Why Americans Buy Cars From Dealerships

Buying cars often feels like an anxiety-inducing ordeal that can last hours. Car dealers now face their challenges, including a consolidating dealership landscape, tight competition, and threats from new business models promoting contactless virtual transactions during the COVID-19 outbreaks. To survive, it looks like dealers will have to keep up and find ways to accommodate buyers with significant overhauls to the car dealership experience; some experts say the way we buy cars is changing forever.

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Why Americans Hate Shopping For Cars At Dealerships

[Mich_-mufz]

Thumbnail: "Why do Americans Hate Car Dealerships"
Title: "Why do Americans Buy Cars From Dealerships"
WTF

[Mr-Chris]

I walked away when I got to Financing. The Dealer was charging me a "Recondition Fee" of $3, 000 that they kept hidden until I went to Financing. I feel like Financing people at the dealer are worse than Sales people. They try to rush me into signing and enticed me by having my car being cleaned and prepared right outside the Financing window, they even moved my kids car seats out of my old car into the new one. They got very upset with me that I wouldn't agree to pay the Recondition Fee. I made them give me my old car back and take my kids car seats out and walked away. My advice, don't be afraid to offend people when it comes to your money.

I have awesome Credit, but I needed a Minivan ASAP. I ended up getting a great deal at another dealer a week later by getting preapproved financing through my bank and only presenting my preapproval after I negotiated the price. I pretty much walked in and out. Finance guy didn't even try to upsell me on anything.

[Sanginius]

When you buy a brand new Volkswagen in Germany, you can go to Wolfsburg (Home of Volkswagen), spend a day or Weekend in Autowelt (Carworld), a kind of Themenpark and also visit the largest car factory in the world.
You can watch your car gets build in front of your eyes and drive it out of the factory. Amazing experience

[freddytang]

My first year business prof told us “when you buy a car, the salesperson will ask you about your last car or driving habits. You think they’re being friendly and making conversation, but they’re actually gauging how informed you are so they know how much they can rip you off”

[sumobowler]

car dealerships do not sell cars, they sell financing. Dave Ramsey is 100% correct about money and personal finance

[brandonbennett]

I recently went to a car dealership and they cornered me in the corner of a office after I told them I was just looking and they were trying to force me to buy a vehicle way out of my price range. Then when I told them I could not afford it. They were bashing me on how come I didn't make more money. putting me down. This was a Ford dealership

[nevrock]

A car salesman told me, “a hybrid can go forever with no gas because the wheels charge the battery and the battery turns the wheels” and he was dead serious too - a perpetual motion machine. This experience was in Elizabeth City, NC in 2006.

[chessdad]

If I had to choose between going to a car dealership or the dentist, I would definitely pick the dentist.

[teraengineering]

Nobody buys a car because of the salesperson, but rather in spite of the sales staff.

[Blutgang]

I was buying a car and agreed to the deal. Then when they were delivering the car they said the only one they were able to get had an option I hadnt picked or paid for. I would have to pay $400 extra. I said you'll just have to eat that cost or the deal was off. I got the car and they ate the loss. hate new car sales.

[TheJMBon]

I loved it the last time when we bought my wifes Rav4. I went at the end of the month when they were scrambling to meet quotas, talked them down from $32k to 28k. Then got them to agree to price match Carvana which was $24k for the exact same make, model, color and gadgets. Then, after some back and forth, got them to give us $8k for her old Civic that KBB valued at $6500. They hesitated at the end so I got up, told them I'd take my money elsewhere and that not only do they have to compete with other dealers for my money, they now have to compete with companies like Carvana. The seller got up to go talk to his manager and I stopped him and said, "I'm walking out that door and you have 15 minutes to call me. If I don't hear from you, I'm assuming you don't want my business." They called 5 minutes later abd agreed. I told my wife, "The key to any negotiation is you have to be willing to walk out at any time. The second you are unwilling to do that, the other party has control of the negotiation and terms."

[zxy]

Why Americans buy from dealership ? simple, they are forced to do so. There is no other ways and it is the stupid law that forces manufactures to sell through dealerships. And it is the lack of laws around how dealership operates such as false and misleading advertising. Protect consumers and regulate dealership like retail banks. I am buying a Tesla not cause i like EV or how good they say they are, but only because I don't have to deal with dealership mobs. I get transparent pricing and I pay the same as every buyer does. I don't understand in 2020 why people still pay different prices for the same car? like wtf ? lol. I hope Tesla will lead a movement to get rid of the dealership mobs for all Americans.

[SaltySparrow]

The last time I bought a car I spent 6 hours there. They're literally wearing you down. Its awful.

[orlandohernandez]

I work at a dealership as a tech and purchased a car recently. Even though I knew most of the salesman, finance manager, and even used car manager, the process still made me feel anxious and nervous.

[mosselyn]

I paid cash for my last car, at a dealership with a (theoretical) "no price negotiation" policy, and I walked in knowing exactly which car I was buying, having selected from their online inventory. It STILL took me 2 hours to finalize the purchase. They just can't resist trying to sell you X, Y, & Z extra things. They even still made me fill out some financing paperwork. And they can get away with pretty much anything because your alternative options are so limited. I'd definitely rather go to a dentist.

[billybbob]

In my opinion, cars should be sold by the factory directly. There should be no dealers, only delivery drivers.
The delivery driver should be the only hand you shake in the transaction. That would make cars a lot cheaper.

[zak_]

So the Japanese method of ordering and delivering they mentioned earlier makes the most sense- no need for huge lots

[Adventures]

I hate going to the dealer. Feel like sharks swimming around at the dealer trying to take a bite of my wallets. Feel like I gets scam everytime I bought a car from dealer. And the process take forever.

[Matcroable]

Getting financing outside of the dealer is 100% the way to go. Their whole model is to slip as much bs charges into the financing and only talk about monthly payments. This is how they all operate.

[jammymancy]

The thumbnail and title slightly contradict each other