About To Buy From Dealer, Advice Needed!

[christians]

hi

im new to toyotaownersclub but am about to buy an avensis and

wondered if anybody could give me advice?

the car im after is the avensis estate 2.0 vvt-i gls tourer automatic

ive found one at a toyota dealer A for £8495

at dealer B ive seen one for £7995

the one at dealer B is the one i want,

1)how much do people reckon i could get off the car at dealer B? (id

like to get it down to £7000, but ive done my own finance)

2)could the one at dealer help my case if i got it knocked down?

3)any advice on avensis automatics (are they good gearboxes,what

sought of MPG could i get, are they genrally good cars?)

any advice on haggling with the dealer would be really welcome as well.

thanks in advance

chris

[Blaze]

Firstly welcome to the club!

Not too helpful on the other 2 questions but number 1 i can help you with!

It would be very hard to get it down to £7000 from the original price, maybe 7400-7600 all depends on what the sales manager is like!

But in general the avensis is a good reliable car!

[Demonic Angel]

I dunno if this is around the board but from my experience (which granted, is only two dealers) they are more likely to give you a good discount/freebies etc etc if you take out their finance.

Not that I'm saying you should, the fact you are financing it yourself isnt a bad thing, but you probably wont get so much of a discount as you might do by taking out their finance.

I say "might" as it varies from dealer to dealer I expect and how generous they feel, like Blaze said.

2)could the one at dealer help my case if i got it knocked down?

By that do you mean play one dealer off against the other? Why not! If it gets you a better price by you telling Dealer B that Dealer A are offering you the same car for X amount cheaper, then they're more likely to crack because they want your sale!

[Fidgits]

well... traditionally, as Em says, dealers make more money out of finance deals than sales..

BUT...

They also like cash sales, which is minimum hassle for them...

If your certain you want the car - get the cash from the finance company in your account (I take it you dont have a trade in) - visit the dealer and make him an offer...

say £7k cash, here and now - see what he says...

More than likely, he will say, oooh I cant go under 7,800 - but stay resolve - he will also 'go to speak to his manager' (read as: go for a ciggie) and probably come back at 7,600 the absolute lowest...

I doubt you'll actually get to 7k flat - BUT, if you hold out for long enough (try not to say too much - with all their offers, have a poker face and say the offer is 7k)... If it comes down to a point you'd be happy with, buy it - if not, walk away - there will always be another...

The key point is dont be bullied - and dont fall for the 'I have to talk to the manager' - just say to him 'If you cant make the decsion, can I please deal with someone who can?' (be polite though).

[Blaze]

By that do you mean play one dealer off against the other? Why not! If it gets you a better price by you telling Dealer B that Dealer A are offering you the same car for X amount cheaper, then they're more likely to crack because they want your sale!

←

But you have to be careful with that! We had one guy doing it against us and inchcape in the end he lost out on both the cars he was trying to get!

[Twincam.GTi]

Fidgits

More than likely, he will say, oooh I cant go under 7,800 - but stay resolve - he will also 'go to speak to his manager' (read as: go for a ciggie) and probably come back at 7,600 the absolute lowest...

I doubt you'll actually get to 7k flat - BUT, if you hold out for long enough (try not to say too much - with all their offers, have a poker face and say the offer is 7k)... If it comes down to a point you'd be happy with, buy it - if not, walk away - there will always be another...

The key point is dont be bullied - and dont fall for the 'I have to talk to the manager' - just say to him 'If you cant make the decsion, can I please deal with someone who can?' (be polite though).

Well said Fidgits , that just about says it all

[Blaze]

and dont fall for the 'I have to talk to the manager' - just say to him 'If you cant make the decsion, can I please deal with someone who can?' (be polite though).

←

But they cant make the decision, and even if the sales manager came to speak to you do you think hed knock anymore off just because youve made him get out of his comfy chair just to say exactly what the salesman said?

[christians]

fantastic response guys thanks to all of you!

how about i walk in and offer 6500 or 6800 which i realise is a stupid

offer but would it make them more angry and id never get it cheaper.

also what if i didnt mention i was paying cash until the very end of

the deal, or is this unfair.

[Blaze]

fantastic response guys thanks to all of you!

how about i walk in and offer 6500  or 6800 which i realise is a stupid

offer but would it make them more angry and id never get it cheaper.

also what if i didnt mention i was paying cash until the very end of

the deal, or is this unfair.

←

highly unlikely that a car for £7995 will go as low as that! But you could try and see what they offer you!

the figure they will give you will be for finance and cash so it really doesnt matter. if you have their finance more people will get paid so they are more likely to persue that option with you, although cash is a good option aswell!

[Twincam.GTi]

christians Posted Today, 09:01 AM

  fantastic response guys thanks to all of you!

how about i walk in and offer 6500 or 6800 which i realise is a stupid

offer but would it make them more angry and id never get it cheaper.

also what if i didnt mention i was paying cash until the very end of

the deal, or is this unfair.

