So, I go into the dealer where I bought my WRX to request printouts of all the service records so I can sell it.

First, I stop in and see the sales manager and tell her I am selling my WRX so I can get an STi, and I need her to tell the service department to give me my records (true story, and also the best way to avoid getting pushback from the service department).

She has this look of shock: "Are you on our STi waiting list? There are 75 people on the waiting list."

"Well," I say, "I am not, but most of those people probably aren't serious anyway, so I am not concerned. I need to sell my WRX first anyway."

"Actually," she replies, "when I called around a couple weeks ago, everybody on the list was still good to go."

So what the heck - it's free, so I put my name on the waiting list, go and get my service records and drop by and thank the sales manager for her help.

Back at the office, three hours later, my phone rings... It's one of the sales people (I told her I didn't want to deal with salespeople).

"We just went through our waiting list, and we have a car for you."

I couldn't stop laughing: "but I was just told there were 75 people ahead of me..."

"Well, I guess they weren't serious..." (does that sound familiar?)

(surprise surprise)

"Well, I'll take the bait - how much do you want for the car."

"$41K"

Laughing: "Good luck. Please don't call me again until you are willing to have a serious discussion about selling a car. I'm busy and I don't appreciate people wasting my time."

How could they call all 75 people in 3 hours...? Maybe they didn't? Nah, dealers are all so ethical and honest, they wouldn't do something like that!

I'd bet my left nut that there was at least one person on that list that would have taken the car at MSRP.

Why should I ever trust this dealer again?

They probably ran my credit without asking from their records (if they did, I will report them to the feds), saw I could afford to pay their markup and went trolling for a sucker.

Sigh...

Why can't people just operate above board?

 

cmlnr,

What actually happend is that the salesperson told the sales manager about your situation of wanting to be on 'The List', and requesting your service records to help sell which you "need to sell" and they put one and one and one together and came up with SUCKER.

They saw you as a mark!
Think about it from their position. They are in the biz of taking people for every dime they can and here you walk in all Mr. Joy Joy talking about a need to sell your current car so you can get in line to get what dealers feel is the filet mignon of Subies.
Well, when sharks smell blood they take immediate action.

Now because you are an educated buyer you know that $41K is insane and stupid, much less paying above MSRP...especially in these down economic times. But they had to take a jab and see if you'ld flinch, bleed or bark. They played the odds and came up empty, this time. But But some other schmuck/sucker wil pay that much or 'haggle' that price down to say $37 or even $35 and feel like they did something while the dealer laughs his fat a$$ off to Aspen on that guys dime.

This game doesn't just happen with STi's or cars for that matter, it's everywhere. Go buy a house, apply for a loan, purchase a watch from Bailey, Banks & Biddle, pick-up a motorcyle or even visit your local gas station for a propane tank refill and you'll find that _everything is negotiable_. It's the game. It's the American way.

Kudo's to you for not being born yesterday, just falling off the apple cart, coming out of a coma blind & dumb or just palin being ignorant.

BTW, if you are in need of an STi I know where one is available right now/today (!) that I negotiated $1K _below_ MSRP just 48 hours ago but passedon becuase I found a better deal. So if you are ready to roll and serious PM me for the details and I'll put you in touch with the right folks.

- Janq

"A fool and his money will soon be parted." - P.T. Barnum

 

I swear to God, Its so GD hard not to HATE dealerships. I purchased my REX from the owner,[of the dealership] after getting a fleet price via their e-mail. First time in my life that buying a car didn't make me really pissed. In the So. Cal. area I'd rec. Irvine Subaru. Just bypass the sales dept. and ask for owner,[Desi] or her son, Jeremy. When they were finishing my paperwork, I was talking to one of the sales staff about after-market IC's. He said" I don't know why you'd want to change any of the radiator tubing, it's really a hassle". No idea how this worked. Pathetic! Collins

 

This story is not about an STI, however; it's about one of the worst Subaru dealerships out there. I believe in supporting your local business', so when shopping for 2002 WRX I visited Staten Island, N.Y. Manfredi Subaru. They had on the showroom floor a black WRX with all the options I wanted, for sticker price of $ 27,000 and change. I asked the sale person, what was the bottom line? He said that these cars are in demand and the best he could do was $ 26,000. I said the highest I'd go was $24,000. He said, no way, and I handed him a business card and told him, when the demand for the car let's up and he can make the deal, give me a call. About three weeks later, my wife wanted to see a WRX, because she knew I wanted one, we passed by S.I. Subaru (Sunday Closed) and saw the exact Black WRX with a sign on the windshield weekly special $ 24,000. I never got a phone call and I have not been back, however; I did get my Suby.

