alpine205

Just to show you what I'm up against with the local dealers here in Las Vegas, this is a conversation I had with one of the managers:

Me: I really hate the fact that in order to get the nav system with the 6-speed, I have to buy the Elite package and then I can't get the HLSD.

Salesman: Oh, you can't get the nav system with the 6-speed. When you order the Elite package, they delete the nav system.

Me: I know that's not true. The 6-speed that I drove at another dealership had the nav system in it.

A brochure is sitting on the table open to a page that shows an interior shot of the '04 Maxima with both the 6-speed shift **** and the nav display visible.

Me: Look at this. Here's a picture of one.

Salesman: I have a contact at Nissan corporate. I'll give him a call.

Salesman a few minutes later: Nope, you can't get the nav system with the 6-speed. I confirmed it with my guy at Nissan.

Me: Your competitor has one sitting on his lot.

He leaves to call the other dealer.

Salesman: You're right, they have one.

Me: OK, so what kind of a deal can you make me to order one?

Salesman: I'd recommend that you buy the car from the other dealer because we can't order it that way.

Screeeeech (sound of me leaving the dealership)

Jules Maximus

Dealers will do or say anything to shut you up and get you to just buy whatever they have on their lot.

Their lack of knowledge is very impressive.

max95q

iTrader: (10)

lol that was funny he offered you to the other dealer. Thats some funny stuff bwahahaha!!!

gmc74

I wonder if the dealers are both owned by the same company, like 3 of the 6 in Phoenix are. Usually that isn't a big deal though, they will usually still beat the others price.

Most likely he didn't want to waste time with you since there was no chance of you buying something off of his lot that day.

Jules Maximus

I think stupidity reigns at most car dealership sales departments.

Once in a while you run into someone who is actually smarter than a sponge but usually you just end up dealing with idiots. Stuffed shirts with a stalk of broccoli sticking out.

NickStam

iTrader: (3)

it probably wasn't worth it to oder it for you. At least he was honest.

gmc74

They churn out sales people so quickly that they aren't interested in a sale 6 weeks from now, they won't be there.

alpine205

The hits just keep on coming. There was this one...

Salesman: We can order a car for you if you want but it's going to take 8-12 weeks for them to build it and ship it from Japan.

Me: Uhh, dude, the Maximas are built in Tennessee now.

Salesman: Oh.

...and also this one...

Salesman: You don't want to buy a G35. They're built on the same platform as the Altima.

Me: What are you talking about? The Maxima is built on the same platform as the Altima.

Salesman: Well, uh, yeah.

... and then there was this one ...

Me: How about ordering the Elite package without the sunroof. That will keep the cost the same as the Journey package with the sunroof.

Salesman: Nissan won't build a car that has the Elite package without the sunroof.

Me: What? The sunroof is a separate option.

Salesman: Yes, but it's required with the Elite package.

"Required option" -- isn't that an oxymoron?

gmc74

ROTF

You have a winner there. This is why you should do your negotiating through email. They are less likely to blatantly lie to you when they are putting it in writing.

JAKE02

[QUOTE]Originally posted by alpine205
The hits just keep on coming. There was this one...

Salesman: We can order a car for you if you want but it's going to take 8-12 weeks for them to build it and ship it from Japan.

Me: Uhh, dude, the Maximas are built in Tennessee now.

Salesman: Oh.

...and also this one...

Salesman: You don't want to buy a G35. They're built on the same platform as the Altima.

Me: What are you talking about? The Maxima is built on the same platform as the Altima.

Salesman: Well, uh, yeah.

... and then there was this one ...

Me: How about ordering the Elite package without the sunroof. That will keep the cost the same as the Journey package with the sunroof.

Salesman: Nissan won't build a car that has the Elite package without the sunroof.

Me: What? The sunroof is a separate option.

Salesman: Yes, but it's required with the Elite package.

"Required option" -- isn't that an oxymoron? [/
\

QUOTE]


another reason i will most likely buy Infiniti next time......tired of those Nissan dealer's morons..........

gmc74

The infiniti guys are just as bad. Atleast the moron I dealt with was. Rather than ruling out an entire manufacturer because you don't think their sales guys know what they are saying, just eliminate the sales people from the process. Do your research online. Testdrive it, and ask the sales guy not to talk when you do it (I like doing this). Then negotiate between many dealers via email rather than online.

I don't know if I told this story here or not, but I will again anyway

I test drove the G35 and I wanted to get the literature for it, so I went in and sat down with the sales guy. Before we ever started I told him I wasn't going to buy today, period... I was just here to test drive it. He starts gathering all this info, I gave him some, told him no on others. Then he wanted to appraise my trade, I told him no. So I tell him thanks and I get ready to go. He asks me to hold on a moment. He comes back with his manager who says "what can I do to put you in this car today?". I look at the sales guy and in a ****ed off voice I ask him if he told him that I was just looking.

