Help me settle an argument...

[Dreamer_D]

OH, and this is a technicality, and I'd have to check it, but even if the papers are signed, contract done, monies exchanged, you have to "take possesion" (meaning drive it off the lot) to actually own it. If you don't do the inspection/drive off, believe it or not, there is a loophole to get out of the deal in some states.

The dealers must hate to see someone like you coming You know too much.

I hate buying a car, or buying anything big ticket, because the hard sell is so unappealing to me. Some of the smarmy crap we have encountered makes my skin crawl

 

[rainwood]

DD -

I voted honest mistake because I'm cynical in a different way. I'm amazed at how often people get the details wrong when we buy something. We're forever spotting something wrong with an order or a delivery or something.

But be glad you spotted it when you did. We leave in the same general region as you and tinted windows make everything so dark for most of the year. We have one car with tint (only way it came) and one without. I prefer the without whenever I'm stuck sitting in the back seat.

And given the ferry rates to get the car where you live, and somebody has to drive it over which is also a big time commitment, I'm not surprised that there's a non-refundable fee for that.

 

[TravelingGal]

OH, and this is a technicality, and I'd have to check it, but even if the papers are signed, contract done, monies exchanged, you have to "take possesion" (meaning drive it off the lot) to actually own it. If you don't do the inspection/drive off, believe it or not, there is a loophole to get out of the deal in some states.

The dealers must hate to see someone like you coming You know too much.

I hate buying a car, or buying anything big ticket, because the hard sell is so unappealing to me. Some of the smarmy crap we have encountered makes my skin crawl

They do. Especially when they find out it is me, not my husband who is going to do the deal. Since my dad was in the car sales trade, I find the whole thing kind of interesting. He told me a bit when I was growing up, but mostly I read and learned and of course have bought 3 new cars in the last 10 years. The second car was one that had been sitting in their lot a long time. I walked away THREE different times, and got the car for $3000 below INVOICE. The finance manager, who sold me $0 in "extras" on that car actually got upset with me.

The Internet has changed SO much when it comes to car buying. For my 3rd car, we went, got an offer which the guy said was a "1 shot deal" offer and I was surprised to find out it was indeed a pretty damn good offer. I shopped it around to subaru dealers for a MONTH, and could not get better, but finally a fleet manager beat it...and only because I lived close enough that we could do the service through them like I mentioned. And they couldn't even beat it by that much.

 

[Dreamer_D]

DD -

I voted honest mistake because I'm cynical in a different way. I'm amazed at how often people get the details wrong when we buy something. We're forever spotting something wrong with an order or a delivery or something.

But be glad you spotted it when you did. We leave in the same general region as you and tinted windows make everything so dark for most of the year. We have one car with tint (only way it came) and one without. I prefer the without whenever I'm stuck sitting in the back seat.

And given the ferry rates to get the car where you live, and somebody has to drive it over which is also a big time commitment, I'm not surprised that there's a non-refundable fee for that.

Interesting rainwood. I had not thought of that, they keep saying it is not darker inside with tint but how can that be? I will pass this on to my DH, who sort of wanted the tint because it looks cool. He also thought it would help with security in our new hatchback, but I thought that was not the case because you can easily see through the tint if you hold your hand up to it.

DH actually almost called them back after we left and asked them to go ahead and tint the windows! This is after we had already discussed it and decided not to do it. I told him it was his decision, and though he was tempted, he opted not to go for it.

I think it is the power of post-decisional rationalization: When he thought we were getting the tinted car he got himself all psyched up that it was the best option, and so was disappionted when it turned out not to be tinted. I am glad he did not fall prey to that mental trickery

 

[Dreamer_D]

OH, and this is a technicality, and I'd have to check it, but even if the papers are signed, contract done, monies exchanged, you have to "take possesion" (meaning drive it off the lot) to actually own it. If you don't do the inspection/drive off, believe it or not, there is a loophole to get out of the deal in some states.

The dealers must hate to see someone like you coming You know too much.

I hate buying a car, or buying anything big ticket, because the hard sell is so unappealing to me. Some of the smarmy crap we have encountered makes my skin crawl

They do. Especially when they find out it is me, not my husband who is going to do the deal. Since my dad was in the car sales trade, I find the whole thing kind of interesting. He told me a bit when I was growing up, but mostly I read and learned and of course have bought 3 new cars in the last 10 years. The second car was one that had been sitting in their lot a long time. I walked away THREE different times, and got the car for $3000 below INVOICE. The finance manager, who sold me $0 in "extras" on that car actually got upset with me.

