New Car Buyers

[Xist]

Dad wanted a Focus SFE and they tried to convince him he did not. He ordered it and the drove it 352 miles from a dealership on the other end of the state. Dad figured they drove his new car 85 MPH.

[redpoint5]

Thank you all for sharing. I'm just curious how people arrive at the decision to buy a car. Individuals on this forum are probably atypical since we tend to know more and tend toward enthusiasts. I know I'm a very difficult customer since I thoroughly research what I'm looking for, and won't be happy unless I'm getting the lowest price. I take it too far though; wasting so much time researching trivial things such as bicycle pumps, garden rakes, deck stains, computers, you name it. I even look at calories per dollar in the grocery store. Efficiency is in my DNS I suppose, but not when it comes to time management.

Grandpa looked at some trucks with me the other day and commented that he wanted an extra-cab short-box. Now he has a pending deal for a crew-cab long-box 4x4. Not sure what made him change his mind; and he has no business driving such a big rig at 88 years old just to go 8 miles each way to breakfast.

I told him to buy a car that has automatic braking and possibly lane keep assist that was easy to get in and out. He likes weird looking cars like the Juke (he calls it the Jupe and asks salesmen if they have that car) and Ridgeline. Looks like he settled on the Colorado since it's the replacement for the last two Chevy S-10s he has owned, and it's reviewed well. It's got the 3.42 axle ratio, so I guess that's good.

He might also have in mind to buy a truck that I would want to inherit, but I insist he spend his money on the things he wants. He's got an aneurysm in his chest that has an average survival period of 2 years.

When I went to the dealership to look at a TSX, I had no intention of buying the car, and only wanted to see it in person to confirm my decision to buy private party. Their initial offer was $23k, and I laughed, saying the price was ridiculous. The salesman asked what I thought a fair price was. Having briefly looked at some numbers beforehand, I told him they probably bought it for $14k, and that $17k seemed reasonable. He eventually went down to $17,700, but I went home. A week later, he called me and asked if I liked the car. I said yes. He said I could have it for $17,700. I told him to call me when the price gets to $17k. A couple days later he agreed to the price.

I'll likely never buy from a dealership again unless it's a very rare car I'm after, or I'm taking advantage of a subsidy that exists on new cars only.

[user removed]

Best wishes for Grandpa and yourself. I hope when his time comes it's easy. At 65 with Parents aged 94 and 90 I know the feeling. Mine made it to their 70th anniversary and both still drive Cadillacs.

Maybe he got the truck so you would borrow it more and spend a little more time with him.

regards
mech

[Fat Charlie]

The dealership system isn't set up to deal with customers who know what they want, they're set up to deal with marks who are impressed with shininess and suckers for glibness. If you understand that and know what you want, you can just tell them "I want X and I'll pay you Y for it" and don't waste everyone's time.

If they have no time invested in you and are simply faced with a choice to move a unit, they don't have to hold out for the huge markup. If they know that you don't need to buy a car today and can take it or leave it, they're also less inclined to hold out for the huge markup: some guy who is willing to take a specific car off their lot and won't take up any of their time is an extra unit shipped for no trouble.

It doesn't work if Y is really not a reasonable price for X. They could just laugh and say "No less than Z. If someone sells it to you for Y, let us know and we'll buy our stock from them." If you can't handle that answer, then you're actually one of those high maintenance customers, just one with delusions.

My last two cars were new because I wanted something very specific with the Subaru and it had only been out a few months, and with the Honda there wasn't enough depreciation on them to make used a smart choice.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by mcrews

If everyone 'special ordered' there would be overstock on the ground.

Why? I'd think it'd be just the other way around: if everyone special-ordered their cars, the dealers would only have to keep a few demonstrator models.

[mcrews]

to follow your train of thought, then cars would be VERY expensive AND have lousy quality.

THe entire concept of manufacturing is to create an economy of scale that creates lower costs.
There is a 'repetitiveness' to the manufacturing that creates the same model w same options in a string. Then a different option package is run thru. This way, the workers do the same action without having to think.