The manager says something to the effect of- I know you want this car and I want to help you get it. If I give you a great deal, you will want to buy it (I was waiting for the fingers to go across in front of him like the f'ing jedi mind trick). I tell him again that I am not buying today. Even if I give you a great deal, he says. No, I said. Then he says again, what can I do to get you to buy this car.

So I said "If you sh*t gold right here, right now, I will buy this car". He just looked at me, then I laughed and I left.

JAKE02

nothing in your post showed the Inifinit salesman/mgr to be a moron, pushy maybe but they are trying to earn a living...anyway the main point in my response was the much better service etc one receives when upgrading to a luxury brand, i.e. much better customer service, free loaners when your car is in for service etc.

gmc74

That is true, I didn't post why they were morons, but I can. The guy tried to tell me that the G35 was bigger than the maxima, and had a better engine in it, among other stupid remarks.

You will get a loaner, and your customer service will vary. But you will also pay for it in the name Infiniti, or Acura, etc. When you pay $8-10K more for a rear wheel drive altima with 15 extra ponies, you should get free loaners...

Jules Maximus

So, we should feel sorry for the salesman and buy a car from them just because they are trying to make a living? You don't have to be a pushy a$$hole to sell cars. I've met a few people in that line of work who are actually fairly easy going and pleasant enough. I refuse to do business with someone who uses tactics like that. They can go F themselves if they don't like it. There are plenty of alternative dealerships I can take my business to. Nobody should have to put up with that kind of $hit.

I went to two different dealerships before I bought my Max and I actually bought from one that I dealt directly with the internet manager online with. The first dealership had a "no haggle" policy that really put me off. The fact that the other dealership quoted me a price that was $1400 less made it a no brainer.

gmc74

Yeah, no kidding. I dealt with 6 dealers when I bought my max, and I ended up with the one that had the best price. But if the best price had been at ABC Nissan, I would have taken the second best price... the guy there was an a$$hole. The guy that I bought my car from was cool, his managers and finance guys were ****s. But you just have to work through them, just don't take their ****.

Slickismax

iTrader: (4)

Man, I used to sell Nissans at Powers Nissan in Oklahoma City...They have all these "rules" of how you need to sell a car, and if you don't follow them, you lost a percentage of your commision! It was so much crap. Basically, you had to get them to sign a paper saying that "if terms are agreeable, I will buy today". Then, and only then, could you test drive the car. If you couldn't get them to sign, then you had to TO (turn over) your deal to another salesman, who gets half of your commision, or to the sales manager, who gets paid salary, but you still lose half your commision. Needless to say, I quit there pretty soon.

gmc74

Do you still sell cars?

Give the boys some insight into the tricks of the trade

alpine205

Yup, one of my salesmen had that same form. Here's the full story:

This dealership had an all-black 6-speed with the Elite package and sunroof (MSRP=$35,080). It was parked right out front when I arrived. Damn, with the dark tinted windows, it was a beauty. The salesman had the key sitting on the table when I arrived.

He said, "Let's take it for a drive." I told him I didn't need to. I had already driven one. He said, "We'll just go around the block." I told him, "No." He said I had to drive the car before we could talk numbers. I refused.

Then he asked for the key to my car so he could look at it to evaluate it as a trade-in. He came back a few minutes later without my key. I told him I wanted my key back. He tried to assure me my key was safe. I told him I wouldn't talk to him until he gave me back the key. He eventually went and got it. That was a mistake I made. I never should have given it to him.

Then he brought out THE FORM. He wrote down how much I was going to put down and my monthly payment, period and interest rate. I knew those numbers because I was going to finance through my credit bureau. Then he asked me to sign that if they could give me that deal, I would buy the car. I didn't see any reason not to so I did. He came back a few minutes later and said they could make the deal for an $80 higher payment. I said, "No." He said, "But it's only $80." I told him, "Yeah, but there's 36 of them." It worked out to an additional $2,700 of purchase price. These guys always want to talk payment. All I cared about was the bottom line.

Needless to say, they still have the car.

Jules Maximus

Internet manager and the finance guy were both really cool at the dealership I bought from. The manager that handled my trade in negotiation was a weasle though. I had to really push him to get what I wanted for my trade. He came up about $2k on it but I was ready to walk at that point.

gmc74

yeah, never talk payment, always talk bottom line. They will do that because it always seems so much smaller to say it is only $20/month (over 60 months that is $1200).

If they can't get you on the price of the car, they try to get you on the trade value, then on the finance side. They will get their money somewhere, or they won't do the deal.

JAKE02

hmmm lets see im a little confused with your response. you say 8-10K extra for a rear wheel drive altima? Your maxima is based on an ALTIMA not the G35, and you said 8-10K more for an Infiniti/Acura? Hardly, hell the G35 usually sticker no more than new Maximas or less.......both the sedan or coupe. The Acura TLS is 34K with Navi..........

marmadogg

Can you send me a breakdown of options that led you to state "...the G35 usually sticker no more than new Maximas or less..."

You can't because you are wrong.

