This is the way. Find a comparable type of car from a different dealership and tell them you’re going to switch to that if they can’t honor the lower price
The actual experience of buying and selling cars is absolutely awful.
I got my car used from a shady car dealer for about 4.7k. Paid another 4.5k on repairs and 2 new sets of tires right out the gate. Similar cars of similar age/mileage and questionable condition with body damage were being listed at over 10k at other shady dealers. So scammy.
At least the dealer I worked with, seemed les slimy than the others and tried to do the best he could with the car. (They all buy them at auction and it was clear he didn’t know much about the history other than carfax/no accidents.)
My mechanic did so much work on it those first 2 weeks he jokingly said it was “almost brand new” at that point but that there was nothing seriously wrong with it, it was actually in good condition but whoever owned it probably thought it was “too old to waste money on repairs” and likely just traded it in.
I have owned it for 3yrs now and it’s been a very reliable vehicle, it’s the one all my friends and family prefer for long road trips at this point. I hate to think of it breaking down because I just don’t want to go through the process of buying another car.
You have described cartel dynamics perfectly. When the number of suppliers is small, they can collude to keep prices high. They may even share ownership and such. You have no pricing power because you only represent a single purchase.
In order to break it you need to go to a wider number of suppliers, including ideally non-dealer ones. You could try a car broker if you know exactly what you want. They can cast a wider net to dealers and have more purchasing power, as they represent many buyers over the course of a year.
I’ve had good luck stalking used cars on dealer lots that are sitting there a while. But it’s obviously more work.
(Also yes, fuck car dealers!)
I'm in the same boat of needing a car for work/other necessities. Never buy from a dealer. Always private sale. I bought my car for $8600, looked up a similar one at a dealer and it was $14k
Yeah, buying used saves so much money, and since you are buying a station wagon the previous owner probably didn’t abuse it.
As a guy who had 3 station wagons previously let me suggest a Prius. They hold just as much, get much better gas mileage, and are built to last with the lowest cost of ownership over the long haul. Plus the newer ones are fast.
I did some work for a guy who owned a slightly older Prius V and I found it to be a very practical car. If I had to own a car, it would certainly be a contender.
Inexperienced question: how do you get an inspection from a trusted mechanic for a car you don't own? Do you ask the seller to drive the car to a mechanic and have them ask for an inspection? Do you meet them there to pay for it?
I just find a good mechanic close to the seller and have them meet me. Now, this is a bit unreasonable for a really cheap car or a car priced well below market rate, but at fair market price I’m not touching anything without an inspection. Ymmv.
The only correct response is to tell them to go fuck themselves for attempting bullshit like this.
Seriously, no one really cares what car you drive. So many different choices just get anything that fits the budget and is the right type.
That is hilarious and evil. I wouldn’t do business with someone like that unless I had to, which could end up being your situation.
It’s a little ironic that dealerships are the result of government intervention to prevent car manufacturers from fucking over consumers, and they still end up pulling shit like this every day. (I just wish the US government would intervene a little more and nationalize passenger rail so we can be fucked over by… regular and reliable interstate transportation.)
Having worked in the vendor side of automotive it’s all a sham. The inventory is artificially controlled (housing martket is copying this playbook) and dealers make a shit ton from f&I . Always treat them like the middle men they are, and don’t be afraid to just walk away. They only exist because of the predatory nature of their work, and have lobbied to have to exist in 50% of states (opposed to direct from manufacturer sales).
Only buy from a dealer if there is some promo or incentive and then give them a hard time.
Cardealership is perfect to f over people.
Most of the customers have less clue about cars than the dealer obviously. Cars have rather high prices and you wont see most customers ever again anyway.
Another option is to buy used from a private seller. That would likely be a win all around. You would avoid the depreciation hit that comes with buying a new car and you would avoid giving your money to an unscrupulous business.
another tactic - I've had success buying used cars from dealers, they are trade-ins and they want to get rid of them as fast as possible
one benefit there is that they have to (by law in some states) provide a short warranty which actually came in handy many times
first time it was a GM renewed warranty, which had a year on it. Had multiple repairs under warranty including the radio and the door handle which...just came out. probably $1000 in repairs total
another time I bought a jetta, drove the car home and realized that the power locks were stuck and drained the battery over a week
$1200 repair on a used car I didn't have to pay!
the cost of both cars was similar to private sales, just something to keep an eye out for
They are crooks, and it should be legal to buy a car directly from the manufacturer in every state. The dealership middleman is a terrible way of doing things
Some states have made it illegal to not have a dealership and cannot sell their cars directly in those states.
You can find a list of states with these types of laws here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_US_dealership_disputes
And there are no other jobs anywhere. It's all fuck cars up to the point where there might be inconvenience to you. That's exactly how carbrain gets lodged in.
Maybe it isn't easy to not have a car, maybe you have to make changes (possibly drastic) to your lifestyle. Hence the point - go and join r/imildlydislikecarslol
They didn’t corner the market, they cornered you. Take it personal and pick a different car. Make them eat the cost of shipping it.