The Internet has changed SO much when it comes to car buying. For my 3rd car, we went, got an offer which the guy said was a "1 shot deal" offer and I was surprised to find out it was indeed a pretty damn good offer. I shopped it around to subaru dealers for a MONTH, and could not get better, but finally a fleet manager beat it...and only because I lived close enough that we could do the service through them like I mentioned. And they couldn't even beat it by that much.

The internet has changed things a lot, since most companies sort of say "That is the price, no haggling!" We were doing a trade in and thus had room for haggling, unfortunately since I hate that process , but we did manage to get $1000 off the total price of the deal -- on top of the factory incentives already available like $1000 off, 0% interest for 60 months, no payments or interest for 3 months, and free scheduled maintenance for a year (crazy incentives). Had it been a straight new buy, I don't think we would have been able to haggle at this time. Late in the year perhaps, on the previous year's model, or on a car sitting around for a while perhaps. But not at this point. Should have had our secodn kid in December and saved on the car

 

[chemgirl]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

OK, good to know about the timing! And good to have a price comparison! I am sure it is less money to go direct to the tinter. Things do tend to be more expensive here than in most parts of the US. But we don't want tint anyways so its all moot!

 

[Dreamer_D]

And FWIW I am the cynic and DH believes in the goodness of human nature

The more I read here, though, I suspect that they were not pulling a fast one on us, just based on the logistics of tinting etc.

 

[kama_s]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

OK, good to know about the timing! And good to have a price comparison! I am sure it is less money to go direct to the tinter. Things do tend to be more expensive here than in most parts of the US. But we don't want tint anyways so its all moot!

Chemgirl's from Ontario

 

[chemgirl]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

OK, good to know about the timing! And good to have a price comparison! I am sure it is less money to go direct to the tinter. Things do tend to be more expensive here than in most parts of the US. But we don't want tint anyways so its all moot!

Chemgirl's from Ontario

I think we got a good deal on the tinting because we let the dealership handle it. DH did the whole "oh we really like this car, but we want tint...hmmmm" thing and she went to her office and came back with that price. They have a company that does all of their after market tinting. My guess is that its close to cost and she really wanted the sale. DH is all about tint and he says he's always managed to get a good price on it with a new car. I think its more expensive if you approach a tint place on your own.

Is it normal to have to pay to bring a car in from another dealership? I've never heard of bringing in a car before. Our local dealership didn't have what we wanted and they didn't offer to look at any inventory for us. We ended up buying from a dealership about an hour drive away. The second dealership sent a car and driver to pick us up and bring us to their location for a test drive. They also picked us up when it was time to pick up our car and sign the final documents. Nobody ever mentioned paying a fee to bring it to the local dealership.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

OK, good to know about the timing! And good to have a price comparison! I am sure it is less money to go direct to the tinter. Things do tend to be more expensive here than in most parts of the US. But we don't want tint anyways so its all moot!

Chemgirl's from Ontario

I think we got a good deal on the tinting because we let the dealership handle it. DH did the whole "oh we really like this car, but we want tint...hmmmm" thing and she went to her office and came back with that price. They have a company that does all of their after market tinting. My guess is that its close to cost and she really wanted the sale. DH is all about tint and he says he's always managed to get a good price on it with a new car. I think its more expensive if you approach a tint place on your own.

Is it normal to have to pay to bring a car in from another dealership? I've never heard of bringing in a car before. Our local dealership didn't have what we wanted and they didn't offer to look at any inventory for us. We ended up buying from a dealership about an hour drive away. The second dealership sent a car and driver to pick us up and bring us to their location for a test drive. They also picked us up when it was time to pick up our car and sign the final documents. Nobody ever mentioned paying a fee to bring it to the local dealership.

If I had to guess, $150 is the cost to the dealer. I don't like tint anyways, so its all moot

As for calling one in, probably depends on the dealership, the car brand, and the location of other dealers. In our case, because of the ferry it made no sense for us to go shop around, it would cost us the same to go over and get it ourselves from the dealer. It is also a foreign car, so they would have had to order a new one and it would have taken months to get it in direct. Apparently it is common for them to trade among themselves. I am surprised your local dealer did not make an effort to find something for you?? Seems crazy to pass up a sale...

 

[chemgirl]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

OK, good to know about the timing! And good to have a price comparison! I am sure it is less money to go direct to the tinter. Things do tend to be more expensive here than in most parts of the US. But we don't want tint anyways so its all moot!

Chemgirl's from Ontario

I think we got a good deal on the tinting because we let the dealership handle it. DH did the whole "oh we really like this car, but we want tint...hmmmm" thing and she went to her office and came back with that price. They have a company that does all of their after market tinting. My guess is that its close to cost and she really wanted the sale. DH is all about tint and he says he's always managed to get a good price on it with a new car. I think its more expensive if you approach a tint place on your own.

