plex

iTrader: (11)

Nice review, that is a beautiful color and I really like how this SUV came together. I'm sure I'll see one around here soon.

tex2670

Do they, though? Do they "want" to physically go into the dealer and waste time and energy? Or do they feel that's how you "have to do it", not realizing there are other ways? Every person should take time to physically go to the dealer for a test drive, or make some other arrangement to do it, but for my last 4 purchases, I didn't go to the dealer to negotiate. Yes, there was some back and forth when I test drove, but after the test drive, it was all by email and by phone. In fact, for all those purchases, the first time I stepped foot in the dealer I purchased from was when I was picking up the car for purchase.

I'm find it much better to negotiate price without being in the dealer. Sure, they will try and put pressure on me, but there's just so much they can do if I don't reply to an email, or if I let my phone go to voicemail. And in that time, I can call around to all the other dealers for their best price--it's hard to do that face to face.

I'm just always surprised when I speak to knowledgeable and educated car shoppers who don't even realize that most of this process can be done in this way.

mmarshall

You'd be surprised, tex. Some old habits are hard to break....even some of my own, for that matter, although, out of respect, I won't take the liberty of trying to speak for your habits. There are people (and I still sometimes deal with them) who think that Hyundai and Kia are still building their 80s/90s-junk. Who think that Lexuses are nothing but rebadged Toyotas. Who think that Genesis products are nothing but rebadged Hyundais. (in fact, only one Genesis product was a rebadged Hyundai...the 1Gen G80). And who think that SUVs. regardless of size, are all gas-guzzling trucks. Pathetic.

As for my own view, I'm still convinced of at need for at least for a dealer test-drive and inspection before buying a vehicle....I want to know exactly what I am getting (which you can't do on-line). I wouldn't buy clothes without trying them on.....same for a vehicle. But I agree with you that traditional haggling is a PITA. I still (personally) think that the best thing that ever happened to vehicle-buying was the Saturn/Scion method of pricing the vehicles competitively (and fairly) to start with, simplifying the paperwork as much as possible, no markups/discounts, and granting a 30-day money-back guarantee if one was not satisfied (as Saturn did). yes, those two companies folded, but that was NOT because of their pricing policies. It was because the people running their master corporations (GM and Toyota) simply mismanaged them.

SW17LS

I buy clothes without trying them on all the time. I just send back whatever I don't like. To me the only benefit of buying something in a store is getting it immediately.

mmarshall

You may not be as difficult to fit as I am. That's why I do my clothes-shopping at Big & Tall departments in Walmart and JC Penneys.

But, back to vehicles, you and your wife/family went to the dealer, didn't you, to check out the Pacifica? I know you described the experience earlier, but there were several different threads on it, and it would take a lot of hunting to find and re-post the relevant story.

As an aside-note, I still laugh when I think of how that dealership tosses all of their new-vehicle key-fobs into one big box, and the dumps it on the floor while looking for one of them. Most dealerships did things more efficiently than that 50 years ago LOL.They did that with me, I remember, when I reviewed a new Ram 1500 at Josh's request.

SW17LS

I went to the Chrysler dealer to look at the Pacifica only because I had no other option. We did the paperwork at my house and they delivered it to me and took the old Pacifica.

All things considered, I typically only go to the dealer to do test drives and to collect the car, I do all the negotiating from home over email.

If there were a nice area where I could go test drive some cars and look at the different models and options and then I did everything else from home that would be great. I prefer to go in myself for service, I don't like to wait around for them to pickup and dropoff, but if there was a nice service center I could go to, fine. For instance Lindsay Lexus the service department is in a totally different location than sales.

tex2670

What you are describing is people feeling "This is the way you have to do it"; not "I like to do it this way".

You may not buy clothes without trying them on. But, @SW17LS has accurately described what many consumers do...they still try stuff on, but just not in store. The fact is, I, and many people were doing this long before mail order. I don't want to waste time in the dressing room, etc. 10x if shopping for kids. I'll take it all home, try it on there, and then return anything that doesn't fit when I come back to the store. Except now you aren't even going to the store. Zappos built a hugely successful business on this premises--buy shoes online with free shipping and free returns. Buy multiple sizes and see for yourself in your own home.

