I'm a car salesmen, Go ahead and ask me anything

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by cral12

Anyone with experience dealing with T & T Honda and/or Valentin Volvo - just curious if positive/negative or as expected in your dealings with them.

I bought a used Volvo at Valentine, and have nothing but the best feedback about them. The salesman (Tyler Dillon) was friendly, honest, and easy to deal with. He agreed to fix all the concerns/issues I had with the car, and we came to a fair price fairly quickly. Totally lacking in any car sales slime....probably why I didn't even negotiate as much as I probably could have.

It's usually the after-purchase service that dealers make a lot of money on and where you can have mixed-results....but so far I've had a good experience there too. When my battery died a month after purchase, I called them up to see what battery they recommend putting in, and they straight out offered to give me a brand new battery for free (even though it wasn't covered under warranty). That went a long way with me.

[cral12]

Thanks Table_5 - you're bang on - the after-purchase service was what I was curious about. Appreciate your comment. That type of service goes a long way.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteEbola

I start at 20% off asking price and go from there.

Is 20% of a little lofty to start out with (unless dealer has severely marked up price)? Or is it the "not stupid who asks, stupid who gives" kind of mentality (variation of a friend of mine's personal proverb).

[Sylvanfan]

I'm considering a mid sized car to use for commuting to and from work, that can also be used for family errands. Cars like the Subaru Legacy, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fushion.

Does the all wheel drive, make a huge difference, or can good winter tires and traction control do the job.

The other issue is that I'm starting to believe that when it comes to vehicles there are two ways to go. Committ to spending on them, and lease one that you can renew for a newer one every 3 years, or buy a cheap $1500 one and run it till it stops and repeat.

[DownhillGoat]

I swear by AWD. It's gotten me in and out of a few places that I wouldn't have with an FWD (mostly out in the mountains).

That being said, AWD isn't a replacement for winter tires or a traction control system. It's not going to help you brake faster. It's not going to help you turn better on an icy road. It gives a lot of drivers a false sense of security. It will however prevent you from spinning out on an incline (ie icy intersections) and it'll put power to the pavement provided you have traction.

I'd take a FWD with winter tires over an AWD with summers, but IMO an AWD with winter tires is the way to go if you're driving lots in the winter in the foothills or the mountains.

I'm certainly no expert, and it's a widely debated topic, but thats my two cents.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I'd take a FWD with winter tires over an AWD with summers, but IMO an AWD with winter tires is the way to go if you're driving lots in the winter in the foothills or the mountains.

If you live in the city and drive on road, then FWD with winter tires will beat out AWD with all season in winter.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I'm considering a mid sized car to use for commuting to and from work, that can also be used for family errands. Cars like the Subaru Legacy, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fushion.

Does the all wheel drive, make a huge difference, or can good winter tires and traction control do the job.

It makes a huge difference. Especially if you buy that Legacy. Subaru's AWD is just out of this world. I am not a Subaru owner simply because nothing they make was in my wheelhouse in terms of the actual vehicle type I was looking for but everything else being equal, if you want something that'll perform in winter, get that sucker.

The other issue is that I'm starting to believe that when it comes to vehicles there are two ways to go. Committ to spending on them, and lease one that you can renew for a newer one every 3 years, or buy a cheap $1500 one and run it till it stops and repeat.

It depends if you're going to be satisfied with the cheapo rig. I don't even spend that much time in my car and I still wouldn't want to drive a junker. Some people just don't care, or circumstances dictate that they have to settle for less. That will depend on you.

I think that's a false dilemma though. If you want a car for 10 years, buying it is still the way to go. I'd lease if I were a) able to get a smoking deal (i.e. my friend who's leasing her 3 series for 36 months at like $300 a month) and b) not too married to a particular vehicle and enjoy changing things up every couple of years.

[JohnnyO]

Whats the best way to get a used car checked out for accidents and history? Is Carproof/Carfax really that accurate?

[Finner]

Will car dealerships buy used vehicles but not for trade in? Like can I take my car into a dealer and try and sell it directly to them without buying another?

[Sopure]

Originally Posted by Finner

Will car dealerships buy used vehicles but not for trade in? Like can I take my car into a dealer and try and sell it directly to them without buying another?

They will do buy-ins, but it's almost always for a wholesale or "rough book" number, even if it's a clean car they can market. I'd try selling it privately first before resorting to that.

[Table 5]

Selling your car at a dealership is pretty much like going to a pawn shop....it's about as terrible of a value as it gets. You're much better off selling it on Kijiji...even at a discounted rate.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by JohnnyO

Whats the best way to get a used car checked out for accidents and history? Is Carproof/Carfax really that accurate?

