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Q&A About the car business or buying a car (1 Viewer)

godgers12

godgers12

Footballguy
Stemming from the other thread thought I would start this. I by know means am a life long car guy but I did it for 2 years and know enough to know how the crap works. I went from a very, very successful job, but traveling all the time to trying this out. The money would have been A LOT better for me if I didn't have a soul but I just couldn't do people like most other salesman could.I worked at the same dealership (chrysler,dodge,jeep,ram) for 2 years and just recently quit in the past couple weeks.If you have any questions about the business sales, finance, etc. Or if you are planning on buying a car and know what you want etc. (it doesn't only have to be Chrysler) I would be more than happy to help and make sure you can sleep well knowing you didn't just pay some douchebags mortgage that month.

 
WTF are Destination and advertising fees? Dealer created BS to gouge customers, right?

 
When you have to go "talk" to the manager regarding a sale while the customer waits, what do you actually talk about?

 
Jaysus said:
WTF are Destination and advertising fees? Dealer created BS to gouge customers, right?

[/quote

The only destination fee you have to pay that is not added after the fact is already on the window sticker, it is usually the last item on it. Any other destination fee is added by the dealership and just them trying to make more money.

Ad' fees can be anything to just a straight markup for a "rarer" car or window tint, even nitrogen in tires. All of this stuff is ridiculously marked up and you can usually get 95% of it knocked off. For example my old dealership was not as bad as others but we would have 3 adds on everything:

window tint:399.99

wheel locks:399.99

vin etching:399.99\\

so there is 1200.00 in just straight markup almost that they add so when you start to negotiate most people if they get 1k or something off they are like OH WOW NICE. but they haven't even dented the price of the vehicle yet.

I would always, ALWAYS tell the customer that they don't want to pay that. Our cost on the tint was 160.00 and it was guaranteed for life so I would leave that on.
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'shadyridr said:
Any quick examples of some of the soul less things your co-workers did?
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My sales manager's favorite expression was ripping someone heads off and ####ting down their throats, I remember one time a much older couple came in and it was a dream scenerio for this guy, they had a paid off car that was 2 years old and had no clue what they were doing, they bought a Jeep Patriot that sticker was 24k and change, by the time finance was done with them they financed a total of just under 40k, they had perfect credit and were VERY happy with their DEAL, i felt sick to my stomach and quit the next day. This was just the cherry on top, this type of thing was daily but there was something about this couple that I liked. I was not the salesman in the deal either. But the salesman pocketed about 4k from that deal alone, not bad eh.
 
If a wife or girlfriend is present, and is hot and wears a low slung boob exposing shirt during negotiations will you guys work a better deal?

 
'gmbacm said:
When you have to go "talk" to the manager regarding a sale while the customer waits, what do you actually talk about?
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The manager will call you a "weak ****" and "close the ####### deal dickwad" is pretty basic. It takes the manager like 30 seconds to get you new numbers, and the rest is killing time to act like its such hard work. I promise if you go to 3 dealerships you will hear, well my sales manager just threw me out of his office and is all pissed but I got _______ for ya.
 
Wow - perfect timing for me. I am beginning to shop for a car for the wife. It is between a Cadillac SRX and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (not the Overland pkg). The wife's dad worked at Chrysler so we get the Family price. In the past we have just plunked down the letter (I guess now its just a code) and picked a car. They applied all of the standard discounts/rebates and then removed the various other charges. Is there any way of still getting the price lower than this? What is the best approach here with the Jeep dealer? What is the best approach with the Cadillac dealer?

 
Assuming a $20K or so vehicle is bought at MSRP - how much does the dealer make? How much does the salesman make?

 
did they expect you to drive to work in a chrysler?how do they structure your payouts -- straight commission, units moved, etc?not looking for actual dollar amounts.

 
'Hopeless Lions Fan said:
You really know a lot, no?Tell me, how crappy are Chrysler products, really?
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To be honest Chrysler has changed their product 100000000%. If you haven't seen what they have in the past 4 years you should take a look. There is a TON of Italian influence now, and their interiors for not being a "luxury priced" car is second to none. I drive a Ram truck and wouldnt trade it for anything. Wife drives a Grand Cherokee and traded her X5 in for it and LOVES IT, and it was 2/3 the cost of her X5..
 
