Dealing with a used car salesman

**RShea** · 04-20-2013, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by shredgnar

Have you thought about trade in? Even 3 grand for "push pull or drag" could help out maybe.

In my opinion any minimum push pull or drag trade-in offers out there means they have just jacked up the sales price of the vehicles they are selling you. IE if the car they are selling has a Edmunds wholesale value of $8000 and a retail value of $9500, they advertise a mim trade of $2000 for a car in any condition and put a sticker price of $10,500 or higher depending on the profit they want to make and what they really can value the trade-in at auto auction. If you could go and spend $300 on a junk vehicle and $50 to tow it into them, maybe the min. trade would make up for the mark-up they added to the cost they have in the vehicle. However it will help a bit with the sales tax since most of the time the tax is paid on the bottom line with the trade taken off so you would pay less in tax.

**Snow Dog** · 04-20-2013, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by SheRa

Yeah, these trucks are at least 100 miles away, so I'm gonna get an agreement before I bother further.

I think that's backwards. There's 100 scam artists emailing offers sight unseen.

You need to make a list (call all the dealers) and do a road trip to Denver (or have a Denver maggot do the legwork). The deal itself can be done in minutes. The salesman and manager will work you over as a tag team so take along shady looking male friend as a sidekick. (Maybe Blurred is available.) Dealers never take women seriously.

Legitimate dealers will have a carfax of the vehicle which will list past accidents.

**Steve Lavigne** · 04-20-2013, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by SheRa

A "reggie" would be great too. Best price, no haggle.

This is the Reggie I know.

**shera** · 04-22-2013, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by Steve Lavigne

This is the Reggie I know.

That was awesome!

Originally Posted by Snow Dog

I think that's backwards. There's 100 scam artists emailing offers sight unseen.

You need to make a list (call all the dealers) and do a road trip to Denver (or have a Denver maggot do the legwork). The deal itself can be done in minutes. The salesman and manager will work you over as a tag team so take along shady looking male friend as a sidekick. (Maybe Blurred is available.) Dealers never take women seriously.

Legitimate dealers will have a carfax of the vehicle which will list past accidents.

Ok, I will try a different strategy this week. Won't talk numbers, will plan a trip to Denver and visit around. I want to go alone, so I gotta figure that out. Not taken seriously? What does that mean?

**Snow Dog** · 04-22-2013, 10:41 PM

The salesman will assume the only thing you care about is the colour and your boyfriend/husband is the decision maker. Feel free to kick them in the junk.

Read Confessions of a Car Salesman before you go.

**Steve Lavigne** · 04-23-2013, 12:36 AM

The greatest leverage you have as a buyer is:

1) Be there in person ready to buy, so that the dealership knows that all they have to do is accept your price and you will buy the car right then. (Offers by email or on the phone are so much weaker, because they are so much further from actually happening. A dealerships goal in email or telephone conversation is to get the customer in the door, that is it.)

2) If you don't like their terms or how they are treating you, walk away. (If you have another truck you are interested in somewhere else, let them know you have a wandering eye if you can't make things work out.)

FYI, a good Toyota Tacoma 4x4 at a dealership has likely had a shit load of calls on it already. They usually move pretty fast if they are priced right. Be sure to be realistic on price, and don't buy a Prerunner.

**Poop~Ghost** · 04-23-2013, 11:03 AM

I'll lob this out there too. If you're not a good negotiator, and you KNOW a friend who is a great negotiator - then let them do the negotiations with a complete understanding of the max price you're willing to pay.

My wife THINKS she's a great negotiator, but the truth is when we get into a negotiation she is too nice. I can remain very friendly, but I can deal with awkward silence and when to walk away. I also know how to quickly put people at ease and get them laughing and liking me. That's part of it, if you try to be a hard-ass to a person who doesn't like to be pushed - they might decide to stick to their guns.

Just my thoughts on the matter. Good luck with the hunt!