JAKE02

sorry to disapoint you marmadogg....but here are comparably equipped 03 G35 Sedan and 04 Maxima: 03 G35 base MSRP 29650.00
Premium package 3200.00
Sport Package 425.00
Splash guards 120.00
Total w/ destination: 33820.00

04 Maxima SE MSRP 27490.00
Driver Preferred 3550.00
Sunroof 900.00
HLSD 340.00
Splash guards 110.00
Mats 150.00
Total w/destination 32550.00
a diffrence of 1270.00. granted the G35 will sell close to sticker where the Max will have a bigger discount, however my point in response was to dispute gmc saying an Infiniti will sell for 8-10k more than a Maxima.....

e_marston

It is still really a few thousand difference when you take into acount the discount. I know that my local dealer is selling the Maxima at $800 over invoice no questions asked. The reason I didn't get the G35 was the space issue. It simply wasn't as roomy. If not for that and the extra $3.5k I probably would have gone for the RWD. Still I love my 04 and for me that is all that matters.

BTW you described my car exactly


-Ed

marmadogg

I plan on buying the Journey Package with VDC, mats and splash guard. In my case a comparably equiped G35 is much more than "a few thousand dollars" more.

Keep apologizing as your statement is very disappointing!

gmc74

You are on crack man.

What part of "When you pay $8-10K more for a rear wheel drive altima with 15 extra ponies, you should get free loaners..." made you think I was referring to a Maxima?

I clearly stated that if you pay $8-10K more for a rear wheel drive altima.. which should have clued you into the fact that I am comparing the G35 to the Altima... but if that didn't give it away, surely the "with 15 extra ponies" should have. Does the G35 have 15 more HP than a Maxima, negative... if has 5 HP less... it does however have 15 HP more than an Altima.

I didn't realize you were this slow Jake, but I will try to spell things out for you better in the future.

The G35 with the same options that my Max has is $34,000 to my max being $32,230

The bigger difference (besides the fact that the G35 was designed by idiots) is that I got my max for $29K but you won't get that G35 under $33K.

I love all of these G35 lovers that have never driven one...

JAKE02

No i didnt realize you were talking about an Altima seeing as this is MAXIMA enthusiast site and since you OWN a Maxima i thought we were talking about Maximas. Geez man why all the hostility? If you read my response to Marmadogg you will see i know that g35 sell closer to sticker than Maximas, and im not a G35 lover per se, however but with the new maximas being more costly now their isnt a huge value difference anymore with the max when compared to the luxury brand, and dont assume i havent drove a g35, because i have. and I would glady pay 8-10k more for a g35 over an Atima...anyday.

gmc74

Did you really think the G35 had more HP than the Maxima? I know I didn't spell it out for you, but surely I gave you enough information to figure it out on your own. I guess I should have inserted the name Altima in the sentance... oh wait... I did.

JAKE02

who cares about 5 horsepower....for someone who says they dont race your very obsessed with hp figures, and with all the tourque steer my max and yours has the g35 will smoke us both...you have become very smartaleck with your responses and throwing out pesonal insults, grow up and learn to live with someone not worshiping the car you drive.

gmc74

Oh my god... You don't get it at all. As someone who acts as if he knows a lot, he seems to know nothing. Let me make this simple for you because your reading comprehension blows!

When I stated "Did you really think the G35 had more HP than the Maxima" it was in response to the fact that you couldn't figure out that I was comparing the G35 to the Altima. In my original post I mentioned that "you pay $8-10K more for a rear wheel drive altima with 15 extra ponies". Now if you paid attention and comprehended what I was saying you would have known that I wasn't talking about the Maxima because it has more HP, no 15 less...

Damn, I have never had to explain a post so many times, so many ways. I am sorry if you are offended by my comments, I am offended by the fact that you respond with out understanding what the h*ll you are responding to.

Maximam

Which dealership?

alpine205

That was at Douglas Nissan in the Valley Automall in Henderson (Las Vegas), NV.

By the way, I caved and bought an '04 Max from a dealer in Northern California. I found the car by checking the dealers' inventory (on nissanusa.com) of every Nissan dealer in California -- all 105 of them. He quoted me invoice + $300 for a Silver/Frost 6-speed with Elite package and sunroof plus $350 to have it shipped by truck. Not bad considering the local dealers wanted MSRP.

gmc74

nice!

die spam control die! (I am trying to waste time so I can make this post..)

max...to the ma

hey guys, i haven't been here for a while since I was a little caught up in work, but it's nice to be back. Well, anyways, I went to my dealer today. I overheard a salesman showing someone the Maxima. They said it had a different engine from the Altima to make more HP. Anyways, I couldn't stand his BS, but didn't butt in.

max...to the ma

hey guys, i haven't been here for a while since I was a little caught up in work, but it's nice to be back. Well, anyways, I went to my dealer today. I overheard a salesman showing someone the Maxima. They said it had a different engine from the Altima to make more HP. Anyways, I couldn't stand his BS, but didn't butt in.

RayRey21

obviously the salesman is an idiot....nissan is an awesome product but their packages are a pain in the a$$ sometimes!!!

bosssho

lolol That was a grrrrrrrrrreat story!!!