Good idea wind the b*ggers up

They like to play games with customers (making people wait 'supposedly speaking to manager, when in fact having a ciggy' etc.) so play 'em at there own game.

You've got nothing to loose, there will always be another and another and another and...

But like Fidgets said be polite and keep it nice

[Blaze]

(making people wait 'supposedly speaking to manager, when in fact having a ciggy' etc.)

←

You should come to our place then! we have one salesman who smokes, so what do the others do?

im not sticking up for them all but the guys at our place put the customer first and have often had to wait for the sales manager to finish with someone else before getting a price for their customer, theyre not all the same even though they are stereotyped into being bad people! If they have a poor attitude then obviously be nasty with them! lol but if they are nice and give you all the info you want just be patient!

[Tegan]

Firstly welcome,

secondly i think youve made the best decision by arranging your own finance because they will just screw you all over the place if you take out theirs - no matter what 'discount' you get (which wouldnt be much anyway) for taking their finance you will still pay more in the long run!

Take a test drive and make lots of 'im very interested comments' then Offer them £7000, i would! If you dont ask you will never know!

And even if they wont budge - say 'Well thanks for your time, but im not going to buy it' and go home

Me and my mate did this when buying her new car ( she was going to give in but i told her to wait) and lo and behold - answer phone message when she got home saying ' oh my manager has agreed to give it you at the price you wanted'!

And she got £600 knocked off

So just get your haggle head on and give what for :D

[Fidgits]

fantastic response guys thanks to all of you!

how about i walk in and offer 6500  or 6800 which i realise is a stupid

offer but would it make them more angry and id never get it cheaper.

also what if i didnt mention i was paying cash until the very end of

the deal, or is this unfair.

←

Firstly - in all honesty, I think they wont take you seriously if you offer less than £7k - as i said, you'll probably get 10% off at most.

Dealers prefer to throw in extras than knock off money - as they have a higher £ value than it costs them - if your after the lowest price, play the 'I dont want mats or fuel, just the lowest price'...

And now to be contriversal.

Tegan gives a lot of good advice, BUT, i disagree with the 'I really want it' - dont show how much you want the car, it is a buisness transaction, treat it as such - salesmen love to see people who want something, and they tend not to move as much - because they know you really want it.

If you approach it as, i'll have it for £7k - take it or leave it, and have a poker face (i.e. dont care about the car, you cant get it cheaper, you'll walk, no loss) they are more likely to work at getting your buisness...

And now to be very contriversal....

Blaze may work in a dealership - but she's dead wrong.

I am well versed in sales techniques - and yes they need the managers approval to knock ANY money off - but they will always use it as an excuse to keep you sitting... the longer you are there, the more likely you are to cave...

There is a lot of common practice in dealerships - most of them involves 'needing someone elses input' or an excuse to leave you on your own.

I know where Blaze is coming from - but i'm right (sorry, but i am), if he needs the managers approval - then say, 'in that case, can I please deal with the manager directly' - your well within your rights (be prepared for good cop/bad cop with the manager being grumpy), and offer him the same deal.

Sure, they seem nice guys - of course they do, you wouldnt buy a car from them if they wernt, but they are all the same, and pull the same tricks.

Dont accept a coffee - it will be really hot, so they can keep you there to push the sale.

(this is a good time to use the 'no thanks, im not planning on being here long' line)

DO NOT answer the question 'If i can get it at £x will you buy it today'. If they come out with that, and you want it just tell them 'I offered £x for it - if your happy with that, you've got a sale'.

Always be prepared to stand and say 'thank-you for your time, goodbye'

At the end of the day - they will want the sale, pick a 'realistic number' (see above), and if they dont match it - walk away - although make sure you leave a contact number - as i'll bet in a day or two they will call and 'be able to do you a deal'.

(as happened with Tegan's friend)

The key advice I can give is - dont play their game.

Not saying anything is a sure way of turning the tables - they will waffle, if you stay quiet (poker face) they will keep talking and talking, and get very uncomfortable.

Keep everything short and to the point - as i said, treat it as a buisness transaction..

and, as has been said a few times - unless they give you what you want, stand up, say thankyou (be polite throughout remember) and walk away - there will always be another one...

[Blaze]

okay fairy muff

[Demonic Angel]

In a nut-shell - they will do anything to sell you that car at as high a mark up as possible, so what Fidgits says is spot on - if you act as if you dont care (which is hard when its YOUR car already in your mind!) and get up to walk away, they dont want that - they want you to love that car, you'll do anything to get your hands on that car and thats what they want you to say to them, but the trick is, act passive, you dont really care much about that car, its just another car to you.

