How I hate buying a car

Been researching trucks for weeks trying to find something I like within my budget.
Searched many web sites looking at many dealers and what they have in stock.
Talked to salesmen on the phone and by email several times getting prices and descriptions of trucks.
So today the wife and I pick out 3 trucks we like and head out 50 miles south to the first dealership.
Had to watch what roads we took because of flooding in the area but we need to go now to get the rebate that ends on the 14th.

Call the first salesman and tell them we are on the way.
Get there and where is the truck. It's in the shop for a bad sensor.
OK but can we at least show it to my wife. "Sure"
Get in the shop and they have the right head off the motor.
Truck has less than 50 miles and they are deep into this 5.3 to do repairs.
Still trying to figure out what sensor requires the head to come off to replace said sensor.

Well ok you have a loaner truck for sale with 3700 miles lets look at it.
We look for over 30 minutes for the truck. Where is it?
You guess it. In the shop with the whole dash out of it.
Looking at the truck it looks wrong for some reason.
After being told it's a new never titled truck so it would not have a carfax.
I find the carfax on our phone.
Sure enough. Moderated damage to the right front and right rear due to sideswipe.
This thuck is not only broken it has been wrecked.

As I was leaving I told my wife loud enough for everyone to hear.
Lets go to XXX dealer. Maybe they have some trucks that are not broken or had past wrecks.

So now we head 50 miles west to the second dealer.
Get there and truck has 4500 miles on it.
I asked I thought this was a new truck. Listed as new on your web site.
OH this is a service loaner we are selling.
I would have bought this truck had he told me in advance.

But by now I have such a bad taste in my mouth we just left and went home.
150 miles and a day wasted.

Have you considered ordering one the way you want it decked out, and the color, motor, you want.
I did this for a 2010 model GMC; took only 6 weeks for delivery, I believe.

I would do it again. (I hated all that shopping around also).

I absolutely hate buying vehicles. What ever happened to honesty?? Last vehicle I bought was 3/4 ton diesel. I did not want a new one but knew what I wanted. It took me 6 months and a lot of bad experiences. Good luck in your search.

I feel your pain. Bet there is nothing I can tell you that someone here hasn't experienced.

Funny story, happened in 1996 but still applies. My daughter was about to graduate from college and was going to buy her first vehicle, by herself, and wanted me to go along to make sure she was OK with the deal.

Unknown to me, she had done her research and knew what she should be paying for it. She was looking to buy either a Jeep Cherokee or a Dodge pickup. We were going to look at a pickup. She had the model and accessories picked out, but we were going cold to the dealer with her list. We get there and catch the first vulture-er-salesman and she starts telling him what she wants. He starts steering her in a different direction and she stops him short, asking to speak to another sales person. Her words "evidently you don't listen well". I figured we would be leaving soon. But nope, we get a guy who has a tag that says sales manager on his shirt. OK, we find a new one still on a transport truck that matches her list. Now comes the fun. They unload it, put some more gas in it, said they only put 3 gallons in at the factory, and let her drive it around the block with shipping plastic still on part of it. We go in and they start that stuff about initialing a piece of paper saying we intend to buy it, etc. She tells him she came to buy a Dodge pickup, and nothing else. She put numbers in front of the guy and he says he can't do that without authorization from his boss. Hmmm...now I thought we were leaving for sure. She asks "which one of these guys is your boss?" He points someone out, and she picks up all the paperwork and heads that direction. She ended up buying that pickup, drove it almost 200,000 miles, and sold it for cash to someone who has put another 100K on it. She got it for the number she was asking for too. Was it a good deal? Dunno, but it sure was fun watching it happen. She showed me documents she had found where estimated actual cost was given and what a dealer should be expected to make. She figured they made about $1000 plus whatever rebates the dealers get for volume, etc.

And she wanted me to come along to make sure she didn't get taken........

Now, as far as my buying experiences go, they are much like yours. I have bought three brand new vehicles, and a bunch of ex lease cars and trucks that had maybe a year's worth of use on them. Had pretty good luck with those. The new cars were a pain, walked away from more than one moron/liar on a deal.

Good luck, and don't buy from a friend. Money dissolves that friendship faster than anything.

that is the reason i buy new vehicles every 10-12 years. i do not even fall for their extended warrenty either. any used vehicle you do not know how it was driven or serviced. AND i do not believe sales mens B .S. either. they just tell u what you want to hear.

If you are intent on going "new" then shop salesmen first. Find out how many years a particular salesman has worked for the dealership. Most change dealerships like a teen changes Mc Donalds. We have one family dealership in our town that has a couple salesmen that have been there over 20 yrs and the dealership hasn't changed hands since the ,50,s. If you catch them lying that easy then walk. What I would do is find a dealership/salesperson you can trust and let them "locate" the truck you want. They "dealer-trade" every day. Just tell them what you want and they will go to work for you instead of putting all the miles on your vehicle.

