Would you pay for this service?

[waterboy]

I have to agree with the Inteller here. Most folks don't have a clue about buying cars. They don't want to do the research and are very uncomfortable negotiating. Dealers depend on that and will bully you if they sense weakness. I once made an offer for a Trooper that I thought was fair. The manager, Jim Furman, was called in and sniped at me, "You think you know what cars are worth?" I responded, "no, I know what this car is worth to me".

[custosnox]

uh yeah pretty much, just look at the state of this country.

and your just so much better than everyone else, right?

[inteller]

and your just so much better than everyone else, right?

if you say so.

[guido911]

and your just so much better than everyone else, right?

I know I am.

[inteller]

They don't want to do the research and are very uncomfortable negotiating.

that's why a lot of people come to me, they are absolutely terrified of walking into a dealer and facing a salesman.  the only thing that terrifies me is how little these salesmen actually know yet still have a job.

[guido911]

if you say so.

O/T:  Do you know what is going in on the NE corner of 101st & Memorial (in front of Target)?

[inteller]

no nor do I care.  But you can be assured we already have 3 or 4 of whatever it will be.

[dbacks fan]

He went on to say that the long term customers he has who pop in every 2-3 years and pay MSRP get treated much better when it comes time for service. Free oil changes, discounts on out of warranty repairs and scheduled maintenance, that sort of thing. Needless to say, the hagglers don't get special treatment after the sale.

Of course long term customers who come in every 2-3 years and lay down and pay "MSRP" are going to get preferential treatment.(Why kill off a cash cow?) Free oil changes and routine maintenance is cheap. But discounted repairs outside of warranty, the dealer has to absorb that cost somewhere, and it is usually passed on to the average person that did not pay MSRP, wether it is service, parts, or the price they pay for a car. Also people who buy every 2-3 years usually don't care about maintenance because they know they are going to get it for free, and as for warranty repairs, they don't own the vehicle long enough to have problems or exceed the mfg warranty. These are the people that should lease cars and not buy them. That way in 2-3 years they're done using it and return it for a new one. That way they maintain a constant monthly payment, don't worry about service because it may be included, and are done with it before the warranty expires.

[Red Arrow]

One problem "we" have with negotiating is being prepared to walk if we don't get the deal we want.  We just "gotta have that car" and the dealers know it.

[dbacks fan]

One problem "we" have with negotiating is being prepared to walk if we don't get the deal we want.  We just "gotta have that car" and the dealers know it.

I guess that at 47 years old, no matter how much I may want the car, I'm willing to walk away from that situation and look for the car elsewhere. Even if I was buying a new car, I'm not affraid to walk. If I spend more than an hour and a half negotiating new or used, and this includes a test drive, I walk.

[inteller]

One problem "we" have with negotiating is being prepared to walk if we don't get the deal we want.  We just "gotta have that car" and the dealers know it.

hence the advantage of putting someone in the middle who is emotionally removed from the buying decision.

[dbacks fan]

hence the advantage of putting someone in the middle who is emotionally removed from the buying decision.

The first car that I ever bought was in 1982 from Donges Brothers Ford from their used car lot. It was a 1976 Triumph TR7 that they wanted $3800.00 for. I did my research, and went to my Credit Union at the time which was McDonnell/Douglas and had the car appraised. It was appraised at $3200. I offered $3000.00 and they took the offer. When I found the car, I wanted to make sure that I got it. I gave the salesman a $50.00 deposit on the car. When I went with the check to get the car, I got the salesman to give me back the $50.00 deposit to hold the car. I was 19 at the time, and I knew of the art of negotiation, and knew how to close the deal.

[Red Arrow]

hence the advantage of putting someone in the middle who is emotionally removed from the buying decision.

Then it just becomes a matter of how much the middle man charges, which is the topic of this thread.

[dbacks fan]

Then it just becomes a matter of how much the middle man charges, which is the topic of this thread.

I guess my contention on this is if you are willing to pay a middle man a fee to help you buy a car, (and this is the cynical person coming out) has the middle man worked a deal with the dealership so that they get paid on the front side and the backside of the deal? If you use a service like this, you need to have a contractual agreement, and you would need an attorney to look at the contract so that there would be no conflict of interest in the deal.

Just saying in my cynical point of view to cover my own donkey.

[Red Arrow]

I believe I can get within a few hundred $ of the price a middleman could get.  If I am buying something costing $30K to $40K, I don't really worry too much about $100.