Quote:
Originally posted by TerryBPP
Kaisen, I would barter for hours over $500 to a car dealer. But we are all not ballers like you.
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I understand that $500 sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but....
You have to assign an opportunity cost to anything you do. If you are willing to give up a few hours that you could be spending with your family or working and generating revenue/income, it COST you money to spend that time negotiating.
The more you make, and the more hours you work, the more precious your free time becomes. When you have kids it becomes evident.
There is also a value in buying from a good local dealer. They earn their reputation by taking care of their customers. They need to make a fair profit to continue to do so. Get 3 dealers involved in slashing their own throats to earn your business and pretty soon you will see the level of service decline. Understand that there is a difference between Costco and Neiman Marcus. Would you buy your BMW from Costco? The local dealer WILL take care of you if you show that you value the relationship.
We tip a valet for good service. We tip a bartender for good service. We tip a waitress for good service. Good tipping is what, 15-20%? But we are willing to cut our dealer's throat over 1.3% ($500 on a $38000 car)??? If you tipped your bartender 5% would you expect good service next time?
I'm not suggesting that we all lay down and pay through the nose. Just pay market value. Figure out what a 'fair' deal is and keep it local, especially on a new car where you will be visiting that dealer for maintenance and warranty work for the next few years.
Spending 10 hours and driving all over town for $500 and lower service seems like a diminished return.
But hey, we can take pride in 'winning' on price.
E