SolaraGuy.com

Every time I think about it, the steam comes out of my ears.

I was ready to buy my Solara SLE V6 today. The Dealer gave me an OTD price, on the phone, of $28,565. When I got there he added up 3 numbers, one of which was a $999.99 Dealer Fee. He kept telling me that he was backing the Dealer Fee out of the price, but that was B.S.

He calculated the tax on a sub-total that included the Dealer Fee. If I'm not getting charged the Dealer fee, why would I have to pay tax on it? He also never SUBTRACTED the 999.99 off of the price, even though he kept insisting that I wasn't being charged a Dealer Fee.

I nearly lost it when he told me that I don't know how to add. I couldn't believe he actually said that. After he said it a second time, along with, "you're just not getting it, you don't understand numbers", I broke the news to him that I add very well & also have a very good understanding of numbers. I told him that I was an Accountant for 13 years before I became a nurse. I have a Bachelors in Accounting from Hofstra University. I wanted to shove the paper down his throat. I told him that I'm not some completely clueless, air-headed bimbo that just walked in off the street.

I told him that if I was a man, he wouldn't dare say those things to me. I got up & said, I'm ready to buy a car right now & you want to sit here playing with numbers & you're insulting me. Every salesman in the place heard me. I made sure I said it loud enough. A manager came in & tried to B.S. me too. I told him, if he had been told that he couldn't add 3 numbers, he knows damn well that he would have walked out the door. He apologized, but that means nothing to me.

It's funny, when I went to this dealer originally a couple of weeks ago, he told me that the Dealer Fee was $500. Now, he was charging me a $1,000 & it was pre-printed on all their forms. Him & the Manager told me that they couldn't take it off the paper. That even thought it was on there, I wasn't being charged the $1K. LOL!!!!! If I wasn't so angry, it would almost be comical.

After the manager left, the salesman still insisted that he wasn't charging me the Dealer Fee. I told him that he can play with the numbers all he wants, but that he & I both know he's charging me the D. Fee. He just smirked & left it at that.

Oh, he left the top number blank because he said he needed to get the actual number from the Factory because it was a special order. I told him, I'm not signing anything that isn't filled out completely. OMG, what an asshole he was. I asked him where he got the number he was temporarily plugging in there, & he never answered me. Neither did his manager.

I'm going to Earl Stewart on Sunday. He sent me an OTD quote of $28,600. I'll purchase the car from them. Hopefully I won't have any surprises when I get there.

I HATE being a woman sometimes!!!!!

Wish me luck on Sunday! I think the next one will be decent.

Any guys want to meet me at Earl Stewart in Florida on Sunday??? Just to be a male figure at the bargaining table. I'll buy you lunch. LOL!!!!

You are too far from me, or I'd help you out. You're in SoFL, right?

There are are some members down there...help her out guys!

That totally sucks.... If I were you I would get quotes from other dealers, and do it online through KBB.com, dealers will usually quote you a better/lower price since they are trying to get your business. Then bring your printout of quotes, invoice..etc to the dealership, they cant screw with you much after that.

Everytime I pass a car dealership I always get a kick of how all the sales people wait outside preying on customers. Do your research first before going to the dealership, they usually prey on people who are unprepared, unknowledgable or just plain clueless.

And with that OTD price they quoted you, you can get a 2007 Camry V6 XLE, you get more bang for the buck with that car.

[quote="MCOjerry"]You are too far from me, or I'd help you out. You're in SoFL, right?

Thanks. Yes, I'm in Pompano Beach. Earl Stewart is near Palm Beach Gardens in Palm Beach.

I don't think he'll try to screw me, but I didn't think the guy at Hendrickson would either. My family & friends are in N.Y. I've had a couple of guys offer to go with me but never actually commit to a time.

I can't believe how stressful buying a new car is. I'm about to put my hair in a baseball cap, tape down my breasts & get a fake mustache.

Damn that sucks. Sorry to hear that. Next time you have a contract with pre-printed numbers...cross them out and initial by the cross out mark and see what they do. The contract will have to add correctly in order for the bank to fund it. The Reg-z box has to also reflect correctly which is called "Truth in lending". You did the right thing by walking out! GL on SUnday

get a business card from a sales person from another dealership and go to Earl Stewrt and say can you match or beat so and so's offer (show them the card) of 28,200?

ItalianRN wrote:I HATE being a woman sometimes!!!!!

We love you gals for trying soo hard! GL!

[quote="onefiend"]That totally sucks.... If I were you I would get quotes from other dealers, and do it online through KBB.com, dealers will usually quote you a better/lower price since they are trying to get your business.