In Canada use Carproof, but keep in mind the info is only as good as the people that entered it, and not everything ends up being entered. The best way is to get a competent mechanic to inspect the car, if you find there have been major repairs, look for another car.

[fundmark19]

Are dodge trucks terrible quality compared to everything else? Since I am moving to Cochrane I am looking at getting a truck since I can't borrow any from my close friends anymore. I want a quad cab and so far Dodge 1500's are the only thing coming in my price range of sub 10k. Often even cheaper then the Dakota. Is there something I am missing as to why these trucks are so cheap compared to the rest of manufacturers.

[Bean]

Thought I'd see about an opinion with respect to last week's hail storm.

If a dealership is offering $7,500-$10,000 off a car (lets say a $50,000 car) and it might cost roughly the same amount as the discount to fix the damages, is there any strategies for dealing with regards to buying a hail damaged vehicle?

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle;3829846
That being said, AWD isn't a replacement for winter tires or a traction control system. It's not going to help you brake faster. [B

It's not going to help you turn better on an icy road.[/B]

Not true, depending on the system it can take you out of an understeer situation, especially if you're able to put the power down and have it transfer to the rear wheels (Torsen centre diff will do this).

[Sopure]

Originally Posted by Bean

Thought I'd see about an opinion with respect to last week's hail storm.

If a dealership is offering $7,500-$10,000 off a car (lets say a $50,000 car) and it might cost roughly the same amount as the discount to fix the damages, is there any strategies for dealing with regards to buying a hail damaged vehicle?

Are they fixing it or just giving you a whopping discount to make the car go away? Be careful if it's the latter-- because an insurance company will not fix a 'damaged' panel if it's ever involved in a collision, your fault or not. If they fix it and give you a discount, it's alright-- but a hail claim will still show up on a Carproof. But being in Calgary, I think anyone who picks apart a car (dealership, consumer, whatever) that has had hail and fixed properly is an idiot.

[Travis Munroe]

I picked up a brand new vehicle about 6 months ago.
Problem 1- I was not told that I only need an oil change at 20k so had a full oil change done at another shop at 6k. (perhaps I have been under a rock and should have known this)
Problem 2- Sunroof stuck on slant and tweeter in rear door is clicking. I take it in, leave in a loaner and get a call 3 hours later to come get my car as they have to order the parts. PITA but o well. I also ask what can be done about the headliner as so much water came in during a heavy rain storm that the headliner was soaked and dripping on the seats. They said it looked fine and nothing would be done. Do I have any say on this or do I have to go by their word that it looks fine and not worry about mold?
Problem 3- I pick the car up and realize a few days later they didnt put the wind deflector from the sun roof back in and its just exposed steal. Also, they didnt replace the tweeter at all. The service report says the mechanic confirmed the rear speaker sounded bad and I am now assuming he was too lazy to listen and just replaced the speaker when it was fine all along.

So here I am 6 months in, going in for my third trip when I feel 1 trip should have solved all of this.

Is there anything I can look for in compensation or is it just bad luck on my part? Everything is warrantied but its still a pita to schedule a loaner weeks in advance and drive around with either a slanted open sun roof in the rain or a awful sounding tweeter or in a car that sounds like a 737 when the sun roof is open due to no wind deflector.

/end rant

[zamler]

What car do you own? One thing you can do is take it to a different dealer, if you still don't get anywhere then calling the auto maker to escalate things sometimes works, but you have to be very persistent.

I would not worry about mould in the headliner it will dry out, but I would worry about damage and warping, as well as water stains. Obviously they have to put the wind deflector back on, you own it!

[Travis Munroe]

its a Mercedes (purposely left that out) because you assume some sort of quality whether its the car or service which has been a 0-10 so far.

In regards to the headliner...is it my right to say I want it taken down and steam cleaned or something along those lines as it got wet from a defective sun roof?

As for everything else, is it fair to look for a discount on my first scheduled service or anything like that or is this just part of the game. (never had a brand new vehicle)

[zamler]

I'm surprised the dealer is treating you so poorly, when you buy a premium luxury car one of the perks is supposed to be the service. The headliner is a grey area to me, how long was the sunroof broken? Not it's not your fault, but if you know it's broken why park it exposed to the elements? What were the circumstances surrounding this? The headliner itself I doubt it will ever be the same, cleaned or not, plus the damage may not be visible. What about the seats and carpet, how much water got on them?

Call Mercedes and complain, you are getting sub par service. edit --- here is the number
Mercedes-Benz Canada Customer Relations 1-800-387-0100

seriously call, but make sure you have all your documentation ready and give them as clear a description of your experience as possible.