Who buys cars the same day they go into the dealership?

[miller]

Hello,

   I am almost done with my college experience, and  because of this my present to myself will be getting ride of my 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Comp G and buying a new car, either a 2011 Subaru WRX, 2011 Mustang V6 Coupe with the 6 speed manual and the track pack, or 2011 Charger R/T with the super track pack. However whenever I go into the dealership they ask me, are you looking to buy today?

   I find this odd because for me buying a car is a very long process, I have to meet with the dealer first, find the car I am looking for, test drive it, talk about pricing (without a trade in), then proceed to do this with all of the other dealers who have cars that fit my taste. After that is completed I go back to the one who gives me the best deal for the money and ask them how much they will give me for my old car (this way I know exactly what they feel my old car is worth, and then if I sell if for more I am all the better). However, when I explain to them that I will not be buying a car today, but in the near future, they simply shrug and pay little to no attention to me.

   I understand their want for quick profit, but I am baffled that someone will just walk into a dealership and buy a car the same day they introduce themselves to the salesman. Are you like me, where buying a car is a very long and exhaustive process, or do you go into the dealership point to the red one and sign the forms?

Thank you,
Miller

[jaak]

When I was younger, I was like that.....walk up, buy something. Now I take my time, the last couple of vehicles I bought, I spent about 2-3 weeks looking/test driving before I finally bought what I wanted.

Jason

[mauve66]

if your not buying today then they know you think about what you do and that hurts their bottom line, they want to be able to tell you "the facts".

[oldcarnut]

I think your wise to take your time and shop around some.  Buying a new car has been one of the most pain in the rear experiences I ever had to go through. The moment it seems like I turned into the lot I was swarmed on like a pack of vultures looking for a new kill.  What's worse is having the salesman telling you he can make you a good deal if you get it today and from him but he can't really can't do anything without having to run back and forth to the sales manager for price negotiations. What good is he if he doesn't have the freedom to actually come up with the deal himself and has you sit there forever?  The squeeze to get it today I think comes from that maybe you'll talk to somebody else when you come back later and he won't get commision.  I would think that a price today shoud be good for a week unless a factory rebate expires.  I'd stick with your process.  You can search and shop your vehicle and options online and get the invoice costs to know where you stand on what the price should be and markup and work it yourself.  Another option since your looking at a couple different cars is maybe rent them for a few days each and get a better driving experience and no pressure on a quick decision to make.  Adds a little cost but may save a lengthy time on payments for something you got that was more eyecandy than functional for your needs.

[mauve66]

i agree with the rental idea, i wanted a 300 for a long time then got the chance to "upgrade" for free on a rental and i couldn't stand driving the car

i also always loved the look of the magnum but when i got a chance to drive it at the MATS several years ago, i hated the blind spot in the rear

definitely drive one for more than the 4 mins with the salesman yacking about the awesum cup holders to distract you from the cars issues

[Todd Wilson]

I've done both. Taken my time and bought one the same day we went to the dealership. With the exception of my first new one I have always researched and watched prices online. Most dealerships have a web site now and with the economy down vehicles are not selling. I have seen several sit at our local dodge dealership for months. The price changes every other week. Seems like some that sit a long time they raise the price on. Both new and used. They'll try and sell you the vehicle for sticker price.   I used to hate buying a new vehicle but now I enjoy it because its fun to F with em. Remember you have the $$$$ they dont.  Its harder to sell vehicles today then it was 5 years ago.


Todd

[chargerjy9]

My last vehicle purchase was a 15 minute process. Admittedly I work for the company whose car I bought. I  knew what I wanted, drove one at work, researched it on line, checked all the different dealers' inventory online, found one that met my requirements. I figured out what I wanted to pay for it. went to the dealer, asked if he had the red car I saw on line. I knew that the car was built early in the model year and it was just taking up space in their inventory. it was a fully loaded model.  he pointed to the car sitting in the corner. I asked how much, he said "do you want to dicker for the price, or go right to the bottom line. I said give me your best price. He beat what I had in mind by $500 less. I happened to have the money, so I paid cash. I got a 35K car for less than 25K out the door. I was happy, he was happy.

[paironines]

I've only bought a new car once and I'll have to say I shopped for months. The place I finally bought it from was a dealer I've never been to and heard all the right numbers. Bought it that morning before i'd even taken a shower. I hadn't planned on finding anything that day.

