Simple Pleasures...

I think that’s why we were given the run around yesterday and they wouldn’t accept our offer - because we weren’t going to finance with them. Nope, I can do way better than your 7% interest rate. (He seriously came at us with that to start.) And even if I let them pull my credit score (which is just shy of perfect) they couldn’t beat the offer we have from a local credit union.

This is gold!

We had a similar experience. Walked in with our own financing which they were not happy about. I think they ended up breaking and matching the rate we had from a credit union because we had a GM card. Little did they know after everything was about finalized we pulled out one more discount worth about 3k because we had a GM card. The looks on their faces!

I've only bought 2 vehicles from dealerships. First vehicle, first dealership, I said here's the kind of vehicle I want, and here's my budget. You can do that? You have a sale. "Well....I'll have to talk to a manager about that..." NOPE. I walked. Second dealership, said the same thing..."Let's sit down and work this out." He got the sale.

Second (current vehicle), did the same thing. Saleswoman flat out said, "We can work this out, let's sit down." And huh, it worked out. No haggling, no BS, outside the standard "Can you do anything on the price?"

Obviously, in each of these situations, my budget was a little less than what it REALLY was, gotta have that wiggle room. Both times that a sale was actually made, there was no push from the salesperson. I approached with no BS, and they responded in kind.

We wanted to put a down payment on a credit card for miles points. They claimed they could only accept 2K that way or it would generate a fraud alert....and also there was apparently some kind of cashiers check scamming going on in the area. This sales guy was so full of lies it was almost comical. We found another option locally at Belzers and will see how it goes. Anyone have any experience with them?

Yeah, most car dealerships are only going to accept $500 or less on a Credit card as a hold I would guess. In my last 2 experiences, they would do more, but it triggered their 4.5% fee or something like that wiping out whatever the 1-2% points or miles would've been worth. I don't think it has anything to do with fraud, a few years ago we put a $4,000 cruise package on a credit card without issue. I got an email from AmEx asking me to confirm later that day, but the charge went through initially just fine.

Really though, a $500 credit card hold isn't binding (unless you sign something saying it is). You could later challenge the charge if you walked away without buying and they refused to refund you.

Cashier's check scam... that's a new one. It was literally the only way we could pay without their financing. When we used a credit union to buy a car they gave us a cashiers check to go get the car... That's one way to get you I guess, you cannot pay for it in any form unless you finance through us.

Interestingly enough, I bought a car recently from Luther and they accepted a personal check. No haggling at all. Also no trade to deal. This is the second car I've bought from the Luther group. I've had positive experiences both times.

We are planners. A couple of years ago we were planning on building a new house. We always kept an eye out for deals for stuff we were going to need for our house. So when we saw something we needed on sale at Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy etc, we would figure out the price and go buy gift cards at Hyvee so we could also get money off gas purchases. We also used a credit card to buy those gift cards that gave us 5% off purchases at grocery stores. It was a win win. We still do the same thing now, but to a lesser extent. When buying a car, we have a GM Card and build up money on that for added savings. As a farmer, I can rack up some big expenses, and I try to put things on cards as much as I can to get the bonus points. It only works if you pay off the credit card every month or otherwise it makes no sense.

I bought my truck (2015 Chevy Colorado) there. They proudly proclaim they are the largest Chevy dealer in the state, and their prices are typically as good or better than the competition.

They lowballed me on my trade, and when I threatened to walk away from the deal, they reluctantly added $1000 to their offer. Of course, when I went to sign the paperwork on the purchase, it was typed up with the original offer - I had to threaten to walk away from the deal (again) before they would honor the negotiated trade-in. I went in preapproved from my credit union, but they got me a better rate, so I threw them that bone.

A couple years later, my wife was in the market for a new car, and they had a Malibu Hybrid that she liked. They lowballed her on her trade, too. We did end up buying from them, but sold the car outright (to Apple Ford, who offered her $600 more than Belzer, even though we weren't buying a car there).

Based on our experience with them, we'll never buy another car there.

OBTW, their service department SUCKS.

I will never buy from them based on how the owners have treated other small business owners and friends. Luther or Apple Auto is where I take my business.

North Country Ford in Coon Rapids is a Luther dealer and has treated us very well. The $$$ was right and service has been fine.

We bought one new car and used a TrueCar price through my work, so basically found what we wanted and printed that and brought it. Was simple to do, but not sure how good that price is or what it is tied to.

We are likely going to be buying in the coming year and not looking forward to the process.