'Parrothead said:
what was the most you ever overcharged anybody?
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To be honest I didn;t have to many head ripper deals, but it wasn't because I didn't have the chances. There were obv the times where I would get certain people like either guys in country working for the oil business and their companies paid for their vehicles, I had no problems with a company like BP paying top dollar for a car, and the customer wasn't there to negotiate usually they would just say I want this vehicle and have xxx.xx amount car allowance, game on. The other type would be your typical ALL CASH buyer, usually on like a large SUV, used, to use for god knows what. Most I ever made personally in pocket from a deal is 3100.00
 
'Two Deep said:
If a wife or girlfriend is present, and is hot and wears a low slung boob exposing shirt during negotiations will you guys work a better deal?
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No, they will just make comments in the sales office, and if you pay close enough attention since there is glass everywhere, everyone will be staring cuz they are POS.
 
'Binky The Doormat said:
Wow - perfect timing for me. I am beginning to shop for a car for the wife. It is between a Cadillac SRX and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (not the Overland pkg). The wife's dad worked at Chrysler so we get the Family price. In the past we have just plunked down the letter (I guess now its just a code) and picked a car. They applied all of the standard discounts/rebates and then removed the various other charges. Is there any way of still getting the price lower than this? What is the best approach here with the Jeep dealer? What is the best approach with the Cadillac dealer?
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You are correct, if he worked directly for Chrysler at the factory? You get the EP pricing, it is preset and they usually wont negotiate after that but you can try for extra which ill explain in a sec. First make sure you get the invoice for the car, check the VIN to make sure it is the right one and the EP price will be right on it. Now you can tell them that you prefer to work with that dealership for ________ reason (live close, prior business, etc) and really want to go there but have ______ offer on top of the EP. If they can throw in something like 2 years maintenance free and tint or one or the other your in. FWIW EP pricing is sick good and I LOVE the Grand Cherokee you get sosooooooo much more for your money than in a Caddy.Now for pricing on the Cadillac, it is very easy to see where you stand. Find the car you want, then find the same car at three-five different dealerships in your area. ONLY ONLY ONLY work through email, every website will have someone ready to help you, request a e-price for the car from them all, if they ask if you have a trade, say no just want the e-price nothing else. Dont give them your phone number, use a throw away email or else your gonna hate yourself for 6 months. Once you have that price post in here or PM me and I can help you from there. If you have a trade lemme know as well as there are several ways to handle that.
 
'gmbacm said:
Assuming a $20K or so vehicle is bought at MSRP - how much does the dealer make? How much does the salesman make?
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This is way to broad, it all depends on the markup. Most 20k cars have like no markup and therefore people think they can get like 2k off when it just isn't there to give. If your on a loaded out car there is obv more markup therefore more room to discount.My commission was 25% of whatever the dealership made on the front end (meaning whatever profit before you went to finance) -500.00 they take out of all new cars off the top for the dealership.I made 5% off the back (anything they made in finance. Meaning all the extended warranties,tire care, and lots and lots of other bull#### people pay a crazy amount for. to be honest people think after they "steal" the car for the best price its over, but they can get you on the back end of the deal even worse than the front if you aren't careful.
 
'Kool-Aid Larry said:
did they expect you to drive to work in a chrysler?how do they structure your payouts -- straight commission, units moved, etc?not looking for actual dollar amounts.
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I posted the commission i made just now. Plus we would get bonuses for units, like 600.00@ 8 cars up to 3000@25 cars and even higher if needed but most people were between 8 and 21 cars at my place. There was not much for spiffs because the people we worked for were greedy azzholes, they had the best year ever last year (sales were up by 42% LOLOLOL) and they basically kept it all for themselves.No we did not have to drive a Chrysler product but as a testament to what they have done I would say 70% of the employees from sales, managers, service, etc. drove one of their products. I love my truck.Salesman at my dealership didn't get demos only the GM had one for him and his whole family lol, he was a piece of work.
 
