How bad are dealers doing?

Ford, Chevy, Dodge are not doing well. When my wife and I were in the Toyota Dealership picking out my truck, I asked the Floor Manager how they are doing and found out (to no surprise...due to living here in Dallas) that they are selling cars left and right. He didn't specify the number of new and used that are flying off the lot but did say that on any given weekend, they are selling 45-50 cars a weekend and 10-15 sales a each day. I am not sure what the norm is but he clarified that they are seeing very little decline if much of one at all.

I think where you see the struggle is the big three (which sucks because it would be good to see American Automakers stick to their guns) but they aren't holding up to the competition well at all.

 

For more torture I stopped by a dealer on the way home from work. I didn't see any TRD Off-Road models, only one TRD Sport. Some sales kid was smoking outside and came over to me. I told him I was only looking and he started talking about the IRS 2009 tax break if I buy a car, etc... I asked him about a TRD Off Road pkg and he just said he could bring one in but any "truck" will be hard to special order because they don't want to get stuck with it as they already have a few on the lot that have been there since December. Said the sedans sell but SUVs are slow and trucks are not moving right now. He even said the FJ Cruiser was a flop. Too expensive and no one wants them anymore.

He actually told me if I can hold out until 4th of July (which I sure can) I definitly will score a better deal on a Tacoma. I told him i probably won't be ready to purchase until Sept/Oct and he said that is probably the best time to strike a deal that is more in my favor but the pickings could (should) be slim... so I can take my chances. And he said normally they will not offer much on the 2010s in the fall, maybe at xmas time.

got his card and left. we'll see. at this time i can not buy, not stable enough for me. gotta wait it out. sux.

But I've pretty much decided on just the SR5 if/when I can do it.

No F-150 for me...

 

My friends family owns the largest Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge dealer in the area. Learned this inside tip from him...

Dealers make most of their revenue from incentives provided by the manufacturer. Each month, they have a quota. If they reach that quota, they get a huge incentive (bonus). If the end of the month is approaching and they are close to their quota, they will take a loss on the sale of a vehicle because it could earn them the much bigger bonus. This is when they are most desperate and will try anything to get you to close the deal. At the start of the month, they are less motivated and tougher to negotiate with.

The only problem with this is learning when their "month" ends. It is not necessary based on calender months.


Also, if you wait until Sept/Oct, your options will be limited. You may have the accept what the dealer has. If you buy earlier in the year, you can specify options, color, model, packages, etc. You can save money but don't expect there to be a lot of options at that time (if any).
I started looking for a 2008 around November 2008 and could not find one within 300 miles. I waited till February and got a 2009.

 

Absolutely. I bought a 2006 Ford F-150 FX4 extended cab for $36K brand new. Sold it to a buddy 1.5 years later at the peak of gas prices for $21K. When buying domestic, big $$$ to be saved buying used.[/quote]


36k for a Ford F150????!!!!!!!!!!! God dam

 

$36K is about invoice for a loaded F150 FX4. Trucks ain't cheap!

 

well i got a call back from one dealer (with large inventory). said the "incentives" end soon and if I know what's good I better come in to talk because I may not get this price again. I told him "no thank you" and he said "good luck in the future you are gonna need it if you really want a Tacoma..." geez...

The MSRP of the SR5s I want are $27,713 (some include a mat that ups it another $100). The prices I've gotten so far have been:

26,388 (only 2)
26,147 (only 1)
25,800 (8)
24,995 (6)
24,000 (large inventory)
23,885 (large inventory)
23,700 (large inventory)

Most of those prices are so high. But then again I have not started "the game" because I am not ready to purchase. What prices should I expect to see when I play the game? The 23,700 is more like it but I'd want to see that as low as possible. I have not mentioned I have a trade in. But I guess if I'm ready to play I should just deal with the large inventory dealers to see what I can do. I'm itching to just start the game and go for it but the rational side of me is holding me back. I keep thinking fall is a better time (personal finances)... but i don't want to loose a good deal.

 

funny a toyo/nissan dealer called me and actually wanted me to buy a new 07 Nissan Frontier LE in black. I asked him "new"? and he said yes only 35 miles on it. Said they need to get rid of it and said that the Frontier is a better truck than the tacoma.

I told him no thanks and he said "please just come down and check this truck out. It is really nice and we are giving it away"

i went after hours and looked at it. its pretty nice yes but wonder what its beeing doing all these years. looks like its already sold though so whatever...

I rarely see Nissan trucks. This specific dealer has 0 Nissan trucks on the lot. I thought I heard Nissan was doing bad.

 

This month when I was looking to buy a new Tacoma they were only giving $300 off sticker and the $1500 dual cab incentive. Told them I was ready to buy today. Went out and bought a used 2006 with 16k miles for $7k less with more equipment. Guess they didn't hear about the bad economy.

ritrebor

 

I really don't think the dealerships around my area are doing that bad. I'm trying to find a part to install the OEM cruise control so I stopped by the dealership. They said they charge $500 to install the whole thing!!! I bought all the parts for $127 and it took 10 minutes to install (except that mine is included in the 1% of trucks that are missing the power and ground wire, but thats another thread). They said the 3/36K warr is included with it, but I could buy it almost 4 times over for 500 bucks. They can't be struggling that bad.....

Still better than dodge.

 

Being a former owner of a 2004 F350 Powerstroke...trust me you cant afford to pay the repairs when its out of warranty! Its a great truck...and I sure miss mine...but I knew I did the correct thing by dumping it before the warranty ran out. Bought a 2009 Taco and dont regret it.

Ive also read the new 6.4 Powerstroke is also have its own teething pains...poor fuel mileage...reliability problems...etc. With only a 2 year run before its replacement in 2010...I wouldnt touch it!!! Did I mention Im glad I bought a Toyota!!!