Ok....we are looking for a new vehicle, and I do not have time to run around to every lot in the valley to browse their inventory. I can easily hop online and visit their websites to see if there is anything worth looking at, right? I found a vehicle that looks interesting. Of course they do not list the price. It says "Price too low to advertise, please call"....sure. I believe it. Then there is a link that says "Click here to receive an "ePrice". I click that, enter my name and email address. I fully expected a response that included a number with a $ attached to it.

They replied very promptly. Like within 2 minutes! Fast service! But, the first email I received was titled "Here is the price quote for the vehicle you requested". I thought I will open this and see how much they are wanting to over charge me for a used vehicle. Not even close. They listed the vehicle, I was looking at, showed a photo of it even, and the line that said "ePrice:" said "Please call us for price"!!!!!! WTF!!! The second email stated that they had received my request and would respond shortly. Too late sucka! You already replied! 1 minute ago!!

THEN, I get a third email that ended up in my junk box about 5 minutes after the first 2. It was from the internet sales manager or something. He wants to assist me with my purchase, but since I did not leave my phone number, he wants it. He understands my apprehension about giving him my # but he assures me that he will only call me with my permission and never more than needed. Are you serious guy!??? Assist me with my purchase? I have not even gotten a damn price yet and you think I am purchasing anything from you?!! No way!!! You are joking right?? Who are you anyway!?

WTF is wrong with car salesmen? Do they really think people will respond kindly to their over aggressive and manipulative tactics? Why on earth can shopping for a car not be more like shopping for clothes or groceries?! When I bought my Jeep several years ago, I did my research, decided what I wanted, called the dealer and told him what I wanted to order and how much I was going to pay for it. It was approved and I went in to fill out some paperwork. Of course, when I went to pick it up and sign all the final documents, the finance guy quoted the wrong price and was quickly trying to get my signature before I realized the mistake. Of course I was expecting exactly this kind of strategery, so I pointed the error out to him, forced him to go through the sales person's notes and confirm the price that I was quoted (and HE approved), and had to reprint all the documents with the correct price. Then they try to make you feel like you are getting such a great deal that they are not going to make any money on the sale....trying to make me feel bad for shopping there? Really?

I will probably not go to this dealer I contacted today even if they come back with a price that is decent. If I could just pay for it online and go pick it up without having to talk to a soul at the dealership, just maybe.

I cannot think of a worse shopping experience than shopping for a car at a dealership. Holy hell it makes me want to punch someone square in the face!!!!

I guess Craigslist is the way to go. I have sold several vehicles on craigslist with no regrets. Buying one cannot be that bad. You just never know who to trust. I will banter back and forth via email with this place until they give up or I get a straight answer. Now I am in it strictly to piss them off. That makes it fun!

FYI...(more fuel for your fire) places like cars.com provide "best case scenario" pricing on local dealer inventory. What I mean by that is you can usually expect to pay 2000/5000 more than the online advertised price. To get the listed price you have to qualify for all current programs rebates etc. Ranging from recent college graduate to first time car buyer to are you a veteran etc.

We wanted an SUV and I learned this lesson with the first dealer. In the online contact form i specifically states NOT to contact me unless this was the real price. So with the second dealer I explained that I didn't want to continue the conversation unless he could garuntee the listed price. This got him to bring the real price within $500 of the listed price. That extra $500 is because I wouldn't finance with them. But... It brought be 2500 down from the real price.

Also... Get yourself a google voice number and forward it to your mobile phone. Give that number out freely. Once your done with these jokers just login and block their number.

I use my google voice number all the time. I have a separate google account specifically for this purpose. I have inset to fwd straight to vm. All retun calls are placed with this number. My real number only goes to known entities. If I'm expecting a call on the number, I temporarily fwd it to my cell.

This comes in very handy for car sales people.


I've even resorted to telling guys like you are dealing with that I'm deaf, and can't transact business over the phone. I tell them it's email or nothing. I know, I'm probably going to he'll for that.

Consumer Reports helped us get my wife's car for $4500 off list. When we drove to the dealership 1 1/2 hours away based on the negotiated price via the phone, the wrong car was in stock. Thinking I was getting screwed I asked the dealership how they were going to take care of us and they asked for $300 more and gave us the leather seats and sunroof (wife didn't care about those options). Turns out we got the better car at $5700 off list. I asked the dealer why such a big discount and his F&I guy told me they would have lost more on the dealer trade for the cheaper car. They were great.

The second vehicle I bought was an SUV through the Internet sales manager at another dealership. It was used and I looked for months on the Internet. Found it in a remote city in OK and did everything via email. The day of the sale my wife drove me to the airport and I flew on our flight benefits to OK, signed the papers in 35 minutes and drove back to ATL (free pit stop overnight in Memphis).

In both cases I felt the dealership treated us with respect and courtesy.

Sounds like in your case the dealership treated you like dirt...