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:

 
'John Bender said:
What's your average commission on a car sold?What's an average month for number of cars sold?
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I got my number for last year and my average per car on the front was around 1000.00, meaning i made on average 250.00 a car. And I averaged about 16 cars a month. The bonus for 15 cars was 1800.00, after taxes I would average like 5k or so a month. Decent money for some (huge paycut from last job but that didn't matter to me) but not worth dealing with the managers and the other bull#### every day. I could have done MUCH MUCH better but again I helped 75% of the people I dealt with get decent deals. Plus there are a TON of "minis" meaning someone knew what they were doing got the best price, and the least a salesman can make on a deal is 100.00.Now don't get this twisted I knew of at least 5-7 people that worked there for a long time and they wouldn't even cover their draw sometimes. (A draw is a weekly amount , in my caase 400.00, that you got paid, but then paid back at the end of the month with your commission) I was probably in the top 10% LOLOLOL of salesman as far as income.
 
'Snotbubbles said:
How much mark up is the "Invoice Price" from what the dealership pays?
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The dealership pays invoice minus holdback. I'll see if I can get one of my invoices from a car I sold and copy it but it would have 4 prices on it the MSRP, then Invoice, then EP (employee pricing) which is the lowest, and FFP (friends family pricing , this is what I would get) which is like affiliate pricing for businesses and such that have deals with Chrysler. Then there is a HB, that means that is what the dealership still makes for selling the car even if they sell it for invoice. The holdback varies depending on the vehicle, how it is equipped, etc.
 
'Ketamine Dreams said:
FBGs usually buy with cash. What should we look out for in these situations?
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If you are paying cash with no trade in it is honestly very easy to get the best price. Just find the 4-5 dealerships around you, get online and request e-prices from all of them, find the cheapest one and work on them for whatever extra you can get. These e-prices are usually anywhere from a couple hundred under invoice to a hundred or so over invoice. The online market is so aggressive that people that are smart enough to get e prices seriously take the headache of negotiating out of it.
 
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'General Malaise said:
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:
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It is absolutely wonderful to be pre-approved from a CU. But hey a little competition never hurt nobody, and why would you turn down a lower rate if you can get it? Money is money. What I ALWAYS told people in your situation (this is assuming great credit and good rate from CU) is tell me your current rate and lets see if we can beat it. You won't have to worry about them "Shotgunning" your credit to a million banks because if it is really low there is only a couple that will be able to compete, and if they can beat it great , if not no biggie. If your salesman or manager makes it any toughter than how i just explained it, leave and go somewhere else. As far as a lease vs buying, I say this, if you like a new car every three years, no sooner or later, and dont mind the initial down payment for the luxury of just trading it for a new one then leases are perfect. I WOULD NOT expect to see any money back after the lease, if you did for some reason get some great, but give the down payment like youll never see it again. Now if you are someone that drive s a car till the wheels fall off, leasing is not for you. Any other questions feel free.. Ill try my best.
 
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:
Click to expand...
It is absolutely wonderful to be pre-approved from a CU. But hey a little competition never hurt nobody, and why would you turn down a lower rate if you can get it? Money is money. What I ALWAYS told people in your situation (this is assuming great credit and good rate from CU) is tell me your current rate and lets see if we can beat it. You won't have to worry about them "Shotgunning" your credit to a million banks because if it is really low there is only a couple that will be able to compete, and if they can beat it great , if not no biggie. If your salesman or manager makes it any toughter than how i just explained it, leave and go somewhere else. As far as a lease vs buying, I say this, if you like a new car every three years, no sooner or later, and dont mind the initial down payment for the luxury of just trading it for a new one then leases are perfect. I WOULD NOT expect to see any money back after the lease, if you did for some reason get some great, but give the down payment like youll never see it again. Now if you are someone that drive s a car till the wheels fall off, leasing is not for you. Any other questions feel free.. Ill try my best.
Click to expand...
Thoughts on the updated version of the Dodge Grand Caravan (2011-2012)? :bag:And thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
 
