Business idea for car buying..

"MUSASHI66" (musashi66) 09/04/2020 at 23:14 • Filed to: None

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Start a website where you fill in your information, pick the desired car and specs , and enter the payment terms you are after. If a dealership has what you want and can offer it to you at your desired terms , they can contact you and make a deal.

I am so damn tired of calling and emailing dealerships just to be lied to again and again and again...

It would be a real lead generator for dealerships, and cost to match the dealership to the client can be either per car or a monthly subscription. Basically, a car broker app. Dealerships can rate your offer and if it is unrealistic, after a few downvotes, the buyer gets notified and can either delete or adjust. 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > MUSASHI66 09/04/2020 at 23:27

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Well dealers rating offers from buyers strikes me as a good opportunity for collusion. Dealerships are cutthroat, but they will protect each other to not set a precedent of negotiable pricing. The trend lately seems to be no negotiating whatsoever (frickin’ Carmax...). An image of a man in a light pink button up with no tie, folded arms , and an aloof smirk comes to mind.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/04/2020 at 23:29

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Yeah yeah COVID has created a sense of desperation among dealers briefly, but don't bank on that lasting much longer. Plus demand for used cars continues to rise and the pricing actually seem to be climbing...

ttyymmnn > MUSASHI66 09/04/2020 at 23:32

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I had a friend who wanted a specific car. A Honda, I think. He went to a dealership and found a car he liked, sat down, haggled, etc., and then said to the salesman, “Can I use your phone?”  He picked up the guy’s phone, called another dealership, said, “I’m at XYZ and they’re offering $XX for this car. Can you make it worth my while to go to your shop?” He hung up the phone, and said, “See ya” and left. He did that two or three times and finally paid what he wanted to pay.

MUSASHI66 > ttyymmnn 09/04/2020 at 23:43

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That might work with a written offer these days.

I just spent two days with a dealer and and the end, they refused to “take off” the dealer addendum  protection package - even after I pointed that there already was a $500 protection package in the msrp of the car. I wouldn’t buy it out of principle although it was actually under what I planned on spending 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 09/04/2020 at 23:46

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Some would say that’s a dick move but I’d call it genius.

MUSASHI66 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/04/2020 at 23:46

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Good point. Maybe I’d make it where dealerships couldn’t see anything other than the downvote but wouldn’t know who did the downvoting. Maybe I’d skip that completely and make it so where only the customer could see the downvotes to decide if they need to adjust their offer or just delete it.

Or, just skip the ratings and let the dealership take the offer or not take any action. 

MUSASHI66 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/04/2020 at 23:49

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I just spend some time on Facebook marketplace. The number of 2000’s Tundras with 200+ k miles, with body damage, or salvage titles, with asking price of $6000+ makes me think I could sell my clean 2000 V8 AC with 146000 miles for $8000-9000. I could probably sell my 2007 base model manual  Fit with 48000 miles for $4000. Used market is insane. 

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/04/2020 at 23:49

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And he made the call right in front of the other salesman. Ballsy.

onlytwowheels > MUSASHI66 09/04/2020 at 23:55

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Geez, there must be something like this already, or was. A good friend’s brother bought his Mustang 12 or 13 years ago through a website. He enter ed his information, gave a list of what he wanted a nd submitted it. I believe they sent this information to five dealerships in your area.

He recei ved quotes from only two, used lower offer to get better deal from highest  dealer quote and picked up the car. This was 2007, I believe.

Svend > MUSASHI66 09/05/2020 at 00:09

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We have that in the U.K.

There are sites you pick the car, make, model, colour, accessories and then dealerships e-mail you with their best price, with a breakdown of finance options, etc...

Then there's ones you enter what your requirements are for a car, it gives you some cars within that criteria, then shows what the prices are, what the best price is, where, etc... 

MUSASHI66 > onlytwowheels 09/05/2020 at 00:16

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Costco is like that but not all the way. On there, you can ask for a car but can’t set the price you’re willing to pay. 