When I bought my Altima in 2013 I told the guy who let me test drive the vehicle that he had first dibs on my business. I gave him a number that I said would work for me and not lead me to shop around for the best price. He said he couldn’t go that low even though I know it was a fair price.

Then I called every Nissan dealer in town 3 days before month end and asked to speak to their Internet Sales Team. Those guys at the time were incentivized to on volume.

Once I got quotes from those who gave them to me I then called each one back and told them the best offer I had and asked if they wanted to match it. I told them I’d make a decision in 36 hours regardless of whether they made a counter or not. Just before the deadline I got an offer that blew me away and when I compared it to TrueCar it was a pretty great deal too. A couple guys were pissed but they all know that a car is a commodity. Ironically I got it for about $2000 less than the offer made the first guy

I’m sure the industry has changed a lot in those 7 years but cars are still commodities. If you have as much info as them you can be up front about what you’re doing to buy a car an ply them off another. If a dealership is really close to a monthly or quarterly sales goal they’ll give you a deal because the bonus they get from hitting the goal is well worth knocking a few grand off it for yours

Bought my current vehicle at Forest Lake Chevrolet. They have a 200 mile no questions asked return policy. Asked if I wanted to take it for a test drive. I confirmed the return policy, and then said, "I'll drive it home. If I don't like it, you'll see me in about 90 minutes. If I like it, I will notify you in about 45 minutes." They got a chuckle out of that.

I’ll second this advice. I used a version of it when I traded in my truck for a new one. It really helps when you are not in any real pressure to buy a new vehicle (my old truck drove OK but the financing but the deals they’ve were offering were too good to pass up) but I understand not everyone may always be in that position. Last day of the month is key. I have purchased my last 3 vehicles on that day and have been satisfied with the outcome each time.

[mention]davescharf[/mention] We are thinking about getting rid of our 2010 G37x for possibly a Volvo. In starting my research I came across a post of yours from 2013 about your then new Altima. What a coincidence!

That’s funny. I remember posting about it here back then though.

I couldn’t really do it with our 2015 Murano because we were trying to replace a totaled car. I’d like to buy a car before this coming winter if I need to go back to the office...my Altima sucks in the winter weather and we just need a little bigger SUV

I bought a new vehicle in November and was able to secure a finance rate of 1.89%. I was prepared to pay cash on the entire purchase, minus the trade-in value, but I ended up financing roughly 40% of the purchase price, over four years. Would definitely call my 1.89% rate a "Simple Pleasure"! :yes:

So did you invest that cash somewhere you'll get > 1.89%? I always lean towards no debt when possible.

I agree on no debt. I think I'm about a year ahead on paying off my current vehicle. I hate owing money.

The 2 of the last 3 cars we purchased we did our research online and found Luther was the best price (one GMC and one Honda). They did not haggle. We even left to continue the look only to come back to Luther.

They said they price low and go for profit by volume. They mentioned they get customers from Duluth and even Fargo from their online business.

My simple pleasure for today is a 7 pm hockey game that isn’t against the Kings. I didn’t think this day would come!

I think more and more places are doing that, because they realize that most don't like to haggle (or are uncomfortable doing so) and if there IS wiggle room, that means they are over-pricing in the first place. So they just set a price, and rely on word of mouth for a bigger customer base....

They said if they price high enough to haggle they won’t get those customers from greater MN. Those people will just click to the next site. Is that swipe left or right?

Of all the people on this board, you're asking ME? lolololol

No. Not at all. It was a general question.

So we tried to buy a vehicle at belzers. They won’t hold it/take a down payment from us. Their way of pressuring us to finance through them. Also wouldn’t give a price.....so how are we supposed to know how much to get the check for...??

After it takes us a few days to get the money in hand, if the vehicle is gone they will never get our business. I cannot believe how much dealers seem to not want me to buy a vehicle from them. Clearly they hate people who have their own financing.

This has been so frustrating. :chainsaw: :censored:

You must love the car - I’d tell them to :censored: off

Ya I'd say see ya. There will always be another car basically exactly the same.

No, we are looking for a vehicle with a specific engine and add on options and have only found two that were remotely close without custom ordering (which would cost thousands more as this is last years model). That’s why we initially drove to the other side of wisco to look at the first one as it’s the only one within driving distance that has what we want. This one locally is close enough and should be cheaper but I have a feeling with the plan to not finance through them they’ll try to jack the price. If that happens I’m just going elsewhere and ordering exactly what I want. It will cost more and take several months to get it but oh well.

Calculated risk that over a four year period my annual rate of return from a 50/50 mix of no load stock and bond funds will exceed 1.89%.

