I’ve been negotiating with several dealers for the past week and I’m getting to the point where the dealers are wanting me to forward them offer emails from the other dealers. I’ve already sent a redacted email but I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with forwarding the whole email. Would they start contacting each other to lock the rate so it can’t go any lower? Or would they give my information over?
The emails were all pretty nice until one of them offered a solid $700 below. Then they all started asking for proof.
That would be price fixing which in most places is a big no-no.
That being said, why should they take our word for it? Hard quotes (written) are like gold and in most cases provide leverage. If nothing else they’ll level with you and tell you why they can’t beat that deal.
I wouldn’t share it. I would just say “can you beat it or not? If not, I’ll take their deal.”
And, yes, I have had one dealer contact another. Not to lock in a price but the GM of dealer 2 called the GM of dealer 1 to complain that he was giving too good a deal. I have obviously never gone back to dealer 2 since. And I have never shared such info between dealers since.
The only time I’ve ever provided a written quote is if the other dealer will guarantee to beat that quote if I produce it.
This happened to me when a bmw dealer in Maryland said I was full of shit about a $245/mo 328d lease. He said he would beat it if I prove it. I did, and he didn’t. Typical…
Usually if a dealer is asking you to see a quote on paper, he is not taking you at face value. I have been asked that when I was younger, sometimes with actual quotes, sometimes without. I would never really follow up to anyone who asked me. All of my purchases since then have been with people who took me at face value from the get go. If you have to prove anything, you should keep walking.
I assume they would only ask you this if:
You seem to be wasting their time
You are making quotes which are well below the average quote
You don’t seem serious.
Bad salesmen will assume any of the above and lose the sale many times. Personally, make couple phone calls to dealerships near you, work with the one that is willing to go the lowest. If you keep bouncing back and forth, it just shows your not serious.
I did have a dealer contact another dealer at one point. My satellite radio on my BMW locked out and disappeared from the menu. The nav had been having problems with restarting and since I was sure it had Sat, I told my local dealer to fix it. He says the car didnt have Sat. I said, contact this person, he sold me my car. Service rep at my local dealer emails my salesman (about 9 months post sale) and my salesman just replies, Yes.
Suddenly I was getting hourly updates and was told not to fill my loaner vehicle with fuel as they will take care of it
In FL I have provided a written quote and when the dealer can’t/won’t beat it they proceeded to tell me that this quote is BS and they are going to pull a bait and switch and they are just looking out for me because they are such straight shooters.
Yeah, I say thank you so much for looking out for me I am going to call them on their bluff. I never had a dealer that did not honor the written quote. I once had a dealer that tried to change their offer for a trade so I got up and left and they agreed to give me what they had promised. I think the main thing that people so often miss is you have the power not them. Get up and leave.
Like the saying goes “buyers are liars” I’ve had people tell me “So and so offered me $X/Mo and $X sales price can you beat it or no”
I tell them no (knowing the price I gave them is already nearly unicorn status) and say if they show me the quote I’ll try to get it matched and delivered for free with no broker fee obviously, they disappear and come back wanting the original deal I had offered
Just my experience though might be different for others
“wow, that is really good! You should take that!” Was my favorite.
