The Automobile Thread

Just installed my new rims. Sweet right?
Wagon Wheels.jpg
 
Sidewalk said:
Y'all have to ask @Danimal about the Jeep, since he ended up being the first person to see it besides the owner :Roflmao
Click to expand...

Jeep? What jeep? :whistling:

I must say, that it's an attractive Jeep for sure. Don't want to steal your thunder, but black with red highlights, and a factory lift package too boot!:)
You know what sucked about it was I started thinking how nice it would be to have one similar to it in my driveway.... Congrats on the new rig @Sidewalk !
 
blixet said:
And I guess as long as they have a line of willing buyers with money to burn they can press their advantage. I see how shitty they are treating me when they even bother to respond as I look in an ever expanding radius for something resembling sanity. I think the pendulum swings both ways eventually and since I don't need a car I can give them the bird and wait for them to start having to woo customers. And then I will be the one not to give an inch.
Click to expand...

I'm casually looking at Tellurides and a few other options but also in no rush as I don't have a "need". The best price I was able to find was $4995 over MSRP at Hunting Beach KIA. I have told them repeatedly that I've never paid MSRP for car so I'm definitely not going to pay $5K over MSRP....unless they want to pay me $5K over retail for trade. However, they keep notifying me when new product comes in. They always seem to have at least 10 in stock at any given time.

I don't like it as much but if I was buying today, we're leaning towards the Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD due to it's 35mpg rating vs the 15-20 on the Telluride. I already have a truck that gets 15mpg, I don't need a matching 2nd vehicle to do the same with gas almost $5 gallon. I've found (3) dealers that are not adding anything on top of MSRP.
 
Well, my car made it to the dealership! Not sure why but I'm really excited to get my new commuter! If Jennifer does not want to go with me, I will take the day off and pick it up on Thursday. Otherwise, we'll pick it up on Saturday. First thing to go are those crossbars!

679256859.jpg
679256865.jpg
679257228.jpg
 
Last edited:
Cyclotourist said:
This is fantastic: Site is crowd-sourcing dealers that are selling at MSRP and those that are gouging with an additional dealer markup (ADM)! The internet remembers!

https://www.markups.org/
Click to expand...


Dealer Name: Millennium Honda
Markup: $50,000.00
Location: New York
Year: 2022
Honda: HR-V

  • Dealer Name: Stearns Ford
    Markup: $73,341.00
    Location: North Carolina
    Year: 2023
    Ford: F150 Lightning
  • Dealer Name: Koons Sterling Ford
    Markup: $50,000.00
    Location: Virginia
    Year: 2022
    Ford: Shelby GT500 Mustang

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
mtnbikej said:
Dealer Name: Millennium Honda
Markup: $50,000.00
Location: New York
Year: 2022
Honda: HR-V

  • Dealer Name: Stearns Ford
    Markup: $73,341.00
    Location: North Carolina
    Year: 2023
    Ford: F150 Lightning
  • Dealer Name: Koons Sterling Ford
    Markup: $50,000.00
    Location: Virginia
    Year: 2022
    Ford: Shelby GT500 Mustang

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Click to expand...

I hope this stays up for a long time, and these dealers get burnt by their short-sightedness!
 
mtnbikej said:
Dealer Name: Millennium Honda
Markup: $50,000.00
Location: New York
Year: 2022
Honda: HR-V

  • Dealer Name: Stearns Ford
    Markup: $73,341.00
    Location: North Carolina
    Year: 2023
    Ford: F150 Lightning
  • Dealer Name: Koons Sterling Ford
    Markup: $50,000.00
    Location: Virginia
    Year: 2022
    Ford: Shelby GT500 Mustang

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Click to expand...

These dealers are ensuring they're own demise. And they wonder why people are going to online vehicle purchasing.
 
Cyclotourist said:
This is fantastic: Site is crowd-sourcing dealers that are selling at MSRP and those that are gouging with an additional dealer markup (ADM)! The internet remembers!

https://www.markups.org/
Click to expand...
The internet also lies. We're only there once, for $15K over on a Q5e. Though we did mark up Q5e, we were never at $15k over. I assume anyone (including competing dealerships) can create a log-in and just say that another dealership did $x over sticker with nothing to back it up?
 
buggravy said:
The internet also lies. We're only there once, for $15K over on a Q5e. Though we did mark up Q5e, we were never at $15k over. I assume anyone (including competing dealerships) can create a log-in and just say that another dealership did $x over sticker with nothing to back it up?
Click to expand...
Ohhhh, yeah, or just unhappy vindictive people could have a go at a dealer as well. It would be good if they could back it up with a screenshot of the markup, although that could be 'shopped as well.
 
buggravy said:
The internet also lies. We're only there once, for $15K over on a Q5e. Though we did mark up Q5e, we were never at $15k over. I assume anyone (including competing dealerships) can create a log-in and just say that another dealership did $x over sticker with nothing to back it up?
Click to expand...
Cyclotourist said:
Ohhhh, yeah, or just unhappy vindictive people could have a go at a dealer as well. It would be good if they could back it up with a screenshot of the markup, although that could be 'shopped as well.
Click to expand...