No sh*. Forest Lake Chevy held the car for me (refundable, as long as I showed up to take a look-see) no issue there. I agree w/rest of crowd. F them. There will be an identical version of what you seek somewhere....

There isn’t. That’s the problem. Trust me. We’ve been scouring dealers within 200 miles.

Is it a McLaren F1 or what are we talking about here?

If it is a Prius, I will personally kick her arse myself.

Although I know it's not.

The specific engine need is to haul all that beer back from their road trips I guess

If you have to have that car, that bad... Just finance through them and immediately pay it off (with either a check or a different loan). You'll pay some financing and extra charges, but avoid paying their interest. If the specific vehicle is that important that is.

Otherwise, there are car "brokers" who you can call that will search nationwide for you and can arrange delivery. Of course there is a fee for that, but if the vehicle is proving that difficult to find it may be helpful. A friend of mine used one to find a specific car he was looking for, he said he didn't pay that much extra and it was worth it because he wanted that vehicle in a specific trim and color that badly.

We thought about financing through them but it’s more of a PITA. I haven’t had to go through this for awhile - is it custom for places to NOT hold a vehicle when you are telling them I want it and will pay full price?! It blows my mind.

As I mentioned, the dealership I bought my car from held a deposit (100 bucks, IIRC), and it was refundable even if I didn't buy it. Just had to show up. It's like hotel rooms/etc nowadays. I'm guessing too many no-shows, so now the deposit issue is a thing.

There has to be something in it for them to hold it. A guaranteed sale today (if another customer shows up) vs a likely sale in a day or two is a no brainer.

That’s shitty service.

No. But stealerships are just that. Most want to milk every last cent out of you and don't car if you ever come back to buy another car. They want you in a 7-8 year loan with ALL the add-ons possible.

Last 2 times, I just flat out lied. I had a final number in mind and said I will talk about term and payments when we get to financing after we agree on price. Then see what it is, or bust out your cashiers check.

Most dealerships "prep" the car and want at least 2-3 days to do that anyway. So once you make an agreement, make your down payment and tell them you'll come back with the payment. I would just say I also need a day to empty out my trade. If you've both agreed and signed, and they walk away then, that is some shady stuff...

Never tell a dealership you are paying cash, then they know they are really unlikely to milk extra dollars out of you when you pay it all up front, rather than $22 a month for the next 7 years on a loan. You can say you have your own financing which they are welcome to try and beat, but don't say cash until you're already locked in.

We have done our homework and know what tax title and license should be - and are working to get financing tomorrow. If they try to add on more money to make up for not financing with them then they just lost our business forever.

Just make sure on things like the "Documentation Fee" there is a MN Statue that limits them to what they can charge. It used to be $75, but I think it was raised twice recently. It is $125 as of July 1st, 2020. Last time we bought a car, they wanted $400 for this... Just inform them of the MN Statute limiting the maximum fee for that.

I believe they quoted $125. But thanks for the tip!

Sometimes, dealerships will do that, too. If you go in looking for a car with specific features/options, and they don't have one on the lot, they'll do a search to see if there's one in the area. Then, they'll try to work out a trade with a dealership that has what you're looking for.

This is how we got our Honda Pilot. We found the car we wanted on the Brookdale Honda lot, but in the wrong color. We told them if they can get this in the color we want, and for this price, we will buy it. They drove one down from St Cloud the next day.

We asked about the one we looked at in sconnie. They made it sound like it wasn’t an option to pull one from another dealer. Again, likely because there isn’t anything in the metro easy to get. If there was, we’d go buy it ourselves. As I said, it certainly don’t sound like they want our business does it. ?

*furiously rifles through paperwork from when we bought our vehicles a few years ago*

Likely because they want to sell one off their lot. I know when I bought my Colorado, they searched dealer inventories within something like 400 miles to find one with the options I wanted. No one had what I was looking for, so I ended up having to order it.

There is something to be said for developing a relationship with a dealer, seems to help as I work through the process. We have bought several of our past cars at Buerkle dealerships, specifically the Acura dealer in Brooklyn Park. The sales person we worked with is wonderful (I actually referred DX to him and his experience was similar) and I would recommend him to anyone looking for an Acura or Honda as he can sell through their Honda/Hyundai dealership, too.

I am actually going to buy my first ever new vehicle probably sometime in late March/early April and it's unfortunately not something Buerkle can sell. I have started the process at Roseville GMC and have been impressed so far. The Walser family seems to run good dealerships and the rep we are working with has been very good.

This is exactly it. The last I looked into this, the companies made way more money on the financing than they did on the sale of the vehicle itself.