I just don’t want to talk to dealers for hours while they are working on the deal which has no hope. 

MUSASHI66 > Svend 09/05/2020 at 00:18

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That’s not bad. I really want an option when a place doesn’t even contact you unless they can match your payment requirements. But, seeing a dealership offer - especially if it includes all the fees - would be great. 

onlytwowheels > MUSASHI66 09/05/2020 at 00:22

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I spent two hour negotiating the last $400 on my trade once.  Salesman kept walking outside for a smoke.  I broke him.

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/05/2020 at 00:44

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Between groceries, cars, and real estate, Covid hasn't seemed to have much of a positive impact on pricing has it

MUSASHI66 > onlytwowheels 09/05/2020 at 00:49

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For me it wasn’t the money, it was principle of it... I was ready to go to $650, but their $644 offer had a $1095 insurance package which I flat out refuse to buy as it is a scam/gimmick.

If they didn’t include it, and just had a lesser discount, I’d be flying to Dallas on Tuesday. 

Svend > MUSASHI66 09/05/2020 at 01:01

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There are so many sites with so many variables, from the ones I’ve stated to subscription types, short or long leases, etc...

Buying online, buying over the phone, one to a few day test drives, etc... 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 09/05/2020 at 10:42

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But no one really wants to have to do that.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 09/05/2020 at 10:45

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Wait, only 140k? That's basically brand new in Tundra terms. My dad's truck is only at the "well broken in" stage at 300k and I've talked to people who have driven Sequoias even more than that without a single major malfunction.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 09/05/2020 at 10:46

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Prote ction from what? Like some sort of crappy insurance that they won't honor?

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/05/2020 at 12:13

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Correct. Not any of us want to, and we shouldn’t have to, but that’s how they insist on doing business. I’m not about to give up $400 of my hard earned money to someone I don’t know or love. I have been the go to friend and family member for many car purchases. I am numbers oriented, I am mechan ically knowledgeable and I am OCD enough in the details. I have thrown out of multiple car dealerships. I have walked out of dealerships multiple times, only to be chased by the salesman and lured back in. I had a dealer that I told “ I only need one number from you, the value of my trade”, and they c ouldn’t even do that. I had a salesman throw my keys at me in anger from across the showroom, because I wa sn’t willing to be taken advantage of.

The industry allowed this to exist, and maybe even encourages this behavior. I would hate going through this every time we made a purchase of goods and services. It is ridiculous, and I’m crazy enough to make them fight me for my money.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 09/05/2020 at 12:19

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I’m not convinced I would go quite that far but I am the type of person who won’t be taken advantage of but also won’t just walk away. I’ve had lots of panhandlers shout at me because I won’t give them money but I’ll entertain their conversations. I’m more than willing to buy people food but that is declined a shocking percentage of time.

I’ve never had prolonged conversations with anyone at a dealer because I’m on the low end of the market where they simply don’t make sense but I don’t get the impression they are pleasant places to spend time. If most people ordered their cars from the factory and dealers didn’t have to sit on massive inventory I think the sales environment would be much better.

By the way that internet rabbit hole you sent me down of antique colorized footage of everyday life is just getting deeper.

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/05/2020 at 12:46

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I like cars, always have. After dealing with many different sale people, I can tell most of them could care less. It’s just a sales job, no different than vinyl siding or furniture. The more they take the more they make. People who live in a certain zip code will pay more than others, your favorite aunt’s friend from church will get a good deal.

If I spent 2 hours to get $400 more, essentially I have paid myself $200 per hour and the dealership has lost $200 per hour. That’s easy math. Eventually someone at the dealership should be able to figure it out. They just hope you won’t.

One time, while shopping with my sister for a new car, I asked the salesman for 2 numbers, one with the trade and one without a trade. He came back from his manager with 2 sheets of paper, the price on each was very close, only $101 difference. The lower number was without trade. The dealer wanted $101 for taking her car in trade........

