Regret / felt duped after buying your car?
02-08-17, 09:36 PM
#16
It seems that standard training at any dealer is to laugh when an informed person gives a realistic number. I'm very curious why exactly they wanted your social and what they thought it would get for the dealer, other than the opportunity to offer you some financing.
I ended up financing through LFS when I got mine because it was the cheapest option at the time. I did walk in with financing prepared from my own source.
My Lexus experience was positive. I had the price of the vehicle negotiated in advance before I set foot on their lot. They gave me the usual offers for all the up-sells, such as paint/wheel protection, extended warranty, etc. but were not pushy when I declined. I wouldn't say I got a great deal, but I paid what I expected when I went in. The licensing fees are a bit high, but within the acceptable range.
When I bought a Volvo, via their A-plan fixed-price method, I had the local dealer try to scam me out of money for their "adversiting fee." Fortunately I had read all the A-plan documentation and remembered the numbers, so when they came in with an extra $100 for that, I balked. They gave me the runaround, the lady got increasingly rude, and called the manager with a very surly voice alleging "these people think they don't need to pay the advertising fee." When I showed her the official Volvo A-plan website with the maximum limit $100 less than their quote, they claimed they couldn't change the fee but knocked the $100 off the car. I paid the same, but they clearly don't follow policy. If I felt like being a stickler, I could report them to Volvo for noncompliance, but alas I let it slide.
I ended up financing through LFS when I got mine because it was the cheapest option at the time. I did walk in with financing prepared from my own source.
My Lexus experience was positive. I had the price of the vehicle negotiated in advance before I set foot on their lot. They gave me the usual offers for all the up-sells, such as paint/wheel protection, extended warranty, etc. but were not pushy when I declined. I wouldn't say I got a great deal, but I paid what I expected when I went in. The licensing fees are a bit high, but within the acceptable range.
When I bought a Volvo, via their A-plan fixed-price method, I had the local dealer try to scam me out of money for their "adversiting fee." Fortunately I had read all the A-plan documentation and remembered the numbers, so when they came in with an extra $100 for that, I balked. They gave me the runaround, the lady got increasingly rude, and called the manager with a very surly voice alleging "these people think they don't need to pay the advertising fee." When I showed her the official Volvo A-plan website with the maximum limit $100 less than their quote, they claimed they couldn't change the fee but knocked the $100 off the car. I paid the same, but they clearly don't follow policy. If I felt like being a stickler, I could report them to Volvo for noncompliance, but alas I let it slide.
02-09-17, 02:04 AM
#17
Sounds like you really knew what you were doing and they knew they couldn't "trick" you into buying the extras. Especially since you were playing hardball on the price.
The registration line item is an interesting little fee for the dealer. It is small in comparison to what you're spending but you definitely want to make sure they aren't padding it beyond $100-200 for their commission.
The registration line item is an interesting little fee for the dealer. It is small in comparison to what you're spending but you definitely want to make sure they aren't padding it beyond $100-200 for their commission.
02-09-17, 06:56 AM
#18
Pole Position
Which one you talking about Sewell or Park place , ppl at both places are seriously dumb when I mentioned Club Lexus to one of the sales guys he's like we don't really care for forums with few hundred ppl here and there. I was telling them how much someone paid for one the cars. The manager got really pissed of when I offered him 49k for the 2016 59k msrp car which many ppl have been getting recently.
02-09-17, 07:17 AM
#19
Lead Lap
Window etching for Toyota/Lexus financial is complete horse****. In fact, I can remember taking one of my very first cars to a auto window company to do the etching....for absolutely FREE. Most car insurance companies will cover the minimal cost of that service. $499 is all profit for the dealer. Jesus Christ.
02-09-17, 07:31 AM
#20
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In case anyone is still wondering -- Lexus Financial does not REQUIRE any finance product in order to buy a car. The only thing you HAVE TO have is GAP for a lease, but it is included and charged in the acq. fee.
