i think 15-17 is a little low, i've seen HIGH mileage Z's sell for that price, i think 18k is a resonable price.

To the op, if you really want this car see if you could squeeze them a little lower, when i bought mine i gave them the price i was willing to pay and told him to call me when he could do it, sure enough he called me back two weeks later. i got my 03 in October of 05 with 29k on it for $22,5xx out the door with the 60k extended warranty.

 

Just went back by the dealership. She said her bottom dollar was $19,500 otd or $18,500 Plus t/t/t

 

That's the negotiation "problem" from your perspective... _you_ went back to them. Thank her for her time, leave your number and tell her to give you a call if their "bottom dollar" changes. When the car doesn't sell, they'll call.

Regards,
ClarkEMTP

 

That is far from how things work in the retail car business.

In this scenario, we have a car that is probably worth $17,000 at the auction. This information is not available to you as a consumer. This data, not KBB or NADA, is how a car's value is set. Then there is a sales pack of dealership overhead affixed to a car beyond it's actual cash value, typically $500-$1250. Then they need to make their $1500 profit so nobody gets fired.

$18,800 sounds like the money on this car for you. Your options for getting one at a lower price include buddying up with a wholesaler and watching out for private party sales.

 

Dude i wouldnt pay more than 17k. Its an 03. For 18-20k you can get an 04 with the same miles. Im in the market as well and am looking at an 04 with 27k for 19k. Id tell them 17k.

 

Actually, that information is available to me. I have inside access at a car dealership where I detail cars for them, and sometimes fill in as a sales guy on the weekends when they're short on help.

Average black book on the car is 15,500 so the 17k you quoted sounds a little high to me. Also, from what I'm told, these cars are coming in "behind the money" at the sales. Also, since the car WAS a trade-in you and I both know they took her to the cleaners on the trade.

But then again, I've been wrong before, and I could be wrong now....

 

I guess I should of specified, but she called me and asked if I could come back by....but yeah you're right

 

Stop going back and forth about. Set the price you are willing to pay, and tell them to call you when they can meet it.

That's it.

They have to make a certain amount over what they have in the vehicle. They might have sunk too much into, or they are just being greedy.

Either way, just set a price and make them meet it.

 

**** ****it. 15k. End negotiation.

 

Average cars at 15.5k have 55k on them. At 17,900 the above cars have 27k on them. This is for auction rats.

I guess if you can buy one for 17k or 15k or 8k, you are right and I am wrong. I really don't think anyone will retail a worthwhile unit to you for that amount of money. Why don't you have the dealership you work at get you into the auction and make a house deal?

 

Yeah, you're definetly right about the whole mileage thing. And you and I both know that low mileage cars and auctions dont really go hand n' hand.

I just have a feelin' that they lowballed the lady that traded it in on a new car...which is usually the case.

Thanks for the help....I need all I can get!

 

I think that's the missing link here. It doesn't matter what they gave the lady on trade. Let's say they gave her $100. The car's actual cash value is still $17,000, the $16,900 goes as gross profit to the transaction that takes the car in; the dealership is still invested in the car $17,000 + pack + recon. On the other hand, if the lady demands $20,000 for her 350Z, the difference is charged to the transaction and the dealership is still invested into the car $17,000 + pack + recon.

What you are looking for is a dealership that has lowballed itself; not likely.

 

Agree 100 percent. Makes no difference if the present owner paid $5,000 or $20,000 for the car. What maters is What is the car worth to you? I have a feeling that you do not want the car. If you did, you would make an offer.

 

I have made them an offer and they know where I stand.

I also noticed last night (I went and looked at it very closely after they had closed) and noticed that the front bumper has spider cracking in the clear around the emblem and the emblem itself was broken, but its not noticeable unless you look REAALLY close. There is also a indentation on the rear bumper where it looks like someone with a front license plate bumped into the rear and left the perfect outline of the top of the frame and the two small screws.

After bringing that to their attention today the response was "yeah, we knew about that and have compensated and adjusted the price all ready taking that into consideration". So now to be 100% the bumpers need to be resprayed and theyre not willing to come off the price of the repair....or he said they could fix it and I could pay their cost for the repairs.

Startin to get discouraged

 

I will disagree on that. The actual value of the car to the dealership is what they gave in trade + pack. Auction price is simply a factor in helping them make a deal. Why sell it retail at $17K when auction values are about $18K? But if you can get more retail, then sell it that way. Auction values are simply a guide to how much to put into a car.

All that's really important is how money the dealership has invested in the car versus the profit they need to make on it.

 

Not at the prices they are charging you.

 

So what you're saying is that if you took a trade in and underallowed on it $1500, then your managers should not pay you on that gross profit?

I understand that there are a lot of dealerships that keep secrets from employees, and I'm not going to start a car business 101 thread. The first part of your post is simply incorrect, and will possibly give the OP, with his limited grasp of the car business, an unrealistic expectation.

This doesn't make you a bad person. People come here to learn about buying cars. For better or worse, I 've learned a lot more than most.

 

Well, since I work the deal from meet & greet through finance, there are no secrets kept from me.

The ACV on the trade is whats important, because that + pack is how much the dealership actually owns the car for, and that determines what they can sell it for. Auction values are merely a guide as to what to put into a car.

The value put into the car by the appraiser is ACV, regardless of what the salesperson gave her for her trade.

And I am glad it doesn't make me a bad person....?

 

I appreciate your help, but I dont understand why you always have a condescending undertone. No one is questioning your knowledge.

It just seems to me that the bottom line is what the dealership actually has in the car. Regardless of what we think its worth or what book on it is.

If they have 15k in it they COULD sell it for 16k theoretically. Would they want to...of course not, but they could.

Thanks for the help fellas, we'll see if they give me a call.

 

That's exactly it. Auction prices are used as a guide to what they should put in the car, but once they bid a car, they have to make X amount over their cost.