I did. I seached online & then contacted the dealers by phone. The lowest dealer, Earl Stewart emailed their quote. That's the one in Palm Beach. I'm going there on Sunday.

Their Base Price is: $26,856.64 That includes VSC & TRAC, Mats & Wheel Locks. They don't have a Dealer's Fee. With Tax, small state fee ($16) & tag transfer it comes out to $28,600.

I'll have to be okay with that. I can't get a lower price.

I just checked KBB.com & their price that people are paying, without the VSC & TRAC is $27,387.

Thank you.

im sorry to hear that.. car dealerships bs way too much which is why when i bought my car i just stayed firm the whole way and threatened to leave each time the price went higher. best of luck. hope you get your car!

This pisses me off to see such stupidity on behalf of the dealer.

I never pay the "dealer fee / document fee / whatever BS they want to call it."

When I buy gasoline, I don't pay an extra fee for the gas attendant to do his job. This is part of the price of the product. You buy a car, maybe even a warranty but you don't go there to buy paperwork. This is part of their job to sell a car.

I would switch dealers like you said. Walk in and say "I want you to be my hero!" Calmly explain in an objective tone the problem you had with the other dealer. Sales price, tax and actual title registration and plate fees are OK. But everything else is not.

Do your math ahead of time. If you are looking for financing through them, carry a laptop with you and an excel spreadsheet that will help calculate the car payment. (Don't trust their math.) I recently purchased a vehicle and used this calculator during the negotiations.

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/download.htm

Some tips to box in their ability to negotiate:
1) Do a little research: Find other dealers within 50 or so miles that have the exact car you want. Get the inventory number or VIN of that car and the price you are working with. Note the options on it. Be honest, don't forget to say it didn't have Navagation when the car you negotiate for has it. What this says to the dealer is that your car is a commodity and I can get it elsewhere if you don't give me a good offer. This also keeps emotion out of the car buying process.

2) Know the price of the car you want. (Enter that into your spreadsheet.)

3) Keep trades out of it if possible. If you do trade, they will work your trade down and make money on that end. Always clean up the car VERY well and document the history. What you want is to have a very good Kelly Blue Book value. Check www.KBB.com and look up your trade in value. Dealers NEVER pick excellent condition. Fair is typical.

Check autotrader.com to see what the market is selling your trade in model for these days. This gives you an idea where the dealer will shoot to sell your trade in. Having this information printed out helps sell a higher trade in value. "You are offering me $9000 for my trade in but this car sells retail on the lots for $15500. I think you can come up on your trade in price yet you guys still make money when you sell it later. "

Enter your targetted trade in value into the spreadsheet.

4) Know the auto sales tax for that area. (Enter that rate into your spreadsheet.)

5) Know the registration & title fees ahead of time. Ask Sec of State office for these costs. Enter this into your spreadsheet.

6) Have a VERY good idea what interest rate you should qualify for. (Never take the first rate they give you.) Enter a reasonable rate into the spreadsheet.

You should have the vehicle cost and payment. (Depending on the term of loan)

-- Now sit down with the dealer. Inform them you have a pressing appointment at a specific time and would like to conclude business in time to drive away in your new car. (Give them a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours.)

Feel free to show them the sheet and say this is what you HAVE to work with. They will always try to extend your terms to 72 months or something crazy like that. Never let them work to the monthly payment number, always work to the Total Cost of the Car field in the sheet. This accounts for interest over the term of the loan.

Give them the mass of information you accumulated as an informed buyer is difficult to negotiate with.

Good luck!! I wish I were there to help. I love negotiating with dealers. I even took the Karass Negotiations Seminars for situations like this.

Remember, you can always walk away from a deal. You hold the power.

Way to stand your ground!!

Best of luck to you! Let us know how it works out this weekend.

Yep, this kind of story is exactly why they call em' Car Stealerships. They try to rip off people so bad it's not even funny.

My grandmother has to buy a car w/ my dad with her everytime now cause' about 5 years ago when she went to a buy a camry (02') they tried to mark up the price by nearly $2,000 saying a v6 camry is extremely hard to come by, scumbags.

I feel your pain and honestly I doubt I would have been able to control my anger as well as you did. I would have released it by either punching the salesman in the face, or by throwing a brick thru their front windows as I drive away.


Good luck with your purchase.

[quote="Steve526"]
I feel your pain and honestly I doubt I would have been able to control my anger as well as you did. I would have released it by either punching the salesman in the face, or by throwing a brick thru their front windows as I drive away.


I'm a Sicilian from Brooklyn. I hate to stereotype, but I do have a terrible Sicilian temper, when I'm pushed. I did tell the salesman as he was walking me out, that I wanted to hurt him. He thought I was kidding. Truth be told, I really wanted to put his face into a brick wall.

