New Civic Buyer Pleased With Buying Process
Receive your email and I would like to thank Rich Rippel and everyone there at Darrell Waltrip Honda for all the help and kindness I received. I was very comfortable from the moment I walked in and I absolutely love the new Civic. Again thanks for everything.
Bonnie
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Internet Car Shopping
In today’s competitive automobile market it is definitely a buyer’s market.
This gives the consumer an advantage for the smart shopper who has done their homework. There in lies the challenge.
Automobile buyers have an unprecedented amount of information at their finger tips from the media, manufacturers and the Internet. Buyer beware all of this information may not be accurate. Different areas of the nation have different market conditions. i.e. The book value of a convertible in Florida for the month of September will not hold true in Montana and vise-versa a 4wd truck in Wyoming in January is not the same market value in Southern California.
The raw data such as wheel base, horse power and MPG are reliable and statistically accurate numbers. The “subjective” information such as interest rates, trade in values and new vehicle price quotes are not necessarily reliable. This is where the consumer must do their homework.
The Internet has been a wonderful tool for the consumer to find out what the current market prices expected to pay for a new vehicle with little effort needed. Simply submitting a request for a specific Make and Model can get you started. Be aware that just submitting a price quote many different events will occur.
You will most likely receive an automated email reply stating the dealership(s) have received your requests and you can expect them to be calling you or emailing you a price quote once they have verified the information they have received is accurate.
At this point you will receive your price quotes and you are armed and ready to go to the dealer to buy your new vehicle for the lowest quoted price. STOP ! Before leaving your computer you must do some more home work to avoid the frustration and wasted time trying to get a local dealer to honor a price quote from another dealer. Follow these rules:
Confirm with the selling dealer your price quote includes, freight, any dealer installed accessories and the stock number of the specific vehicle the price quote is for.
Ask the dealer to calculate all sales tax (if applicable), license fees and dealer documentation fees.
Make sure the price quote is good for a minimum of 10 days.
Make sure the price quote includes all factory incentives.
By doing this little bit of extra homework you can now go to your local dealer with the information to make an intelligent decision without having to get frustrated. This information will save you time and money.
If a dealer on line doesn’t provide you this detailed information, ASK FOR IT. If they do not disclose all charges without having to come to the dealership in person, simply move on to the next dealership.
Be aware that a price quote from a dealership more than 2 hours away from you is “Risky Business.” This simply means the dealer has a very low percentage chance of you actually putting your foot in their dealership due to the logistics. Some dealers would rather quote you a “Low Ball” price knowing that you will take this number into a local dealership as leverage to make your purchase. In the event you do come to their dealership you may find the quoted vehicle is already sold or that the price didn’t include one of the above mentioned items. After you have made the long drive to find out this information you “settle” for another vehicle because you don’t want to drive back home without a vehicle and have to go back to your local dealer and face them.
This shopping experience is happening all across the country. Be smart.
“If it sounds too good to be true…….it probably is.”
Think of the entire transaction when buying a vehicle. What is my time worth? What is a fair price, not necessarily the lowest price. Am I being treated with respect and fairness. What relationship will I have after I make the purchase with this selling dealer?
If you focus on these important factors and not the “Gimmicks” like life time oil changes or limited lifetime warranties to get you to come to the dealerships and not jus the price you can truly enjoy your new vehicle.
An Old Wise Car Buyer
This gives the consumer an advantage for the smart shopper who has done their homework. There in lies the challenge.
Automobile buyers have an unprecedented amount of information at their finger tips from the media, manufacturers and the Internet. Buyer beware all of this information may not be accurate. Different areas of the nation have different market conditions. i.e. The book value of a convertible in Florida for the month of September will not hold true in Montana and vise-versa a 4wd truck in Wyoming in January is not the same market value in Southern California.
The raw data such as wheel base, horse power and MPG are reliable and statistically accurate numbers. The “subjective” information such as interest rates, trade in values and new vehicle price quotes are not necessarily reliable. This is where the consumer must do their homework.
The Internet has been a wonderful tool for the consumer to find out what the current market prices expected to pay for a new vehicle with little effort needed. Simply submitting a request for a specific Make and Model can get you started. Be aware that just submitting a price quote many different events will occur.
You will most likely receive an automated email reply stating the dealership(s) have received your requests and you can expect them to be calling you or emailing you a price quote once they have verified the information they have received is accurate.
At this point you will receive your price quotes and you are armed and ready to go to the dealer to buy your new vehicle for the lowest quoted price. STOP ! Before leaving your computer you must do some more home work to avoid the frustration and wasted time trying to get a local dealer to honor a price quote from another dealer. Follow these rules:
Confirm with the selling dealer your price quote includes, freight, any dealer installed accessories and the stock number of the specific vehicle the price quote is for.
Ask the dealer to calculate all sales tax (if applicable), license fees and dealer documentation fees.
Make sure the price quote is good for a minimum of 10 days.
Make sure the price quote includes all factory incentives.
By doing this little bit of extra homework you can now go to your local dealer with the information to make an intelligent decision without having to get frustrated. This information will save you time and money.
If a dealer on line doesn’t provide you this detailed information, ASK FOR IT. If they do not disclose all charges without having to come to the dealership in person, simply move on to the next dealership.
Be aware that a price quote from a dealership more than 2 hours away from you is “Risky Business.” This simply means the dealer has a very low percentage chance of you actually putting your foot in their dealership due to the logistics. Some dealers would rather quote you a “Low Ball” price knowing that you will take this number into a local dealership as leverage to make your purchase. In the event you do come to their dealership you may find the quoted vehicle is already sold or that the price didn’t include one of the above mentioned items. After you have made the long drive to find out this information you “settle” for another vehicle because you don’t want to drive back home without a vehicle and have to go back to your local dealer and face them.
This shopping experience is happening all across the country. Be smart.
“If it sounds too good to be true…….it probably is.”
Think of the entire transaction when buying a vehicle. What is my time worth? What is a fair price, not necessarily the lowest price. Am I being treated with respect and fairness. What relationship will I have after I make the purchase with this selling dealer?
If you focus on these important factors and not the “Gimmicks” like life time oil changes or limited lifetime warranties to get you to come to the dealerships and not jus the price you can truly enjoy your new vehicle.
An Old Wise Car Buyer
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