As many of you know, I am in the market for a new(er) vehicle and am finally getting around to seriously looking, shopping and test driving. This thread is inspired by some of the crazy things I have come across, and please post any of your crazy pricing stories! Also, are there any dealerships near you that are notorious for wacky pricing?!? Do you wonder how they come to their prices?!? Were you browsing recently and came across a price that really made you scratch your head?!? Well then this thread is for you!!! :)

Today was a really good day for such things:

1. Honda dealership, brand new lot: PMM EX-L Accord coupe. Sale price $26,xxx. Right across the street in their USED lot, same exact car (but again, used): $29,xxx!!! :lmao:

2. Another local Honda dealership: 2006 EXV6-6sp coupe w/ almost 43,000 miles - $24,xxx. The dealer wouldn't budge and kept giving crazy stories on why they couldn't lower the price.

Me: "But, umm, sir, besides me knowing what this car is actually worth and the higher than avg. mileage on it, you do realize that the '08s you have over there are on clearance and are selling very close to this price."

Dealer: "Yeah, but, umm...this car is super-rare and could actually be worth more in the future." :lmao:

3. 2006 Accord EXLV6 sedan: $23,xxx. 2005 EXLV6 sedan w/ so much more mileage, $25,xxx! The worst part is that they had them parked right next to each other!

These are just a few of my MANY examples, and sadly, I know that I will come across even better ones soon! Shopping for cars surely sucks when you have craziness like this going on out there! :nuts:

Not pricing alone per se, but I was shopping for cars last year. There was a used 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL for whatever the price was that I really liked. I had gotten the price down to where they couldn't go any lower, but they refused to give a good interest rate. The difference between the interest rate they wanted for the used Altima and the interest rate they would give for a new Altima made the used Altima more expensive! The finance person couldn't understand why I was walking away from the deal (I told him that this wasn't the only car in the world), and the salesmen tried to give me a sob story about how they weren't making any money off the car.

Needless to say this dealership didn't get my business, and I ended up buying my 2007 Accord instead.

These are just a few of my MANY examples, and sadly, I know that I will come across even better ones soon! Shopping for cars surely sucks when you have craziness like this going on out there! :nuts:

Oh what, like asking $27,300 for a 2006 CR-V EX in June of 2008 like a dealership did around here? These dealers must be in it together! :lmao:

Not pricing alone per se, but I was shopping for cars last year. There was a used 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL for whatever the price was that I really liked. I had gotten the price down to where they couldn't go any lower, but they refused to give a good interest rate. The difference between the interest rate they wanted for the used Altima and the interest rate they would give for a new Altima made the used Altima more expensive! The finance person couldn't understand why I was walking away from the deal (I told him that this wasn't the only car in the world), and the salesmen tried to give me a sob story about how they weren't making any money off the car.

Needless to say this dealership didn't get my business, and I ended up buying my 2007 Accord instead.


Well part of the blame is on your for not doing your homework. You need to apply to online banks ahead of time before going into a dealership. That way if the dealer offers you a higher APR than what your blank check is for, you can play the trump card and possibly get a lower APR from them.

To the OP, you can read some good information from bluestars80 on what you should be aiming when negotiating for a used car. I'm amazed that suckers still buy used imports when for a few thousand more they can get new ones. My only dilemma is that I want the older gen Accord.

Good luck in your car hunting. It's been over a year and I still don't know what to buy :)

As I was fighting to get a better price on my previous vehicle a big guy with a big voice walks through the dealership's main door behind his salesman and states "I want leather, nav, everything, money is no object!" My salesguy heard it as well, and got a really constipated look on his face as he looked back at my cheap arse with my spreadsheets and folder full of info from the net. I'm guessing the crazy prices the OP listed are for guys like Mr. big voice.

To the OP, you can read some good information from bluestars80 on what you should be aiming when negotiating for a used car. I'm amazed that suckers still buy used imports when for a few thousand more they can get new ones. My only dilemma is that I want the older gen Accord.
Thanks! I am assuming bluestars80 is a forum member and has a thread on here somewhere?

I have a really good grasp on negotiating and have gotten killer deals in my lifetime, but in my older age I have WAY less patience. Since no car nowadays gets me that excited (well, one I am willing to spend on that is) I don't even bother for too long. I understand a dealership is in it to make money like any business, but you have to be realistic, especially with customers who you can tell in 0.5 seconds they know what they are talking about.