[Brock Samson]

 I wanted a 300 M as soon as I read about them when they debuted at the Berlin Autoshow in '98, however it took three years to find the one I wanted.
Now you wouldn't think it would be a big deal especially as they only had two options, the sunroof and the Performance Handling Package. But I wanted a silver/charcol one, I went all over the area as far away as Reno but they were always sold by the time I got there. I finally found a Sunroof/PHP M - twenty miles south of my place. but it was the Metallic Cranberry Pearl. I wasn't even aware they even had that color but instantly loved it.
 As I was signing the papers a guy walked over sayin' "He wanted to buy the car... They really were that popular.
 My GF later wanted one as well, again we couldn't find one in the color she wanted with the new Curtain Airbag option,.. so, after two weeks of calling around, she bought a Volvo.
I would defiantly shop around and get exactly what I want!
 As far as the salesmen are concerned in all but a couple cases I've known far more about the cars then they did. Do your research, establish your boundaries with the sales staff and don't settle.
Lots of folks go into a dealer and get talked into that grey Corolla in the corner,.. probably most sales are done that way... But we're Car guys - so we are better educated have specific targets and are less cowed.
And congrats Miller on your education goal being reached!

[jb666]

After I sold my last SuperDuty I realized what a mistake I had made getting rid of it...

After looking around for a couple of months (but not giving any salesman the time of day) I found the one I wanted. Under an hour later I had it in my driveway.

I've always been an impulse buyer.. Some times it works out, others I regret it (take, for example, the day I traded my loaded SuperDuty with 6k miles on a 2006 Charger RT). I got rid of the Charger in under 3 months and call it my biggest mistake to date..

[wayfast1500]

Ive never bought new, but usually I'll shop around online and find a few I like then go to the dealerships to test drive them and buy it.  The truck I have now was a impulse buy.  I was tire kicking for a few weeks, I just dropped a junkyard engine in my ram and the trans was going.  I was working 3rd shift that week and my dad called me to tell me he was going to the dealership to buy a car so I met him there to kill a few hours.  I saw my truck in the corner of the lot, test drove it and bought it.  It had 28,000 miles and I got the sticker dropped and they threw in a free warrenty so I couldnt complain.

[chargerboy69]

Just curious as to why your buying new.  Is it for the new car smell?  The warranty?  Or just the feeling of knowing you have a new car?  This is just my opinion, but I would consider a used car.  I would let the dope who buys the car first take the price hit.  If you are set on buying new, a word of caution, avoid Chrysler products.  I go to the auctions every week.  I will see 1 year old Chargers going through for $10,000 or less.  A couple weeks ago I saw a 2008 Hemi Magnum go through for $7500.00, I could not believe it went through that cheep.  Nothing seems to lose their value quicker than newer Chrysler stuff.  Just my opinion.

Congratulations on your achievement of getting through school.  And best of luck with your decision.

[Darkman]

The "do you want to buy today" is a marketing tactic to put the potential buyer on the spot to make rash decisions. Also the sales staff do noy want to go through wasting their time "selling" the car, negotiating etc and then at the end of it all you say no. These people work on commission and time is money, they would just hop over to the next one and see if they want to buy. If you don't waste their time they will not waste yours.

My opinion is to do your research (either on line or dealer's brochures) and select a few cars that, on paper, tick all the boxes for you. Limit it to 2 maybe 3 cars, then ring the dealers and book a time for a test drive. The dealership staff will see that you may be interested and will subtly sell the car. When you ring, make sure you tell them that you are still researching the car you want. Once you have driven all the cars on your list, make the decision, then go back to the dealer and ask for the person you drove the car with and tell them you want to buy today. Doing it this way, your not wasting anyone's time and you won't get offended when the sales staff shrug you off when you don't buy that day.

Buying a brand new car has only one benefit (it is major), you get what you want (colour, options etc). Buying used does save you money, but you are potentially buying other people's problems and finding the exact car you want can be difficult, you may just have to settle for something other than what you really want.

