(OT) Car buying experience - non Porsche, for sure....(long)
#16
Rennlist Member
You definitely have more patience than I do. We went weekend shopping (years ago) for an SUV for the wife - she wanted to look at the Liberty, Passport, RAV4, Escape/Explorer, and TrailBlazer. We were very irritated to find most places closed on a Sunday (which I still have trouble believing, given the percentage of the US that works 8-5 M-F, leaving 1 weekend day for all their business). So we test drove the Fords and the Chevy and she drove the TrailBlazer home. I think I must have emailed a Dodge dealership about some questions (we were going to look at the Durango too), because they called the next week all excited to have us come it.
It was very rewarding to say, "Well, gee...I came by Sunday. You were closed. I bought another vehicle the same day from a competitor. Thanks. <click>"
When we bought our Odyssey, I had my Porsche rep have his GM call the GM at the Honda store (same owner) and let them know we were coming over and wanted a good price if we decided to buy (the wife is an impulse/emotion shopper). I didn't have all the numbers at hand, but I did get a chance to glance at invoice, holdback, and incentives before leaving work (we went on a Friday evening). They didn't try to bargain too hard and took her Element at near-or-over value and gave us about 20% off the Odyssey.
They definitely know how to keep us coming back to their dealerships.
It was very rewarding to say, "Well, gee...I came by Sunday. You were closed. I bought another vehicle the same day from a competitor. Thanks. <click>"
When we bought our Odyssey, I had my Porsche rep have his GM call the GM at the Honda store (same owner) and let them know we were coming over and wanted a good price if we decided to buy (the wife is an impulse/emotion shopper). I didn't have all the numbers at hand, but I did get a chance to glance at invoice, holdback, and incentives before leaving work (we went on a Friday evening). They didn't try to bargain too hard and took her Element at near-or-over value and gave us about 20% off the Odyssey.
They definitely know how to keep us coming back to their dealerships.