I am planning on turning in a lease next month (May) and lease a new car. Narrowing it down to the Jeep Cherokee or a 17 CX-5.
I’ve been trying to do the online/email route since some of the dealerships aren’t exactly a quick 10 minute drive. It seems like no one wants to give you a price over the phone/email/inquiry anymore. Is there a trick to getting this done? I would prefer to get as much of the ‘bs’ out of the way first before I head down.
What do you guys find is the best way to get dealerships to compete against each other? I’m really hoping to come out on top with this new lease and not get taken advantage of.
This is true. I am currently emailing and making calls and most dealers I talked to said they aren’t allowed to disclosed MF and RV by email or over the phone. I even asked to talk to a sales mgr. but same thing. A wise sales mgr asked for my SS# to check on my credit he said just to give me the numbers I asked, yeah right! I told him my score is more than good enough to get tier 1. Now, I just shoot what I had in mind paying monthly and upfront(just 1st month) and/or whatever quote I was given by another dealer. Some are willing to better an offer, others just say: Come in, we will be glad to get you a new car, lol. I dont know about other states, but here in Florida most dealers aren’t that easy.
Also from the sales point of view, its hard when a customer calls and wants a “price” for a lease. I’ve been doing this a while so I know to ask the right questions to ask, but a lease price is very specific to each customer.
Things like how many miles per year? Which XT5? (MSRP varries with features).
A lot goes in to lease price. The more specific your question is, the more likely you are to get a specific answer.
exp “i’d like a price for a lease on stock num #_____, Id like 12k miles per year and $1,500 total down including tax and fee’s. Can you email it to me?”
Also the sales people are exactly that, people. Trying to make a living. Let them know if your in the market for today, this week, or next month. the more upfront you are the better your results will be. That’s just my advice. Happy hunting!
I’m in Alabama and have mostly been talking to Chevy dealers here, one in Georgia and one BMW dealer (I gave up on the X5). I got the ball roll through USAA’s car buying service. I had three dealers follow up with automated emails as a result. One or two have called twice and the dealer in Georgia I actually messaged through FB, then switched to phone and email.
So far, the problem I’m encountering with at least one place is that they keep wanting me to “come up and take a look at the vehicle.” This particular dealership is at least a 150 mile round trip, I have a 3 year old who is with me the vast majority of the time and they just don’t seem to get it when I say, “I don’t need to look at it. I would love to talk numbers with you beforehand. But if I come up there, it will be to buy the car.”
Be prepared for a couple things though:
So far, I’m having to repeatedly remind them that if I trade, it’s a lease. So shouldn’t I get the Conquest/Competitive? (rhetorical)
Wowzers people keep trying to play dumb about things like “I’m don’t understand how the money factor thing works”. Maybe this is a normal tactic? Gimme a break, you’re the finance guy.
Some of the offers I have gotten are almost laughably bad.
I’ve had some success with emailing directly to the sales manager - I try to figure out who it is from the website and then get their email (if it’s listed). Then I just shoot a note saying something like, can you please provide me with a selling price for this vehicle, before tax and incentives?
Then when I get responses, I will engage in dialogue like, I know that xyz dealer across town is advertising the same vehicle for $1234 less than you are, or xyz dealer has offered me $1234 already ('ll include a screen print if I have one). Sometimes I’ll say “i’m shopping on price at this point.”
No matter what, I’ll be polite and thank the contact for their time and the quotes (even if they are garbage) because I understand that they are more inclined to do business with someone physically there than via email.
@CDJRElliott seems like a standup dealer and was doing spectacular deals on JGC it might work out to get it shipped from him.
Or try @Benedetto to broker a deal for you- FCA group vehicles are His bread and butter and there is no reason he can’t hunt out a Mazda for you - and the broker rate is very fair.
Wish I got commission!!!
Failing that…
Try seeking out the internet sales manager - they do their business by email, coz - well, they are INTERNET sales so if they don’t get that basic principle, remind them as politely as possible of that fact.
Even a high offer is a starting point, all you need to say is “Better it” to the next guy, but ignore MF numbers til you get to the last few and then inform them you want the base MF. Also you don’t necessarily need RV from them - it can’t be altered. Get the lowest discount then tell them your research and apply the correct financials to the deal and tell them the number.
Try to get numbers from any dealer in or out of state - anywhere in the USA l, as soon as you get one email, farm it out, then at least some might start playing ball.