[06Daytona]

When I buy a car or truck I generally know what I'm looking for. I've done research online and wandered through a few dealerships looking for the right one. If they have it at more than one dealer I usually go in with grubby clothes like I just got off work and see who treats me better and go with them. The last 2 new cars I bought were completely different experiences. I bought the last Mango 2006 Charger in Canada so I didn't have muck option for which dealership to buy through. It turned out that the salesman that helped me was an ex cop from the town I was living in in Alberta and he bent over backwards to make sure I got the car. When I bought my 06 Ram I stopped at 4 different Dodge dealers, explained that I was looking for a used but not abused 4x4 with a Hemi that was 2003-2005. That's what I was shown. lease returns that had belonged to oil companies and looked like they had been ridden hard and put away wet. The dealer I ended up buying from showed me a 2006 4X4 in red with only 14 km on the odometer. It had been caught in a hail storm so they couldn't sell it new, even though all the bodywork was done on it. It had all the bells and whistles that I wanted and was the color I would have chosen for a Charger if I hadn't got the Mango one and it was $13,000 off the MSRP. Since it was 2006 it even had MDS so it gets half decent mileage. Before the internet I spent a lot more time looking around and comparing, now I do most of the legwork on the computer so I can just walk in a buy as long as they treat me well.

[Cooter]

I will NEVER own a new car..I work on these things everyday, and see first hand how people that buy the first thing out get burned.

[ChgrSteve67]

I bought a new car in December.

I did my research online and created a masive spread sheet of options and vehicle dememtions.
I park all of my cars in the garage so I have to be able to get in and out easy.
I figured out my price range, availiable interest rates, what my monthly will be, how much the insurance will cost, yearly mainteance fees (oil changes, tires, gas consumption) and of course check the cars safety rating. After that I figured out what my trade in was worth and took off any parts I could more money for selling seperately.  Custom Rims and tires, Trailer hitch, Car Bra and so on).
Then after all of that I looked for the car I want with the options I wanted online.
I found two that i wanted so I e-mailed the dealership asking what thier best deal was and that I was a member of both credit unions and warehouse clubs. After goin back and fourth a bit I went down to check out the car in person and take it for a test drive. Made my final offer and got the paperwork done and was out in 2 1/2 hours.

Also remeber that dealers want to sell the stock that they have not find or order you the car you want.
If you want a deal find the dealer that has the car you want.

There are also certain times of the month and year that dealers are also more inclined to knock a few more bucks off loke the end of the year and on year old models.

Be ready to walk.
Make an offer and if they don't take it then leave. If the car sits and they need to make thier numbers there is a good chance they will call and tell you to come get it.  Of course there is always the risk that someone else wants the car and buys it.

Lastly, talk to people face to face that own a car like the one you want to buy and get thier opinion.
They will tell you if its a quality car or a piece of junk.
I have even stopped people in parking lots to ask about thier car, most are happy to do so.

-Steve  

[thedodgeboys]

I bought my last 2 new cars on the same day. 

Went in to get the wife a new Journey, made a great deal then made a better deal on new challenger. some times the dealer are just ready to move cars with rebates and incentives.

[TUFCAT]

Whatever you do...remember you live in Michigan. Please buy AMERICAN.

[Charger RT]

I can't help you. In 31 years of owning cars I have never walked into a dealer and never had a payment. I might someday. If they ask me if I will be buying today I would say I am going to buy a new vehicle if it is today depends on you. Then do what you have planned.
Tim

[71charger_fan]

If you know what's a good price and they offer that on a car you want, why not just buy it then? When I bought my '00 Neon, the dealership pitched a price lower than what I was going to offer. Seemed silly not to take it and go. When we bought our '10 Challenger and Wrangler together, I put out a price, they took it. Done. If they seem like they're jacking you around, walk away. Just do your research before you go to a dealer.

[NGC414]

I always do all my reaserch and calling around before going to the dealer. I have made the mistake of stopping in a dealership just to check out a car in the past and barley escaped.
Now, By the time I am ready to go to the dealer and do a final test drive, I already know I am buying the car right then (as long as there are no obvious problems).
I try to avoid trading cars in at all costs.

[thedodgeboys]

Hey if you want to have some fun and drive the sales guy nut when your ready to buy after you do all your homework.

Don't test drive the car when they insist ask them why is it broken? will it not go and stop and turn left and right?

Tell them that if they don't give you the price that you want there is no need to drive the car, hey it's brand new.

