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Inside information for buying a vehicle
7 years ago
SO, as one who will be assuming control of an entire 3 franchise dealership within the next couple of years; I'd like to impart some insider information to my fellow furries that will benefit you to stay ahead of all the bullshit.
1) buying a vehicle is scary; find someone that you trust and stop beating people up over price. If you find a salesperson (but more importantly a dealership) that you can trust, don't shop around for better prices because even if you find a better price somewhere else; you could get REALLY Bent over in SO MANY WAYS because they lured you in with the lower price and fine-line-sold you all the extra bull shit.
2) if you have the option to save up a bit and put money down and LEASE instead of Purchase: LEASE. Granted this approach really only works for those that drive 15,000 miles/year or less; LEASE because A) the dealership wiil call you ahead of expiration in an attempt to get you into a newer vehicle sooner and they'll take a hit to make it happen, B) you don't have to worry about the bull shit about trade value. I know you think you're settled on a particular value that you want to get for your vehicle and I know you think you're getting that but ANYONE can make it look the way you want it to look. Save yourself the headache and avoid trade-value all together. C) always under warranty. I've heard a lot of people say "Oh well if it's good it won't break down" yeah, right, that's why the industry standard is a 3 year 36,000 bumper to bumper warranty because they never break down.... I kid you not, a customer of mine had her entire transmission go out at 3,000 miles. It was an utter fluke and even astonished the engineers; shit happens, don't be on the receiving end of it.
3) Lastly but not least, if you happen to live in the midwest and want to buy from someone you can trust feel free to reach out to me ;) I adhere to all of this advice because I give it to all of my customers and they buy from me for life because it's a symbiotic relationship. I even have loyal customers as far as Washington state who have flown out to pick up their vehicle from me. So if you happen to fly in for MFF and want to drive back in a new ride let me know ;)
All in all, car buying should be a simple, calm and stress-free experience. I've always had customers tell me how surprised they were at how easy everything was; and that's exactly how it should be. I can't say I'll be in the industry forever, but I'll be sure to pass the torch to someone that will uphold these values to carry them forward.
1) buying a vehicle is scary; find someone that you trust and stop beating people up over price. If you find a salesperson (but more importantly a dealership) that you can trust, don't shop around for better prices because even if you find a better price somewhere else; you could get REALLY Bent over in SO MANY WAYS because they lured you in with the lower price and fine-line-sold you all the extra bull shit.
2) if you have the option to save up a bit and put money down and LEASE instead of Purchase: LEASE. Granted this approach really only works for those that drive 15,000 miles/year or less; LEASE because A) the dealership wiil call you ahead of expiration in an attempt to get you into a newer vehicle sooner and they'll take a hit to make it happen, B) you don't have to worry about the bull shit about trade value. I know you think you're settled on a particular value that you want to get for your vehicle and I know you think you're getting that but ANYONE can make it look the way you want it to look. Save yourself the headache and avoid trade-value all together. C) always under warranty. I've heard a lot of people say "Oh well if it's good it won't break down" yeah, right, that's why the industry standard is a 3 year 36,000 bumper to bumper warranty because they never break down.... I kid you not, a customer of mine had her entire transmission go out at 3,000 miles. It was an utter fluke and even astonished the engineers; shit happens, don't be on the receiving end of it.
3) Lastly but not least, if you happen to live in the midwest and want to buy from someone you can trust feel free to reach out to me ;) I adhere to all of this advice because I give it to all of my customers and they buy from me for life because it's a symbiotic relationship. I even have loyal customers as far as Washington state who have flown out to pick up their vehicle from me. So if you happen to fly in for MFF and want to drive back in a new ride let me know ;)
All in all, car buying should be a simple, calm and stress-free experience. I've always had customers tell me how surprised they were at how easy everything was; and that's exactly how it should be. I can't say I'll be in the industry forever, but I'll be sure to pass the torch to someone that will uphold these values to carry them forward.
Is there anything to look for when buying a first car in particular?
The sedan market is down, CUVs are definitely a much better investment as far as re-sale value.
Servicing a vehicle at its prospective dealership brand will earn you a much better chance of help from a manufacturer in the future if something does indeed go wrong outside of warranty.