Scott, you aparently missed my point of the statement.

The problems here have nothing to do with good salesmenship. They have to do with bottom line and people thinking that this bottom line can be as low as they want. When I get customers who I can explain pure pricing to, explain this is the price, everyone who purchases here and any of the other 9 dealerships in this area pays, and yet they continue to haggle.

Dealing with internet customers makes me feel like I am in a bidding war. In fact people send me comments like "dealer with the lowest price wins" or "the proceedings are now closed." This I hate. I got in to this business to share my excitement with Scion. Not to be a blind lowest price bidding war. When in fact, that is what it is. When I explain to people here is the price on a Scion, they IMMEDIATELY try to find where they can get something extra. If I like you, then I will do something extra for you, if you treat me like the enemy, then I have no reason to go the extra mile for you.

I get PMed on here by people that would like to make a service appointment with my dealership. I go that extra mile and get it set up for them. Is it my job? No, will I do it cause your nice to me and I respect you? Yes. If you call me up screaming at me that it has been three weeks since you asked for touch up paint, you know what I am going to tell you? Call the parts deptartment, not my job. Why? Cause you treated me like dirt.

Scion pure pricing was designed for that first time buyer. The guy who it is his or her first car they purchased. Scion wants to make that purchase enjoyable. In fact we are told that we are supposed to ask permission before we proceed in any step of the purchase process. Now that you have decided which Scion you like, did you want to test drive it? You liked driving the car, would you like to see if you can afford it? You can afford this car, you have picked out your accessories, did you want to purchase it? Nothing High pressure, no haggling, no shoehorning.

It is when dealers and consumers chose to abuse this system that I get annoyed. People that live that live close to me, going to another dealership and purchasing the car from my lot at another dealer because they THINK they are getting something extra. I am all about Honesty and integrity, so it bothers me to lie to people and to decite people that this industry requires. It has nothing to do with how well I can sell something. It all depends on who's final figure is the lowest.

 

This just goes to show no matter how much car you get for such little money someone, somewhere wants it a buck cheaper. Not that I can blame anyone, we are by nature hunters....bbbbbbbbbuuuuuuuttttt, really now. On any scion (assuming no dealer crap extras have slid it's way in) the markup is pathetically low.....what under a grand. I say thanks Scion for giving so much and charging so little. PLUS, if you did and could haggle 50 bucks or 200...would it be worth all the frustration and the days it took to bargain.....IMO nahhhh, gimmie the keys and let's riiiiidddeeee.......No Haggle also helps high resale ;-)

 

"the markup is pathetically low.....what under a grand. "

WAY under a grand... I don't know that there's any proof, but the frequently accepted number is about $300 to $350. Heck they're making more in destination charges than dealer markup in some places.

 

i went to CAPITOL TOYOTA for an 06 Flintmica tC base auto/wing/fogs

went to steven's creek.. same old 06 flintmica tC base auto/wing/fogs

i didn't say anything.. but the rate was lower at steven's creek, steven's creek won my business

both 5 years plan..

 

There is nothing that says all dealers will or must charge the same price for their cars or accessories. Each dealer sets their own prices, and the other fees (documentation, etc.) are set to cover their costs plus add som profit - usually.

What "Pure Price" is all about is not prices between dealers, but prices between customers. It simply requires that every customer who walks a specific dealer pays the same clearly posted prices, just as they appear in the open at the dealership or on the dealership website.

Glad you poked around and found the dealer with the better prices, James.

Tomas

 

well everyone still believes that everyone pays the same amount as everyone regardless of dealerships

if they are doing that.. at least fine print it below pure price logo

 

wow this is very interesting.

 

I have to say, after reading all this, and seeing that at least as much price differentiation comes in the financing room as it does from the fees or retail price, I feel the need to point something out:

pure pricing, and the no haggle buying experience, works an awful lot better if you don't finance the car. As I understand it, nothing in the Scion covenant really governs financing. If you go in, fix the numbers, and get a cashier's check based on that number, it is WAY more difficult to get the hard sell on things like extended warranties, extras, etc. It even works better if you DON'T finance through the dealership but choose a credit union or your own bank instead.

I live in an area with relatively few scion dealers (we have two within about an hour) and neither were known for great customer service. However, I paid cash, and the experience was nominally painless. Ordered car, got car in on dealer trade, paid for car, picked it up in two days. There weren't any interest rates to compare, or $100 to save anywhere. Heck, they accidentally gave me free floor mats. I'm sure, had I been financing, I would have gotten a worse deal overall.

I understand that the model is pretty much based on the assumption that a young person buying their first car will be financing, but the model works far better when you don't, and it seems to me from reading threads like this that the financing is a big source of pricing discrepancies.

just food for thought.

 

Yup, once one is locked in a room with a finance weasel one has to be very careful not to end up lunch... The Scion "Pure Price" experience is all good until that point, and finance weasels keep their jobs only by pressure selling those "extras" at extreme profit. All dealerships have 'em, Scion or not.

"Finance" is the dealership's last chance to add those little 'extra' high-profit items to the sale. You are already hooked on the vehicle - can almost feel yourself driving it home - and they know in that state you are 'suggestable.'

They know you want the car, and that you want to just get the papers signed and get out of there. They purposely set it up so they have all the power - you want the car, you are in their office, you are playing by their rules, they are the ones doing all sorts of printing, paper pushing, and hard selling, all questions are a set-up with the automatic answers being "yes."

Finance weasels are specifically chosen for their ability to sell their own mother's walker back to them if they leave it unattended for a moment. They have no heart.

Once you are locked in the cage with the finance weasel, you really have to concentrate. Don't let them sell you a wash and wax for $500.

Don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Tomas

 

finance weasel.... i like that term.

 

im not quite sure what youre saying.

When i got my xA, i paid sticker. sticker was the same "pure" price no matter which dealer i went to. its basically the price on the website, plus $120 in floormats. in california, add 10% to the MSRP in taxes and license fees.

i sent out an email to all the dealers the day after i sold my 1998 civic hatch on ebay for $5500. i was looking for an xA, 5spd, and gave them my 3 color choices in order of preference... IIP, grey, black. the first dealer that had an IIP 5spd emailed me, and i was down there an hour later.

and the F&I jackhole? HE is the person to worry about. he got NO love from me, at all. no permaplate, no scotchgard, no extended warranty, no financing (paid it off). especially after i pointed out his fancy AERO office chair.

pure price was one of the reasons i went with an xA over a yaris hatch. no dorking around with "power packages", etc. i got the car i wanted at the price i wanted, and it holds its value well.

 

Wow! these are some mad long posts.

 

^ your wasnt

this one isnt...

har har..

 

last time i really checked a couple years ago, the actual markup on a base xA was something like $600. im not going to begrudge them that.

however- here are a few things i did and everyone CAN do to eliminate some of those squares on their lil 4-square" sheet.

sell your car yourself. i sold mine on ebay after dealers wouldnt even give me a tradein value on a 1998 civic with 52k miles.

set up your own financing. in LA county, factor in 10% on top of sticker to pay for tax and insurance. get the financing quote for that amount minus what you can get selling your tradein.

dont get any extras. you can buy em later- they arent going anywhere.

 

Sory for bringing up an old topic, but this guy is complaining about a few bucks while also talking about how affordible the Philly area is.

Philly is over priced, you don't think so, so stop complaining about a few extra bucks from Scion.