I bought a used car last summer. I did a LOT of research beforehand and had it narrowed down to 3 specific cars I wanted to test drive. I showed up to the dealerships (there’s an auto mall close to where I grew up and where I was buying the car so lots of dealers) with printouts of the specific cars I wanted to test and didn’t even look at any other cars, was very upfront that I needed to buy a car that day and was only willing to pay XYZ amount out the door. Drove a Jeep Compass, VW Tiguan, and Nissan Rogue. Liked the VW the best, but the dealer was totally unwilling to sell it to me for less than sticker price, claiming that he was already taking a $5k loss on it. Dad (who was with me but had been silent until then) asked if the dealer was accustomed to selling cars at a loss, because if so he wouldn’t be open very long. Guy was stumped. Credit union (who I had full financing with) refuses to finance anything over KBB value, so I told them I had to walk away. No excuses, just “I am not willing to pay more than X amount” and that was it.
I walked away and got a call from my credit union asking if I was planning to buy the car (because I had already filled out some paperwork.) When I said we couldn’t agree on a price, she took down what I was looking for and said they would help me look and wouldn’t send me suggestions unless it was within my price range.
Ended up going back to the Nissan dealership and got a great price on a VERY gently used car (only had 8.5k miles on it when I bought it) for the price I wanted and much better customer service, much more willing to work with me. The finance guy even said he was surprised VW wouldn’t make me the deal I wanted because it was reasonable and the end of the month.
VW called me back the next morning–after I’d already bought the Nissan.
I’ve been very happy with the Rogue and think I made the right decision. Friends who know a lot about cars say I’ll be happier with the Nissan anyway since VWs are so pricey to maintain.
I think what made it easier for me was knowing that I wasn’t going to ever see these people again–despite their friendly nature, they’re not my friends, they’re doing their job. I also knew exactly what I wanted to pay going in, and knew which specific cars I wanted to look at and didn’t look at any others (I think I sat in one other because the Jeep guy REALLY wanted to sell me a car, but didn’t even test drive it because I didn’t like it.)
Ended up getting exactly what I wanted for the price I wanted and have been head-over-heels in love ever since.
I did buy the extended warranty only because the mileage was so low and I know I’m going to have this car for a long time. I also ended up buying a protection package in which if I blow a tire, break a window, lose a key, or get a ding, they’ll repair it for free for 3 years, because I was driving across state lines into unfamiliar terrain less than a week after I got the car, and I got a $500 instant rebate so I was playing with house money.
Overall, not a terrible experience (especially once I left the sleazy VW dealership) but not one I’m excited to repeat in a hurry.
Last thing: I probably did get somewhat lucky because shortly after I bought my car they introduced the new body style of the Rogue, so they were probably trying to get rid of the old ones in addition to it being the end of the month.