Troughs them off there game & puts you in the drivers seat, and there first offer is usually not there best offer and don't fall for that how much do you want your payments to be line of crap.  deal on the total price and your trade price.

Good Luck its fun 

[68charger383]

With the internet, most people already know invoice/price for the car, they belong to a credit union etc., so they already have their loan/financing in order.

The cars are not optioned like 40 years ago and options are pretty limited. So most people already know what they want and the dealer will most likely will have the car you want on the lot.

So if your wandering around the lot, you are usually ready to buy and just need the push/the right deal/etc to get you to drive off the lot in the car.

It's their job to try and find out what part of the equation is missing so they can fill in the blank and get you to sign on the dotted line!  

If you need to test drive the car, try going to carmax if you have one nearby. They usually have the cars your looking at and are usually low pressure on the sales end.

[69charger2002]

When I buy a car or truck I generally know what I'm looking for. I've done research online and wandered through a few dealerships looking for the right one. If they have it at more than one dealer I usually go in with grubby clothes like I just got off work and see who treats me better and go with them. The last 2 new cars I bought were completely different experiences. I bought the last Mango 2006 Charger in Canada so I didn't have muck option for which dealership to buy through. It turned out that the salesman that helped me was an ex cop from the town I was living in in Alberta and he bent over backwards to make sure I got the car. When I bought my 06 Ram I stopped at 4 different Dodge dealers, explained that I was looking for a used but not abused 4x4 with a Hemi that was 2003-2005. That's what I was shown. lease returns that had belonged to oil companies and looked like they had been ridden hard and put away wet. The dealer I ended up buying from showed me a 2006 4X4 in red with only 14 km on the odometer. It had been caught in a hail storm so they couldn't sell it new, even though all the bodywork was done on it. It had all the bells and whistles that I wanted and was the color I would have chosen for a Charger if I hadn't got the Mango one and it was $13,000 off the MSRP. Since it was 2006 it even had MDS so it gets half decent mileage. Before the internet I spent a lot more time looking around and comparing, now I do most of the legwork on the computer so I can just walk in a buy as long as they treat me well.

i'm dead on with the first part of your post. i do all my research prior, i have done the "all day in a dealership" numerous times when i was younger. never again. i figure out what i want, check ebay and incentives etc all ahead of time so i know what my vehicle can be bought for with what options i want.. then if there is a trade. i use KBB trade in, that is what i have usually been able to squeeze out of a dealer.. then shop inventory online and narrow it down to 2-3 dealerships that have exactly what i'm looking for.. then i'm ready to go. i will never EVER sit in a dealership for over an hour again.. in fact the last new truck i bought i ended up finding in houston- 4 hours away(in 07 when the electric blue pearl first came out on the ram 1500 and was hard to find) i called ahead. got a cool salesman. told him i was a no haggle customer. would pay cash or finance with chrysler whatever made them happier. told them what i knew i could get it for, and if his boss could do that, no games, i'd drive the next day and sign the papers on that truck. i think it stickered for 31k and i told them 22,600 out the door. after an hour he called back and said come get it. i drove over there, papers were ready to go and i left with my new truck in 45 minutes, no nonsense. My best advice to you is to narrow your search to a couple vehicles. if you must go test drive first(it's better if you have a friend with a vehicle you're looking to purchase that will let you drive theirs around-the rental car is another good idea).. but again, if you MUST go, tell them you're NOT looking to buy today, then they won't haggle you to death, yet you can still test drive to see if it's what you want. and leave immediately. Dealerships thrive on people that "may be ready to buy today" because they know they can get your emotions to take over- or wear you out until you're like "fine i'll take it" after 4 hours of tiresome negotiations. i've never understood why they intentionally make car buying so miserable, when i was younger i'd finally haggle till i was blue in the face.. watch the salesman walk over to his sales manager and back 25 times $300 at a time.. and i felt depressed after leaving with my new car i was so tired from the process. Anyway good luck, but there is nothing wrong with buying a vehicle the day you go to the dealership... if you're really ready.

[A383Wing]

my wife wanted a PT Cruiser when they first came out...I said no..I would not buy a first year model....

for 3 years we did research, and rented a few from rental agency's to try them out......finally, in December of 2002, we went to dealership in the morning and drove home with a new 2003 model

it was and probably be the only new car we will ever buy new