Car Salesman

08/14/2006

Sarah and I went car shopping on Saturday. I wanted to buy from a private seller because you get a much better deal. But I thought I would go ahead and entertain us by visiting a few dealerships. So off we went.

We knew exactly what we wanted. A Honda Accord that was not green, white or gold with around 50,000 miles. If it was a 2003, we wanted an LX. If it was a 2002 or 2001, an EX. And lastly, our budget was not to go over $15k.

Visiting dealerships, I knew it was going to be hard for them to sell an Accord for that price. They jack up the prices. But on the Kelly Blue Book, I knew I could find a used Accord within my parameters for under $15k from a private party. But I was in an argumentative mood that day and couldn’t wait to prove a car salesman wrong.

As we looked around the dealership, a salesman approached us and we told him our parameters. We chit-chatted and after telling him we wanted an Accord, our reason being our baby is only seven weeks away from being born, the salesman proceeded to smile and say that he didn’t originally notice that Sarah was pregnant and that she looked very slim and lean. I just smiled and thought to myself, “He is already trying to suck up to us. This is going to be fun!”

We found one car that fit what we wanted. A 2003 LX with 30,000 miles. He wanted us to test-drive it, but I told him that we would negotiate a base price first and then I would test drive it and then negotiate price adjustments from there on out. He was hesitant, knowing he couldn’t offer that car for under $15k and hoping that we would fall in love with it if we drove it, thus willing to buy it at a higher price. But I told him “No, lets negotiate a base price first.”

So inside we went. He sat us in a room and then went to go speak with his authorities about the price of the car. Sarah went to the bathroom and noticed that he was just shuffling his feet, taking his time. The salesman came back and told me straight up that they offer their best deals on the web, so he was going to go talk to the web guy and he would be right back. I smiled and nodded. I watched him go to the “web guy” and stand there for about 5 minutes, write something on a piece of paper and then come back.

He proceeded to tell me that the price of the 2003 LX was $19k. I asked if they charged extra for the stains on the seats. He jokingly told me, “Yes”. I then told him I can find that car on the street for about $14k. He responded by telling me that “this car is certified”, meaning that Honda will repair it up to 100k miles if anything were to go wrong. He implied that I would be saving money in the long run.

I responded by saying that “I don’t care if it is certified. By finding that same car on the street for $14k, I am saving $5k that I can put into a stock account and collect on average 12% interest, and if something were to happen then I can pay for it with the money I saved while that saved money is in return making me money.”

He didn’t look too amused by my money saving techniques. He then proceed to tell me that he has another car that he can give me a good deal on. A 2005 Black LX with 30,000 miles on it for only $15,800.

I looked at him and laughed.

I said “Sir, that’s a lemon. You do understand that it makes no sense to sell me a 2005 LX for $3000 less than a 2003 LX with the same amount of miles on it.”

“But it’s certified. And we got a good deal on that car and I want to pass it on to you,” the salesman said.

I promptly told him, “I’m no fool. That has nothing to do with it if you got a good deal on it. If that car is a good car, then it’s worth $21-$22k. Car salesman are greedy people and you would try to sell it at that price if you could. But it’s a lemon. And if it really is a good deal, then why don’t you buy it for $15k and then sell it for $22k yourself and make $7k off it. But you can’t because it’s a lemon.”

Silence. And then comes “But it’s certified and I’ll show you the car fax on it.”

“I don’t need to see the car fax on it. And this is just shady. I will not even look at that car. Now Sir, are you willing to go down to $14k on the 2003 LX?”

“No.”

“Then thank you for your time.” I shook his hand and then left.

Once we arrived home, I went to KBB.com to look up the price of that 2003 LX with 30,000 miles on it. And it’s worth $14,030 in good shape from a private seller ($14,800 in excellent). I was dead on. But from a retailer, it said it should be around $16,800 meaning that this dealership was really jacking up prices.

On Sunday, I found the exact same car, even the same colors as this dealership, from a private seller with 55,000 miles on it. We went to look at it and test drive it. He took my offer of $13,200 with an option to back out of the deal after a mechanic looks at it. Better yet, the inside of the car is pristine, much cleaner than the one at the dealership. It’s looks brand new on the inside with only a few minor scratches on the outside.

If the mechanic approves it, I’m thinking about driving it by the dealership and letting the salesman know just how overpriced his cars are. Then again, any dealership is going to overprice by a few grand. But I really do like messing with car salesman.