[Loiter]

So I'm shopping for a Gen II Volt to replace my soon to be expired Gen I lease.

I've done my usual homework and been shopping around. I got a quote from a dealer much higher than one I've received from another dealer - then I asked the dealer if he'd be willing to compete.

Here's the bit - he's asking me who I got the lower quote from - but he hasn't given me a number to compete with

In his words "Do you mind telling me what dealership that was from? I like to know what is out there. "

Should I tell him which dealer is offering lower?
Should I tell him - "if you'll beat the offer, I'll tell you"
Or should I just say "I don't feel comfortable giving that info out, but I'll see if I can get a sale sheet for proof" and make sure the dealer isn't named

 

[mikeg3]

So I'm shopping for a Gen II Volt to replace my soon to be expired Gen I lease.

I've done my usual homework and been shopping around. I got a quote from a dealer much higher than one I've received from another dealer - then I asked the dealer if he'd be willing to compete.

Here's the bit - he's asking me who I got the lower quote from - but he hasn't given me a number to compete with

In his words "Do you mind telling me what dealership that was from? I like to know what is out there. "

Should I tell him which dealer is offering lower?
Should I tell him - "if you'll beat the offer, I'll tell you"
Or should I just say "I don't feel comfortable giving that info out, but I'll see if I can get a sale sheet for proof" and make sure the dealer isn't named

He's going to use the info against you. That's what dealers do.

 

[Fyodor]

He's going to use the info against you. That's what dealers do.

On the other hand, he has some right to know the figure is not one you have just made up. You have to judge the situation in front of you. Assume the worst and you are more likely to get it. Option #3 is the one I'd go with. You will be able to judge better from how the discussion goes from there.

 

[llninja]

4. Say nothing and find a 3rd dealer willing to go lower than either of them

 

[VoltenRock]

I don't know -- I'm up front with all dealers when I buy. I would tell the dealer, because I don't care. There is absolutely nothing anything a dealer can "do" to me until I sign the paperwork--which is always my option. What are they going to do? Call me names?

I go in with a price in mind, tell them to meet it. If they don't, it's simple--I leave. No games, no playing around, no following all those "rule books" on "how to get the best deal." When I go in the finance office, I only have two words I ever say "no" and "lower" (when it comes to rate). I haven't got time for worrying about what I say, or what they'll do.

The best negotiating tool you have--your feet.

 

[Mcgsp]

Always remember its your money and your time. If you can have everything in writing on price when you negotiate with another dealership its also a protection for you should things go south with either dealership. Also check internet prices and check dealers website, prices do vary between website price and what the dealership may offer, Let him know the figure, but do not tell him the name of the dealership. Don't let them waste your time, if they hem and haw walk away. The dealership has 3 choices meet the price, go lower, or not negotiate. if it becomes a hard sale, just walk away, its that simple and its amazing how fast the dealer will run after you and give you a different price.

 

[Henry_FL]

I had something similar, told the dealer two others had sold at the price I was looking for and gave the names. That's when the dealer lowered the price to match. Got my new 2013 out the door ( all fees / taxes ) for 27500 which was a net 20K after the tax credit. Best car deal I have ever received.

 

[Loboc]

Dealers aren't ethical, why should you be? Car salesman are in it for one thing: commission. They are motivated to get the highest price (and pay) from each sale. If you 'negotiate' you will lose most of the time.

Go in with the price you want. If they meet it, take the deal. Overthinking or spending a lot of time working a 'deal' will generally be worse than the initial offer.

We are in their yard every 3 years or so. They live there. The cards are stacked.

 

[bro1999]

When I was shopping for a Spark EV lease and figured out what a good deal should be, I asked a couple of dealers "what's your $0 down quote? I've already done weeks of research, and am looking for $___ per month on a 36 month/10k lease." and one gave me a number, another said he'd need me to come in to give a number....cross that one off the list.

I then went to my local dealer and told him right off the bat "Dealer A is offering this exact deal...can you beat it?" and forwarded him the email from dealer A. He eventually said they'd beat it, and I walked in the dealership and signed papers matching the deal quoted over email.

I would have no qualms giving another dealer's name to a competing dealer in an effort to get a better deal.

 

[GSP]

I think it is best to just buy from the dealer with the lower quote. Going back and forth asking for a lower quote than the others each time is a game that can backfire.

