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So I finally got to one of the local dealerships (SHERWOOD PONTIAC-GMC TRUCK in Deerfield Beach, FL) to take a test-drive and really look over the car. First, the good... The car kicks ass. I never even pushed the pedal all the way to the floor and it still was pushing me back in the seat. The seats were amazingly comfortable (even with my CCW) and the controls all fell to hand pretty naturally. Bottom line, I like this car. They also had the exact color combo in stock that I'm interested in (black with red interior, auto trans).
Now the bad. The dealership left alot to be desired. They clearly had the impression that I couldn't afford this car. They seemed more like they were humoring me because it was a Sunday and they weren't busy and had nothing better to do. When the salesman sat down to "work up the price" the best he could come up with was the $2k rebate, no mention at all of red tag pricing. I wasn't buying today so I didn't bother arguing the point with him. When I buy from another dealership I'll send a letter to the sales manager letting them know they lost a sale.
They had several cars in stock that still had damage from Hurricane Wilma. The one I want is one of these, and has a nick in the rear windshield weaterstripping as well as a missing 90 degree piece. He told me it was estimated at $600 worth of damage and that they would discount the price because of it. The kicker? He only wanted to offer the $600. If I'm going to take a damaged car, I think I should get a discount of MORE than the cost of fixing it.
They basically didn't seem like they were in any hurry to move a GTO today, despite the fact that they had at least 10 on the lot. Maybe that was because they didn't think I could afford it, maybe it was because they still think these cars are highly sought after.
In fairness, I didn't really bother dickering with him today because I wasn't going to leave there with a car and I figured I'd save the dickering for the day I want to buy. I still felt like the guy wasn't putting his best foot forward, and I felt lied to because he didn't mention the Red Tag deal, despite the fact that I told him repeatedly that I had done extensive research on these cars on the internet. He has to know that I visited the Pontiac website and know about the Red Tag. Hell, they even had one of the red tags hanging in the rearview of an undamaged car with a price of $29k and change. The best price he offered me, on the damaged car, was $30k and change.
Dealernut, I may be coming to see you.
Now the bad. The dealership left alot to be desired. They clearly had the impression that I couldn't afford this car. They seemed more like they were humoring me because it was a Sunday and they weren't busy and had nothing better to do. When the salesman sat down to "work up the price" the best he could come up with was the $2k rebate, no mention at all of red tag pricing. I wasn't buying today so I didn't bother arguing the point with him. When I buy from another dealership I'll send a letter to the sales manager letting them know they lost a sale.
They had several cars in stock that still had damage from Hurricane Wilma. The one I want is one of these, and has a nick in the rear windshield weaterstripping as well as a missing 90 degree piece. He told me it was estimated at $600 worth of damage and that they would discount the price because of it. The kicker? He only wanted to offer the $600. If I'm going to take a damaged car, I think I should get a discount of MORE than the cost of fixing it.
They basically didn't seem like they were in any hurry to move a GTO today, despite the fact that they had at least 10 on the lot. Maybe that was because they didn't think I could afford it, maybe it was because they still think these cars are highly sought after.
In fairness, I didn't really bother dickering with him today because I wasn't going to leave there with a car and I figured I'd save the dickering for the day I want to buy. I still felt like the guy wasn't putting his best foot forward, and I felt lied to because he didn't mention the Red Tag deal, despite the fact that I told him repeatedly that I had done extensive research on these cars on the internet. He has to know that I visited the Pontiac website and know about the Red Tag. Hell, they even had one of the red tags hanging in the rearview of an undamaged car with a price of $29k and change. The best price he offered me, on the damaged car, was $30k and change.
Dealernut, I may be coming to see you.