Well I had an awkward moment at the local lexus dealership today... I had just gone back to the dealership to pick up my car from having an oil change... As I'm getting out of the loaner, I see my car parked in the entrance to the service dept., and I see this lady walking around my car and asking the salesman about it.. he informs her it's a customers car, not a car for sale... 5 minutes later after I've signed my paperwork inside I''m getting in my car and the same lady comes up and compliments me on my car and strikes up a conversation asking a bunch of questions... she politely asked me what the sticker was on my car and how much did I actually pay.. now mind you while she's asking me these questions, her salesman is standing right there... I told her the car sticker was 45,186 and I got it for 39,186. You could see the change in demeanor in her face... Apparently she had "just bought a new ES.... she told me that the msrp on her car was 44,200 and she got it for 41,700, a discount of approx 2500 bucks... after I told her my information she turned to the salesman and starts telling him that he didn't do her right.. she was polite, never was mean to the guy, but you could tell she was already having second thoughts..... This of course made me feel bad because when she asked me my information, I had no idea she had just "bought" a new car... but what was I supposed to do, I wasn't going to lie to her.. Had I known she just purchased a car I probably would have danced around the question without actually giving her any numbers... still though It felt awkward... Now I did try to console her a bit by reminding her that she was buying a 14 model and mine was a 13.... at that point she said, " oh so you bought a used car"... I said no, it was brand new, still on the showroom floor, but hadn't been sold... so once again she was a bit miffed... Next time I'm at the dealership I think I'll find that salesman and apologize.... don't think I really did anything wrong, just don't want him to think I was out to mess up his car sale.....

 

I wouldn't worry about it. She asked, and you answered honestly. You didn't sign a confidentiality agreement on price when you bought your car, right? People can interpret that information however they want.

 

Yes, I think I'd feel a bit bad too, but you didn't know the situation. People talk and ask for advice from owners, like on this forum. I'm sure the sales people experience this on occasion in the showroom and there's not much they can do. That's why sometimes it's not polite to ask questions of this a nature in public. Kind of like asking how much you make, IMHO.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. To ask a stranger what he paid, she was obviously having buyers remorse. As you described, just an awkward moment.

 

I can't say for sure whether the woman could have done better than she did with the price she is paying, but there is no question that a much of and possibly all of the difference between the discount that you got and the discount that she got has to do with the fact that you bought a remaining 2013 model a couple of months after the 2014 vehicles were available, while she is buying a 2014 model in the middle of the 2014 model year and at the time of the year when car sales are likely to be the strongest.

Also, you could have told her that you got yours with a bigger discount because it has a dashboard rattle.

 

She really had no business asking you in front of the salesperson in the first place. Like Art said: it's like asking a person how much they earn...Anyway, her sale was a done deal...

 

Don't sweat it too much. If she was willing to ask the question to a complete stranger, then she should have been ready for the answer. She created the situation, not you.

The price haggling process of buying is the worst part about buying a new car. She didn't get a great deal, but that has nothing to do with you.

 

For markets other than California, Texas, and the East Coast, her deal was probably a fairly typical deal for a 2014 ES at this time of the year, as was Poppa's deal for a left over 2013 ES a couple of months after the 2014 models were introduced.

 

Lesz... you are a cruel man Just kidding.... oh, btw, it's not a rattle, it's a squeak!!! and it's not an issue in the summer.... "pretty much squeak free in the louisiana heat..... don't worry it will be back at the dealership come this fall.

Poppa

 

In the east coast we don't have this problem.
We just tell people to mind their own business. lol

 

Or you can just say you got a discount because you have a mouse in the dash that squeaks in the winter.

 

Not your fault that she didn't do market research until after she signed the paperwork.

When we went to buy, I had read every review, every site, compared every hybrid on the market. I had test driven Toyotas, Nissans and even a (blah!) Hyundai. I checked this site and many others to look at pricing threads. You had no idea of knowing what the situation was and it's not your job to apologize.