Beer

[BrownCounty]

Do I want to pay $37,500 for this new F150 and have them give me $9,000 on my old beater?

Or would I prefer to pay only $28,500 to the people who refuse to take my trade in?

I'm not sure how I feel about the internets when it comes to new car shopping.

On the plus side, you pretty well know what your best purchase price will be for an F150.  A man doesn't have to drive all over the state to compare deals/prices.  You just hop on the internets.  Hence, dealers have to be competitive at first blush or they'll never get your attention.  Not like the old days.

On the negative side, there's no room for bargaining anymore - which I excelled at.  I took great pride 20 years ago driving home in my brand new Chevy single cab 2500 that I got for $21k, and talked the dealership into chrome bumpers to boot.  Sticker was $26k and had black bumpers.

My wife was embarrassed to stand by me while I operated on these guys.  I had to leave once - they called me while we eating lunch.  (We were in Abilene)  But after I closed the deal, my wife felt like she had just won the man lottery.  I couldn't get her off me the rest of that week.

The good ol' days of bargaining, I miss 'em.

[CharleyHorse46]

When the missus and I first got married and we were DINKs (dual income/no kids) for a minute, I used to take her to resorts and I'd love to agree to listen to the timeshare sales pitches because in half hour, they would throw their best pitch, offer nice swag and I'd just grin and say no.

After one such pitch, my i s c & a w said she really hoped I would never make her sit through one of those ever again.  I said, but they've given us booze cruises and drink vouchers and overnight stays and mini vacations and we haven't spent a dime - only a half hour of listening to a pitch.

She said, "I don't care.  It's just not worth to me."

And thus my days as a coldhearted table-turner ended.

[CousinFreddie]

I'm not sure how I feel about the internets when it comes to new car shopping.

On the plus side, you pretty well know what your best purchase price will be for an F150.  A man doesn't have to drive all over the state to compare deals/prices.  You just hop on the internets.  Hence, dealers have to be competitive at first blush or they'll never get your attention.  Not like the old days.

On the negative side, there's no room for bargaining anymore - which I excelled at.  I took great pride 20 years ago driving home in my brand new Chevy single cab 2500 that I got for $21k, and talked the dealership into chrome bumpers to boot.  Sticker was $26k and had black bumpers.

My wife was embarrassed to stand by me while I operated on these guys.  I had to leave once - they called me while we eating lunch.  (We were in Abilene)  But after I closed the deal, my wife felt like she had just won the man lottery.  I couldn't get her off me the rest of that week.

The good ol' days of bargaining, I miss 'em.

Huh, Cave, maybe we have more in common than I thought, except that my wife is at least as much of a hard bargainer as I am.  When we buy a car, we show up in the morning, pick out the car we want, and then sit there all day if need be until they give us essentially dealer cost.  It has worked for all four of our most recent purchases.  The trick is that they still get credit as a dealership for simply selling the car, and there are about I dunno 7-8 or so techniques they go through (including bringing out the store manager who angrily accuses you of not appreciating that they have lives and families and need to make a profit to live) before they finally give in.  They don't want you to leave, but you have no obligation to agree, and so we just sit on our price until they finally come down to it.  It usually takes a full day, but we've always saved a bundle that way.

[CharleyHorse46]

Huh, Cave, maybe we have more in common than I thought, except that my wife is at least as much of a hard bargainer as I am.  When we buy a car, we show up in the morning, pick out the car we want, and then sit there all day if need be until they give us essentially dealer cost.  It has worked for all four of our most recent purchases.  The trick is that they still get credit as a dealership for simply selling the car, and there are about I dunno 7-8 or so techniques they go through (including bringing out the store manager who angrily accuses you of not appreciating that they have lives and families and need to make a profit to live) before they finally give in.  They don't want you to leave, but you have no obligation to agree, and so we just sit on our price until they finally come down to it.  It usually takes a full day, but we've always saved a bundle that way.

Trick is to come in with financing already settled and STICK WITH IT.
I have a couple of credit unions so I pit them against each other like a cockfight and go with whoever gives me the best deal.
Last time we bought a newer vehicle from a dealer, I told them we had financing covered so we would basically be paying cash.   Then we hunkered down for the day long process of getting the best price.
Somewhere along the line though, I made a terrible mistake.  The dealer asked me if they could check my credit and offer me even better financing.  I should've said no and stuck to my guns but in a moment of idiocy, I said okay.
Flash forward an hour or two we got the price we wanted and we knew for a fact that the financing from our CU was the best we could do.  We took the Jeep and left happy.  We even stood by it and posed for the stupid picture they put on Facebook or whatever.
Then Credit Karma told me my credit had taken a little hit because about 40 lenders had checked my credit that afternoon.
So yeah. I got the deal I wanted but they got a little twist of the knife in before we left.  Needless to say, lesson learn and that's a dealership we'll never go back to.