'godgers12 said:
'Binky The Doormat said:
Wow - perfect timing for me. I am beginning to shop for a car for the wife. It is between a Cadillac SRX and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (not the Overland pkg). The wife's dad worked at Chrysler so we get the Family price. In the past we have just plunked down the letter (I guess now its just a code) and picked a car. They applied all of the standard discounts/rebates and then removed the various other charges. Is there any way of still getting the price lower than this? What is the best approach here with the Jeep dealer? What is the best approach with the Cadillac dealer?
Click to expand...
You are correct, if he worked directly for Chrysler at the factory? You get the EP pricing, it is preset and they usually wont negotiate after that but you can try for extra which ill explain in a sec. First make sure you get the invoice for the car, check the VIN to make sure it is the right one and the EP price will be right on it. Now you can tell them that you prefer to work with that dealership for ________ reason (live close, prior business, etc) and really want to go there but have ______ offer on top of the EP. If they can throw in something like 2 years maintenance free and tint or one or the other your in. FWIW EP pricing is sick good and I LOVE the Grand Cherokee you get sosooooooo much more for your money than in a Caddy.Now for pricing on the Cadillac, it is very easy to see where you stand. Find the car you want, then find the same car at three-five different dealerships in your area. ONLY ONLY ONLY work through email, every website will have someone ready to help you, request a e-price for the car from them all, if they ask if you have a trade, say no just want the e-price nothing else. Dont give them your phone number, use a throw away email or else your gonna hate yourself for 6 months. Once you have that price post in here or PM me and I can help you from there. If you have a trade lemme know as well as there are several ways to handle that.
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Great advice - I will get back when I have some numbers. Probably will start looking in earnest early March
 
Another standard "no biggie" thing that makes me cringe, was xmas eve this year and of course we are open, it was crappy outside and we had like 4 people show up and i think they were all appointments. After about noon we got exactly no customers, we were told hey if it is dead we closing early for xmas, ok cool. 4 hours later and still no customers they called a meeting, cool we can FINALLY go and be with the family, sales manager proceeds to rip everyone a new ####### for not working their existing people to get someone in so they could make at least 1 car deal that day. yea thats right we were supposed to be calling people on xmas eve to get them to come to our dealership and buy a car. So the two sales managers there decided that anyone that took a "up" (greeting a fresh customer and helping them) that day got to go home. Well the 4 people that showed up were all appointments so those internet employees that had them come in went home (oh yea the internet crew are all family and friends of the GM, its cool lol) And the other 20 salesman , me included, had to wait to catch a up try and sell a car then go home, Yea well NOT ONE PERSON came onto our lot that day and all 20 of us punched out and went home to be with our families at 9:00pm, good times.Oh yea and the first sales manager that ripped everyone apart, left at 5:30pm. Standard stuff.

 
'godgers12 said:
'Ketamine Dreams said:
FBGs usually buy with cash. What should we look out for in these situations?
Click to expand...
If you are paying cash with no trade in it is honestly very easy to get the best price. Just find the 4-5 dealerships around you, get online and request e-prices from all of them, find the cheapest one and work on them for whatever extra you can get. These e-prices are usually anywhere from a couple hundred under invoice to a hundred or so over invoice. The online market is so aggressive that people that are smart enough to get e prices seriously take the headache of negotiating out of it.
Click to expand...
are you familiar with www.fightingchance.com?Similar to what you mentioned, but you can buy a report for a few bucks that has all ofthe dealer incentives on the model car that the salesmen dont' necessearily know about
 
what's the etiquette on the ups?do you go outside and pretend to smoke so you can catch them before they make it in the door and stuff like that?do people fight over the desk by the door?

 
'General Malaise said:
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:
Click to expand...
It is absolutely wonderful to be pre-approved from a CU. But hey a little competition never hurt nobody, and why would you turn down a lower rate if you can get it? Money is money. What I ALWAYS told people in your situation (this is assuming great credit and good rate from CU) is tell me your current rate and lets see if we can beat it. You won't have to worry about them "Shotgunning" your credit to a million banks because if it is really low there is only a couple that will be able to compete, and if they can beat it great , if not no biggie. If your salesman or manager makes it any toughter than how i just explained it, leave and go somewhere else. As far as a lease vs buying, I say this, if you like a new car every three years, no sooner or later, and dont mind the initial down payment for the luxury of just trading it for a new one then leases are perfect. I WOULD NOT expect to see any money back after the lease, if you did for some reason get some great, but give the down payment like youll never see it again. Now if you are someone that drive s a car till the wheels fall off, leasing is not for you. Any other questions feel free.. Ill try my best.
Click to expand...
Thoughts on the updated version of the Dodge Grand Caravan (2011-2012)? :bag:And thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
Click to expand...
Honestly there are only two vans out there imo that i would consider buying if I were in the minivan market, well three but I consider the Chrysler and Dodge the same kinda, and that is the Honda Oddysey and the Dodge/Chrysler.. The Honda is crazy expensive if you want any sort of equipment on it so you def cant go wrong with the Dodge.Now if you are going the used route some of the nice things on the caravan is of course the Stow and Go, its the only can with it and its stupid how cool that is. (all the seat second and third row fold into the floor) The second big windows are electric and roll down. The front interior is all redone, leather wrapped steering wheel, all controls on the steering wheel. Not sure what equipment you are looking for but the media/nav system is so easy to use and filled with a ton of great stuff.I will say that if you are looking for a fairly equipped van the new Chrysler T&C come stock at the lowest trim with leather, and one DVD screen as well as a ton of other things. If you are looking for some of these option the T&C may be the way to go as well. Just a heads up.
 
