bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i sure hope so. because it still won't eliminate competition. just save many hours at the dealership. i know i know, you do it all by email before... i've had zero success trying to do that (they simply won't give quotes via email when i've tried).

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Because if you have it in writing you'll just present it to a competitor and have them beat it, dealers couldn't sell anything that way. The internet is a win for consumers, but it kills dealers. Rarely do they sell anything at MSRP these days. The no-haggle for the most part is supposed to help be more transparent and give the bottom line price. Customers will still shop that number though. Funny thing is customers complain about not getting 'extras' like they used to ie key chains, hats, free services, thermoses etc.. and that's because there's little to no money to give without loses money on a deal. Most sales have to sell by quantity now, and make profit from service and finance. Back in 2000 when one is paying MSRP, the dealer is glad to get you that hat.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

post of the day.

it's another 'tragedy of the commons' or "i'm entitled to a better deal than everyone else so they can pay for the fancy dealership, not me!"

mmarshall

That only works up to a point...other dealers may or may not (chances are they won't) have the exact same vehicle in stock to compare it to (apples and oranges). Even if they work a trade with another dealership (which is sometimes done) to get that exact vehicle, it probably won't sell it for the exact same price, because the dealership who first has the vehicle will want something for the deal. Where that comparison system you speak of probably works best is when you are special-ordering a car from the factory, exactly the way you want it.....then, of course, whoever gives you the lowest price will be comparing apples with apples.

Toys4RJill

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I can't speak for other automakers, but Lexus unless you special order, build their cars by region. So options are almost always the same.

Often they trade the same car with similar options, just a different color. Lexus sales managers here in the Bay Area know each other and often help each other out, though there is one dealer that refuses to trade with anyone because they are the largest in NorCal.

You lost me. I don't recall writing 'comparison' in my post you responded to.

LexBob2

Is your dealer JM Lexus? I recently was on the Lexus Plus website and noticed this was the one in FL I was curious about the status of this program as initially there were 13 Plus dealers and now it is down to 12. I'm wondering if this means Plus hasn't taken off as well as Lexus thought it might and if most dealers aren't embracing it. Good to hear of your satisfaction. It is an intriguing concept.

mmarshall

The, but that doesn't necessarily mean that identically-colored/equipped cars will necessarily be in stock at different dealerships. Maybe, maybe not.


I was using the term to describe the statement (below) that you made earlier.......basically comparing the asking prices of two or more different Lexus shops for the same vehicle (if possible).

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Lexus dealers use a 'Vehicle Locator' in their online dealer network to look up what cars are on the ground, allocated, or in transit at every Lexus dealership. So they'll know ahead of time what they're looking for and who has it. Dealers do occasionally 'hide' a car, or mark as DNT (do not trade), usually special feature or special color cars.

Dealers all buy these cars for the same price, destination may be a few hundred less or more. So if a AWD RX350 with NAV and Premium package is $54K and Dealer A offers it for $49K sale price and is silly enough to give me a print out with that price, I can go to Dealer B and show them. They're not going to give you thousands off that, but maybe a few hundred less, maybe $48,500 to entice you to buy from them. This is why dealers will almost always only verbally tell you what they'll sell the car for. Because if I go to Dealer B and tell them what Dealer A told me, I can't pull their leg by lowering the number.

SW17LS

mmarshall

SW17LS

LS430FL

Yes I did buy at JM Lexus. I haven't seen any others in FL advertising. I haven't done much research about the program but they have extended it to all aspects of their dealership. Preowned cars are sold with the new cars in the same building (used to be separate building across the street), when you go in for service you only deal with your advisor from start to finish this includes getting you a rental, payment, etc. You never talk to anyone else at all just your one guy (similar to how they do the car purchasing. with only one guy from start to finish). I don't really care how many people I deal with for service but I guess they figure it stream lines the process. They only operate service by appointment now as well no walk ins is what I have been told.

Fizzboy7

No, not all car dealers are going to a one-price thing. I am seeing less of it, in fact. I hope the trend continues. Smart shoppers deserve a better deal through bargaining, and competition is good for all of us.

jrmckinley

A sales person who gives an aggressive price blindly over email or over the phone without meeting & qualifying the customer won't be a sales person for long. I'd argue they aren't a sales person to begin with, but that's another topic. There's no advantage to giving a realistic "closing" price over the phone/email. You're simply negotiating against yourself. Once the potential customer is sitting in front of you and you've properly qualified what they need/want and can afford, you're in a position to negotiate.

I've been in complex sales 15 years (not auto) and if someone blindly calls me and asks for a quote for something, the only thing I'll give them is what I call a "budgetary quote" - it's simply to help them have a ball park of what they need to budget/plan to spend but both the customer and I know it's not the selling price. In my industry, this is widely accepted and not insulting to the customer.

I understand it's annoying in the auto vertical when you want to avoid going to a bunch of dealerships in order to get the final price, but let's be realistic - with all of the pricing data and info you can collect on the internet all across the country, if you don't have an idea of where you can land on buying a car (within $1,000) then you aren't doing enough homework. Plus, you likely know what color, options, etc. you want and you know if the dealer has it - so you wouldn't waste your time visiting a dealership that doesn't have a car that you want. When I was shopping for my current LS, I stumbled on 12-20 cars that were still online but had been recently sold. So I asked what they sold it for- and at least 50% of the time people would tell me the exact amount or let me guess a ballpark (private sellers will almost always tell you what they sold it for). Knowing the average asking price, miles, options, condition, how long it was for sale, and the ultimate selling price is a very powerful combination of info to have when you start seriously shopping. My LS460L was priced at $28,500. I made one offer- $22k - they took 24 hours to get back to me, but accepted. I knew I was about $1,500 lower than I should be, but it had been on the lot for a while and I knew they would have to wholesale it within the next 14 days. So my offer was higher than what they'd get from a wholesaler... and I guarantee that's why it took them 24 hours to respond...

Info is king- and there's tons of it out there. Someone is always getting sold on something- is it you or the person you're negotiating against?