From: ah190@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stuart Pearl)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Signed Deal - Sable (Was Dealer Prep Ought to be Road Kill)
Date: 10 Jan 1993 06:12:29 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc10.ins.cwru.edu


Earlier I had expressed some aggravation about car salesmen and
"dealer prep" fees in general, and sought your opinions.  I just
signed for a '93 Mercury Sable and managed to get the price I stood
by - this was $237 over factory invoice (not counting additional year
end hold back the dealer will get from the factory).  I thought this
was a pretty good deal - bargaining up from invoice, rather than down
from sticker (they hate this;  "Look how much I'm knocking off the
sticker just for you....")  I'm no expert at car bargaining but offer
the following for others in similar straits.

As previously mentioned, I visited the local library as my starting
point.  There they have a cubicle full of car magazines, various
consumer reports and numerous price books.  My wife and I picked the
options we wanted, noted the dealer costs for each and ran a Lotus
spreadsheet to summarize our bid.  We then proceeded to the
dealership.  We gave him the sheet, put out up front how we arrived at
the prices and stated our offer - all the gory details are in a
previous post.

Basically, we ended up walking out after they insisted on pitching us
a loaded "options" package at "tremendous" savings for a ton of things
we didn't need or want.  They ignored my list, sneering at it and
demeaning my selection of options.  "No one buys a Sable equipped that
way!"  My feeling is that the Sable LS comes loaded enough for my
tastes and I don't have to conform to the sales rep's conception of
what I should drive.  And as far as resale, that's a non issue with
us.  We maintain and recycle cars in our family; after 8-10 years it
goes to a sister, cousin, etc.

The next day following our walkout the rep left 2 voicemail messages
at work -things were pretty busy and I couldn't have talked to him
even if I wanted to.  This actually worked to my advantage since I
really was indifferent to returning to the bargaining table.  In the
afternoon he called my wife at home requesting that I fax him the
price sheet from work (nervy little guy).  I ended up doing this about
5 minutes before I left for the day, so there was no way he could get
back to me then.  I was in no mood to deal with him, didn't give a
damn about this dealership and was preparing to visit others.  I made
sure he knew I was shopping around.

The following morning he called back and said they'd accept the offer,
but I had to come in before closing (no problem) and I'd have to put
down a deposit for $5,000 since it was such a "uniquely ordered car"
(B.S. but who cares).  The money wasn't an issue with us since we'd
been saving a while and this was the plan anyway (I don't like car
debt if I can avoid it and will usually drive a vehicle 8 - 15 years).
Nonetheless, I was a little surprised they bit.  It's possible they
were bluffing and figured I couldn't come up with the 5 grand so fast.
Guess what?

So in the end, we were able to order the car for the original price I
stated - $237 over invoice - without budging one bit.  This did
surprise me a little after all the wailing the "closer" went through
at the earlier session.  He had insisted that we'd have to pay $200
for "advertising" and $250 for dealer prep.  Somehow, these two
charges evaporated in the heat of battle.  Apparently, was negotiable
all along.  I realize there are certain costs to doing business, but
he's not going to give me anything he can't afford.  There's no gun to
his head.

What contributed to our success?

RESEARCH FEATURES - know pretty much what you want, BEFORE you set
foot in the showroom.  Read and re-read the brochures.  In some
instances I knew more about the car than the closer.  Know what is
standard and what is included in the so called option packages.  These
packs can possibly save you some money, but ONLY if you were going to
buy most of those things separately anyway.  Usually they bundle some
other high priced items in that you wouldn't get, or leave out several
you do need.  That was my situation and why I avoided it.  Sure it was
a deal, but I'd have to pay another $700 beyond my price to get that
"deal."

DON'T GO ALONE - even if your friend/spouse/significant other doesn't
know cars, they give you psychological support when the pressure is
turned up.  Also, two heads are better than one when they start
playing with the numbers or trying to confuse you.

SLEEP ON IT - unless you're absolutely desperate for transportation,
you don't have to agree to anything that session.  After I walked out
they called us back 4 times the next day.

STAND YOUR GROUND - I knew my dealer invoice prices were accurate so I
could confidently stand my ground.  Apparently they needed sales or
were afraid to see me walk, so they accepted my terms.  Maybe they
regard me now as a "loss leader" hoping I'll tell all my friends about
the wonderful deal I got.  Gee, I wonder if they've ever heard of the
Internet...

SHOP - Shop around and make sure they know you're doing it.  You don't
have to be crude about it, but when you walk in with dog eared
brochures, scribble sheets and calculator in hand, they know you've
been around.

ORDER FORM SCRATCH - Do you always buy off the lot?  Good deals can be
found that way, but very often it costs money to "carry" a car on the
lot for a while.  They're going to try to recoup that from you.  By
ordering from the factory you may wait 4-8 weeks, but the car never
hits the lot and it's less work for them.  That's the approach I've
always taken and pay $200-250 over invoice.  And when you order from
the factory, you get what you want, not what they sold you.

PREPARE TO WALK - YOU can always walk out and come back.  But they
can't always GET you to come back.  YOU'RE in control.  When they
won't budge or decide to be insulting, grab your coat.

Now I realize these tactics won't work with highly sought non-
negotiables like Saturns and several other vehicles, but they should
work with most other cars.  Remember this:  it's impossible to steal
from a car salesman.

-stu
-- 
                   ---===<<< Stuart Pearl >>>===---
                           Cleveland, Ohio
                      ah190@cleveland.freenet.edu
                         --------------------
Newsgroups: rec.autos