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

I did.

I said 3000, he said he couldn't sell it for that, but never offered another price.

Dealer502 is just one opinion, mine is another. I've got two guys who buy and sell used cars all day long over at Edmunds.com that say I should probably open at $2500 and buy it for upto $3200

See here: http://townhall-talk2.edmunds.com/WebX?14@@.ee9c851/6167

BrentwoodVolvo and rroyce10 buy cars all the time and have a pretty good feel for the used car market. Bill (brentwoodvolvo) is a dealer principle, and recently worked at the store here in St. Louis that matches his handle.

You can haggle at Best Buy as well.

The way I see it, I asked what their price was, I gave my price.

It is their turn to make me a counter offer.

TB
Who can take it or leave it since I have three cars

I am totally with Java on this one. When you are shopping for a car, you shouldn't spend more than you want. If the dealer were to sell him the car that day for $3000, then its also the dealers choice. Both parties have the power to make their own decisions.

I know that when I was looking for a new car, I had a very limited budget. If I was able to get an SVT for the money that I had, I would have bought it without a second thought. If someone is willing to sell a car for a low price, then its not unfair to the seller.

Basically, people don't have to buy what they don't want to, and people don't have to sell anything unless they get a price they are content with. The computer analogy is a good for all these reasons.

The tone of your previous posts does not seem to indicate that you welcomed a counteroffer. Also, reading the other posts, those two seem to be looking to squeeze the price too tight. The dealer needs to eat too.

I would never haggle at Best Buy. It's unethical to me to dictate to someone what they will sell something to me for in a high variable cost environment (where the merchandise is the leading expense). I don't haggle on cars either. I ask the dealer to give me a price. In fact, on the two cars I've bought, the price on the sticker represented good value, so I just paid that.

I don't know why, but used cars in the St. Louis area seem to be ridiculously overpriced in general.
I have been looking for a good while for a used work car there and have run into similar pricing deals.
A guy in Woodriver wanted $5K for a 94 Escort with 110,000 miles!

James,

I probably am a bit hardnosed when it comes to buying cars. But I simply told them I understand what these are doing at auction, I know that stick shift cars are not the fastest movers on the lot, and I felt the car was a $3K unit, so I didn't want any silly counter offers. I laid all my cards on the table and told them I'm a no B.S. buyer who has a better than average understanding of what such a car costs them, so don't waste my time.

When I was 15 years younger, I probably overpaid quite a bit. Now, I have a better grasp of what cars are worth in the market.

And yes, I probably am a car dealers worst nightmare, but am rather polite about it. I'm an educated consumer, not credit challenged, nor am I in a position where I have to buy today.

I'm not emotionally attached to the car either, so there is no "gotta have it" to drive me to spend more.

Besides, after being offered 8500 for my SVT (OZ wheels included) on trade a few months back, I really don't think I'm being out of line here.

The argument that dealers gotta eat too is a two sided argument, because last time I checked, it was my responsibilty to feed my family.

If this dealer made the mistake of having too much in the car (as they would like me believe) and we know what they are going to get at auction. (Less than I'm offering, not to mention the costs of shipping the car there and such.) I am giving them a chance to cut their losses, if not at least break even on the car.

If they can sell it to someone who is credit challenged and make a bundle, then by all means, do it.

But this isn't a buy-here/pay-here lot, it is the used car lot of a Chevy dealership, holding a 7 year old manual transmission four cylinder car with a cigarette burnt interior.

I'm quite suprised such a car is on their lot since most new car dealerships really only want 2-4 year old copies of what they sell new.

FWIW,

TB

James,

BTW, the two guys at Edmunds.com are dealers as well.

TB

I realized the other two guys were dealers, but it seems like they're giving information on the edge of maximizing the position of the person they're advising, not giving a fair position all around.

I'm also a polite dealer's worst nightmare, just because I come up with arcane questions. I'm polite too, and not credit challanged, and not rushed to buy a car.

Also, compared to market context and blue book, I've never overpaid for a car. The SVT was a fair all around deal, and the Sentra was a raving bargain. Maybe they weren't so great in terms of auctions, but I don't consider those a fair assessment of the value of a car, as you're going back to the wholesale stage doing that, versus retail.

I just think you're trying to deal too sharply on this one to be fair to everyone.

One more thought before I go play with my wife and kids...

The last time I checked, car buyers lose most all of what they pay for the car.

So while the dealership may break even or lose a few hundred on this car (at my price anyway) I'm gonna lose close to the whole thing, since the car is not going to appreciate in value.

Since I'm not likely to get service for this vehicle, I'm not really looking to establish a relationship with them.

Do the buyers at an auto auction worry about the overhead concerns of those selling the cars going down the chutes?

Nope, and neither do I.

Sorry.

TB

On the contrary, I think this makes the "game" more fair. Dealers have access to this information. They can subscribe to any number of auction reports. (And yes, I beleive this is the best basis of a cars true value since it is what buyers are willing to pay, cash for a particular car.) Mannheim and others will let dealers subscribe to this information.

If it is a good enough price for them to buy my car based on that information, then it is good enough for me to base my purchasing decision on as well.

Information is power. Prior to the internet, information was bottled up. Now, information is flowing more freely and in near real time.

Terry and Bill simply want to see the car biz cleaned up. They are all for dealer profit since they both own dealerships, but they also want to see consumers get a fair shake.

Just because I have access and get advice from those who are on the inside doesn't make me an inconsiderate shopper, just an informed one.

I still claim this Chevy store is on crack, but they are doing what they are supposed to, maximize their profit.

I don't begrudge them of that.

I will be rather pissed if they sold it to a wholesaler or let it go at auction for less than I offered.

They would do that, just out of spite.

The last thing I said to them was, "Before you sell it at auction, offer it up for sale to me, to make a happy customer."

I'd shout it out to the world that I got a great deal at XYZ Chevy on my used car.

TB

JAVA IS RIGHT ABOUT THE ASKING PRICE BEING INSANE SINCE HE DID INDICATE THAT HE IS A CASH BUYER, THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE LET HIM HAVE IT FOR WHAT HE OFFERED. IF THIS A FRANCHISED DEALER, HE IS JUST GOING TO TAKE IT TO THE LOCAL MANHIEM DEALER SELL IT FOR AROUND 2200 SO ASK HIM TO CALL YOU JUST BEFORE IT GOES TO AUCTION AND THEN HE MAY TAKE YOUR OFFER. KEEP CALLING, IT WORKS HERE. IF I AM GOING TO LOSE MY BUTT,BETTER TO SELL IT TO A CUSTOMER AND MAKE HIM HAPPY. BELIEVE ME, THE DEALER DOES NOT ALWAYS WIN. RIGHT NOW I HAVE 42 CARS ON MY WEB SITE AND IF I SELL MY 95 BLAZER FOR THE 7995 PRICE I HAVE LISTED, I WILL ONLY LOSE ABOUT 2650. AND I WILL LOSE ABOUT 450 ON MY 97 CAMARO IF I SELL IT FOR 9995. THE OTHER 40 SHOULD MAKE ME MONEY BUT TILL THEY SELL, I HAVENT A CLUE. THIS IS STILL BETTER THAT A REAL JOB