  They're taught to never let you walk away once they've got you on the show room floor so if they see you leaving -- they tend to get a lot more cooperative.

Sometimes they let you just drive the car off the showroom floor, no hassle, no paperwork, and no payment! I remember doing that and they were so cool to me, they even ran in a big group behind me waving their arms and screaming, they must really get excited when they sell a car like that.
 

See my previous post

Size doesn't matter :-) especially if you are dealing on the phone.  

This is very interesting. I am the internet sales manager for a Toyota dealership in central Kentucky and the best way to treat us is like any other person that you deal with. Most of the time the consumer makes the process alot more difficult then it has to be. Us as dealers has created the problem by trying to undercut every other dealer out there. Alot of dealers try to confuse everyone with smoke and mirrors so the customer has no idea what they are paying for and what they are not. If folks do there homework and talk with there local dealer they can cut the same deal as what they would get after shopping and visting every dealer in the tri-state area. FOLKS wake up we all pay the same price for them. I have been in this business for about 8 years now and it amazes me what people will do to save a hundred dollars. If anyone wants advice on the best deal do your shopping by internet. If internet is not a option call on the phone and speak with someone and tell them what your intentions are. Not everyone in this business is honest but for the most part if you are dealing with a new car dealer they will try to satisfy you.  

Thats not true. You need to just do your homework. I too worked in carsales and I KNOW they are just out to get you. It amazes me that this carsalesman would be amazed what people are trying to save. Don't turn to carsalesman for advice. NEW CAR DEALERS WILL NOT SATISFY YOU!

 

carsisell.com wrote:

This is very interesting. I am the internet sales manager for a Toyota dealership in central Kentucky and the best way to treat us is like any other person that you deal with. Most of the time the consumer makes the process alot more difficult then it has to be. Us as dealers has created the problem by trying to undercut every other dealer out there. Alot of dealers try to confuse everyone with smoke and mirrors so the customer has no idea what they are paying for and what they are not. If folks do there homework and talk with there local dealer they can cut the same deal as what they would get after shopping and visting every dealer in the tri-state area. FOLKS wake up we all pay the same price for them. I have been in this business for about 8 years now and it amazes me what people will do to save a hundred dollars. If anyone wants advice on the best deal do your shopping by internet. If internet is not a option call on the phone and speak with someone and tell them what your intentions are. Not everyone in this business is honest but for the most part if you are dealing with a new car dealer they will try to satisfy you.

Just remember, the "invoice price" on Edmunds and KBB, etc is no longer the true cost to the dealership.  The hidden holdbacks, manufacturer incentives to the dealership, etc. will never be disclosed to you since this would ruin their profit.  Everyone knows the invoice prices now and the dealers recognize this and have changed the way they sell cars. So the next time you get a car for invoice, remember they are still making plenty of money, no one sells a car for a loss, no such thing.  I know car salesman making 100k a year working 5 days a week and selling "at invoice".  

Having worked in the industry, I can tell you that new car sales are not all that profitable. Most profit comes from used cars, trade ins, and items purchased such as ScotchGuard, rust proofing, etc. A dealer can't sell at invoice all the time as there is very little room to move. Some dealerships make more money on the back end (ie. service) then selling new cars. Depending on the location and inventory, a manufacturer may give a dealer $500-$750 per additional vehicle they take. For example, if Caravan's are not selling well and Chrysler has too much inventory they'll get them off to dealers by offering an incentive to retailers in a specific area. It's cheaper than closing the plant for a week or two. Clever dealers never let their salespeople know the invoice price anyway. Only managers know because if salespeople know they'll negotiate too close to the invoice price just to get the sale.  

