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pylon · 11-22-2010, 02:14 PM

Wow, it blows me away how little is known about buying a car still.

Firstly, the average markup on a used vehicle in Alberta after cosmetic reconditioning, certification and mechanical repairs is around 8%. New cars are about 7%. After people haggle you down, in almost every case, the government makes more on the sale of a dealer bought vehicle than the actual dealer.

Secondly, making an offer and then backing away on it is a very snaky thing to do. Just because the Used car manager didn't open up an accounting program, call in the comptroller, and make a call to the president of Chrysler Canada, doesn't mean he doesn't know what he has in the car. Our used car manager can tell you within $100 what he is into any of the 150 used cars on our lot, without referencing the computer. A good manager knows his inventory.

This is why I always advocate having a deposit from a customer before haggling. Money talks, and BS walks... like you did. And the beauty of AMVIC is not only does it protect the customers from shady dealers, it also protects dealers from flaky customers. You would have lost your deposit in that scenario, and not have wasted the time of a guy who is paid solely to sell, not get his chain yanked across the lot. Just because he is a 'slimy' used car guy, doesn't mean his time is any less valuable to earn a living and put food on the table.

Since the implementation of AMVIC, the major car dealers are some of the safest places in Alberta to conduct business. As a Finance Manager, I have to operate under a pretty strict code of conduct. Had I tried to pull some of the stunts, and fraudulent tricks many of the customers have tried to pull on me... on a weekly basis... I would be in jail.

11-22-2010, 02:14 PM	#13
pylon Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Jul 2007 Exp:	Wow, it blows me away how little is known about buying a car still. Firstly, the average markup on a used vehicle in Alberta after cosmetic reconditioning, certification and mechanical repairs is around 8%. New cars are about 7%. After people haggle you down, in almost every case, the government makes more on the sale of a dealer bought vehicle than the actual dealer. Secondly, making an offer and then backing away on it is a very snaky thing to do. Just because the Used car manager didn't open up an accounting program, call in the comptroller, and make a call to the president of Chrysler Canada, doesn't mean he doesn't know what he has in the car. Our used car manager can tell you within $100 what he is into any of the 150 used cars on our lot, without referencing the computer. A good manager knows his inventory. This is why I always advocate having a deposit from a customer before haggling. Money talks, and BS walks... like you did. And the beauty of AMVIC is not only does it protect the customers from shady dealers, it also protects dealers from flaky customers. You would have lost your deposit in that scenario, and not have wasted the time of a guy who is paid solely to sell, not get his chain yanked across the lot. Just because he is a 'slimy' used car guy, doesn't mean his time is any less valuable to earn a living and put food on the table. Since the implementation of AMVIC, the major car dealers are some of the safest places in Alberta to conduct business. As a Finance Manager, I have to operate under a pretty strict code of conduct. Had I tried to pull some of the stunts, and fraudulent tricks many of the customers have tried to pull on me... on a weekly basis... I would be in jail. Last edited by pylon; 11-22-2010 at 02:16 PM.