Pardon the rant, it’s just topical for me because I’m in unplanned car-buying mode and it’s at the front of my mind right now.
I’m not a fan of the haggling system that’s common and accepted in the US car dealership model. The thing that bothers me most about it, though, is how other people feel entitled to comment, interject, critique, and judge you on your haggling prowes and savvy both before and after your purchase. It’s unavoidable; even if you try to keep it a secret during the process, once you show up to work driving a different car, inevitably someone notices and asks, “Did you get a good deal?” Of course you can deflect, lie, change the subject, but I’m annoyed that it’s such a common topic in the first place. I don’t want to have to justify my choice to someone else.
Right now, we’re dealing with a sudden loss of a car, so my spouse and I are somewhat desperate and need a car right now. That takes a lot of decision room off the table, and we’ll have to take what we can get. It doesn’t help that we’re not in a major metro market so the choices are slim. Still, we’re getting the 'Don’t go there they’ll rip you off," “Make sure you use the end-of-month quotas to your advantage,” type of advice from friends who know we’re car shopping. I know they’re trying to be helpful as they see it, but it really adds to the stress we’re already under to find something while working around schedules. I don’t care about price as much as finding something that fits our needs in this messed up post-COVID distorted market with few options.
I know I’m not the first person to feel this way. Thanks for listening to my rant.
So sorry.
I used to love negotiating for a car. Like literally stepped off the city bus at the dealership once and walked out with the deal I wanted, there were just too many car sellers in my town so if you kept at it could always get a better price.
But now? Fuck that. It’s such a terrible time to try to buy a car and I am sorry you have to.
My unsolicited advice? Use the Internet and if you have the $, get something better than you think you want. If you can’t negotiate on price, and even cheap cars are expensive now, the premium for something better is less than usual.
Bonkers. Losing a car (if you’re in a highway-heavy country) can be absolutely devastating and the car market has been fucked six ways from Sunday.
If it’s got four wheels and can hobble, you’re good. Getcho self situated and hopefully the stress will eventually recede 🤙
Stop talking to people about it? Nobody has ever offered me car advice unsolicited, whether you are doing it consciously or not, you are introducing the topic into conversation and they are providing their 2 cents. At that point it isn’t unsolicited, you have broached a topic where everybody has personal experiences and opinions. Expecting people not to provide their input is unrealistic. So if you want to avoid that, keep the car topic to yourself and don’t mention it.
Also, idk where you live, but you do not need to haggle at the dealership or with anybody these days. All manufacturers have their trim prices and options available on their website, can ping inventory, and quote delivery timelines to your local dealership if not available in your area. You can buy your car start to finish online, and in many cases have it delivered straight to your house. Most dealers have a completely online sales division now. There are also tons of apps and services that can check inventory, options, and prices without ever speaking to a sales person.
Most of the time there are no good deals! They’re all bad. It’s just a matter of picking a car that fits your needs. Good luck with your search!
Most of the time there are no good deals! They’re all bad.
There’s a concept here that most people done understand very clearly. Its not about making the “best choice” its about “making the least worst choice”.