The only reason I keep my anger under control is because I have a great life & won't ruin it because of a loser who makes his living by lying & stealing from people.

By the time I walked out of there today, that loser knew I wasn't a stupid woman. He couldn't even look at me in my eyes when I left.

PhreakdOut wrote:This pisses me off to see such stupidity on behalf of the dealer.

I never pay the "dealer fee / document fee / whatever BS they want to call it."

When I buy gasoline, I don't pay an extra fee for the gas attendant to do his job. This is part of the price of the product. You buy a car, maybe even a warranty but you don't go there to buy paperwork. This is part of their job to sell a car.

I would switch dealers like you said. Walk in and say "I want you to be my hero!" Calmly explain in an objective tone the problem you had with the other dealer. Sales price, tax and actual title registration and plate fees are OK. But everything else is not.

Do your math ahead of time. If you are looking for financing through them, carry a laptop with you and an excel spreadsheet that will help calculate the car payment. (Don't trust their math.) I recently purchased a vehicle and used this calculator during the negotiations.

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/download.htm

Some tips to box in their ability to negotiate:
1) Do a little research: Find other dealers within 50 or so miles that have the exact car you want. Get the inventory number or VIN of that car and the price you are working with. Note the options on it. Be honest, don't forget to say it didn't have Navagation when the car you negotiate for has it. What this says to the dealer is that your car is a commodity and I can get it elsewhere if you don't give me a good offer. This also keeps emotion out of the car buying process.

2) Know the price of the car you want. (Enter that into your spreadsheet.)

3) Keep trades out of it if possible. If you do trade, they will work your trade down and make money on that end. Always clean up the car VERY well and document the history. What you want is to have a very good Kelly Blue Book value. Check www.KBB.com and look up your trade in value. Dealers NEVER pick excellent condition. Fair is typical.

Check autotrader.com to see what the market is selling your trade in model for these days. This gives you an idea where the dealer will shoot to sell your trade in. Having this information printed out helps sell a higher trade in value. "You are offering me $9000 for my trade in but this car sells retail on the lots for $15500. I think you can come up on your trade in price yet you guys still make money when you sell it later. "

Enter your targetted trade in value into the spreadsheet.

4) Know the auto sales tax for that area. (Enter that rate into your spreadsheet.)

5) Know the registration & title fees ahead of time. Ask Sec of State office for these costs. Enter this into your spreadsheet.

6) Have a VERY good idea what interest rate you should qualify for. (Never take the first rate they give you.) Enter a reasonable rate into the spreadsheet.

You should have the vehicle cost and payment. (Depending on the term of loan)

-- Now sit down with the dealer. Inform them you have a pressing appointment at a specific time and would like to conclude business in time to drive away in your new car. (Give them a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours.)

Feel free to show them the sheet and say this is what you HAVE to work with. They will always try to extend your terms to 72 months or something crazy like that. Never let them work to the monthly payment number, always work to the Total Cost of the Car field in the sheet. This accounts for interest over the term of the loan.

Give them the mass of information you accumulated as an informed buyer is difficult to negotiate with.

Good luck!! I wish I were there to help. I love negotiating with dealers. I even took the Karass Negotiations Seminars for situations like this.

Remember, you can always walk away from a deal. You hold the power.

This is some of the best advice I have seen/read.

You can also get yourself a $19 business calulator that will calculate loan payments. It's simple 4 to 5 key strokes. I use one at work all day.

The laptop and spreadsheet might be too much for some, but that calculator is easy, and it helps you catch them in a lie when they tell you the payment is such and such for 5 years...

If I lived in Florida I would take you up on that offer, I actually love the process because I used to be on the other side of the table while finishing up college. Here is some suggestions. Check out kbb.com, edmunds.com and autos.msn.com. Edmunds was 100% accurate when I was selling cars when it came to dealer invoice. Autos.msn.com and edmunds.com I believe have the same numbers. The first and only thing you should discuss when you get there is the sticker price of the car, don't discuss financing, trade in's, or "OTD" price. The OTD price is obviously calculated as a percentage of the bottom line number you come up with so don't focus on that. When you start throwing too many numbers and figures around it gives the dealer the opportunity to lower one number and raise another. If at any point you feel uncomfortable you should leave. Whenever they ask me "what do you want to pay" I throw down a number 3k less than invoice. I then fight them there. If you start high you'll end high. If you have more questions or want to give me some particulars I can help you from there (i.e. if you're leasing or financing, what you're going to do with your old car, etc). Jon.