Is it normal to have to pay to bring a car in from another dealership? I've never heard of bringing in a car before. Our local dealership didn't have what we wanted and they didn't offer to look at any inventory for us. We ended up buying from a dealership about an hour drive away. The second dealership sent a car and driver to pick us up and bring us to their location for a test drive. They also picked us up when it was time to pick up our car and sign the final documents. Nobody ever mentioned paying a fee to bring it to the local dealership.

If I had to guess, $150 is the cost to the dealer. I don't like tint anyways, so its all moot

As for calling one in, probably depends on the dealership, the car brand, and the location of other dealers. In our case, because of the ferry it made no sense for us to go shop around, it would cost us the same to go over and get it ourselves from the dealer. It is also a foreign car, so they would have had to order a new one and it would have taken months to get it in direct. Apparently it is common for them to trade among themselves. I am surprised your local dealer did not make an effort to find something for you?? Seems crazy to pass up a sale...

Calling the car in makes sense now. We were dealing with VW so they're all over the place and easy to get to.

The dealer didn't put much effort in to it. He didn't even bother to show us any of the cars because everything in our price range was already reserved (weird I think) and he didn't know when they'd get more in. He said it was like that across the province. He did offer to call us when something came in, but its been six months and no word from him. I think he felt we weren't serious. He kept on pricing out cars with leather interior and navigation even after I told him they were out of our budget ("But you two are young! You have good jobs! You want something sporty!" "Um, we just bought a condo and our wedding is in less than a month. We can't afford sporty!").

His loss!

DH wanted to have a Pretty Woman moment and bring it to the local dealership for its first oil change.

 

[Dreamer_D]

... He kept on pricing out cars with leather interior and navigation even after I told him they were out of our budget ("But you two are young! You have good jobs! You want something sporty!" "Um, we just bought a condo and our wedding is in less than a month. We can't afford sporty!").

BARF! And that is why I hate dealing with salespeople. Why do they insist on acting like that?? Some people must find it charming or they would not do it.

 

[zoebartlett]

So DD, what kind of car did you get?

 

[LGK]

I say they weren't planning on tinting it to charge you more. Last time I had a new car professionally tinted I was told I couldn't put the windows down for a few days. I think they would have had to tell you this if they tinted it that day (so you wouldn't ruin the tint) so it would be too obvious.

Seriously, $400 to tint the back windows only? On a new car? Way too high. I think I payed $150 to tint everything legal (ie everything but the windshield) on my last new car. The dealerships can usually work out deals with local tint people.

OK, good to know about the timing! And good to have a price comparison! I am sure it is less money to go direct to the tinter. Things do tend to be more expensive here than in most parts of the US. But we don't want tint anyways so its all moot!

Yeah $400 is a rip off for tinting. I had my Ford Focus hatchback tinted on all windows but windshield for $175 IIRC. So if you do want it tinted don't go through the dealership.

And yeah, you can't roll the windows down for awhile after the process, so I suspect they couldn't have snuck it by you.

 

[LGK]

... He kept on pricing out cars with leather interior and navigation even after I told him they were out of our budget ("But you two are young! You have good jobs! You want something sporty!" "Um, we just bought a condo and our wedding is in less than a month. We can't afford sporty!").

BARF! And that is why I hate dealing with salespeople. Why do they insist on acting like that?? Some people must find it charming or they would not do it.

As I've mentioned once or twice I work at an antique mall which includes fine jewelry and other stuff that's traditionally hard-sell merchandise in most B&M stores. Personally, I'd rather chew off a limb than do a hard-sell on ANYTHING. But. Most people respond well to a hard sell. There is one fine jewelry dealer here who used to be a used car salesman- a very good one- and he is the freaking MASTER of the polite hard sell. When he's here stocking his showcases, I get to watch him in action- and it's ridiculous to watch how most people just go right along with him dictating what they want to buy.

I have also discovered if someone is sort of hemming and hawing over something and they ask me if I think they should buy it? The answer they want is "Yes. Buy it." They *want* someone to tell them what to do. They don't want you to look at them blankly like "Why on earth are you asking *me* what you want...?" which I am wont to do. No, they want someone to tell them what to do, with confidence, and usually if you just do so they'll happily do what you tell them to. Horrifying isn't it? (That's one thing I actually will do- mostly because saying anything else actively annoys most people!)

There is one trade off for the hard sell. That is, you're not as likely to get repeat customers, at least IMO, especially if you're particularly underhanded about the whole thing. Personally, I would much rather have a customer for life because I told them that the ring they're looking at is overpriced and they could do better for the money- which I will definitely do if I feel it's warranted!- than push them to buy something and have them never come back. But in the short run often the hard sell works great quite often, scarily enough.



(Sorry for wandering so far from the original topic Dreamer!)