[BrownCounty]

When we buy a car, we show up in the morning, pick out the car we want, and then sit there all day if need be until they give us essentially dealer cost.

My approach was always to be disinterested.  As if I'm not even shopping for a car that day.  I tell the wife to go to the mall when I'm in this stage of the process.  She's way too easy to read.  I got screwed sideways on a Lexus about 12 years ago because they could read it all over the wife's face.  She was either getting that car or I was living out of a backpack.

At any rate, I play it nonchalant - make me a ridiculous deal and I'm all checkbook.  Otherwise, I got a ball game to watch at noon.

[FearlessF]

I'm cold hearted when it comes to my money

I will spend the day.

I'm working on a Husker Red C6 Corvette this fall.  Dealer knows he can't sell it in the winter.  Will be April before anyone comes around.  I told him, "it can either sit in your garage or my garage over the winter."

I'm softening him up via email before I spend the time in his office.

[CousinFreddie]

JYeah we’re on the same page here.  We always go in with a “who cares if we get a car” kind of attitude.  And we’re often ready to ease out the door.  They have to keep asking us to stay longer, as we’re fine leaving without a car, no worries.

[FearlessF]

yup, ya gotta be willing to walk or you won't get the deal

leave the wife out of it

unless she's mean as hell and on your side 

[utee94]

My approach was always to be disinterested.  As if I'm not even shopping for a car that day.  I tell the wife to go to the mall when I'm in this stage of the process.  She's way too easy to read.  I got screwed sideways on a Lexus about 12 years ago because they could read it all over the wife's face.  She was either getting that car or I was living out of a backpack.

At any rate, I play it nonchalant - make me a ridiculous deal and I'm all checkbook.  Otherwise, I got a ball game to watch at noon.

Got an awesome deal on my most recent F150 purchase, doing just that.  The key was, I actually could take it or leave it.  Plenty more out there where this one came from and there was no urgency to my buying now, vs 3 months from now.  The salesman felt a lot more urgency than I did.
Your point is right, there's not a TON of room to bargain on an F150, but what I do know, is that I left nothing on the table.  
I walked in to multiple dealerships, test-drove at least a dozen trucks, told them all I what I was doing, and told them exactly what I was looking for-- specifically, I needed a truck that would tow at least 11,000 lbs with all of the appropriate towing options and gear ratios to do so comfortably-- and let them call me over the next week to throw their best at me.
Worked like a charm, and I even lucked into a Platinum package instead of the Lariat or King Ranch, because it was the only one the dealer had that included all my towing specs.  That salesman was motivated.  
And yes, my i s c & a aggie wife stayed out of it.  Similar to BC, she got me completely hosed when we bought her Toyota Solara convertible years ago.

[CousinFreddie]

Sweet - What year corvette?  New or ?

[CharleyHorse46]

I'm cold hearted when it comes to my money

I will spend the day.

I'm working on a Husker Red C6 Corvette this fall.  Dealer knows he can't sell it in the winter.  Will be April before anyone comes around.  I told him, "it can either sit in your garage or my garage over the winter."

I'm softening him up via email before I spend the time in his office.

Wait.
You have times of the year when you can't drive cars?  Or certain cars?
Life in Iowa must be like that March of the Penguins movie.
At the moment, it is 48, cloudy and rainy and I hope it doesn't get any colder or wetter than this or I'm just going to stay in bed.   If it's not over 70 (at least on average), I don't want any part of it.

[CousinFreddie]

Yep, a hardiness zone of 7 is the lowest I’ll willingly go.  FF lives in a 4-5 area, which is just way too Brrrrr for me

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

[BrownCounty]

At the moment, it is 48, cloudy and rainy and I hope it doesn't get any colder or wetter than this or I'm just going to stay in bed.

We're running about 41 degrees in Brownwood, non-stop rain for 3 days and no end in sight.  I suspect the town will be underwater day after tomorrow.  And I'm loving it.

I'm always a sucker for a change in the weather.  Besides, I've got an awesome Carhartt Longhorn coat that I don't get to wear enough.

[utee94]

49 and cloudy in Austin, it's stopped raining at least for the moment.  I have a massive pot of chili on the burner right now, should be ready about 6.  Smells amazing already though...