What title of salesperson do you suggest the 75 year old interact with or if they all have the same title, would you suggest one that has been at the dealership for a long time? If 75 year old seeks out salesperson A based on bio/title at dealership website, is it rude or not permitted to ask specifically for that person upon entering the lot?The 75 year old might start with...So how in your opinion is a 75 year old PhD in mathematics with zero experience in sales or how to emotionally or psychologically handle a typical high pressures sales environment, going to relate to a 22 year old auto salesperson with a high school education but 4 years of auto sales experience and lots of in house training in high pressure sales?
Online research...
Visit the dealership and ask to test drive a Toyota Camry.
Communicate that he will make a purchase in 3 days.
Request an out-the-door price.
Establish a working relationship and exchange contact information. (Share and note preferred communication method.)
Find out what the salesperson's working schedule is and who his backup salesperson is.
Answer all questions honestly to establish trust.
Tell the salesperson that you will get back with him.
Repeat at 2 or more dealerships.
The 75 year old should now have a feel for the market and be ready to make the next step.
Sure, get a quote from Costco or the like.
Can one walk into one dealership and effectively negotiate the out-the-door price down?
Probably not, but one could...
Say, I can't afford that or I can't pay that much.
One could humbly and politely thank the salesperson and leave...after leaving contact info.
When vehicles are popular or scarce, there isn't much room to negotiate.
If the opposite is true, use the Denovo method.
No matter what, it pays to shop around.
I like it when I hear the sales person say, "What do I need to do to earn your business?"
I read that the overwhelming majority of salespeople have no authority to set a purchase price and that it must be approved by the sales manager. Why can't a customer directly visit the sales manager and negotiate with that person? It seems like there are so many variables and this one is huge in the sense that a dealership may have 8 different sales managers and 20 different salespeople. The 8 different sales managers presumably can set various prices on the same vehicle with each of the 20 salespeople depending on a multitude of quantitative (how close or far are they from their bonus goals or quota) or preference factors (the rapport each one has with a particular salesperson). This is another frustrating part because it's so variable. I realize it's part of the buying process and can't be changed. There is no way to know beforehand the personality of each employee or the internal sales quota or bonus numbers they are meeting or not meeting at that time.
I completely agree with another recent poster who indicates that this process takes TONS of research and many hours at a dealership. Since same manufacturer dealerships are generally located at a great distance from each other, this makes visiting two in one day difficult, especially if the salesperson or manager indicates that price is only good for that day.
Regarding the Costco Auto Buying Program, I have read posts that state those prices are better than what the dealer can offer and others that state one can do better negotiating with the dealer and buying outside of the program. If one were to visit a dealer that is part of the Costco auto buying program and see the Costco price sheet, how would one ask whether those prices are lower that what the dealer can offer a buyer who negotiates or if they are higher prices than what a buyer that negotiates receives?
Statistics: Posted by DTalos — Mon Dec 08, 2025 2:22 am — Replies 34 — Views 4111