Salesman led to confusion (considering getting a Mirage)

[Cobrajet]

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard you tell this story I'd have like 13 or 14 buckaroos now lol.

I call it "The Gospel of Mark".

[Eggman]

I must say it would be much easier to post 'The Saga' once and for all in one thread that can be referred to, rather than repeat it over & over & over. It would save us all the time spent reading it again and again, and save Mark's fingers & time.

[fc321]

I was able to negotiate a fantastic deal: $9000 for my 2015 Mirage but this was because that was the year right before they had a major body redesign of the car so most people wanted the new futuristic styling instead of the older 2015 style.

I had to work very hard and prepare for this. I spent no less than 20 hours of time on research and on negotiating. But I had many roadblocks such as this exchange:

Me: So if we can do the deal for $10k I would be interested to move forward
Saleman: 10k? You are dreaming. I can do $12,800
Me: I already spoke to XYZ dealership and they agreed to $10,500
Salesman: Ok......well then go buy it from them.
Me: Wow, is that really going to be your attitude?
Salesman: Yes, because youre lying.
Me: Okay, bye
Saleman: Bye

Thats a typical exchange you will have with most of these guys. Here are some bullet points:

* Dont negotiate face to face.
* Call several dealers and when they say a price over the phone ask them to email you an invoice. Most wont comply but 1 out of 5 will. When you have that invoice you have your "price ceiling"
* When you speak with them tell them you live in a city 3 hours away and for that reason you cannot "go in person"
* Tell each dealer you are paying in cash. This is the only way to get a "true number" Get the otd price.
* Each time you get a lower bid then you call back the old dealers asking them to beat the new price by $500

Lather, rinse repeat. Be prepared to wait a full 2 months playing this game back and forth. When they say they need to speak to the "manager" to get authorization ask for the managers name and then deal only with manager from then on.

More tips:

* Let them know the car you "really" want is the Hyundai accent (or whatever competitor from another brand) and that you would only take the Mirage for the "right price". That you are about to sign a deal on a Hyundai.

* The bottom line is that this is an "information war" and the way that a customer wins that war is to "trick" a dealer into sending them a written invoice and then you use that invoice to chisel down the price of the other dealers. Thats why dealers dont want to send a written invoice. So you gotta lie to them on the phone and say "Listen buddy, Im not going to drive 3 hours all the way down there unless you send me the invoice via email."

* Start your search on TrueCar.com and use that as your initial price ceiling, that is how you get started.

[Marklovski]

^ Yup, there's lots of things you shouldn't say on negotiation. Especially using a different price for the same car elsewhere, unless, the dealer is a long ways away and you try to show that you're willing to drive there for a discount. Just say "Sorry I like the car but the price point isn't for me, I'll just drive to the dealer XXX miles away." It kind of a last resort to see if they'll stop you and lower the price or call you later.

I would say I'd rather spend more on a Versa, Fit, Accent, Rio, Yaris, Mazda 2, Sonic, Spark. The Nissan Versa seems to have a lower base MSRP than the Mirage. Its best to show they could lose a sale easily.

The power to say 'no' is helpful. Went in to check out the Scion xD and they wanted $17k non-negotiable, I said no and walked out, the kept calling me back. I was brought in the check the Nissan Versa Note because they said they had a $12,000 manager's deal but the ones they showed me were $16,500 and there were no cars lower than that. I said no and they kept calling for weeks saying they would lower it to $14,500 then $14,000.

[Slayer7.62]

Well thank you everyone for all the replies. It sounds like it’s really my best bet to handle things via phone/email to get a price that’s reasonable. I would be willing to drive back from white bear if needed too, just would be a little bit of a hassle. At some point in the near future hopefully I can get the test drive in, I really think the manual would be what I would prefer, it’s just unfortunate that manual cars are so rare here.

[inuvik]

Definitely go with a manual when you decide. I drove a 20 hr round trip to get my manual Outlander Sport. White Bear Mitsubishi sounds like the way to go with multiple members having great buying experience with them. On the West Coast I’ll give the same thumbs up to Leskovar Mitsubishi.