'Tiger Fan said:
'godgers12 said:
'Ketamine Dreams said:
FBGs usually buy with cash. What should we look out for in these situations?
Click to expand...
If you are paying cash with no trade in it is honestly very easy to get the best price. Just find the 4-5 dealerships around you, get online and request e-prices from all of them, find the cheapest one and work on them for whatever extra you can get. These e-prices are usually anywhere from a couple hundred under invoice to a hundred or so over invoice. The online market is so aggressive that people that are smart enough to get e prices seriously take the headache of negotiating out of it.
Click to expand...
are you familiar with www.fightingchance.com?Similar to what you mentioned, but you can buy a report for a few bucks that has all ofthe dealer incentives on the model car that the salesmen dont' necessearily know about
Click to expand...
I mean I have talked to salesman that have worked at countless dealerships and there is really no incentive held from the salesman. Everything from dealer cash etc is told, mainly because a lot of those extra incentives are on vehicles they need to move.We always were told at the start of every month (when the incentives change) what they have changed to and what is available.Also keep in mind if it is a manufacturer given rebate the dealership HAS to give it to the customer. Now don't get me wrong if they get someone that has no clue all they will do is add the rebate to the price of the car in the top line and go from there.
 
'Kool-Aid Larry said:
what's the etiquette on the ups?do you go outside and pretend to smoke so you can catch them before they make it in the door and stuff like that?do people fight over the desk by the door?
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It is first come first serve on anyone that comes up and isn't there to see anyone.I have only seen a couple times where someone has literally skipped in front of someone else and "stolen" a up. But the managers won't do #### about something like that, they think its funny.Where I worked if a customer made it to the door without being helped and people were free we would be getting a ### chewing about 45 seconds after from a midget sales manager on a power trip.If you help someone , test drive etc. They are put into a program that logs it and puts it under your name, if they come back in a reasonable time and you have notes in there that you have stayed in contact etc. you are supposed to still get that deal if they come back, but some salesman are ruthless (SURPRISE) and will do what we call "skate" you and re enter the person either with their spouses name or all CAPS or something to get around you if you are not around.
 
Also there are what is called "lot lizards" salesman that will get third degree sunburns out on the lot just steadily talking to everyone, they are usually really bad salesman, and they do what we call "burn all the ups" (talking to a ton of people but not selling #### because they have no clue) when this starts to happen I have seen grown old men do things like key cars and puncture tires to "prove their point". Yea and they do that before even trying to talk to someone, no one has a spine it felt like. I met one person in two years I talk to outside of work, and he quit 12 months ago LOL.

