Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Dealer Selling Used Contour on Crack

I'm contemplating my 4th Contour. I really need one
as a daily driver.

Located a 95 GL with Zetec and stick. Went to visit it
at the Chevy store in St. Charles, MO where it sits.
It's definately a Monet (looks good from a distance)
but it has the usual scratchs and blemishes an average
7 year old car has.

Engine bay is kinda dirty, but it sounds good running.
Inside is kinda trashed with cigarette burns, but amazingly
the cupholders are still working.

Since they are detailing it, I ask what they want for it
and he tells me (sit down) $6,9xx.

After I collect myself, so I don't look too much like
an ass, I tell the sales guy ("Doc") good luck on
getting your price, since 1998 SVT Contours with half
the mileage can't get twice that money.

I tell him that at most it is a $3000 car, and I'd probably
pay that cash today if it is mechanically perfect, subject to a test
drive.

He goes and talks to the Manager, and says he can't sell
it for that much.

I give him my card and tell him and his manager to
reconsider before this stick shift car rots away on his
lot in a market where 95 out of 100 buyers want an automatic.

He'd be luck to get $2500 at auction for this ride.

TB

Sorry to hear, but good luck in the wait game. I think you have the right numbers in your head.

Keep looking I paid $3100 for 96 w/71K, private seller though. Exterior is not good but interior is mostly clean at least...not like the one you describe.

What was mileage on the one you looked at?

75K, if the odometer is to be believed

the nada values for this car are 2625 loan,2700 tradein or wholesale,and 4100 retail. this does not sound like a retail car but a fair price would be 3000 to 3500 in the condition you described with the average of 80000 miles. add or subtract value according to mileage. hope this helps. he gave about 2000 for it at auction and generally has to spend about 200 to 300 on repairs and a detail. just remember, the man still has to make a living. if you dont buy it, someone else will for around that price, so, if you want it, pay a fair price and be happy.

Says it was taken in on trade, so it's hard to tell how much "Real Money" is in the car because it is highly likely they "over allowed" to get the newer car sold.

Everyone is in business to make money. My job as a consumer is to minimize what I pay. That is really my only obligation.

It's not like the dealer is really helping me make any money on the deal

TB

$ 6,900. WoW !!! that is funny. That dealer is a crook. He will not get even half of that "if" he ever sells it. I would say he has about $ 1,000. to $ 1,500. invested in it . Dealers love these cars as they can buy them for almost free and make a HUGE profit on them . 97 sports at auction are at $ 2,200.... Dealer 502 ... What you say is true that even dealers need to make a profit , but "no-one" deserves a $5,000. + profit .

according to my last weeks auction report, the average price paid for 95 contours was 2275, with a high of 2600 and a low of 1900 and a total of 11 sold at my local auctions. assume that he paid the average and i guarentee since it is a contour, he had to make repairs so he has around 2500,2600 in the car,what do you feel is a fair profit? my dealership has an overhead of 11,000 a month and i sell 12 to 18 cars on average a month. i do not finance and sell my cars for less than retail, sometimes less than tradein. i make at least a thousand on each sale if everything goes as it should. like i said, he should sell for around 3500 to make any money at all. the high price he initially quoted is for people with poor credit who have limited choices of ways to finance. they have already screwed someone out of their money buy getting a car repossed so now they have to pay the big bucks to get someone to take another chance on their sorry loser ass. jave needs to offer cash or arrange his own financing to get the fair price.

I told him $3K cash, OTD and I could have cash or bank draft in 60 minutes.

No Sale.

Like I said, gave him my card.

I know he is in business to make money. But I'm not operating a charity, so if he bought a car wrong (has too much in it) then why is it my job to bail him out?

He's not going to bail me out if the roles were reversed!

Nothing against dealers or any other businessman. I don't agree with the posters who said 5K profit is robbery because noone holds a gun to any buyers head and says buy this or die.

If he can get $6,900 for it, then grab it. If a shopper agrees to pay that, how is it robbery?

On the other hand, I don't owe it to any dealer to guarantee him a profit.

Dealer502, did you pay full list (MSRP) for your computer? Or did you wait for it to go on sale? I'm in the computer business, I deserve a profit too!

See how it sounds?

It's a market economy. What you pay is not a crime. There is no such thing as too much profit. High profits are not criminal. Just don't expect every buyer to be sympathetic to the dealers profit desires. It's not really my job to worry about the dealers profit. When dealers are more concerned about getting me the best deal for my money, I'll have more concern for them. The buy-here/pay-here places are really just concerned with getting a customer into a car, and the down payment is probably most if not all they have in the car. Make your payments and it is "profit". Get the car popped by the repo man, and they simply sell it again.

It's the places like that I see that really harden my heart towards car dealerships.

The car is worth no more than $3K to me. So that's what I'll pay. Value is my #1 concern, not the dealers profit/overhead concerns.

TB

Sorry java, but I think you need to be looking for a deal that's fair to everyone involved, not just going for the lowest price for your interests. I don't like the attitude of a "take it or leave it offer", especially when the fair market value is considerably higher than your offer, per dealer502.

I think you should have allowed the dealer to counteroffer, and if it was in the ballpark of $3500, and it passed the test drive and mechanic's inspection, take it and walk away with a deal that's fair and represents good value to everyone.

Since sellers set computer prices, whether it be on sale or retail price, that is not a fair comparison to make.