[Mark]

Well thank you everyone for all the replies. It sounds like itÂ’s really my best bet to handle things via phone/email to get a price thatÂ’s reasonable. I would be willing to drive back from white bear if needed too, just would be a little bit of a hassle. At some point in the near future hopefully I can get the test drive in, I really think the manual would be what I would prefer, itÂ’s just unfortunate that manual cars are so rare here.

More & more companies are dropping manuals in even their small cars. I read recently that the new Toyota Yaris hatchback will not have a manual option. Considering that car is a joint venture with Mazda, that is quite sad. Here's a car that could shift like a Miata, but no go! The same goes with the new Supra. No manual option. Lame!

I wouldn't be discouraged by the lack of manuals nearby. If you decide that you really want one, there should be one out there for you. I found shopping for Mirage on line more productive, because of the lack of dealerships in my area. Your situation may be different?

I live in a very rural area of SW Wisconsin. If I wanted to buy a Chevy Spark, there are 15 dealerships within a 50-mile radius of my home. Most of them are well-established (decades), & they have good reputations. My nearest Mitsubishi dealership is 65+ miles, & they were a shady used car dealership just a few years ago.

I found shopping for a Mirage to be different for that reason more than anything. It's not like you can go from one dealership to the next and have them compete for your business. I don't have the patience to deal with car salesmen any more, & it can be a big waste of time. Once I decided that I wanted a Mirage, I went where I felt comfortable with the deal. It would have been a distance regardless.

I don't think a person needs to travel all the way to White Bear. If you lived in the Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Iowa area, I would surely consider them. I hope you can find the perfect deal much closer to home.

[Top_Fuel]

You may not have to go to White Bear...but you might have to find a Mitsubishi mega-dealer like them. I just checked the White Bear website. They have 68 Mirages and 66 G4's in stock right now. I've been to several Mitsubishi dealers and have never seen more than maybe 20 Mirages/G4s in stock at one time.

My local dealer has 14 Mirages/G4's on their lot right now. White Bear has 134!!! Those guys are buying in massive quantities and that's probably one reason they can offer the deals they do. I will definitely price shop those guys if I ever decide to buy another Mirage.

[Mark]

You may not have to go to White Bear...but you might have to find a Mitsubishi mega-dealer like them. I just checked the White Bear website. They have 68 Mirages and 66 G4's in stock right now. I've been to several Mitsubishi dealers and have never seen more than maybe 20 Mirages/G4s in stock at one time.

My local dealer has 14 Mirages/G4's on their lot right now. White Bear has 134!!! Those guys are buying in massive quantities and that's probably one reason they can offer the deals they do. I will definitely price shop those guys if I ever decide to buy another Mirage.

My local Mitsubishi dealership doesn't allow you to look at their inventory without giving them detailed information. They have professional harassers who then contact you via, phone, text, & email. They are relentless! They are not salesmen either. Their only job is to harass you & get you to come through their doors It's very repulsive! Thus, I couldn't tell you what they have in stock today? Even when you do look, all their cars are listed at full price. This is the most disgusting dealership I have ever seen. They prey on people with poor credit.

The next Wisconsin dealer I would consider is 141 miles (2h & 23 min) from my home. Even though they are near the Milwaukee area, they have 2 Mirages in stock! That's up one from the last time I looked. The two cars they have are both gray.

This is why I ended up buying a Mirage from White Bear. My other options didn't really exist. If it wasn't for White Bear, I would have bought something other than a Mirage. My hope is that you can find a similar dealership closer to home. White Bear may have a huge inventory, but they sold me a car sitting on someone else's lot. I didn't have to settle for something I really didn't want with them.

[Pryme]

I posted this a long time ago but this is just some of white bears stock. What's not shown here is this lot is way bigger than what is shown in this pic. I randomly came across this lot which is a few miles from the dealership. They have a ton of cars in the lot plus this massive lot