Absolutely ridiculous that dealers still operate like this. At my store, we've done away with the finance department completely for this very reason.
Sorry to hear that a luxury car buying experience in some places in the US still has the same pains that you would get at a Kia dealership.
Absolutely ridiculous that dealers still operate like this. At my store, we've done away with the finance department completely for this very reason.
Sorry to hear that a luxury car buying experience in some places in the US still has the same pains that you would get at a Kia dealership.
02-09-17, 09:10 AM
#21
I went with an independent dealer during the purchase of my recent vehicle; Autocentrix in Dallas. The owner used to work as a contractor for the Lexus and Toyota dealerships in DFW to find them the best pre-owned cars from around the States, bring them in, so the dealership could slap on the CPO and $4000 and put it on the lot. After years of doing that and seeing people get screwed (including his own family members) he decided to open his own pre-owned dealership. He gave me a competitive price for both my new car and my trade-in and made the experience very quick and enjoyable (if you can believe it).
02-09-17, 09:16 AM
#22
Pole Position
Speaking of Kia, that buying experience was one I wouldn't mind having again. I negotiated a deal over email for a new Kia Optima SX turbo with all the bells and whistles with the internet department and it was amazing.The price included the wheel and tire protection and theft protection insurance for free on top off the 6K off MSRP I negotiated. I was super skeptical walking in as it all sounded too good to be true but in this case it was true. When I had arrived at the dealer I was told the internet sales manager that I had been working with quit his job the day before but they would still honor the deal I made with him.I was in and out of the dealership within an hour. That includes looking over the vehicle, test driving it, them cleaning it, and waiting in line for the finance department. They were packed that day and one of the finance guys was out sick. Wish I could say the same about my experience at Lexus and Infiniti.
02-09-17, 09:36 AM
#23
Sounds like you really knew what you were doing and they knew they couldn't "trick" you into buying the extras. Especially since you were playing hardball on the price.
The registration line item is an interesting little fee for the dealer. It is small in comparison to what you're spending but you definitely want to make sure they aren't padding it beyond $100-200 for their commission.
The registration line item is an interesting little fee for the dealer. It is small in comparison to what you're spending but you definitely want to make sure they aren't padding it beyond $100-200 for their commission.
Just an FYI on those registration fees. I used to work for a company that managed electronic registration systems and sold them to dealers across the nation. If the dealer registers the vehicles they sell electronically rather than have a runner take the days sales down to the DMV to process, there will be a fee for that 'service'. The electronic vehicle registration company charges the fee to the dealer to process and the dealer passes the fee onto the customer. Of course there is a revenue split at the end of the month with the dealer on the fees.
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CTNYC (02-09-17)
02-09-17, 11:43 AM
#24
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Just an FYI on those registration fees. I used to work for a company that managed electronic registration systems and sold them to dealers across the nation. If the dealer registers the vehicles they sell electronically rather than have a runner take the days sales down to the DMV to process, there will be a fee for that 'service'. The electronic vehicle registration company charges the fee to the dealer to process and the dealer passes the fee onto the customer. Of course there is a revenue split at the end of the month with the dealer on the fees.
02-09-17, 11:48 AM
#25
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Window etching for Toyota/Lexus financial is complete horse****. In fact, I can remember taking one of my very first cars to a auto window company to do the etching....for absolutely FREE. Most car insurance companies will cover the minimal cost of that service. $499 is all profit for the dealer. Jesus Christ.
02-09-17, 01:30 PM
#26
Just an FYI on those registration fees. I used to work for a company that managed electronic registration systems and sold them to dealers across the nation. If the dealer registers the vehicles they sell electronically rather than have a runner take the days sales down to the DMV to process, there will be a fee for that 'service'. The electronic vehicle registration company charges the fee to the dealer to process and the dealer passes the fee onto the customer. Of course there is a revenue split at the end of the month with the dealer on the fees.
