Dealer shadiness, do they buy privateparty cars?

[RobPaulson]

So this Nissan dealership just contacted me about purchasing my car. I am kind of weirded out because ... well... he found my ad on autotrader. I told him i am NOT looking to trade at all, he said thats not a problem.

The only reason I could see a dealership wanting to buy my car is to somehow profit off of me... whch means:
1. Offer me 20-40% less than what i'm offering.
2. Try to sell me on a trade-in once i'm 'in the door' (the typical sales pitch mind games crap).

They want to set up an appointment to see the car, so, my question, WTF is going on?? Do I humor them? Do I make them come to me?

Could they even possibly be considering giving me KBB private party value for the car? I'm so confused... I have had SUCH AWFUL experiences with car dealerships, I do not trust these fools any further than i could throw them...

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Dealers are hurting right now. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you what you wanted for it. My buddy traded in a 2004 Max with transmission issues and they gave him private party value towards the purchase of a new Max.

[Koshin]

they will likely offer you easily 20-30 percent less than what youre asking. Thats what I would do if I were them

[fiznowler]

Either your priced too low, they have someone looking for that exact car, or they will lowball you to try and buy super cheap and flip. They will surely offer you less but you can decline thier offer. It is up to you if you sell or not may as well listen to the offer. If you want x amount out of it and they offer it to you why not take it? Who cares if they are going to resell for more. You got what you wanted out of it. How long have you had listed? How are you priced related to book value? As long as it isn't to far out of your way and you aren't easily talked into something you dont' want to do let them check it out. Those are the things I would consider first. Go in there knowing what it is worth and what your bottom dollar you would be happy with is and don't sell for anything less.

[Watermelonwarrior]

The demand for used cars are high right now. and theres less and less used cars at the auctions these days. Most of the time I see vettes, Caymans s and M3 go for private party values. (those are really the only cars I keep an eye out for)

Iv contacted a person trying to buy their vette from them cause I could have simply bought it and taken it to the auction and made a few grand and all i have to do is fill out some paperwork.

[MinisterofDOOM]

So this Nissan dealership just contacted me about purchasing my car. I am kind of weirded out because ... well... he found my ad on autotrader. I told him i am NOT looking to trade at all, he said thats not a problem.

This happens to be a LOT. I get all sorts of dealers offering to buy my Maxima (which I don't even own anymore) and my Q. It's just a scheme to get you into the showroom.
The funny thing is, they usually act like they're saving me from my car or something. Little tip, dealerman: I drive (well, drove, but work with me here) a 15 year old car because I WANT to, not because I'm "stuck with it."

[frapjap]

That can go either way. They might want it as a used car, and they might be trying to get you in there to sell you a new car on trade in. It isn't unheard of for a dealer to buy a car from a private owner, but its usually a bit less than you want for it.

Entertain yourself, it can't hurt to find out if they're genuinely interested. If they aren't just thank them for their time and skiddadle.

[Eikon]

If a dealer's used car inventory is low, and the auctions are running junk or too high prices, then a used car manager would be wise to see what he can acquire through local private party listings. Sure they'll try to get it for as low a price as possible, but how does that differ from any other person who looks at your car?

What do you have to lose? A few minutes of your time... Go see what they offer you. If you don't like it, leave.. no big deal.

Why does everyone always assume a dealership is crooked?

[Koshin]

most dealerships are crooked

[Eikon]

most dealerships are crooked

That's BS.. most dealerships are not crooked.
Many dealerships do have employees who are not perfect (like any other company).

A car dealership is a business like any other. You pay 50% to 100% markup at grocery stores and don't think anything of it, you pay 200% markup at a clothing store at the mall and think you got a good deal, you pay 300% markup on a diamond at the jewelry store and don't care because you are buying it for the one you love... Yet for some reason people get incensed at the idea that they might pay a car dealership 5% to 10% markup on a car... so they whine and complain and shop around to get the best deal (which is perfectly fine), but then have the audacity to claim that the dealership with the higher price is trying to "screw" them.

A car dealership is a business. They have a mortgage, a financing floorplan to pay interest on, heat and electricity, salary, commission, and hourly wages for employees, insurance, health care insurance for employees, retirement and other benefits for their employees, tools, equipment, computers, etc... You expect them to give away cars at cost and still stay in business.

I can't figure out how the american public came up with the idea that it is NOT ok for a car dealership to earn a profit on a car. Unlike every other product a consumer buys, the automobile is somehow supposed to be "at cost". If for some reason there is a small profit made (smaller margin than almost any other product sold in the US today), somehow the buyer got "screwed", "taken advantage of", "ripped off", etc..


What a joke.