Good luck in your car hunting. It's been over a year and I still don't know what to buy :)
Thanks, you too! :)

i hate dealer's used car stickers!!!! It doesn't make sense at all that's why I don't even bother looking at them hahaha! When I was looking for a car, I was looking at 06-08 Accords.. There was one 06 EX sedan with 8k miles that's being sold for 17.5k!!! My 08 was only 3k more than that! LOL!

when i was looking at used accords, i (obviously) looked online and found cars i was interested in and looked at prices. when i actually went to the dealerships, normally the stickers price was $1000-2000 higher than the online price (reasonable). then one dealership i went to the sticker prices were $5000 higher than the online prices! i just found that ridiculous.

I feel like offering any dealership $2000 above the trade is price is reasonable. Even if they put in $1000 in repairs which i highly doubt they do, $1k profit should be acceptable for them. And certified cars are a huge scam to make even more profit. The reason why someone would pay the extra money vs. buying it privately is to have the dealer look over the car before it is sold, not pay on top of the dealers price to have it "certified".

In most cases if you are looking at a 2-3 year old import, it is better to just pay the extra 2-3k more and buy it new.

Many times, the dealer will "be into" a car for a certain amount, and need to recover it when it's sold. By "be into", it means that if they gave more money for a trade to make a deal on a new car, their "bottom line" for the car will be higher. So you could have 2 identical cars with completely different asking prices because with one they gave less for it in trade than the did for the other one. Some dealers just write it into their overall flow of in and out funding - while others have to account for a specific chain of events with the trade - meaning they won't have as much room to wiggle since they paid more for it...

andy

In most cases if you are looking at a 2-3 year old import, it is better to just pay the extra 2-3k more and buy it new.

The 06 Accord we just bought came to a little over 6K less than invoice on a new 08.

While I haven't been looking for a used car, I was floored over the new car prices over the past month.

Granted, I don't live my life through the auto industry, so maybe I was just a bit outta touch. Haven't been shopping for a new car since 2003 (the Pathfinder). So when I decided on a list of upper $30K to mid $40K crossover SUV's, I had many Japanese brands on my test-drive list and a few Germans (BMW X5 and Merc ML). The prices for the Germans I thought would be in the mid to maybe upper $40k range, so I figured maybe they would justify in my head their extra cost. Or so I thought.

I ended up test driving both. Loved them both. Each had their quirks and outright negatives (harsh rides or cheap pieces inside... totally unexpected). What really floored me was the pricing. They both start in the mid $40's or so (as evidenced by the price at the top of the window sticker).

But glancing down to the bottom after options were added (some shockingly priced... $4000-$8000 for "packages" or silly stuff like hundreds for metallic paint or things that should absolutely be standard), I almost passed out. The list prices were upper $50k to upper $60K... for a midsize SUV! Every one on the lots were loaded up and nothing seemed even slightly reasonable. So much for that...we have spent a small fortune on our house, water toys and TI condo, but at least we can live in those things. I could not believe how much a nicely equipped German vehicle was over the Japanese counterparts.

I was even a little surprised by the price of a Veracruz I looked at briefly (upper $30K before rebate) and the HL Limited I drove (41 plus change and still not every option that was available). The only ones I thought were fairly priced for their equipment levels and overall goodness were the Subaru Tribeca and the one I have decided on. Nothing I looked at over the last month or so was a true bargain though.

Of course none of this included haggling... just driving. Each dealer was very very motivated to make me a deal I couldn't refuse... and on the spot. Because I wanted to find the perfect vehicle first, i declined any price negotiations whatsoever. Still, the BMW and Merc would be at least $15K more than the Japanese competition comparably equipped. That stings.

For someone like me who likes nice cars but doesn't really think of them as a status symbol as much as an item to get from point A to point B in the least amount of time, in the best comfort, and with the best utility, the German cachet doesn't equate to tens of thousands of dollars... at least in my mind.

Verdict: cars sure do cost a lot!:yes:

Thanks! I am assuming bluestars80 is a forum member and has a thread on here somewhere?

I am always on here...........:thmsup:

I have a really good grasp on negotiating and have gotten killer deals in my lifetime, but in my older age I have WAY less patience. Since no car nowadays gets me that excited (well, one I am willing to spend on that is) I don't even bother for too long. I understand a dealership is in it to make money like any business, but you have to be realistic, especially with customers who you can tell in 0.5 seconds they know what they are talking about.

I used to laugh my ass off at examples I used to hear all the time:

"I PERSONALLY know the owner of the dealership"

"Who needs to sell a car today"??

"Whose next"??