They will try their damn hardest to MAKE you care about that car, and if they have to knock £500 off it to make you want it, then they will! ;)

[Tegan]

You always get me thinking fidge - nothing Controversial about what you said - its just your opinion :)

Everyone has different ways of going about things , ive just found that to show a bit of interest worked for us

- i agree with you though about not saying that you want it then and there

- but i think if you dont show enough interest they are going to think your not bothered at all and some salesmen will not make any effort if they think they are not going to make a sale :)

[Blaze]

You always get me thinking fidge - nothing Controversial about what you said - its just your opinion :)

Everyone has different ways of going about things , ive just found that to show a bit of interest worked for us

- i agree with you though about not saying that you want it then and there

- but i think if you dont show enough interest they are going to think your not bothered at all and some salesmen will not make any effort if they think they are not going to make a sale :)

←

yup yup Heard that so many times from these guys and if the customer doesnt seem that bothered they dont bother to phone them back, its just pot luck!

[Demonic Angel]

Well I suppose you have to seem somewhat bothered about the car, you like the car, but your not willing to spend X amount on it.... theres a fine line I guess.....

[Fidgits]

You always get me thinking fidge - nothing Controversial about what you said - its just your opinion :)

Everyone has different ways of going about things , ive just found that to show a bit of interest worked for us

- i agree with you though about not saying that you want it then and there

- but i think if you dont show enough interest they are going to think your not bothered at all and some salesmen will not make any effort if they think they are not going to make a sale :)

←

:D

You are right - everyone does things their own way...

And i agree, in some circumstances - showing you want to buy the car will make them take you seriously...

BUT - he is going to go in and offer cash for the car, okay at a lower price, if they dont take him seriously then, well, they wouldnt be very good salesmen ;)

My advice is to act as if he cant get the car for £7k, he will go find a different one - but I accept your approach may be better... I suppose it all comes down to the salesmen and the buyer - you have to do what is best for you...

[Fidgits]

You always get me thinking fidge - nothing Controversial about what you said - its just your opinion :)

Everyone has different ways of going about things , ive just found that to show a bit of interest worked for us

- i agree with you though about not saying that you want it then and there

- but i think if you dont show enough interest they are going to think your not bothered at all and some salesmen will not make any effort if they think they are not going to make a sale :)

←

yup yup Heard that so many times from these guys and if the customer doesnt seem that bothered they dont bother to phone them back, its just pot luck!

←

Interesting - in the last year - every car I have looked at I have had a callback - regardless of how dis-interested I was...

The best one was the Evo (story in gold) in which the guy annoyed me so much I told him where to put the car - and yet he called me back 2 days later to see how i felt - which i told him, even if i wanted the car - he would be the last guy on earth i would buy one from - and yup - he still called back with an offer £3-4K off RRP...

I'm not questioning the integrity of you or your work collegues - but a lot of what i mentioned is standard working practice (or sales tricks) in garages*, and more-so in main dealers - and as honest and nice as I'm sure you sales guys are - I am pretty certain they are not adverse to a few 'tricks' to get a sale. (because, they still will be paid on comission)...

*Like the 'trade in' man - time was (i feel old) when every salesman could give you a value on your car - now, they have to have a seperate person. Why? simply because then they can offer you less than its worth, and the salesguy doesnt come across as the bad-guy - and he can even 'be on your side', by getting you what you want for it (or what its worth in most cases).

[Caz SR]

*Like the 'trade in' man - time was (i feel old) when every salesman could give you a value on your car - now, they have to have a seperate person. Why? simply because then they can offer you less than its worth, and the salesguy doesnt come across as the bad-guy - and he can even 'be on your side', by getting you what you want for it (or what its worth in most cases).

←

Couldn't agree more on that. Been there and seen it done, as the Sales person would like to appear as if they're doing everything they can for you to accommodate a sale.

I've only ever got angry with one sales person at a garage. He was obviously of the opinion that I was a little girl who needed things spelt out at every opportunity. He even played a stupid game of "Write the figure you think this car is worth on a piece of paper and I'll write what I can sell it to you for. Lets see how they compare". Needless to say I strung him along and walked out when he thought he had a sale.

Do you know how long the garage has had the car for? If it's been sat on the forecourt for a while then perhaps they'd be more inclined to do you a deal? Just a thought.

[Twincam.GTi]

I've been reading all this and where I work there are a line of Franchise dealerships just down the road (Misibushi, Honda, Volvo, Renault and Nissan)

None of them will budge on prices (or PX Deals), if you don't like the price walk away !

I have walked away on two occasions after a decent offer (a moment of weakness when I finally did psyche myself up to by a new car...something under 5 years old to me any car under 10 years old is still new :D ) and in both cases the cars I looked at remained on the forecourt for months...one of which sat there for 7months!

Also it's not just me other people I work with have found the same attitude from these franchises.

How these dealerships survive is beyond me

[christians]

so twincam your saying i havnt a chance getting anything off

the *****s i hate car dealers!!

[Blaze]

so twincam your saying i havnt a chance getting anything off

the *****s i hate car dealers!!

←

Doesnt everyone! You should get something off the original price because its a used car!

[Twincam.GTi]

I not saying you won't get something of at your dealerships, it's just that in Telford they seem to have this policy of no haggle (perhaps they want to fold up?).