Its been awhile since I bought anything new. When I did I just dealt with a local guy that was a salesman at several different dealers over his life time. I would set down with him and he would go over every single option on the car or truck I was looking at. Then he would look to see if there where any around close to that if not he would order one. If the options I wanted were not too unusual he would order it with me still being able to not take it if I did not like it when it came in.

The first new vehicle from him was a 1990 Chevy pickup. I was tired of my old beater breaking down and you could not find any good used trucks because the 1980s had been so tough there were not many new ones sold. We settle on the options I wanted and he figured his cost plus profit. We agreed on the price right there and he ordered the truck. When I got home the wife asked me if I really knew if it was a good deal or not. This was long before the internet so research was harder. I did not know for sure I just trusted this fellow from knowing him for over 30 years. So I stopped at a BIG dealer everyone was screaming about how good of deals this fellow as giving. I finally got a salesman to set down and list out a truck like I had ordered. HE kept telling me the options I wanted where not available. (Like vinyl floor and seats in a Scottsdale truck he kept wanting to order carpet and cloth seats) Finally he got me the best "deal" his store would give anyone. $2500 higher on a $14000 truck. What a joke. LOL I told him he was way off in price. HE told me there was not were I could beat that price. I showed him the order just to shut him up.

That salesman sold lots of vehicles just like he did me. No fast talking and just straight facts an numbers. He would lay it all out with out any song and dance.

Now they all want to song and dance plus hide the true cost with a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Even used buying is like that. I walked out on two different sales when we where at the paperwork time. The final numbers where not what I had offered in both cases. I told them XXX dollars, tax title out the door. They all had extended warranty and other stuff that jacked up the price. I walked out. Even the last dealership we went to was slow to get to the chase. I do not PLAY games. Tell me your asking price and I will tell you what I will give. When we are agreed then THAT is the FINAL price not some other number that the "financial guy" comes up with.

We used to order them, now it seems like they can get on their computer and find one that's real close within reasonable miles, although they went 400 miles and got us a Buick a few years ago!

Precisely why my last 2 vehicles came from the dealer 4 miles from my house. Same family owns it since it started in the 40s. Just told them what I wanted, waited til it came in and paid the price. Turned out the price was right too.

Here is a price sheet one gave me for a 2014 with 3737 miles.
Market value is inflated about $1620 per NADA online so now we can show a bigger discount.

I am still trying to figure out what the $594.50 and $163.50 is for.

John one of the "deals" I walked out on had a $250 document fee at the closing. I told the salesman $22500 tax, title out the door. The deal was OKed by the "big wigs". The finance guy had $22750 on his total. I told him I had agreed on $22500. He would not take the $250 Doc fee off. I just tore up the check and purchase agreement right in front of him and walked out. The store owner called me the next day asking me to come back as they still had "my" car there. I told him I had already bought a car from a dealer that understood simple ENGLISH and who's word was good. He got a little hot about that. I pointed out that when you agree on a price and then change that price when you want a check, your word is no good.

What a pain in the rear.

It sounds like they flat out lied about the second one.

On the first one maybe they consider the piston to be a sensor. It senses combustion pressure and moves down in the bore?

"I am still trying to figure out what the $594.50 and $163.50 is for."

POSSIBLY dealer profit?

A car salesman LIE?

WHAT are you saying?

I shouldn't have said lie, after all we can't say "nnalert terrorist".

Instead I'll call it a subjective interpretation of reality.

I once spotted a late 70's Camaro at a used lot and although I know better I just had to stop out of curiosity (body was straight). The man inside said the car was his brother or brother-in-law or whatever and that it had 200 mile on a rebuilt motor. Upon raising the hood I realized I had stepped into another dimension where "rebuilt" simply means the upper third of the motor gets fogged with spray paint, over grease and all. The oil on the dipstick was more black than the tires holding it up. I decided to quickly return to my own dimension.

My wife hates to go with me when I buy a new Toyota. I shop dealer against dealer, but I never disclose the price quote from another dealer. Just say "not low enough". Then I offer them a "cash price out the door". which gives you the most leverage if you catch the dealer when he needs cash to pay his bills. Last new vehicle I bought, they were holding out for $750 more than I offered. I suddenly stood up, held out my hand to shake the salesman's hand and thanked him for his time, but I wouldn't take up anymore of his time. Sales manager was standing nearby; he said: "Wait a minute, you just bought yourself a new car". He says don't blame us for trying to get the $750 more, it's our job. By the time I got to the financial desk, the paperwork was completed as stated. The financial guy says we need good negotiators; do you want to come to work here? Not at 75 years of age.

IT's been long said that if in the military and buying a new car go at least 30 miles away from your base to get a fair deal.

