8 ms·
Car dealership in US are in their own league. Coming from Europe it is difficult to appreciate at first. But when you see headlines like: "Roma was purchased
by llsf 3y ago
Car dealership in US are in their own league. Coming from Europe it is difficult to appreciate at first. But when you see headlines like:
"Roma was purchased last month by Texas car dealership magnate Dan Friedkin, who is worth $4.1 billion."
Yes, that a Texan car dealership buying the AS Roma (soccer team, Italian capital).
When I came in US, I had no car, I saved money, went to dealership (Toyota) and pointed a used Matrix, test drive it, and said, I will buy it. The guy started to show me a long form (like 3 letter pages long form)... I said I do not want to make a loan. He looked at me like I came from another planet. I want to buy the car. He said that he can only accept a bank check. It was close to noon on Saturday, I asked if he could drive me with the Matrix to the nearest bank quickly, he reluctantly said yes. Maybe he thought I was going to scam him or something. He did stay in the car, while I asked for a bank check. He drove me back to the dealership. Unfortunately I had to leave the car, so they do a final inspection and prepare some papers. I came a week later to pick up the car.
Clearly the sales guy seemed a bit puzzled by the transaction. But there was no way I was going to drag a car purchase process like describe in https://github.com/kutinden/buyingacar/blob/main/README.md https://github.com/kutinden/buyingacar/blob/main/README.md (13 steps !?)
Now I see the why Tesla sells online. US dealerships have been fat cats for too long.
- jstanley 3y ago> Unfortunately I had to leave the car, so they do a final inspection and prepare some papers. I came a week later to pick up the car. I wonder how he would have felt if you had to take the car and keep the money for a week before you could pay.
- chii 3y agoThe thing tho, is that the car dealership aint going anywhere, while the customer (if a fraudster) could just up and disappear with the car with the dealership having no way to track it back down.
- throwup238 3y agoI did that when I purchased my used Toyota a few years ago. I told the dealer to hold the car until I could get a bank check issued by my credit union (no physical branches in my state so I had to call during business hours) and he said I could drive off that day. I was surprised but he just printed a temporary registration and a week later I drove by to finalize the paperwork after the check arrived. It was a small dealership started by some ex-Microsoft guys and I was working at Microsoft at the time which might have had something to do with it, but it wasn’t like they verified my employment or anything. I assume they felt safe doing that considering the alternative would have been a career ending grand theft auto charge.
- wyclif 3y agoGood salespeople excel at character judgement. They were confident that you are not the type that steals cars. But like the author says, by doing the entire transaction over email instead of in-person, you take a big part of their advantage away.
- duped 3y agoThis is exactly what Carvana does when you want to return something to them
- maxehmookau 3y agoThe UK is heading this way too, and I hate it. If you show up with cash to buy a car, you're looked at like you're crazy. They push, and push to get you to take out a loan. It no longer puts you in a better negotiating position to be a cash buyer, as they're making more money selling you finance than selling the car. For all of Tesla's failings, car dealerships will die out. Millennials and Gen Z _hate_ being sold to and will do anything they can to remove salespeople from the process; even if it means paying more in the end.
- djaychela 3y agoCan't speak other than personally, but my step son falls into this category and doesn't hate being sold to. He and his partner have both bought a number of cars from dealerships. And he's not got that from me or his mum, we're both quite the opposite.
- maxehmookau 3y agoMaybe a cultural thing? Are you British? I don't know anyone under 40 who enjoys the process of going to a car dealership and doing the awkward dance of trying not to get ripped off. Hey, if he doesn't hate it, and gets a good deal then good for him. I just can't believe that his feeling is commonplace.
- hef19898 3y agoNot every sales person is trying to rip you off so. That's not what sales is, despite some actually doing it. Most sales people so, are just doing their job in acquiring customers for their business. Edit: Cars need service and maintenance. Dealerships can, and in Europe do with the exception of used car dealerships, provide these services as well. And that is something Tesla is really bad at.
- resolutebat 3y agoTeslas (like all EVs) need a lot less service than the average ICE, and when you do need it, you can order Tesla's mobile service to come to your house and complete most servicing right then and there. Most Tesla service horror stories I've heard about involve major accidents requiring repairs with long waits/high prices for parts, but you get a loaner to tide you over and any decent insurance handles the bill.
- glimshe 3y agoYou can politely say no to everything they push on you, who cares about how their face looks like. I bought my car last year and while it involved a long wait (I went there in a busy day), once it was my turn it was basically a 30 minute process to buy the car without a loan.
- wyclif 3y agoThank God my cantankerous old uncle was the one who taught me how to buy a car and get the OTD price and then the best price, and not my parents. Basically, he taught me to just say 'no' to almost everything, and get up and walk out if they're jerking you around. My parents are wonderful people, but they're just too polite to do something like that, and too trusting of authority figures (car salespeople like to project that they are the ones that are experts at all things involving automobiles).