[DeTomaso] NPC - Truck Shopping

Fri Jan 25 00:07:24 EST 2008

This car search is all very interesting.  I feel more empowered and informed
this time than any previously.  I know exactly exactly what I want.  I have
the additional experience of age.  I have the cash.  I have the time.  I
know car sales are slow.  I have many years of knowlege from internet
surfing and posting with you guys.

I have taken your approach.  Nearly all the internet sales interfaces have a
spot to add a text note.  I've done essentially what you recommend.  One
dealer has responded beautifully, with an emailed offer price (a good one) a
summary of what's on his lot, and a list of what's close on lots for 150
miles radius.  He was a terrific help on the phone when I called.  I'm going
Saturday to discuss further.

Here's my favorite:  I go to the Ford Direct Website, enter my specs, issue
the soliciation to the several recommended local dealers.  One dealer, 1/2
mile from here, where I previously bought a car (minor bad experience
therein) responds: No email.  Calls me on my cell.  I can't take the call,
but arrange a time to call back.  I call then. I get the receptionist who
takes my name and puts me on hold.  She comes back to tell me the salesman
is "busy with a manager" and wants to call me back in a few minutes.  I
never get the call back.  The Ford Direct website sends me an automatic
follow-up email for my request posted for this dealer.  Its says if I have
any comments or questions about the Ford Direct Service or the Service I
receive from the dealer to email them at wecare at forddirect.com  I send them
an annoyed email at that address and it bounces back.  wecare my ass....and
they sit in their leather-upholstered offices wondering why their market
share is dwindling.
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Curt Hall [mailto:cuvee at sbcglobal.net]
  Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:47 PM
  To: tony DiGiovanna; MikeLDrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
  Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC - Truck Shopping

  A few years back I heard about a deal made while looking to buy a Co.car.
  A guy sent a email to three different car dealers (Owner or GM only and CC
the three)  He had financing and looking for the best price. Told them what
color and options on the car, and the best price would get the deal. No
haggling, no salesmen. Bring the check, sign the papers, drive off in the
car. Maybe something like this might work to buy your ford pickup?

  tony DiGiovanna <tonydigi at optonline.net> wrote:
    So.....were any of these broker sales on new cars?
    I called the local listing for a car broker - used cars only.
    I can't really wrap my head around how there could be such a thing as a
    broker for new cars: How could the franchise dealership network would
ever
    stand for it? Isn't the exclusive right to sell the factory product a
    primary tenant of any franchise retail contract? It's kind of the basic
    points I'd say. Even if so, it would seem like a broker was a dealer
then
    and would have similar cost/profit structure as a dealer? I also can't
    imagine a dealer selling cars to a broker with a discount sufficient for
the
    broker to sell to me at a price lower than the dealer's retail price to
me.

    This is difficult to comprehend.

    -----Original Message-----
    From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com
    [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]On Behalf Of MikeLDrew at aol.com
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 11:46 PM
    To: tonydigi at optonline.net; detomaso at realbig.com
    Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC - Truck Shopping

    In a message dated 1/22/08 18 31 30, tonydigi at optonline.net writes:

    > I'm shopping for a new V-8 Ford Sport Trac.  Currently following the
    advise
    > on www.carbuyingtips.com.
    > Just checking if anyone has an inside track, like an uncle that owns a
    > dealership. Or any other related advise.
    >

    I'm not a new-car-buying kinda guy. But several friends have utilized
the
    services of a car broker, and have saved astounding amounts of money
above
    and
    beyond the best possible internet deal available.

    I don't really understand exactly how it works, or rather, WHY it works.
    But these car broker dudes apparently do such volume business that they
are
    afforded the opportunity to buy cars at a deep, deep discount. You just
go
    to
    them and tell them what you want, and how specific you are. If you're
    flexible
    on color, or whatever, that gives them more wiggle room. But you can be
as
    exact as you like.

    Rick Moseley was very specific indeed. He wanted a new Toyota pickup
    truck,
    a certain model, with certain features, and only in black. He actually
    found one that suited his tastes locally. The dealer wouldn't come down
on
    price
    and was offering him peanuts for his trade-in (a very nice, also black
and
    only a few years old Toyota pickup).

    So, Rick went to the broker. The guy took down all his information and
his
    wants, and went to work. A couple of days later, the broker called him
    back
    and said he could get a truck that ticked all the right boxes, for X
    dollars,
    and would give him Y dollars for his trade-in. As I recall, the broker
    price
    was at least 2-3 thousand dollars less than the dealer's 'best offer'
and
    the
    trade-in on his old truck was higher too. So of course Rick jumped at
it.

    As it happens, the broker was delivering literally the same truck; he
got it
    from the local dealer and handed it over to Rick. And for his services
he
    charges a flat fee, something like $500. Money exceptionally well-spent!

    (Ironically, the day after Rick took delivery of the truck, the
dealership
    phoned him, trying to reel him in to come back into the store and
continue
    dealing on it--Rick had to (gleefully) announce that he was at that very
    moment the
    owner of the truck they were trying to sell him--and that he'd paid a
hell
    of
    a lot less for it!)

    Look up 'auto broker' in your local yellow pages, then give one of them
a
    call and see what he has to say!

    Mike

    **************
    Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.

    http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
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