I just go to three dealers and ask or their best price. I tell them this is what I will do. I then buy from the lowest one, if all else is equal, or from the one I think is the best value to me. This is how businesses buy from their suppliers, so they should not be upset if that is how you buy from them.

GSP

 

[jeff_h]

I think it is best to just buy from the dealer with the lower quote. Going back and forth asking for a lower quote than the others each time is a game that can backfire.

I just go to three dealers and ask or their best price. I tell them this is what I will do. I then buy from the lowest one, if all else is equal, or from the one I think is the best value to me. This is how businesses buy from their suppliers, so they should not be upset if that is how you buy from them.

That's how I see it too - the dealer that initially offered the lower price is the one that was willing to get your business in the first place, and the one with the higher price had the intent of taking you for the additional hundreds (or more?) right off the bat.

As for naming the other dealer, think about it in the reverse role: if you walked into their showroom and said you are interested in that nice red car right there and sales rep said "well we have someone else interested in that right now" and the customer asks "may I ask who that other customer is?" -- privacy considerations aside, would the sales rep tell you who you as the consumer have for your competition? It's a bit apples-n-oranges since the scenario is not exactly the same, but the point is that the dealer would not go out of their way to give the consumer the business advantage so why do it for them? That's why I would go with the one that offered the best price from the jump unless there were other important factors at play.

 

[Bacardi]

There is zero to gain by telling them and you could lose...If you feel the need to answer him be as vague as possible "I"m not comfortable with giving you my source but I will tell you they're located in an neighboring county" or "it's a Costco dealer"...

Edit to add: Most dealers are very well connected to eachother, there are all sorts of trainings, conferences, etc most attend...Many have even worked at competing dealers...Even if the front line salesman was hired off the street that day and has never worked in dealership before, his boss or the G.M. is bound to know someone working at a local competitor...Odds are they'll at least attempt to reach out and request a favor of not negotiating with the buyer any further...

 

[DBecker]

The dealer is in the car selling business. That's what they do. It's the full time job of everyone at the dealership.
You can be certain that they know the local competitors and their prices.

The likely reason that they are asking the question is to find out how much pricing research you have done, not because they don't know the other dealer's pricing ranges.

 

[kns]

Here is how I bought my second Volt, a 2015. Went to three dealers on a Monday and gave each my specs and that I was asking three of them to bid. Told them that I wanted one number, their best offer, all in and net of my 2012 as trade-in, and that I would make a decision on Wednesday. Two of the bids were within $100 of each other and the third as considerably lower. No muss, no fuss.

KNS

 

[Michaelh310]

I usually say, "This is a buy bid. Give me your best, take it or leave it price. I"m asking this question of several dealers and whoever gives me the lowest price gets my business. I won't come back to you with a chance to lower your price. I'll either come in to buy the car or you'll never hear from me again "

I usually do the same thing when buying or selling a used car. On the phone I negotiate a bottom line take-it-or-leave-it price. When I'm buying, I promise the seller that I won't use this price as a starting point for further negotiation... when I see the car I'll either take it at this price or I'll thank him for his time and leave. When I'm selling, I tell the guy this is the final price...when he gets here he can take the car at that price or leave, I'm not dropping it even by one dollar.

Cuts the hassle both ways.

 

[Galvanic]

Don't tell the dealer who his competitor is.

This is because if the other dealer needs to do a trade to get your car, and it just happens to be with this higher priced one, he will know not to make that dealer trade and you lose.

 

[Loiter]

I ended up using much of Bacardi's post -- I told him I wasn't comfortable sharing who it was and that it was a California dealer that was a bit of a drive and that I wanted to give a more local dealer a chance to bid for business. He said he would match the other's offer. I haven't purchased my Volt yet due to a few more weeks of my lease left. But it worked - I didn't feel like I betrayed the trust of the best priced dealership and the second dealership was willing to compete.

 

[winchipper]

"Dealers aren't ethical, why should you be?"

