I understand the sentiment, but its just not entirely true. The dealership has a process, and there's really nothing you can do to circumvent that process. When you're there, what are you going to do, rant and rave and jump up and down and demand that they get your paperwork together immediately? That action is not going to result in you negotiating the best deal you can. There will always be another customer who will walk in the door, and if you are too demanding they will just let you walk and move on to the next person.

 

Maybe my reply is too simple. Now I am in Europe, for what I know perhaps it´s a car seller´s market in the US. If so, I apologise! Nevertheless, I stand by my advice of not being a "servant" to the dealer! Turn the tables!

 

Its a huge sellers market for cars in the US right now, but that will change.

Nobody is saying "be a servant" but you do have to comply with the dealership's process if you want to work out the best deal.

 

Thank you for enlightening me on current state of affairs as regards car purchases in the US! I was certainly not aware of this. Over here, sales are eager as ever, but sadly not always able to deliver, at least not on time. Nice talking to you, my cars are a vintage Lexus LS 430, a MB GLC 350e and an electric, Polestar2 AWD.

 

Every time I buy a car it's a vastly different experience. Even at my Lexus dealership, where I have purchased 5 new cars from them, and every time with the same salesman, it's been unique each time.

My best experience was buying my Tacoma. That was all arranged online and negotiated over email. I finally said "yes" and paid the down payment online. About 2 hours later they dropped it off in my driveway and I signed for it on an iPad outside.

My IS350 was a good experience too. Again, negotiated online and I scheduled a time to come pick it up. They had my paperwork all ready to go when I got there. Took about 20 minutes to sign and drive out of there.

My second GS350 was absolutely brutal. Spent a good 5 hours hammering back and forth on that one. Not an experience I care to repeat.

The most recent was my Tundra. It wasn't too bad, but not great either. Once we had negotiated and agreed upon the terms, I told them I'd go for it but had to be walking out the door in an hour to get my kid to an appointment. They had to scramble a bit to make it happen, but they did.

 

I guess due to all the hassle involved, buying a new car, along with uncertainty over here about the future of fossil fuel cars versus electric vehicles, I have leased the Polestar2 EV. Wait and see! :-)

 

You are in NJ, Europe?

 

I presently live in Europe, from New Jersey. Does it cause concern?

 

I worked for a Lexus dealership and the car buying process only took a long time if the customer test drove multiple cars or wanted a long delivery. We frequently had cash deals out of the business office in 15 minutes. Some people did all their paperwork online, while we got the car ready, leaving them to come pick pickup the vehicle and do an optional delivery.

We did get an F&I guy that was slower than our others but we were pretty quick most of the time. It was rare to see someone spend more than two hours at the dealership. If detailing took a while, we’d give them a loaner car until it was ready.

The process on getting my mom’s Jaguar was pretty quick as well since she did everything besides financing online and over the phone. It could have been faster if she did financing before we picked up the car. She absolutely hates dealerships, but this was a pleasant experience.

I’ve heard many dealership horror stories from other customers. Customers shouldn’t have to spend the day at a dealership jacking around in my opinion. Especially if you handle everything online and have it delivered.

 

I understand. But if the dealership´s "process" is alien to me, I´d kick *** and go elsewhere with my business! Is it not a free country?

 

But every car is sold through a dealership, and all the dealerships more or less use the same process. There isn't anywhere else to go with your business that isn't going to be very similar.

You have a salesperson, they are the go-between with a manager where you negotiate the deal, then you wait around for the finance office who handles the financial transaction and tries to sell you extended warranties and add ons and such, then you sign the paperwork and take delivery of the car. This is the process.

If you buy a car remotely, this process still happens, you are just home in your office instead of sitting there in the dealership, which is quite preferable IMO.

 

Steve is right. The dealership has paperwork required by the dealership created, no doubt, by a bad experience no one is still alive to remember; it has paperwork required by the brand to collect data and ensure that their requirements are fulfilled; it has paperwork required by the state. I think I signed or initialed 40 times. Other folks are right too, it would have been nice to negotiate over email or compare prices with different dealerships...trouble is, there was only the 1 new RC F available in California and the dealership that had it was an hour and a half drive from my home. Once I got there and decided to buy it, I had no recourse other than put up with their idiosyncrasies. I did complain when I left that 5 hours was too long; I also wrote a bad review on dealerrating via Google and also provided Lexus USA with my thoughts about their practices. I even spoke with one of their complaint managers. I don't expect anything to change at their dealership, though. Bureaucracies don't change easily.

 

Yup. Next time i think i'm going to say MY time is worth $500 an hour and so for every hour they keep me waiting i'll expect another $500 off the car or i'm leaving.

they'll laugh and ignore me and after an hour i'll say "see ya".

 

And then they'll sell the car to someone else.

Theres this idea that you as a buyer are irreplaceable but thats just not the case. Its not worth messing with someone who is difficult, they just move on to the next person.

The time it takes is annoying, but you're better off to just do the deal over the phone/over email and limit your time spent there that way than you are playing games like that.

 

sure i know that.

and i know that too, but it's not as easy at every dealer as you make it out to be. i've attempted to do several deals by phone/email but despite that STILL get the hours long "dancing the the bear" once i go in to sign. and MOST dealers don't want to make it easy.