Yes....and no.

Having been the customer who had the dealer attempt to extort them for $15,000 at the 11th hour.....I'd say it's probably more true than not.

Having walked around several different dealer lots.....the Dealer Addendum Sticker is on every vehicle on the lot. Doesn't matter if we are talking about $15K Kia's or $100K BMW's......these are worthless add on's that cost the dealer pennies on the dollar, just line the dealer's pockets.

Yes, there are plenty of dealers out there that will sell for MSRP or Below without ADM or Market Adjustments.....But tons of dealers are doing this.
 
mtnbikej said:
Yes....and no.

Having been the customer who had the dealer attempt to extort them for $15,000 at the 11th hour.....I'd say it's probably more true than not.

Having walked around several different dealer lots.....the Dealer Addendum Sticker is on every vehicle on the lot. Doesn't matter if we are talking about $15K Kia's or $100K BMW's......these are worthless add on's that cost the dealer pennies on the dollar, just line the dealer's pockets.

Yes, there are plenty of dealers out there that will sell for MSRP or Below without ADM or Market Adjustments.....But tons of dealers are doing this.
Click to expand...
Believe me, I'm not saying the site is all BS, but the "data" should be taken with a grain of salt at best. Your situation was complete BS, and that dealership should be called out all day, though more for the shady tactics than the mark up itself. Those supposed dealer-installed extras are a total racket, that are luckily not a thing where I work. But in all honesty, market adjustments/mark ups/whatever you want to call them, are how a lot of dealerships kept from furloughing sales staff when the volume of cars being sold was (and to an extent still is) 25% of what it was 18 months ago, and the volume based incentives from the manufacture to the dealerships are nonexistent.
 
Last edited:
Cyclotourist said:
Ohhhh, yeah, or just unhappy vindictive people could have a go at a dealer as well. It would be good if they could back it up with a screenshot of the markup, although that could be 'shopped as well.
Click to expand...
For sure. Here's one that does post a supposed list of mark ups from the "offending" dealer, but the document doesn't tie to that dealer in any way, and the blurb on the lower right sure does read like it was written by the dealership that the "customer" is recommending.

https://markups.org/audi/audi-central-houston.html
 
mtbMike said:
we're leaning towards the Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD due to it's 35mpg rating vs the 15-20 on the Telluride. I already have a truck that gets 15mpg, I don't need a matching 2nd vehicle to do the same with gas almost $5 gallon.
Click to expand...
Not having a go at you @mtbMike but I always find it a little amusing when I see something like your thinking about buying vehicle A s B.

In a previous life I spent quite a bit of time working with some of Europe's smartest boffins understanding their response to the VAG emissions scandal. I'm talking white coats and pocket protectors, I was so out of my league it wasn't funny. Of course they were in Italy and near Lake Como so they did science geek with style. The end result of all that though was WLTP (for cars), a more realistic driving test to better report the fuel consumption of vehicles. The perceived problem with the previous test was that no-one could achieve those numbers with their vehicles in daily driving. Guess what though, your weren't supposed to! The previous methodology was simply a standardized test that everyone prescribed to that meant everyone was on an equal playing field. Average joe wasn't expected to hit those numbers ever. For example car companies hired professional drivers specifically for the task of driving the test. A mere mortal like you or me would never achieve the same result. Test facilities in Europe used to advertise to OEMs, test with us and we will deliver better fuel consumption results than anywhere else..... How? Their facilities were optimized to the nth degree to deliver those results, e.g. road inclines at right on the allowed limits and stuff like that.

Of course the US didn't sign up to any of this stuff (you do you, its all good) but the thing to bear in mind with any of this is the same. Test results are not representative of real life and they were never meant to be. Their operating window of achievement is so narrow to be basically impossible to achieve in day to day real world driving. Take any manufacturer numbers with a large helping of salt. You are never going to achieve them

But where does that leave us? In an interesting spot and its funny to see it appearing here in this super narrow representation of the US buying publics perception (its much more prevalent in the UK and Eu). The focus on fuel economy as part of the cost of vehicle ownership (imo) is totally wrong. Once you factor in all the other costs of running a vehicle; insurance, servicing and the biggie, depreciation, a new car depreciates more than 20% in your first year of ownership. Over the first three years a new car is going to depreciate on average over 35%pa.

Fuel economy savings? A drop in the ocean compared to those numbers. If you're buying new, buy what you want and forget about stuff like fuel economy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top