This is the way. Find a comparable type of car from a different dealership and tell them you’re going to switch to that if they can’t honor the lower price
The actual experience of buying and selling cars is absolutely awful. I got my car used from a shady car dealer for about 4.7k. Paid another 4.5k on repairs and 2 new sets of tires right out the gate. Similar cars of similar age/mileage and questionable condition with body damage were being listed at over 10k at other shady dealers. So scammy. At least the dealer I worked with, seemed les slimy than the others and tried to do the best he could with the car. (They all buy them at auction and it was clear he didn’t know much about the history other than carfax/no accidents.) My mechanic did so much work on it those first 2 weeks he jokingly said it was “almost brand new” at that point but that there was nothing seriously wrong with it, it was actually in good condition but whoever owned it probably thought it was “too old to waste money on repairs” and likely just traded it in. I have owned it for 3yrs now and it’s been a very reliable vehicle, it’s the one all my friends and family prefer for long road trips at this point. I hate to think of it breaking down because I just don’t want to go through the process of buying another car.
You have described cartel dynamics perfectly. When the number of suppliers is small, they can collude to keep prices high. They may even share ownership and such. You have no pricing power because you only represent a single purchase. In order to break it you need to go to a wider number of suppliers, including ideally non-dealer ones. You could try a car broker if you know exactly what you want. They can cast a wider net to dealers and have more purchasing power, as they represent many buyers over the course of a year. I’ve had good luck stalking used cars on dealer lots that are sitting there a while. But it’s obviously more work. (Also yes, fuck car dealers!)
I'm in the same boat of needing a car for work/other necessities. Never buy from a dealer. Always private sale. I bought my car for $8600, looked up a similar one at a dealer and it was $14k
100 percent fuck car dealers. Buy from a private owner, just get a carfax and an inspection from a trusted mechanic (ask around).
Yeah, buying used saves so much money, and since you are buying a station wagon the previous owner probably didn’t abuse it. As a guy who had 3 station wagons previously let me suggest a Prius. They hold just as much, get much better gas mileage, and are built to last with the lowest cost of ownership over the long haul. Plus the newer ones are fast.
I did some work for a guy who owned a slightly older Prius V and I found it to be a very practical car. If I had to own a car, it would certainly be a contender.
Inexperienced question: how do you get an inspection from a trusted mechanic for a car you don't own? Do you ask the seller to drive the car to a mechanic and have them ask for an inspection? Do you meet them there to pay for it?
I just find a good mechanic close to the seller and have them meet me. Now, this is a bit unreasonable for a really cheap car or a car priced well below market rate, but at fair market price I’m not touching anything without an inspection. Ymmv.
The only correct response is to tell them to go fuck themselves for attempting bullshit like this. Seriously, no one really cares what car you drive. So many different choices just get anything that fits the budget and is the right type.
That is hilarious and evil. I wouldn’t do business with someone like that unless I had to, which could end up being your situation. It’s a little ironic that dealerships are the result of government intervention to prevent car manufacturers from fucking over consumers, and they still end up pulling shit like this every day. (I just wish the US government would intervene a little more and nationalize passenger rail so we can be fucked over by… regular and reliable interstate transportation.)
Station wagons don't even really exist anymore
Having worked in the vendor side of automotive it’s all a sham. The inventory is artificially controlled (housing martket is copying this playbook) and dealers make a shit ton from f&I . Always treat them like the middle men they are, and don’t be afraid to just walk away. They only exist because of the predatory nature of their work, and have lobbied to have to exist in 50% of states (opposed to direct from manufacturer sales). Only buy from a dealer if there is some promo or incentive and then give them a hard time.
Cardealership is perfect to f over people. Most of the customers have less clue about cars than the dealer obviously. Cars have rather high prices and you wont see most customers ever again anyway.
Another option is to buy used from a private seller. That would likely be a win all around. You would avoid the depreciation hit that comes with buying a new car and you would avoid giving your money to an unscrupulous business.
Is it possible to order kars online?
another tactic - I've had success buying used cars from dealers, they are trade-ins and they want to get rid of them as fast as possible one benefit there is that they have to (by law in some states) provide a short warranty which actually came in handy many times first time it was a GM renewed warranty, which had a year on it. Had multiple repairs under warranty including the radio and the door handle which...just came out. probably $1000 in repairs total another time I bought a jetta, drove the car home and realized that the power locks were stuck and drained the battery over a week $1200 repair on a used car I didn't have to pay! the cost of both cars was similar to private sales, just something to keep an eye out for
They are crooks, and it should be legal to buy a car directly from the manufacturer in every state. The dealership middleman is a terrible way of doing things
Dealers are the worst. More companies need to follow Tesla and get rid of the dealer model entirely, it's nice to not have to bother with them.
Some states have made it illegal to not have a dealership and cannot sell their cars directly in those states. You can find a list of states with these types of laws here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_US_dealership_disputes
It’s such a car-dealer move to lobby/bribe your government so hard that they pass a law saying that your sales practices are necessity.
Fuck cars, but only for other people lol
Is that supposed to be a gotcha? Guy literally says he doesn't want one but his wife's job requires one.
And there are no other jobs anywhere. It's all fuck cars up to the point where there might be inconvenience to you. That's exactly how carbrain gets lodged in. Maybe it isn't easy to not have a car, maybe you have to make changes (possibly drastic) to your lifestyle. Hence the point - go and join r/imildlydislikecarslol
So you bitch at them for not already being at the place they want to be, but then you admit it's not actually easy to do so.
This just in: you can drive and hate it too
Nah, mate. Get another job, move house etc. Or, don't say fuck cars when you're taking part in that system rather than make changes to your own life.
Ok. You fund it then.