She bought the car without trade. She p ut her car up for sale, clutch was slipping and body rot was developing, and still got $900 for it. That’s easy math, $1,001 in her pocket. That’s mid 1980's dollars, 1,001 dollars in 1986 are equivalent to 2,354.19 dollars in 2020 .

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 09/05/2020 at 12:59

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Yeah you have to be careful to read into what exactly you are signing away and which parts of the contract are beneficial and which aren’t. That’s a good way to think about it, paying yourself the amount you save per hour. And $101 for any running driving car is just crazy. That would be junkyard money.

Of course sometimes a good deal falls into your lap. I went to see a 2012 Cruze with only 100k miles listed as private party for $4,900, found out it was someone operating a dealership out of their apartment, and negotiated it down to $4,900 including dealer fees, tax, etc and both of us walked away happy in a short amount of time. He bought it at a repo auction so he still made a profit and you couldn’t come close to that price for a 100k mile car with bluetooth at the time. 

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/05/2020 at 13:35

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Apa rtment complex dealers were common in California too. I went looking at a Saab convertible at an apartment, I told the guy selling it that it wasn’t the one for me, so he took me around the lot and showed me 3 more.......

Also, r emember they were charging $101 to take the car, not giving.

One of the best car buying experiences I had was a used car lot that was also a boat dealership. It’s where I bought my NB Miata. I had been shopping for a new Miata, and priced a couple that I liked on the dealer lots, so I was aware of what the ballpark figure should be.

I asked the owner for his best price, and it was $2k less than I was willing to pay. He had bought the Miata for his wife, to replace her Jeep Wrangler, but she didn’t like being so low to the ground. It was a current model year, 1999, with just under 4k miles. List price on this particular car was around $ 27.5k, he sold it to me for $20k.

I was going to need a small, short term loan less than $2k to make the purchase. The boat dealer says his bank will finance for cheap, and tells me the rate. I tell him, I’ll just go to my credit union. He pushes the phone towards me and tells me to call my credit union. My credit union interest rate was 1% higher...... I told him “ I’ll take your bank too”.

I got the exact car I was looking for, at a lower price than I was willing to pay with interest lower than I was expecting to pay. Not a bad day.

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/06/2020 at 02:20

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I know, that’s why I think I can get top dollar for her. We’re looking at a new one with better towing capacity for my wife’s future horse trailer. But, we just bought a new car today...

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/06/2020 at 02:21

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Yup, exactly, fabric and paint protection. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 09/06/2020 at 12:58

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Wait, just looked back and you specified the Tundra has AC. Did some of them not? If so, can’t imagine many were sold like that here in Georgia.

Congrats on the new car. I expressed my love for the 500 Abarth on the other post but daaaaaaaaaang that combo of colors and options is just perfect. 

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/06/2020 at 16:21

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Thanks man! I love it, it’s my second Abarth and they are just fun.

AC is access cab  in Toyota lingo. DC is double cab. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 09/06/2020 at 16:25

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The AC on these are basically the perfect c abin vs bed size compromise. Most of the time they can just be flipped up for storage and the clamshell doors make them convenient to access while they are still large enough to accommodate  2 more passengers in relative comfort. 5 on a road trip is a stretch though (ask me how I know). 

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/06/2020 at 18:16

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Ouch. We’ve had 4 in there before and it’s a pain. Double cab 2005-2006 models are ideal I think - way more room and same bed size. I’d rock one of those in a heartbeat.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 09/06/2020 at 18:34

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Yeah but the shorter wheelbase ones are already hard enough to park and sticks out of the carport just a bit. That extra foot would really make a difference. Obviously you shouldn’t regularly carry 5 but 4 is fine for trips around a half hour or shorter. Add in a dog or two and maybe you’re pushing it. The way I see it, the extended cab pickup is basically the least family friendly car that you can get away with with a family of 5 if you have another car (7 seater). It just so happened that the Volvo broke down the day before we left on a vacation so the truck had to do. 

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/06/2020 at 18:40

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My AC is perfect as is with a topper for two of us and three dogs, but I still wish I had the DC.

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