**RShea** · 04-23-2013, 11:19 AM

Know the values of the vehicles- if you can at least get a indication of the miles and general condition and options included, then head over to Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds and see what the 3 numbers are (wholesale or trade in value, private party sale, on the lot retail) of the used vehicle is for your region. As others state, try and minimize the games - sales person having to go to his boss, negotiate the price of the vehicle first and for most do not allow them to play the added fees games. Also if you need to finance, have some preappoved (credit union or a trusted bank) figures and interest rate so they can't try and make a ton of money on credit financing. They want to talk monthly payments. And as mentioned sometimes they will try and make up money on a trade in. Have a figure on what your vehicle is worth and pull the trade off the table if they are not above the wholesale price and closer to the private seller price on the sites for your trade in.

And do not fall in love with a vehicle stating this is the vehicle you want, treat them as commodities not something that is some one of a kind antique or classic vehicle of your dreams.

**shera** · 04-27-2013, 04:41 PM

Thanks for all the good advice. I've made an offer, very hopeful.

**wicked_sick** · 04-27-2013, 08:31 PM

Was your offer accepted? Do you have a new ride?

**Snow Dog** · 04-27-2013, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by SheRa

Thanks for all the good advice. I've made an offer, very hopeful.

You should have strapped on a GoPro and posted the video.

**shera** · 04-28-2013, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by wicked_sick

Was your offer accepted? Do you have a new ride?

Yup, it's done. I got a 97 v6 4x4 extended cab with a tonneau cover, white. 110 k miles, which is so low for the year. I got it for $6k, which is way below market and I know because I've been looking carefully. It was originally listed at $6800. The owners actually looked at blue book value instead of market rates. It was driven by some manager for the city of denver (company vehicle) til 2 years ago when it was sold at auction to they guy I got it from. It was never used for hauling or off roading or anything like that. Maintenance all done according to city standards.

I've driven a lot of toyota trucks over the years and this one is just sweet. No play or wobble in the steering, tight suspension, great acceleration. Hehe, cold ac. I'm really happy. Everything works perfectly. Also some kind of pioneer sound system was installed.

It has crappy tires, but I have sick ones from my other truck, if they will fit. It also has a cracked windshield and these pinprick body rust spots that I want to address right away. If anybody has advice on that stuff, please share.

Will post pics at some point. See this thread: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...r-truck-people

Gotta give mille grazie to BurnHard for helping me think this through and do the close inspection. ANd thanks to everyone that responded in this thread and helped me navigate this situation and get what I wanted.

**4matic** · 04-28-2013, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by SheRa

pinprick body rust spots

Where there's smoke there's fire. Good luck.

**shera** · 04-28-2013, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by 4matic

Where there's smoke there's fire. Good luck.

You got any useful advice?

**jfost** · 04-28-2013, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by 4matic

Where there's smoke there's fire. Good luck.

could be just around old rock chips eh? Maaco?

from another forum:

Wash the car. Often. Undercarriage included.

Next time the car is warm, dry, and clean take some sandpaper on the end of a Qtip and get any rust out of the paint chips. Clean the area well, and prime and paint the chip. Use a touch up brush, or even a toothpick (gets less paint but is more precise).
Afterwords, when the paint is fully dried and cured, you can buff out the area, or even wetsand and buff it to level out the touch up with the other paint (If it stands proud of the rest of the finish).

Then it's just a matter of keeping up with new chips, and cleaning the car regularly.

**4matic** · 04-28-2013, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by SheRa

You got any useful advice?

As long as someone checked underneath the car and at the seams in the wheel wells and such you are probably ok. Any bubbled paint anywhere and get it checked out.

**shera** · 04-28-2013, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by 4matic

As long as someone checked underneath the car and at the seams in the wheel wells and such you are probably ok. Any bubbled paint anywhere and get it checked out.

Cool, yeah, didn't see any frame rust. An interesting thing is that there is a recall out for the 99 (and maybe others) for frame rust. I got mine inspected, but no luck, or maybe it's good luck...

**RShea** · 04-28-2013, 06:14 PM

There is a thread on dealing with rust on here. One of the biggest problems you have is even if you take the rust down to metal and repaint, it may return. You could try sanding it, priming it with rust resistant primer and then decide how you want to do the final coat. Smaller areas maybe just rattle can or as mentioned if they are really small a brush and touch up paint.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...highlight=rust