HEY EVERYBODY, MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2002 DODGE 1500 FROM DOUGLAS NISSAN IN THYE VALLEY AUTO MALL HERE IN VEGAS. THE SALESMAN WAS COOL BUT THE JERK OFF SALES MANAGER AND THE GUYS WHO SIT UP ON THERE PEDESTAL ACTING LIKE GOD WERE DICKS!. THE STICKER WAS 19888 AND THEY PAID OFF THE TRADE 6500 AND WE TOOK THE TRUCK FOR 20500, WELL THAT NIGHT I WAS ON LINE AND THERE SITE SHOWED THE TRUCK FOR 17K WAS IT MY RIGHT TO QUESTION WHY I PAID 2K MORE?  

bkaneyama:
<p>Has anybody else noticed that at bigger dealerships, salesmen are a lot more tougher to negotiate with than at smaller dealerships?  I ended up purchasing a car at a local smaller dealership because they were more eager to bend over backwards on the "additional charges" they like to add on.<br /><br />I've also learned that the best way to deal with a sales person is any time you feel like you're getting pressured or you don't like the price the salesman is giving you, just get up and leave.  They're taught to never let you walk away once they've got you on the show room floor so if they see you leaving -- they tend to get a lot more cooperative.</p>

I'm just hoping to avoid salesfolks as much as possible. I'm planning to try the fax and Internet techniques next time.  

c2computer:
Just remember, the "invoice price" on Edmunds and KBB, etc is no longer the true cost to the dealership.  The hidden holdbacks, manufacturer incentives to the dealership, etc. will never be disclosed to you since this would ruin their profit.  Everyone knows the invoice prices now and the dealers recognize this and have changed the way they sell cars. So the next time you get a car for invoice, remember they are still making plenty of money, no one sells a car for a loss, no such thing.  I know car salesman making 100k a year working 5 days a week and selling "at invoice".

Well, I've been in the car industry for 3 years now. I agree that if a car is sold at invoice profit can be made sometimes. Depending on the franchise, Ford, GM, etc. there are bonus's with the manufacturer if you hit your goals that can be up to $500 per car. Also, there is dealership holdback that is used to pay the interest on floor plan expenses. We don't necessarily own all these cars. Well, if the car hasn't been here long we make more money. If it's been a while that we've had it we have paid a lot in floor plan expense. For example, I have a 2006 model van in our inventory we have spent $7,000 in floor plan expenses with our bank.

Just to give you something to think about though. The average car salesman sells 8.5 cars a month. The industry average commission is $225. That is less that $2,000 a month. Can you live off that? Neither can most of my salespeople. The dealership will make money, that is a given, but 80% or better of salespeople in America don't.  

are you in a business that doesnt want to make any profit?  

Car salespeople are not misunderstood, we understand them all too well. They are trained, encouraged, bullied, threatened and beaten to a pulp to sell the car, the junk and the financing as hard and aggressively as possible. If not, they don't survive. It's a nasty, nasty business and if you're good at it and are meeting your quotas, winning sales contests and looking for an opening in the sales manager's chair, you are to be avoided like the plague by normal people.

And that's the facts  

soviautos.com:
Car salespeople are not misunderstood, we understand them all too well. They are trained, encouraged, bullied, threatened and beaten to a pulp to sell the car, the junk and the financing as hard and aggressively as possible. If not, they don't survive. It's a nasty, nasty business and if you're good at it and are meeting your quotas, winning sales contests and looking for an opening in the sales manager's chair, you are to be avoided like the plague by normal people.

And that's the facts

Facts huh? And how would you know this? Have you ever sold cars at a dealership before or are you just another "the world is out to get me" person. It amazes me everday I go to work how difficult people make the buying process. Here is a tip for all of you would be buyers, CALM DOWN!!! Were people too and we dont apreciate it when people come into our place of business and basically belittle and lie to us from the outset. It is certainly true that there are dishonest sales people and dishonest dealerships but trust me when I say that they are the minority. If you want to get a good deal on a car simply do your homework, go to the dealership with plenty of time so your not rushed and be straight forward. I personally love to have educated customers because it makes the selling process alot simpler, they either have reasonable expectaions or they dont. If there expectations are resonable then a fair deal can be concluded quickly and painlessly but if they are unreasonable (like trying to negotiate less then MSRP on a vehicle we have 1 of) it makes every thing a big pain and most salesman would rather just get rid of them and move on to the next person rather then sit there and argue. We dont get paid just to talk so it makes no sense for us to sit and argue for hours on end.