Has NE1 bought a vehicle through their credit union or through some other medium to avoid dealers altogether?

[NFS4]

When my dad bought his '03 Frontier, he got it straight through his Credit Union. He told him what options he wanted, how much he was willing to pay, and they went out and found him the best deal (even got all of his rebates) and they delivered it right to his job and they drove off in his old F-150.

I was thinking about going through the credit union to get an '04 Mazda 3 or maybe try one of those internet deals (which I'm not to familiar with). Has NE1 purchased a new vehicle from the internet or what other methods have you used to purchase a new car that bypassed the traditional dealership process?

 

[FrustratedUser]

No but it sounds cool. I like to know too.

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
No but it sounds cool. I like to know too.

Ditto :beer:

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
No but it sounds cool. I like to know too.

I was reading this article, and it made me want to go through the above process even more:

Confessions of a Car Salesman

I was already beginning to see the impact of the Internet because of something that happened during my first few days there. I was sent to the service department to talk to customers waiting for their cars to be fixed. Salespeople feel this is a good source of leads to buy new cars. Say a customer has just gotten nailed with a $2,000 quote for a transmission. Now's the time to move in and pitch the virtues of a new car.

There were typically a dozen or more people waiting for their cars to be serviced. They would either watch TV or read while they drank coffee and Cokes from the vending machines. I handed out my business card and chatted with a few people. One young guy was killing time by goofing around with his Palm Top computer. He was outfitted in designer jeans and a T-shirt, so I wasn't surprised to hear that he had just bought the radical new SUV our dealership sold. Michael had told me these vehicles were selling for over sticker prices, so I asked Mr. Palm Top how he made out.

"I got an awesome deal," he said.

"How awesome?"

"Three hundred below invoice," he smugly answered.

I asked how he did it. He said he checked prices on the Internet. He then called the fleet manager and made the deal over the phone.

I had a schizophrenic reaction to this. Part of me admired the fact that he had outfoxed the dealer. But the car salesman side of me was angry that I never "got a shot at him." It seemed like just a matter of time before people who, in the past, walked onto our car lot, would be on the Internet making deals.

The salesmen are only vaguely aware of this developing trend. I was standing on the curb next to George and we saw one of these high-demand SUVs ready for delivery.

"Another damn Internet sale," George said. "Why don't they turn that car over to us? We'd get a grand over sticker. Instead they're selling it at invoice. Does that make sense?" As the days passed I noticed more and more cars marked "carsdirect.com." And as I approached people on the car lot they often informed me that they were here to see the fleet manager. More Internet customers.

LOL

 

[cricky]

Yeah, my credit union does it. It's called Fleet Department. From my CU's website:

Fleet Department

CU offers a free Fleet Department that members can use that is convenient. Members call Pete, our Fleet Manager and simply tell him what type of vehicle and features they are looking for, along with how much they would like to spend. Pete has access to Fleet Pricing and is able to get a great rate on vehicles, and members never have to step a foot into the dealership.

--Chris

 

[RU482]

We checked in to this when my wife worked for Eli Lilly. In the end, we didn't go with the Fleet arranged purchase. I woundup getting a better deal by walking in with a print out with the Cars Direct price and doing some minimal negotiating. Probably helped that it was 5PM on the last Saturday in July, too.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: cricky
Yeah, my credit union does it. It's called Fleet Department. From my CU's website:

Fleet Department

CU offers a free Fleet Department that members can use that is convenient. Members call Pete, our Fleet Manager and simply tell him what type of vehicle and features they are looking for, along with how much they would like to spend. Pete has access to Fleet Pricing and is able to get a great rate on vehicles, and members never have to step a foot into the dealership.

--Chris

Yeah, that sounds like what my dad did. Pretty cool stuff.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

NFS4: I read that article too and thats what came to my mind when you said "internet deals" hehe. Where does a user go to get an "internet" deal? Just like the dealer's website or something?

 

[EXman]

Alot of Credit Unions are big enough to get a special price on cars. When I used to work at a Honda Dealer the 2 largest CU's got $400-600 over invoice w/o any dickering. As a salesperson we hated it we turned into order takers and didn't make crap.

It is a good way to get a car all you need to do is pick a car you like drive it (Always drive one first) do not even go inside the dealership. Go to the CU get the paperwork done and get prequalified for it. If your CU is big enough some call the sales manager and tell them you are coming to pick it up then. Now not all CU's work this way but another possibility is leasing from the CU wow that is really easy everything is done at the CU all you do is pick up the car. A leasing company is also easy as they are usually easier to deal with.

 

[BigSmooth]

You could also try AAA and Costco's car-buying services and see what prices they come up with. I think Vic used AAA to buy his WRX.

 

[Siddhartha]

I was going to get a car through my credit union but I was able to get a better deal dealing directly with a local dealership.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: BigSmooth
You could also try AAA and Costco's car-buying services and see what prices they come up with. I think Vic used AAA to buy his WRX.

The Costco auto program blows from my opinion. Got a quote from their "special" dealer yesterday - he gave me $1000 over invoice on 2 different trims for the car I wanted. The regular internet salesguy gave me lower quotes from that same dealer.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga
NFS4: I read that article too and thats what came to my mind when you said "internet deals" hehe. Where does a user go to get an "internet" deal? Just like the dealer's website or something?

I was looking here:

http://www.carsdirect.com

But they don't have the Mazda 3 listed yet in my area

 

[Lvis]

I looked into it when buying my truck a couple of years ago. The quotes I received were not that great. I got them from two different websites, for a Ford Ranger.

The rates for Sam's club, AAA, were even worse.

Nothing beats just using up a lot of a salesmans time, and continually telling him he needs to beat the guys price down the street. Just my opinion. In my nearly 42 years I haven't been ripped off yet, and I've done pretty well at dickering with them.

Some people don't like to negotiate, or don't have the time, so the online method is better than getting hosed at the dealership.

 

[GreenGhost]

I read articles where some internet sites were supposed to offer "great prices" without the hassle. About 3 years ago I contacted some of the popular web sites of the time, but all I got was "call Bob at this number" to get the price. Then they wanted to lure me to the dealership and go back to the 'old way'. I hope there's something better now.

The thing is, every car buyer is convinced he got the best deal ever, so $200 below MSRP is a good deal.

Here's how I bought my wife's car: One saturday morning I checked the dealer ads and found the 'bait,' advertised at invoice price. Went there, the car did not have a cd player, and I chose another vehicle that had it. The dealer refused to give me a reasonable price on the other car, so I left to another dealership, where I had previously met a more decent salesman. He let me drive the car alone for about an hour. When I returned, I told him I wanted the car and that I would pay what the other dealer was asking. He ran after the newspaper ad, argued the car I chose had some extras, and we ageed to split the difference. Took 5 minutes.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: AgaBooga
NFS4: I read that article too and thats what came to my mind when you said "internet deals" hehe. Where does a user go to get an "internet" deal? Just like the dealer's website or something?

I was looking here:

http://www.carsdirect.com

But they don't have the Mazda 3 listed yet in my area

ask the guys at the Vortex, if you haven't already done so.

I remember one of the members there working for an online-car-dealer and many others who bought from those types of places. Apparently they said it was hassle-free.

 

[bcterps]

Carbuyingtips.com is your friend. Lots of good info there. I'm looking to buy a 2004 Honda CRV in the next few weeks. I should have most of my research wrapped up by the end of this week. Trying to find the best deal on a car loan right now. Best I've seen is 3.75% for 36 months (I don't want anything longer than that)