Such broad statements. Many dealerships are very ethical and work on very low returns on large investments. We are one of many industries that still actually negotiate on products and services. By the way I am okay if we were not that way and all consumers just paid the asking price. 30 years ago customers would come into a dealership and ask for a 250 payment with 1000 down. I can tell you in 30 years what somebody gets for the same 1000 down and 250 a month is far superior then the ten fold gallon of milk which has not evolved at all. I can tell you the same old houses rent for ten times as much and selling price are far greater then those were originally sold for. We are hiring and thus always looking for the next innovative and ethical person to help make a difference. Shopping for a Volt in SOCAL can be easy. We always have great deals on Volts. For 5 years we have and with over 3000 real deals that came from this Forum I think there is solid proof some of us are ethical. I hope this same poster would not tell his kids to go steal because other thieves do. Cards are on the table at KEYES CHEVY and always have been. Are we perfect no. Am I perfect no, but the deals have always been great. Are they the best? Not always because some people occasionally have something going on some unit somewhere, but are they excellent and hassle free... YES. So in summation it depends on how you want to approach life and shopping. Is your time important? Do you want to do business with someone who is TRUSTWORTHY? Do you want to do business with someone and a dealership who has been Volt active across the country? Sales people are not always motivated to get the most money from each sale. This is a complete incorrect statement. In todays Chevy new vehicle market most deals are done for below cost and even at sticker most dealers commission structures are such that salespeople earn flat 200.00 per unit or less in some cases. The factory chips in with up to another 200.00 if the salesperson does proper delivery and gets Customer satisfaction scores above his or her peers. Used cars can be a complete different world depending on the dealerships sales model. Thus a sales person goal is to make the buying experience quick, simple and for fun if it can be. Welcome to the world of internet and information. Things have changed and maybe down the road perceptions can as well. I bet we would attract even better quality people if salespeople did not feel they always had to defend situations like this. Try this next time you are at the grocery store. Load your basket up and let the cashier ring it all up and then ask for a 15 percent discount. If that does not work act like you are just going to leave. Then ask for a manager. I priced the same gallon of milk at 5 different stores and guess what 5 different prices? Most people spend much more on food then a car payment but chose to negotiate far harder on car payments or cash deals. How about car insurance have you shopped your policy of late. If not do it and you might find that reading this diatribe just saved you money.

Rick Alpern
818 231 1286
Still the only GM on this site that is active enough to help sell Volt and now Bolt. BTW .. Some of the deals going on Trucks and Suburban's are simply amazing. Lease a Cruze for 159.00 a month and only 24 months with a few provisions like a competitive lease , excellent credit and a little down.

 

[ToddHinLA]

I am on my second Volt, and both times I leased through Rick Alpern at Keyes Chevrolet in Van Nuys CA who is not only a great guy giving me the best price but also very ethical. I went to other dealers before I found Rick and I wouldn't go anywhere else when it comes to getting a Chevy. Not many GM's participate in a forum like this, but Rick does and it's how I found him in the first place.

 

[Loiter]

snip

Hey Rick!

Glad to read your post -- it's always enlightening to see the other side of the coin. I blame the industry model for the years of distrust built up between buyer and seller. You are very right in that car sales is one of the few places where the price is as negotiable as it is.

For better or worse, until the situation changes, dealers will compete with another to the benefit of the consumer while competing with the consumer to their respective gain or loss.

I think the biggest difference between the grocery store and the dealership is the sheer amount of money involved. If I buy a higher priced gallon of milk, I'm out... 1-2 bucks. Even if I get crazy and do all my shopping at Safeway, I'm out maybe $75 extra over a less expensive store.

But just in my limited shopping I've ran into 3-4000 thousands of dollars difference for nearly apple to apple (in terms of features) Volts.

I don't think dealers are un-ethical or that consumers should be either. Dealerships are in business to make a profit, if they don't, they close up shop and their employees are jobless. Consumers are looking for a car and want to save money, and as I mentioned, potentially thousands of dollars (no small amount to most of us I'm sure).

And I'll agree - a feeling of satisfaction and trustworthiness is worth something - a dollar value is hard to place on that. So for me personally, there are limits to what I will do. As I mentioned in my other post, I protected the name of the lowest dealership because I feel loyalty to the place that is working the hardest to earn my business. I guess that's just my personal ethics, but it feels like the right thing to do for me.

So thank you again Rick for being here and contributing to these forums - it means a lot to me (and I'm sure many others) to have you here with us crazy Volt (and Bolt/ELR) fans.