WSU vs Bradley Game thread

[SHOCKvalue]

I bought a car last May. I searched on the internet. I sent emails out to a number of dealers asking for color, options and price. One of the replies was from Tomball Ford (near my work).

I qualified for a substantial discount (purchase at invoice) because I work for a large company who provides negotiated consumer discounts as a benefit for their employees. I confirmed that they would sell me the car at invoice.

I went to the dealership. They immediately asked for me to prove I wasn't a provisional (temp) employee. They said that they had had some provisional employees attempt to get discounts. I showed them my badge. Next, they started playing the 'dealer prep game'. I asked for a car for X. They said, 'we can give you the car for X.' I said let me see your bottom line out-the-door price.

The bottom line was always X+Y. First it was hidden in dealer fees, then it was hidden in financing fees, then it was hidden in 'dealer prep'.

I warned the sales manager I would walk if he didn't quit wasting my time. He didn't listen. I walked. On my way out the door, I got a call from the dealer (Auto Nation Katy) where I bought the car. I saved about $4000.

When I reviewed the dealership on Yelp, my comment was that it was "An old school car dealership, and that's not a compliment."

Sounds like some of the dealerships in Wichita.

I'm not picking on you or anything, but buying at invoice is nothing special these days. Most of the quotes I got back in our purchase experience a couple of months ago were below invoice. Invoice or close to it should be considered a worst case scenario, for most offerings in the market. The wealth of info out there available for the consumer (concerning pricing - Edmunds, etc), combined with buying services like TrueCar, Costco, USAA, etc have really driven the market down. It is probably why dealers have gotten so scuzzy with the admin fees and add-ons.

Buying a new car these days is totally a "buyer's market" if you know how to approach and handle the process. Leverage can totally be on the side of the consumer.

[shocka khan]

I always liked the Stersky and Hitch commercials Rusty Eck ran back in the 80's (you know, the ones that started with "......We gotta get those pushers off the street...." and then the scene cut away to a poor motorist with a conked-out car pushing it down the street).

[shocka khan]

BUYING AT INVOICE

Agreed. This is not really a benefit in true terms. However, it did not cost me anything and I was able to use it to not only buy a car at a reasonable price, but also save some money.

Big companies have taken so many benefits (like company-funded retirement) away from their employees these days, they need to do things like this so they can say they offer 'better' benefits.

By the way, probably another pffft, I can also get 20% discounts on all the major cruise lines.

I have a cruise from Venice to Ankara Turkey on my bucket list. It's a Holland America cruise and has stops in Santorini and Myakanos, which are two Greek islands I'd love to see.

[molly jabali]

Yep. Only one dealer in Wichita for the brand we bought. It is on East Kellogg as well. Wichita dealer insisted on a $400 admin fee, and fluff add-ons consisting of a $1000 wax job, $400 window etch, and $300 window tint. Took a drive up the turnpike and reduced the admin to $150, eliminated the add-on nonsense altogether, and got several thousand more off of MSRP. No games, nicer facility, and drastically more professional sales staff as well.

This rings totally true...my brother in law came to Wichita 10 years ago to by a truck on the east side(rhymes with "Fundra") and thought he had struck a deal and when the contract came back with $900 of new 'fees'...after getting no where, my BIL asked for HIS keys back...they would not give them to him!!! Unreal...he has spent the next ten years steering anyone who wants that particular product(which is a great one, btw) away from that dealership...too bad:(

[SHOCKvalue]

Having worked at eddys Toyota for about a month I know they screw people left and right which is why I left. Laughing about jacking the price up several thousand on cars and selling them to people in meeting isn't right or proper business!

Hush now! That family of car dealerships are a protected class around here (even though the dealer I avoid in Wichita, the place that forced me to buy out of town, is one of them). I once shared experiences with the family on here, and some SN-ers proceeded to tell me how they were really just white-as-snow angels.

To say nothing for the Wichita media completely ignoring all-together (due to threats of advertising pulls) the stories about one of them having sex with a person not his wife, in public, in Old Town, and getting arrested for it, and another one shuffling through the paperwork of the (unstaffed at the time) business office of a market competitor (not arrested in that case somehow). The stories hit the Topeka paper, the SE KS media outlets, and other sources, but in Wichita it was intentional radio silence. Zipped lips. Even though while at face value it sounds like National Enquirer BS, it is totally relevant news as they were at the time attempting to be the developers for the new casino in SE KS, and the state contract had some morality/personal ethics clauses in it. Google is your friend if you'd like to read more about it. Was just last year IIRC.

[SHOCKvalue]

[_kai_]

"You're sitting there talking in circles like we haven't gone over this!"

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

*Checks back in to Bradley thread*

*Sees that things got even more interesting*

*Gets the popcorn ready*

[WstateU]

[MoValley John]

Outside of a couple of dealership owners/groups, the car dealerships in Wichita are so shady it is not even funny. We just bought a new car a couple of months ago and we had to buy outside of the Wichita market to avoid the dog and pony show.

When buying new, buy online.

[SHOCKvalue]

When buying new, buy online.

I did.

[WstateU]

[_kai_]

This is truly hilarious, you hadn't replied yet when I hit reply on the thread, and then I proceeded to post the same video.

[SHOCKvalue]

This is truly hilarious, you hadn't replied yet when I hit reply on the thread, and then I proceeded to post the same video.

Alignment of the stars.

Thought it was funny too.

[Shocker-maniac]

Having worked at eddys Toyota for about a month I know they screw people left and right which is why I left. Laughing about jacking the price up several thousand on cars and selling them to people in meeting isn't right or proper business!

I had a really bad experience with them about a year and a half ago. I will never, never go back there. The worst part was not the pressure that they put on me, but sitting in the dealership while my sales guy was talking to his manager and listening to what their other sales people were doing to other customers.