This is what happen to GM during the 70s. There were sooo many individual options. everybody went in and 'ordered' their cars. Quality went to crap in a hand basket.
THen the Japanese and Germans starting shipping in cars with only 1 or 2 option packages and they had MUCH better quality than US manufactures.
I remember reading that a Camaro could be delivered 400 different ways!!!
the bmws and Mercedes only came 1 way. with everything. Maybe an option sunroof.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

My dad has bought brand-new cars a few times, and only one had to be ordered. It was an Opel Corsa (in Brazil it was badged as a Chevy) in 4-door hatchback body but in the stripped version that didn't even had cigarette lighter (it was in '98 and even though nobody at the household smoked we used that as a power supply for small appliances such as a portable air compressor), rear window wiper, washer and defroster as a replacement for the '92 Fiat Uno he bought already used in '96. The '98 Corsa was replaced in 2001 with another Corsa, but that one was a sedan, had a better trim and was readily available in the dealer's lot. Both Corsas were white, but when my mother got the sedan replaced by a Chevrolet Celta in 2007 silver was the most frequent color at the dealer lots, and in 2014 when the Celta was replaced by her current Toyota Etios it was a silver one too. My dad got a few used cars between 2007 and 2011, when he bought a then-new black Subaru Impreza, and he only got it black because it was the last fully-optioned one with a manual transmission (he's still not so favorable to automatics even though he turns 55 in April and his left ankle was severely damaged in a motorcycle crash before I was born) at the dealer lot and newer ones would come with fewer airbags and no sunroof. Last month he got the Subaru replaced with a 2004 Nissan XTerra because it's more suitable to the road conditions of our country (and cheaper to repair) and is Diesel-powered (with a locally-sourced MWM engine).

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by mcrews

THen the Japanese and Germans starting shipping in cars with only 1 or 2 option packages and they had MUCH better quality than US manufactures.

You seriously think the reason the Japanese had better quality was the lack of options?

It doesn't take all that much to configure assembly-line work to allow multiple options. I know computers aren't quite the same as cars, but I could (and did) order a laptop from a Chinese manufacturer, specifiying dozens of options, and have it assembled and delivered in a few days. And it's been working just fine for years.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

You seriously think the reason the Japanese had better quality was the lack of options?

Look at the JDM and you'll see they actually have lots of options. Anyway, their "kanban" management system is the most important factor that improved the quality of Jap products in general, not just the cars.

[MobilOne]

Sorry about the 6000.

I have been involved in some new car purchases thru the years. They were a 1968 Buick Special convertible (V8, 3 speed manual)(ordered), a 1970 Olds Cutlass 4 door sedan (350 V8, auto tranny)(ordered), a 1971 Dodge Polara 2 door hardtop (318 V8, 3 speed auto)(bot off lot); a 1977 Chevy Caprice Classic wagon (350 V8, Turbo 350 auto trans)(bot off lot), a 1978 Chevy Malibu 4 door sedan (305 V8, turbo 200 auto trans)(bot off lot), a 1992 Ford Crown Vic (a real POS!)(ordered), a 1999 Toyota Avalon (bot off lot), and a 2001 Chevy Silverado 3500 Crew Cab dually (6.0 gasser, 4L80E tranny)(bot off lot). We put over 300k miles on the wagon. We still have the Avalon with 308k miles on it and the truck with 185k miles on it. The rag top was my sisters car. My wife bought a 1962 Rambler Classic 2 door, 6 cyl, 3 speed auto, push button tranny before we were married (ordered).
Those cars were all bought before the Internet was alive as it is now.

I have also bought some used cars thru the years. My first car was a 1954 Olds V8, two door, 4 speed hydramatic tranny, also bought thru the years a 1954 Ford (V8 auto), a 1955 Plymouth 4 door, 3 speed manual, V8; a 1960 Volvo 544 (4 cyl, 1800 cc., 2 door, 4 speed manual, 4.56 rear end, side draft carbs), a 1963 Olds Cutlass 4 door V8 auto, (the little aluminum V8), a 1958 Sunbeam Rapier, (4 cyl, 1600cc?, 1500cc?, 3 speed with electric overdrive, 2 door hardtop sedan) more to follow.