"I don't want any BS, I just want the best car at the lowest price"

A good salesperson can deal with any kind of buyer.........:yes: I once had a hotshot lawyer tell me I was "f---ing crazy". When I calmly asked him over and over if he was a board certified psychiatrist, he finally swore and asked me why the f--k I kept asking him that. My response was that if he was NOT a board certified psychiatrist, how could he confirm I was CRAZY?? :lmao::lmao::lmao: BTW, we worked out a deal..........:)

i hate dealer's used car stickers!!!! It doesn't make sense at all that's why I don't even bother looking at them hahaha! When I was looking for a car, I was looking at 06-08 Accords.. There was one 06 EX sedan with 8k miles that's being sold for 17.5k!!! My 08 was only 3k more than that! LOL!

Some dealers mark up their cars more than others, so they can "show your more" for your trade, and get the car sold........:wave:

I used to work at a dealer, and across the street was a Honda/Isuzu dealer. They were famous for running the $3000 minimum "push/pull/drag" sales. The DAY BEFORE, I would see the used car manager taking out the OLD window stickers and putting NEW stickers in that were $3000 higher..........:lmao::lmao::lmao:

My favorite:
When we lived in North Carolina, I was looking at maybe picking up another Jeep to replace my Grand Cherokee that was biting its last bullet. I didn't want to spend the money being asked for the new SUVs. So I found one at this used dealer's lot, a regular Cherokee, and asked for its background to get the most stereotyped exchange at a used car lot that I could imagine.

They quickly pulled the carfax and proudly exclaimed it was part of a rental fleet.
ME: And that's a good thing?
Dealer: Oh yeah. That means it's been perfectly maintained.
ME: What about abuse by rental drivers?
Dealer: Oh no. People wouldn't abuse a vehicle like this. Sometimes you can just look at them and tell you have a special car. This one's special...I'm just glad we had it for you before someone else gets it.
ME: Hmm...and it's been here for...how long?
Dealer: Um...well...says here 4 months but I think the owner's wife wanted him to keep it in back. Hey, let's call him to find out!
ME: (Just noticing a bent suspension piece in the wheel well) Wow, was this in a wreck or just rolled down a mountain?
Dealer: What? Oh, yeah...man these things hold up like crazy. Now that I look closer, if you don't want it I may take this home myself.
ME: I kid you not, I couldn't resist to say: Well, if we can get that part fixed and a dikfer installed for the same price...I may take it.
Dealer: Great!
<But instead of him blurting the anticipated "What's a dikfer?", he grabbed and asked: "Now, How do you spell that dikfer?">

I couldn't stop myself from letting out the laughter at that point. I just went home to wash the greasy feeling off of my hand. Oh, and he called for three days with a kind of sinister whisper saying: "Hey man, just come on down and pick this up. You know you'll love it."

My favorite:
When we lived in North Carolina, I was looking at maybe picking up another Jeep to replace my Grand Cherokee that was biting its last bullet. I didn't want to spend the money being asked for the new SUVs. So I found one at this used dealer's lot, a regular Cherokee, and asked for its background to get the most stereotyped exchange at a used car lot that I could imagine.

They quickly pulled the carfax and proudly exclaimed it was part of a rental fleet.
ME: And that's a good thing?
Dealer: Oh yeah. That means it's been perfectly maintained.
ME: What about abuse by rental drivers?
Dealer: Oh no. People wouldn't abuse a vehicle like this. Sometimes you can just look at them and tell you have a special car. This one's special...I'm just glad we had it for you before someone else gets it.
ME: Hmm...and it's been here for...how long?
Dealer: Um...well...says here 4 months but I think the owner's wife wanted him to keep it in back. Hey, let's call him to find out!
ME: (Just noticing a bent suspension piece in the wheel well) Wow, was this in a wreck or just rolled down a mountain?
Dealer: What? Oh, yeah...man these things hold up like crazy. Now that I look closer, if you don't want it I may take this home myself.
ME: I kid you not, I couldn't resist to say: Well, if we can get that part fixed and a dikfer installed for the same price...I may take it.
Dealer: Great!
<But instead of him blurting the anticipated "What's a dikfer?", he grabbed and asked: "Now, How do you spell that dikfer?">

I couldn't stop myself from letting out the laughter at that point. I just went home to wash the greasy feeling off of my hand. Oh, and he called for three days with a kind of sinister whisper saying: "Hey man, just come on down and pick this up. You know you'll love it."


That's classic!!! What a loser......:thumbsdow Trust me, a rental Jeep has been trashed offroad more than you can possibly imagine........:yes:

That's classic!!! What a loser......:thumbsdow Trust me, a rental Jeep has been trashed offroad more than you can possibly imagine........:yes:

No doubt. Youtube has a bunch of vids of idiots absolutely abusing rental cars - even things you wouldn't expect like big GM sedans.