 

Janq's point is right on the money. I started selling cars while still in school to help pay my way through. The one thing I learned..this is a tough business. Its a tough business for the owners and even a tougher one for the salespeople (cause we make much less money). Of course the dealer is going to try to make as much $ as possible...isnt this the point of our capitalistic society? The best way to make buying a car easier and cheaper is to 1. Be patient and 2. Actually look at the transaction from the dealer's prospective. The dealer is in the business to SELL the car. Give them the chance to do so and you will get a great price. The more a customer makes it a fight the more the salespeople will make it a fight. This makes it an uncomfortable situation for both parties. When a customer is up front with me I am the same way back to them. And it is this cusotmer that always get the best "deal". Just my 2 cents.

Sully

 

Lost in all of this discussion is the fact that at least some of the people on the 75 person waitlist were very serious buyers and had "rights" to that car. But the dealer shopped the car around first.

I wonder how many cars they have "unloaded" this way while telling the next guy on the list, "Sorry Sir, but we just haven't gotten anymore in yet - perhaps in another few weeks."

 

Guys,

Just so you guys know, I wasn't the least bit puzzled by this. My post was meant to be tongue in cheek. I wasn't born yesterday. I am a venture capitalist. In my business I've seen about every negotiating trick to gain advantage in the book.

I simply thought the boldness of their dishonesty was amusing.

Thanks for all the comments and be careful out there!

 

Isn't fundamental honesty from the dealer the most important building block of a good dealer/customer relationship?

I've got no beef with them making a buck, but should I be patient with ribald dishonesty? If I look at it from their viewpoint, will I see something that excuses dishonesty?

 

Oh dont get me wrong I think that the story that was posted about the waiting list was hilariuos, becuase of its blatant dishonesty. My only point was that unfortunetly dealers like this give all honest dealers a bad name. But i guess thats just the nature of the business. Good conversation piece at least.

 

While I understand where you're coming from Janq, that's not what happened. All my dealings were with the sales manager. All the sales person did was take down my information at the direct request of the sales manager. Didn't even talk with the guy (just to set the record straight).

I didn't come in Mr. Joy Joy, and I told them that I DIDN'T need to be on the list, because it was my belief that most of the people on the list weren't serious. I looked the sales manager dead in the eye and told her that. I am a very understated 35 year old. My approach was completely nonchalant. I told the sales manager that I have other cars, so I am in no hurry, and have no interest in paying markups. I negotiate for a living; believe me, I'd never let 'em see me drool. Please just take another quick look at my post. Some of your assumptions are missing the mark.

You're preaching to the choir Janq. That was my thought exactly when I posted. The point is, if they are going to be dishonest, they shouldn't be so OBVIOUS about it. If they parade their dishonesty in front of me, they lose credibility and I won't deal with them. Their dishonesty was so blatant that it was HUMOROUS.

That was my intent in the post, but the message might have gotten lost near the end.

I'm a venture capitalist Janq. All I do is negotiate all day long. Believe me, I know the game. But successful negotiation hinges on something called "good faith." There is actually legal prescendence that defines good faith in business dealings. Drawing up a list of 75 interested buyers, then putting me at the head of that is not "good faith." They have shown me that they do not deal in good faith with their customers. Unless I am an idiot (I wasn't last time I checked), that tells me that I should expect bad faith business practice in future dealings. But at least I was laughing about it, right?

I really do appreciate the offer Janq but I have a lot more thinking to do before I buy another Subaru... The latest object of my desire is an '86 Ferrari 308 GTB, hopefully in yellow. (I'd prefer a 246 Dino, but the are too unreliable, and too dern expensive).