Redact name and location of dealer so they can’t figure it out.
I outright refuse to speak on the phone to anyone until I have a deal in writing from them and am ready to come in to buy.
I like your response @AMM. @ChevyPhil, not so much and here’s why. *Disclaimer- make sure you have your boots as the bulls are out.
First off, I thank you for the sales perspective, as this has allowed me to understand the perils with the car buying experience, and why many cringe at the thought of it. Now please correct me if I’m wrong in any capacity. Although everyone is different, a lease is actually not that specific, otherwise why do we have never-ending automotive ads quoting numbers presented to over 350 million people across the nation? This is problem number 1, buyers want continuity and transparency, we don’t want completely different numbers from separate dealers in the same area, sometimes in the same city. That’s BS, and *sidenote- I’ll be involved with a national campaign to start derailing this shady practice “coming soon”. Secondly, I understand salesmen are people and need to make a living, but to exploit or take advantage of circumstances, products, or unknowledgeable buyers is BS. i.e. Price markups and dealer-installed option pricing needs to be regulated; because we all know that $495 for window tint and the $195 never-dull tire glaze (clear-coat) is BS. Additionally, that markup on your “special” car not only robbed some sucker who probably didn’t know any better, or was too lovestruck to care, but it also could end up costing the taxpayer in some shape or form when that 2015 car is still sitting on the lot in 2017 and may be used as a write-off or expense. Lastly, back to the lease comment, I (as a buyer) want the best price when asking for the best price. Aside from the differentiating region incentives, why is there even a best price? Ohhhhhh that’s right, the whole continuity & transparency thing. My apologies in advance for any offense, as it wasn’t targeted, but more of a reminded rant.
Thanks @ChevyPhil. That’s the tactic i have been trying to do. I emailed a local mazda dealership the other day and i stated… I am looking at this model at 15k/36 with first month down only. She responded with a “price” on the base model, with 10k miles and a $1,000 down.
I respond back telling her, that’s not what I asked for. She tells me to use the calculator on the site to figure out a price and then you can always get a better deal by coming in the store!
Thanks @John_25…i may just have to start emailing the sales managers directly. I thought i was talking to the internet sales guys a few times, but all they do is just try to get me in the door, no actual sales tactics.
Here is the part most people don’t have the info to understand, our “best price” at my high volume dealership is below out true cost. My dealership can afford to do that to make deals as we’'ll get volume bonus/discount form GM as well as enough service customers to make a profit, but you can’t expect a small dealership to do the same thing…
So if we sell a car for $1,500 below our cost and they sell it barley $500 above their cost you see them as a villain. but when you go to best buy you pay full mark up on a TV… or a computer…
Dealerships (chevy at least) don’t have huge margins in these cars these day, but customers think we do. Just ask to see their invoice price minus “hold back” (listed on the invoice) and that’s their true cost. If you want it for less then that it’s up to them. But you’ll never be able to force a business to take a loss. You also can’t keep my dealership from selling it for less.
Walmart is cheaper then target for the same products. That’s how business works.
I hope this helps clear up why prices are different and how I have the lowest prices in my area without thinking negatively of my competition. Happy hunting!
Lease prices are different person to person, no way around it. Nation wide or even advertised ad’s are general and may include rebates you don’t qualify for, or not include rebates you do qualify for.
For example if you have a current lease and I don’t, our price for a new car lease will be different. It won’t matter what the advertisement said. You qualify for the competitive lease rebate and I don’t. So if we both call a dealership and say “Whats the price” how can they answer the question with honesty and transparency if they don’t know if we’re currently leasing?
What if I want 15k miles per year and you want 12k? What if I want a blue car and it has a “bonus tag” and you want a white one with no “bonus tag”? How do they quote us both a price?
Welcome to my world… lol
I can’t possibly remember a example price for every car and every scenario. I can’t estimate it like I can for a purchase. Too many variables. I hope this helps everyone understand everything that goes into building a quote. That’s why I post example on LH but do a specific quote for each of my customers before they come see me. The answer to “what is the lease price” is never a simple answer.
I had a dealer just now refuse to give me MF and RV over email unless I came in. So I called him out and told him I didn’t agree with his price and told him the MF and RV that I knew and he was quick to correct me and gave me the MF he was using (no doubt a higher one). Sometimes you just have to go at it a different way.
And then he added this gem of a line:
" Those consumer lease calculations online are just not accurate and you’re going to get very confused if you really on that. "