Seriously. It pains me that so many unsuspecting consumers end up paying for this crap. Most of us on the forum know what to expect going in to the dealer... but we represent a very small percentage of the Lexus community. And I'm seeing more Lexus dealers going down that sleazeball selling path.
02-09-17, 02:13 PM
#27
Pole Position
Thread Starter
I did test drive a '13 GS from Carmax and it definitely wouldn't have passed the Lexus CPO inspection. Needed tires and brakes. But I appreciated the hands off sales approach as they let me do my own thorough inspection of the car.
02-09-17, 02:40 PM
#28
Intermediate
did this for the last two Lexus' I've purchased. Exchanged a few emails then spent about an hour at the dealer to sign everything then I was on my way. Never made the first phone call. Worked directly with the internet sales manager.
02-09-17, 02:42 PM
#29
Pole Position
Thread Starter
For those in the Bay Area, I would NOT recommend buying a car from Lexus of Concord. They buy the cheapest cars at auction, do a terrible job at refurbishing them, and mark the price up way above market value. For an unsuspecting buyer, they might be happy they got a couple thousand off the price but they are still buying a beat up car at a terrible price. They use the old school negotiating method of trying to bring you in to discuss price, go through the classic back-and-forth between the salesperson and manager, and will lure you in to buy all the extra crap once you get into finance. Obviously do as much research as you can beforehand, but I end up seeing a lot of older, less internet savvy people getting screwed by this dealer.
A friend was telling me her mother went in to buy a car from them with an already pre-negotiated price and ended up with some unnecessary add-ons. Apparently the finance manager told her she couldn't get the lower finance rate without buying the paint protection package for $1000, which is literally a crappy wax job. The finance manager played it as a nearly free package because he was able to lower her finance rate. The finance manager insisted that the bank wouldn't accept the lower rate without having this package. She ended up believing she got the paint protection for free. What a load of crap!
Finance managers have padding on the interest rates. If you have mediocre credit, they'll try to leverage that against you and pad your interest rate quite a bit so they can make more money off the loan. Go in knowing your credit score and even have some pre-approved rates so you know exactly what to expect.
A friend was telling me her mother went in to buy a car from them with an already pre-negotiated price and ended up with some unnecessary add-ons. Apparently the finance manager told her she couldn't get the lower finance rate without buying the paint protection package for $1000, which is literally a crappy wax job. The finance manager played it as a nearly free package because he was able to lower her finance rate. The finance manager insisted that the bank wouldn't accept the lower rate without having this package. She ended up believing she got the paint protection for free. What a load of crap!
Finance managers have padding on the interest rates. If you have mediocre credit, they'll try to leverage that against you and pad your interest rate quite a bit so they can make more money off the loan. Go in knowing your credit score and even have some pre-approved rates so you know exactly what to expect.
02-09-17, 04:31 PM
#30
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Speaking of Kia, that buying experience was one I wouldn't mind having again. I negotiated a deal over email for a new Kia Optima SX turbo with all the bells and whistles with the internet department and it was amazing.The price included the wheel and tire protection and theft protection insurance for free on top off the 6K off MSRP I negotiated. I was super skeptical walking in as it all sounded too good to be true but in this case it was true. When I had arrived at the dealer I was told the internet sales manager that I had been working with quit his job the day before but they would still honor the deal I made with him.I was in and out of the dealership within an hour. That includes looking over the vehicle, test driving it, them cleaning it, and waiting in line for the finance department. They were packed that day and one of the finance guys was out sick. Wish I could say the same about my experience at Lexus and Infiniti.
But seriously, some of this crap makes me hurt for people who have had this experience with Lexus. I work in a store with fixed-price warranties and F&I products, only Lexus F&I products available (no third party crap with window etching, etc.), and everything is pretty much on the up-and-up. So it's hard for me to imagine the shadyness that you guys are experiencing.