After Desert Storm the "Big 3" all had some type of military special purchase program. GM's and Ford's were good programs and Chrysler's would save some money but not as much. Several people I knew plus me were in the market for a new vehicle. Both the GM and Ford programs were employee pricing plus delivery, tax and title and all other rebates and incentives still applied. A friend wanted a Ford Explorer. He went to the Ford dealer right outside the gate, got a price then called his father in law who was a mid level manager for Ford. FIL Didn't tell him what he should pay just told him too much. So he went to a dealer about 20 miles away. Kinda a rinse and repeat thing. Price was several thousand lower but the FIL told him nope too high. So he went to a dealer nearly 50 miles away got his deal and the FIL told him OK, that's about where it should be. I was astounded. Almost 9K less that quoted at the first dealer. Another guy and I wound up buying the same thing with the only difference being the color. But option for option they were identical. He bought right outside the gate and I went about 40 miles. I paid about 6K less than he did.

I myself always though that car salesmen were liars. Thought that was on the job app. "How well do you lie"? One of my son's worked as a car salesman for a while. The training they received on how to squeeze the most money out of a customer was amazing.

Rick

"I am still trying to figure out what the $594.50 and $163.50 is for."

Those are called "garbage fees", because you don't get anything of value for them. The dealers try to sneak them in, and will only remove them if you get up and start to walk out the door.

I spend a year shopping for my 2007 HD Chev that I have. I brought it new in 2007. I don't really want to go through that again if I don't have to. I only have 50,000 miles on it I'm hoping it last me another 10 years. Its been a good truck and does what I need it to do. So I figure it was worth the trouble I went through to get it.

John, There is a dealer in Sullivan, In. He will do all the work for you. I told him what I wanted, a year end model. He went on line to other dealers, dealer traded and got me the truck. I also took him my latest bid form another dealer. He beat the deal. Saved me all the time and effort. I got what I wanted. geo

I have told them if I see a Dock Fee or any bull%$#@ charges other than sales tax I'm walking out the door.

i have totally stopped going to dealers. My present everyday driver is a 67 mustang. Got it four years ago. I rebuilt the little 6. New starter, altinater, clutch, radiator. Resurfaced flywheel. New throw out bearing. Totally Rebuilt rears end and front suspension. New updated radio. All this was done before I started driving it. Plan on front brakes this summer. Yea it does not have all the bells and gadgets of today's cars, but I can fix anything on it.

Both dealers were liars . Sad. Once you lie to me I don't even listen.

Back in the mid 80s I went to buy a brand new turbo diesel Jetta. Salesman wanted to sell me his gas demonstrator he wouldn't relent so I walked out.
In 95 we did two of the biggest jobs we had ever done, back to back. Went down to buy a new work truck like JD said they said I couldn't get a v8 with vinyl seats and floor mats. Walked away. Both idiots let me walk away when I would have paid what ever they said if they would give what I wanted.
Ron

Hi All, I find the easiest way to buy a new anything is take a magic marker and write "STUPID" on your forehead,because that's what the salesman want to think that's what they are dealing with !!...And another thing, Don't you just love how they are going to give you a "Rebate" of several thousand off. Yeah right!! Lets start by removing the "Big" rebate and lets start the dealing now !! Any dealers make me sick !!....... I'm done with my rant (Sorry) Jim in N.M.

I was looking at a lease 2014 Chev. car Jan.2015 from a dealer. Made a deal for x amount of dollars [everything included out the door} went into finance office to pay and fella says not make out the check yet as he has more to tell me. I put my check in my pocket and walked out and came home. This was on a Sat. pm. The next Monday sales man calls & offers me $500.00 gift card if I would come back and buy this car and I told him to take that money and deduct it fom my offer price so he did. Havent had any problems with the car

They are like the $200 "Kansas Enviromental Package" one dealer tried to charge me for in Emporia KS - standard charge on all cars they sold off the lot. It meant they washed the car.

I used to wrench for Doan & Decker in the 70s Jim

When I was looking for another truck last year I only went one place. Stopped buy the Ford dealer just a few miles from my house ( they are one of the largest in the south) and talked to a salesman that has been with them for over 20 years. He only does commercial sales and only works four days a week and runs about 100 head of beef cattle on the side and I have helped him a few times over the years with his tractor and other equipment. I told him what I was looking for and that I was in no hurry. I wanted a no more than 2 year old F150 with the 5.0 and super cab or crew cab 2 wheel drive and it had to be one owner and decent mileage. He called a couple of weeks later and said come by and take a look at a truck we just took in on trade. I liked the truck but I told him I didn't like the price. To make a long story short I bought the truck for $4000 dollars less than where he started. Did the dealership make money on it? I'm sure they did but I got the truck for less than the book value and less than my credit union would fiance on it

There are some decent sales people out there and some honest dealerships but they are few and far between anymore you just have to do your homework and hunt for one

I used to work part time at Carney tire in the 70's while going to college.
I remember Doan and Decker Ford.