 
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:
Click to expand...
It is absolutely wonderful to be pre-approved from a CU. But hey a little competition never hurt nobody, and why would you turn down a lower rate if you can get it? Money is money. What I ALWAYS told people in your situation (this is assuming great credit and good rate from CU) is tell me your current rate and lets see if we can beat it. You won't have to worry about them "Shotgunning" your credit to a million banks because if it is really low there is only a couple that will be able to compete, and if they can beat it great , if not no biggie. If your salesman or manager makes it any toughter than how i just explained it, leave and go somewhere else. As far as a lease vs buying, I say this, if you like a new car every three years, no sooner or later, and dont mind the initial down payment for the luxury of just trading it for a new one then leases are perfect. I WOULD NOT expect to see any money back after the lease, if you did for some reason get some great, but give the down payment like youll never see it again. Now if you are someone that drive s a car till the wheels fall off, leasing is not for you. Any other questions feel free.. Ill try my best.
Click to expand...
Thoughts on the updated version of the Dodge Grand Caravan (2011-2012)? :bag:And thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
Click to expand...
Honestly there are only two vans out there imo that i would consider buying if I were in the minivan market, well three but I consider the Chrysler and Dodge the same kinda, and that is the Honda Oddysey and the Dodge/Chrysler.. The Honda is crazy expensive if you want any sort of equipment on it so you def cant go wrong with the Dodge.Now if you are going the used route some of the nice things on the caravan is of course the Stow and Go, its the only can with it and its stupid how cool that is. (all the seat second and third row fold into the floor) The second big windows are electric and roll down. The front interior is all redone, leather wrapped steering wheel, all controls on the steering wheel. Not sure what equipment you are looking for but the media/nav system is so easy to use and filled with a ton of great stuff.I will say that if you are looking for a fairly equipped van the new Chrysler T&C come stock at the lowest trim with leather, and one DVD screen as well as a ton of other things. If you are looking for some of these option the T&C may be the way to go as well. Just a heads up.
Click to expand...
I'm eyeballing a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan with 27K miles for $19,500. I test drove it and loved it. I jumped around in the van like a spider monkey and felt like I could have performed the Flying Fish Sandwich with a willing partner. I test drove an Odyssey last night and while I enjoyed it, I didn't find it nearly as roomy and for the money? Forget it. Not worth it to me to pay more for a brand. I'm going to take my sons with me to look at it today and get their take since they'll be spending the next 5-8 years in the back seat. DVD isn't important to me. I have one in my car, but it hasn't been used in at least a year and probably only a handful of times in the last 3 years. Again, thanks for the feedback. I'm really glad one of 'our guys' has an insiders view into this. This website never ceases to amaze me. :thumbup:
 
my dealership sold maybe 225 cars a month (not a ton) with 16 salesman and 4 internet people. We call the internet guys "house mouses" they get fed all their deals, they are never outside, and they are all usually minis but they will get like 25 each or more a month. That leaves like 100 deals for 16 people to split. Do the math, and if you dont hit your numbers you get ripped because they aren't "paying you to not sell cars". Keep in mind though the money they pay you , you pay back at the end of the month lol.

 
'General Malaise said:
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:
Click to expand...
It is absolutely wonderful to be pre-approved from a CU. But hey a little competition never hurt nobody, and why would you turn down a lower rate if you can get it? Money is money. What I ALWAYS told people in your situation (this is assuming great credit and good rate from CU) is tell me your current rate and lets see if we can beat it. You won't have to worry about them "Shotgunning" your credit to a million banks because if it is really low there is only a couple that will be able to compete, and if they can beat it great , if not no biggie. If your salesman or manager makes it any toughter than how i just explained it, leave and go somewhere else. As far as a lease vs buying, I say this, if you like a new car every three years, no sooner or later, and dont mind the initial down payment for the luxury of just trading it for a new one then leases are perfect. I WOULD NOT expect to see any money back after the lease, if you did for some reason get some great, but give the down payment like youll never see it again. Now if you are someone that drive s a car till the wheels fall off, leasing is not for you. Any other questions feel free.. Ill try my best.
Click to expand...
Thoughts on the updated version of the Dodge Grand Caravan (2011-2012)? :bag:And thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
Click to expand...
Honestly there are only two vans out there imo that i would consider buying if I were in the minivan market, well three but I consider the Chrysler and Dodge the same kinda, and that is the Honda Oddysey and the Dodge/Chrysler.. The Honda is crazy expensive if you want any sort of equipment on it so you def cant go wrong with the Dodge.Now if you are going the used route some of the nice things on the caravan is of course the Stow and Go, its the only can with it and its stupid how cool that is. (all the seat second and third row fold into the floor) The second big windows are electric and roll down. The front interior is all redone, leather wrapped steering wheel, all controls on the steering wheel. Not sure what equipment you are looking for but the media/nav system is so easy to use and filled with a ton of great stuff.I will say that if you are looking for a fairly equipped van the new Chrysler T&C come stock at the lowest trim with leather, and one DVD screen as well as a ton of other things. If you are looking for some of these option the T&C may be the way to go as well. Just a heads up.
Click to expand...
I'm eyeballing a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan with 27K miles for $19,500. I test drove it and loved it. I jumped around in the van like a spider monkey and felt like I could have performed the Flying Fish Sandwich with a willing partner. I test drove an Odyssey last night and while I enjoyed it, I didn't find it nearly as roomy and for the money? Forget it. Not worth it to me to pay more for a brand. I'm going to take my sons with me to look at it today and get their take since they'll be spending the next 5-8 years in the back seat. DVD isn't important to me. I have one in my car, but it hasn't been used in at least a year and probably only a handful of times in the last 3 years. Again, thanks for the feedback. I'm really glad one of 'our guys' has an insiders view into this. This website never ceases to amaze me. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
do you have a link to the vehicle online or something? I would like to see how it is equipped. Also let me say usually internet pricing on used vehicles is very very aggressive, especially if you live in a big market, but there is ALWAYS wiggle room.
 