I have found to get the best deal you gotta go out of state, not sure why that is but i have had some amazing experience with deals out of state. I handed my brothers jeep purchase completely over email & phone for him and was one of the best american car purchasing experience i have ever had. we drove down to washington DC to pick it up! ofered $1100 less then the best price we found locally

The only exception to out of state purchases was my dads audi's. We have an audi dealership 10 minutes down the road that is the most amazing dealership we have ever dealt with, just when i think they cant surprise me any more they go and do something like call him up ask him how things are and how the car is working out then say BTW: we were wondering if you are ok if we send you $100 for audi service or accessories.

Sometimes they just call up and ask him how he's enjoying the car. I dont know if this is because when my dad purchased his first audi we were the dealerships first sale or this is just how they handle business but its simply phenomenal. When ever I or he walks into the service area or the sales area to poke around either the sales guy or the manager knows us by first name.

The dealer I bought my Jeep from was great other than the 15 minutes I spent with the finance manager. He was accommodating, but only after I pointed out his blatant error. :) Then he tried playing the guilt trip on me about how they were not making any money on this sale, yada yada yada. At the end of it all, I spent maybe 1 hour total buying that Jeep. The salesman was great. And I know the owners....very well respected people, most of whom, I have done work for in their homes.

But this place today, holy smokes!! I finally got a reply from the internet sales manager with a price on the vehicle. About double what I can find the exact same vehicle with similar mileage and options on Craigslist for. Needless to say, I will not be needing his assistance with my purchase. :)

I just had to rant about this. I know not all dealerships are like this. But it only takes one to piss me off. :)

The worst bit about buying from a dealer is how long they will make you wait around signing paperwork before the deals get done, always trying to 'add something on' or 'get a little bit extra' etc.
I guess there are people who get impatient and just agree to some things to get out of the door.
There is a movie about car yard sales tactics and I remember the dealer getting so pissed off a customer wouldnt even come inside to sign the paperwork. Sorry dont remember the name but the whole movie is based on tricks and deceptions they try on everybody.

I can tell none of you guys spent time selling cars in your youthful days.

Theyre just doing their jobs. If they are a high pressure dealership, their sales people are trained a certain way and have to do business a certain way.

Best bet is to always set up the deal over email. Thats what I always do and everything is ready when I come in. I spend 20 minutes signing papers and leave in my new car.

On my first visit with one of my customers who owns some dealerships, he asked "so how much is all this going to cost me" to which I replied "what do you want your payments to be?".
;) Got a laugh out of him!

My last 5 vehicles came from our local Ford/Lincoln/Mazda dealership.
We (Metra) have a great relantionship with them and one of the sales guys has lunch with our tech team on a regular basis.
Every purchase went like this.
Meet Congo (sales guy).
Look at car(s).
Pick one.
Give Congo vehicle code.
Work price via texting.
When price agreeded on I show up at dealership sign some paper and I am on my way (never more than 10 mins).

I believe the movie you are thinking about is called "Suckers".

I work for the land air sea badge and the stuff I see daily blows me away, I dislike most all car salesman greatly. They blow so much smoke about what is covered by warranties of all kinds, and I get to be the one who tells you no its not, and get screamed at daily.

They make outlandish promises, spew what ever bullshit they need to get the car over the curb. Then its everybody elses fault from there.

Worse is they don't even know the product and the client winds up on my service drive wanting to know how to use their 150k car, get pissed at me when I drag their ass out to the drive and hand them over to their customer. Most of then cannot even freekin pair a phone!

I find one maybe two salespersons at my dealership that I can trust, especially with women and if at all possible one finance guy that doesn't try to sell lug nut warranties to everybody and stick with them.

If I find a sales person the truly takes car of my client, I don't care if they don't spiff me on the sale, because my client is happy with the transaction and that makes my life on the back end easy.

Everyday I say this is my last day.

At least I am not bitter.

P.S. Everybody should be required to own the movie Used Cars and on the cultish side Repo Man.

P.S.S. Nice greenwalls Clark.

Lug nut warranties -- that's a new HDMI feature, right?

When I see all the add-ons on some of these deals I make it my personal mission to make sure my clients get all there money invested and then some. And if the dealership has to high of a claim ratio they get dropped. Had a client when his contract expired he had 32k of repairs against a 5k policy, all 100% legitimate repairs inspected by their own people.

For my business:

I always used the same commercial sales guy at a nearby Chevy dealership.

Commercial is a totally different experience. You get a price. No negotiating at all. It is what it is, and it works.



For my personal I go by this:

1. Know exactly what you want.

2. Do your research so you know what it's worth.

3. Ask for their best price.

4. Don't get the price you want, you walk.



Last car I bought, I got a "test drive" from one dealer and used their car to go around to other dealers (some out of the area).

Totally different experience!

You drive up in another dealers car, they react VERY differently.




If nothing else, it's fun to screw with the ones that are just completely out of line...