And--I don't know about JC Penney near you, but the dressing rooms in the store near me (as I'm sure most/all other stores) are closed during COVID, so you are forced to bring stuff home to try on, even if you shop in store.

I agree--plenty of people are set in their ways. That doesn't mean that they prefer doing it their way--they just haven't opened their mind to something *potentially* better for them. And I get it--I'm not ready to rely on a "money back guaranty" for a car purchase; it impacts any trade in, and financing if they pull credit reports.

SW17LS

The Pandemic also has opened people up to a lot of different ways of doing things too. So even people who were set in their ways have been forced to try newer ways of doing things too. A lot of that will stick.

plex

iTrader: (11)

Same for me with clothing and with dealerships I avoid being there other than for service. I did most of my negotiation over the phone for the last vehicle I purchased.

Trackruner

Oh awesome! Which model Genesis do you have?

Thanks everyone for all the feedback. I can tell you don't just go by cars that are listed online if you plan to check one out. We called several dealers that had cars "listed" and it just meant "in-transit" to location. Some dealers as soon as they get a VIN number start listing the car.

SoCalRX

Does your father's model have "Preview ECS"? Here is a description from the Genesis website:

PREVIEW ECS

The Electronically Controlled Suspension with Road Preview actively adjusts the GV80’s performance characteristics to deliver the smoothest possible drive. Using a front camera to spot potential potholes, the system adapts the damping force of the suspension to comfortably accommodate obstacles and reduce wheel impact from aftershocks. A feat of innovation, it also combines the camera with map navigation data to detect approaching speed bumps.


I also remember watching one of the videos produced by "Asian Petrolhead" where he discussed and demonstrating it while driving over speed bumps. Also, a few months ago, before the release of the new GV80 and G80, my wife and I drove by one of the Hyundai offices in Southern California and a new silver colored GV80 was driving out, so we were driving alongside of it. It certainly has presence. Just when we turned onto another street the new G80 in blue came driving alongside of us. Genesis has truly upped their game, and we like what they are offering. Lexus is going to have to up their game as Genesis is now an attractive alternative.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

you're right about 'old habits' - people with those habits (views) are indeed, old. Young people don't think kias and hyundais are junk. They know lexus as a high end luxury brand. They've likely never heard of genesis

Yes you bring this up in almost every car pricing/buying thread, and saturn's been gone a decade now.

100% agree. Even my mom can use zoom now.

i have a 2018 G90, for another coupe of months anyway (lease ending). It's been a wonderful car. As with every car i sell (or in this case return, it's my first lease), i will have guilt for a while about parting after the car has been SO great. If i wanted to burn some money, i'd buy it out of the lease ($31K) and sell the beater camry i now have as well (probably get $13K, so would have to come up with $18K plus tax etc). It's possible but unlikely i will do this, instead i'll wait a bit (as i already made a recent 'mad' purchase of an LC500) and at some point i'll replace the camry with another 'practical' vehicle, but unlikely a GV80.

davyjordi

i absolutely did NOT want to go into the dealership when buying my latest car so i did go in and inspect the car and then went straight back home and emailed the dealership to negotiate the price and have all paperwork ready by the time i arrived to pick up the car with a check in hand and pen to sign the paperwork. they offered to bring the paperwork to my house along with the car but i wanted to test drive it prior to purchasing and then sign the paperwork but i negotiated as if i had already test drove it because i hate dealerships that much. i also didn't want them driving my car from the dealership to my house. so i test drove the vehicle and then signed the paperwork, handed over the check and i was in and out of the dealership within 20 minutes. bam!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

that's because there's no demand.

mmarshall

While it certainly doesn't describe all of them by ay means, a lot of young people simply aren't interested in the auto market, period. They grew up in a world of cell-phones, social-media, and, recently, virtual-learning and the pandemic keeping many of them at home. When they did go out, it was often being carted around in minivans or SUVs. On top of that, many have been taught, since childhood, that automobiles, particularly with ICEs, are evil and destroying the planet...I can't get into many of the details of it, since it involves politics. But, between all of that, it is little wonder that they clearly have not shown the interest and love of vehicles that my generation did, before the 1970s came and screwed up the market as we knew it.