re: Currently in the market to buy a vehicle and man does it suck

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Service at a dealership is where the real money is being made today.

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That is if they know what they are doing and can keep a customer base. Some places are drowning in recall/warranty work (for example Ford). And when you call or need regular service it is about as bad as calling the VA for a doctor’s appointment where they can see you in a few months. Good luck with that regular interval oil change.

If a problem is bad enough some times they can let you bring it in and diagnose the problem quickly, but by the time the warranty work is approved by the manufacturer and parts arrive it could be several months. And If it is a major issue, good luck getting a loaner. I knew someone that needed an engine replacement and it took almost 6-9 months luckily it was before the inventory really got tight so they had a loaner available.

And then, I wonder if warranty/recall work is billed at the same rates as what you pay for a mechanic, or do they get a negotiated lower rate like a doctor/hospital get with medical insurance.

Not all dealers are doing this. I bought a car a few months ago and they tried something similar and I said no, so they took it off.

If you have to buy right now, it might be worth your time to call around a few different dealers and ask a few questions regarding markups, deposits, and these “required” packages/plans.

ETA: also, my vehicle wasn’t yet at the dealership when I started the process(it was already on order pending delivery). I had the sales guy send me a line item breakdown of the total cost ahead of time so there weren’t any last minute surprises.

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It doesn't take months for the manufacturer to "approve the repair".

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It can. In the engine replacement that took 6-9 months of repairs, they had wait at least 2 months during COVID for Ford to approve an engine replacement and another month or 2 to get the engine. It took the another few days or up to 2 weeks to schedule the work and complete it.

The reason why I said, a 6-9 months of repairs is that Ford should have replaced the engine at first. Instead Ford opted to remachine the cylinder and even that took a few weeks because it was cheaper.

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For those who have purchased a vehicle in the past few months, has anyone experienced dealerships adding in stupid so-called "mandatory fees" as a way jack up profits? I went to a dealership recently and when they presented me with the line item cost sheet, I noticed some type of add on fee to cover shite like lost keys, dents, cracked rims, cracked windshield, etc. The cost was $1,995. I asked the guy to remove that cost b/c I don't want any of that and he said that's a mandatory cost that the dealership places on every sale and it can't be removed. They wouldn't remove it so I left without purchasing the car.

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Sounds like the additional charge was more of an Extended Warranty Fee than a markup fee.

The Dealers F&I person receives a percentage for every extended warranty sold + the dealership receives a kick back on each package sold too.

Also, another way car dealers make money is when you finance thru 1 of their banks. Dealer says "we can get you 4.49% intrest rate thru "X" bank for "X" months."
If you accept the rate quoted, just know the dealer is gonna bank 1% bc the lending bank is selling the rate to the dealer at 3.49%.

If you finance, secure your own financing and if available, use a Credit Union. CU's do net sell intrest rates to dealers but will give the dealer $$ (avg $200) for every deal sent their way.

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cable

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when I bought my next vehicle.

I had it on a Toyota.

When I bought a Ford I didn't pick up the coverage.

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Its been two years of this supposed "shortage". People are starting to reach the end of the ropes with vehicles and these scumbag dealers know it.

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China Virus, Chip shortages. I am thinking now the manufactures are not interested in producing many ICE vehicles with the CAFE standards going so high. Spending more money and time on EV production and possibly re working the entire car sales model.

Yesterday, the dealer called me. When I saw his number pop up on my phone, I thought to myself, he's now willing to make a deal. They called to let me know the car is still available and to see if I had changed my mind.

I responded with, did you lower the price of the vehicle or removed those hidden add-on fees? He said no and then I told him, well I haven't change my mind.

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This shite is why the Ford CEO came out and said he wanted to go fixed price and online sales only. They sent notifications to the dealers a while back to stop doing this. The dealers didn't listen, so Ford said frick y'all, we'll do it ourselves.

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Exactly, I don't see the point of having dealerships anymore when it's easy to order a car online, pick whatever options you want, and have it delivered to your house.

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If you finance, secure your own financing and if available, use a Credit Union. CU's do net sell intrest rates to dealers but will give the dealer $$ (avg $200) for every deal sent their way.

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I agree, but some folks on Reddit the other day were complaining that dealerships are refusing outside finance/cash sales because they want you to use their financing. Wild.

I bought a vehicle in cash a few weeks ago without issue, but my best friend was also my salesperson at the dealership, so no idea if their dealership is pulling that as well.

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I noticed some type of add on fee to cover shite like lost keys, dents, cracked rims, cracked windshield, etc. The cost was $1,995.

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Is this fee some kind of insurance for lost keys, dents, etc. and is it for the vehicle? Losing a key/key fob is damn near $400 to replace at the dealership.