[Koshin]

So what dealership do you work at? lmao

whatever bro, you cant tell me anything about a stealership. I work at one.

they will take advantage of people who dont know any better. They will never get me becasue I know whats going on, and I would never take anything I own to a dealership anyway. I have a guy I trust and he treats me well. I have no issue with businesses making money, but some of the s*** that goes on at dealerships is BS. I know people who have been taken by them. Hell, they tried to get my girl not 2 weeks ago on some warranty work that they wouldve never covered if I didnt go back with her. They blatantly tried to get over on her. Thats not a random employee, it was the service manager.

[RobPaulson]

+1 rish. i wasnt gona get into it. but ya. stealerships r shade-tastic. after my first experience 'buying' this car... NEVER trusting one again. with anything. ever.

[Koshin]

they WILL get you if you allow them to. Its unfortunate you have to do like mega research before buying anything from them. If you allow yourself to get screwed you deserve it. Ive bought stuff from dealerships, but it was on my terms and my terms alone.

but this is just my opinion and personal experiences. But whatever

[Koshin]

and the worst thing is about warranty work. They get paid by the manufacturer to do said work. They will try to get people to pay for it, and then file the warranty claim anyway. So then they get paid twice. f*** a dealership

[Eikon]

I worked at a dealership like 8 years ago.

I'm not saying every dealership is perfect and that the stereotype is completely unwarranted... surely there are unscrupulous salesman, and service techs out there. But you just can't label all dealerships as crooked. If you're concerned about maintenance and repair issues, at least dealers have a manufacturer to report to... Private mechanics are often much more crooked, and have no other authority to elevate a complaint to.

[Koshin]

I will not disagree with your comment about private mechanics. This was the point of me saying that I have a guy that is a friend of mine, and I by no means expect him to work for free, but I know that he wont screw me. Im very skeptical about anyone working on my cars. Thats why I do most of my work myself. I have never gotten flamed by a dealership personally becasue I will not go to them for anything. I make my judgements based on real life situations. Thats all. Im not saying there arent good dealerships out there. The one I work at is great. WE go above and beyond even where we should go for our customers. I hate the negative conetation that dealerships get. But in the same breath I completely see where the negative stigma comes from.

Stereotypes, generally are in place for a reason. That doesnt mean they are 100 percent accurate all of the time, but generally speaking they are correct.

Im not knocking you or anything bro. Just a little debate doesnt hurt anyone and in fact is good for us to partake in from time to time.

Rich

[Speedy7_7]

I worked at a dealership like 8 years ago.

I'm not saying every dealership is perfect and that the stereotype is completely unwarranted... surely there are unscrupulous salesman, and service techs out there. But you just can't label all dealerships as crooked. If you're concerned about maintenance and repair issues, at least dealers have a manufacturer to report to... Private mechanics are often much more crooked, and have no other authority to elevate a complaint to.

What about the fact that dealers make alot more money financing those cars than they do selling them. On a 5 year loan, they can profit thousands of dollars in interest. There is also a difference in the "percieved" cost of a new car and the "true" cost of a new car. They won't sell you a car if they aren't going to make money, You have to be smart or they will take advantage of you. What if you went into the grocery store and everything was 2 dollars more than last week? You would ask yourself "why the hell would I buy here, and go someplace else." Dealers live because people don't buy cars weekly, they also buy cars using emotion. Dealers are not in it for the customer, they are in it for themselves. Make your own opinion, some are worse than others, but they all try to make as much as they can.

[Koshin]

operative statement being this....

If you allow yourself to get taken advantage of, you will be taken advantage of.

This applies to all walks of life. I dont let people take advantage of me.

Another thing that hasnt been mentioned is this,

peoples perception of being taken advantage of is always very different. This cannot be taken into account with these generalized statements do to peoples differeing views on the subject.

Now Im looking way to f*** far into this.

Rich

[Eikon]

Dealers don't hold the loan they give you. They are paid a commission by the financing company they write the loan through. Usually a few hundred dollars, but sometimes more depending on how high an interest rate they write the loan for. Even the financing company doesn't make as much money as you think. They have to borrow the money from the fed to lend out to the consumer. They pay interest on that money, so the difference between their rate and the rate they offer the customer is the profit.

[Koshin]

the dealerships dont hold the loans. But what they will do is if they get an approval for say 10.9 % APR. They will try to make points on your loans (which they are compensated for), say 12.9 %. They just made 2 points on the loan. Which I dont agree with at all. This is just one of the many ways that they will try to get you. If you educate yourself, or get your own money, this can be avoided. Thats why when you are financing, they will do everything to get you to go thru one of their sources.

Rich