Why does the dealer always try to #### you on the trade in? How much room is there to negotiate on the trade?

 
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
'godgers12 said:
'General Malaise said:
I've used my credit union for every used car I've ever purchased and like knowing that when I walk into a dealership, I have financing pre-approved already from my CU. Does it make any sense to go outside of my CU? I'm a creature of comfort, so I get nervous when dealer's try to walk me away from using my CU for financing. Also, I get confused about "Leases". I had a dealer last night try to talk me into a lease and basically called me stupid for saying "sorry, no. I always buy used, pay them off, then sell them on my own". Am I stupid for not considering a lease? He was talking about recouping the $3,000 I would need to put down, turning it in for a profit or buying it from them at the end of my lease for a "smoking good deal". I just got uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I wouldn't mind a discussion about "Lease" vs "Buying a used car".Thanks! Great and timely thread here. I might have more questions. I'm about a week away from buying a used Dodge Grand Caravan. :bag:
Click to expand...
It is absolutely wonderful to be pre-approved from a CU. But hey a little competition never hurt nobody, and why would you turn down a lower rate if you can get it? Money is money. What I ALWAYS told people in your situation (this is assuming great credit and good rate from CU) is tell me your current rate and lets see if we can beat it. You won't have to worry about them "Shotgunning" your credit to a million banks because if it is really low there is only a couple that will be able to compete, and if they can beat it great , if not no biggie. If your salesman or manager makes it any toughter than how i just explained it, leave and go somewhere else. As far as a lease vs buying, I say this, if you like a new car every three years, no sooner or later, and dont mind the initial down payment for the luxury of just trading it for a new one then leases are perfect. I WOULD NOT expect to see any money back after the lease, if you did for some reason get some great, but give the down payment like youll never see it again. Now if you are someone that drive s a car till the wheels fall off, leasing is not for you. Any other questions feel free.. Ill try my best.
Click to expand...
Thoughts on the updated version of the Dodge Grand Caravan (2011-2012)? :bag:And thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
Click to expand...
Honestly there are only two vans out there imo that i would consider buying if I were in the minivan market, well three but I consider the Chrysler and Dodge the same kinda, and that is the Honda Oddysey and the Dodge/Chrysler.. The Honda is crazy expensive if you want any sort of equipment on it so you def cant go wrong with the Dodge.Now if you are going the used route some of the nice things on the caravan is of course the Stow and Go, its the only can with it and its stupid how cool that is. (all the seat second and third row fold into the floor) The second big windows are electric and roll down. The front interior is all redone, leather wrapped steering wheel, all controls on the steering wheel. Not sure what equipment you are looking for but the media/nav system is so easy to use and filled with a ton of great stuff.I will say that if you are looking for a fairly equipped van the new Chrysler T&C come stock at the lowest trim with leather, and one DVD screen as well as a ton of other things. If you are looking for some of these option the T&C may be the way to go as well. Just a heads up.
Click to expand...
I'm eyeballing a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan with 27K miles for $19,500. I test drove it and loved it. I jumped around in the van like a spider monkey and felt like I could have performed the Flying Fish Sandwich with a willing partner. I test drove an Odyssey last night and while I enjoyed it, I didn't find it nearly as roomy and for the money? Forget it. Not worth it to me to pay more for a brand. I'm going to take my sons with me to look at it today and get their take since they'll be spending the next 5-8 years in the back seat. DVD isn't important to me. I have one in my car, but it hasn't been used in at least a year and probably only a handful of times in the last 3 years. Again, thanks for the feedback. I'm really glad one of 'our guys' has an insiders view into this. This website never ceases to amaze me. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
do you have a link to the vehicle online or something? I would like to see how it is equipped. Also let me say usually internet pricing on used vehicles is very very aggressive, especially if you live in a big market, but there is ALWAYS wiggle room.
Click to expand...
Through Enterprise :bag:
 
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