Community Chat

[gidgetgh]

Car negotiating/buying isn’t easy sometimes. But, you gotta speak up! Be your own advocate. 

See if your state is a right of recision state. Usually 3 days to change your mind. If it is and you’re changing your mind, do it today. 

No way would I write a letter.  Too much time delay. Go back up there and see if you can reverse the deal. Do your homework before you go and see if your state is a recision state. 

[doxie1]

Did your husband talk to you about the car and price? Was he happy with it?

I am impressed that they did anything hurried. I feel like you can spend a long time signing papers!

I am not sure that the salesman did anything wrong. He gave you time to confer with your husband.  When two people are involved they both need to talk, I can definitely understand being overwelmed by all of it especially if you have not done it before.

I will say again that you can research the price on the internet to determine if you got a good deal.

I think you need to stop beating yourself up.

doxie

[Mothertrucker]

The car business is very different these days. I have been in it for 20 years. Currently I sell commercial trucks but I still work side-by-side with retail. Often especially on used vehicles the price that is advertised now (what with the Internet and online buying etc). is the bottom price. The days of charging MSRP and dickering down are just about over. And that’s only with new vehicles- on a used vehicle you are not going to have a “MSRP“ because the dealership bought that vehicle either as a trade-in or from the auction and they’re trying to get  what they have into it. Of course they are a profit making organization but the bottom line is if you’ve got what you wanted and you can afford it and it wasn’t outrageously more expensive then you could’ve bought one down the street,  you’re probably getting a pretty good deal. With used cars they are more like a one-of-a-kind type thing-  each one is unique. In California we have no cooling off period for buying vehicles. But you can purchase a type of insurance that allows you to bring it back within 72 hours .

There’s nothing stopping you from calling and talking to the sales person today even after the deal was done ....maybe he can explain it a little bit better or in more depth..There is a tremendous amount of paperwork that a salesperson prepares and things to do like get it detailed, fueled, etc..Rarely does a salesperson have time to sit and talk with the customer before they go into finance....

I know it’s a horrible feeling when you have those nagging doubts about what you’ve done. I just hope you got a good car and then you’ll be happy with it.

[patbz]

Thirteen years ago an auxiliary battery on our Prius went out when we were visiting family out of state.  As the car had 200,000 miles we decided to trade it after we replaced the $200 battery (everybody "knows"that the main Prius battery is several thousand dollars to replace, so we were being preemptive).  We negotiated a fair price and bought a new Prius V and had to register it in CA where we were and transfer registration to AZ where we lived.  Salesman assured us there would be no additional registration cost in AZ (we asked and there is the internet).  We got back to AZ and had to pay $500 more to register in AZ.  Next trip (one month later) to CA I complained to owner of dealership; he offered a variety of options to cut our loss and we got nice seat covers front and rear ($400+) to help make it right.

[Scooby Doo]

I think you have 3 days to return the car.  And that's what I would do if you're not happy with your contract.  Take it back and tell them that you will cancel the contract unless you can renegotiate the price.  Don't let them make you feel like you're being bullied.  You are the one with the power because you're the one with the money that they want.  Grow a pair, it's empowering.  I hated confrontation when I was younger but now I realize that it's just part of life and getting what you need.

[Allegheny]

Car buying has changed so much over the past 20 years, I have some family who do extensive research, make the deal over the phone and on line and just go pick up the car.  We have several places around where everything is posted on their website, the price is not negotiable.  These cars are mostly formerly leased vehicles that the dealer buys and then resells.

My DH is a real stickler for doing his pre-buying research.  He knows their profit margins, etc before we go to the dealership. They are fully aware that the public has this information, so there is not much dickering around that can be done.  In these situations (with new vehicles), we negotiate for extras like floor/trunk mats, ie., things that are portable.

I had a situation when I purchased 9 month old used car. They were selling it for only a couple thousand shy of the new model but included an extra year of manufacturer's warranty.  I purchased it because the extra year of warranty was worth about 3-4 thousand dollars. For some reason after I got home, I got that same sick feeling you had.  I found out the car was formerly leased, had had body work done and then bought by the dealer at an auto auction.  While they may not have been required to tell me this, I felt the salesman misrepresented the car.  I went back and plead my case.  They were willing to take the car back in exchange for the latest model or provide services/add ons.  I elected to have extras installed on the car which without labor totalled up to $2500.  That was probably my worst experience.

[Nightowlz]

Go to Edmunds https://www.edmunds.com/appraisal/

enter all the cars info to see what the amount is you should have paid.

If you paid more then what it shows go to the dealership & ask to speak to the General Manager or Owner if you have too. Let them know what happened to see if they will work with you. Don't yell or start an argument that won't get you any place. You cannot return a used car. If you signed on the dotted line it's yours unless the dealership wants to take it back but they don't have to by law.

[nougat]

the list price was $22,900.  he offered $400 off and $400 for trade in so thats $800 off and it came to $22,100. when I finally got him to sit down and talk to me (husband was in restroom) i said  can we make it an even $22,00. he sad yes.

so price was $22,00 but for a used 2016 Honda HRV EX Model with 30,000 miles range is $18,000 - $21,000.  this one has only 17,000 miles.

 new one on Truecar is $24,000

typical listing price for a 2016 EX model is $19,900.

so isnt $22,000 over paying? I wanted to offer $21,00 just felt to intimidated and he didnt give me the time of day as I said. we asked about getting free stuff - back cargo tray and air deflector and he did give those.

then when I said I wasnt in the loop when price was discussed twice he just said lets do the free accessories instead. i just didnt know what to say. husband wasnt feeling well and prob not half there. i guess you had to be there to understand the timing and not feeling like I had a choice.

I did say twice that I wasnt in the loop as they just talked over the phone. and nothing was on paper to explain the offer or trade-in, just what my husband got told over the phone. so I just had to do the math in my head and talk from there. it felt like the guy just avoided me knowing I had say in the deal as husband told him that on phone.

please advise!

[vsm]

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@nougat wrote:

@deeva   we were signing loan paperwork and like I said this is all new to me.

was the loan paperwork different than the car contract? i was confused.

I believe the salesman stayed away from me knowing I would negotiate so I never felt I had a chance, like the wheels were already in motion.

yes i needed to be assertive and am kicking myself for this now! its just the way it all went down, very hurried and I didnt know the steps ahead of time.

yes , I feel like a fool!

going there to talk to the boss would take alot of guts and then i would probably be told he isnt even there when he is! 

just tell me what you all would do? and words please! thank you!

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Sounds like the person you needed to be assertive with is your husband.

[2blonde]

Yes, I do think you overpaid.  It should have been no more than 21,000 IMO.  Dealerships make more money on used cars than they do on the new ones.