Dodge Price Firming Up
September 21st, 2009I Have Haggle Fatigue
Here’s the scoop on the Dodge. This is an SLT, quad cab, 2007, 5.9-liter, 30,000 miles, 4×4 Ram 2500. Not bare-bones, but not fancy. An expert gave me an educated guess about the bodywork it needs: probably around $500. I can get the truck as-is for $25,500. I may be able to get the dealer to do the bodywork if I pay $25,800. Maybe I’m better off paying a reliable shop. I don’t know if the dealer does good work, and their main business is new Japanese cars, so I assume they don’t work on Dodges every day.
My dad seems to think I’m an idiot if I close the deal now. On the other hand, I lowballed the Ford guys, and they never called back, so I realize you eventually have to give up and say yes or no.
Whatever. I’m not going down there tonight. It’s not that I’m a tough negotiator. I’m just tired.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:57 PM
Up here in Chicago, very few dealers do any body work – they all have a sweetheart deal with a nearby real body shop
September 21st, 2009 at 11:14 PM
I go through the same scenario every time I buy a new (or new to me) vehicle. Just went through it buy a SUV for my girlfriend. Well, she paid, I did all the negotiating/paperwork/research.
After SO much research and haggling, I get tired and snag a deal where I think I’m not getting ripped off. I always do pretty well, but I get to the point where I’m not going to spend another 25 hours of crap to save $500. You have figure your freetime into the $$ equation. I’d much rather be playing tennis or golf or hanging out with the woman/kids than haggling with a scumbag car dealer.
I know tools who take great pride in chiseling the dealer to the last penny. How much is their free time worth to them? $10 an hour???? And knowing car dealers, I wouldn’t be surprised if they set up something to prematurely fail on this tool’s vehicle.
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:58 AM
Unrelated comment…I’m building a fold down/up work bench surface for my garage, wanted to make a replaceable work surface for when things got beat up and stained, and came across this guy… http://benchmark.20m.com/workshop/WorkBench/workbench.html
And here I was thinking you and I and og were the ultimate silly and technologically advanced B&D Workmate fans…
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Up here in Chicago, the dealers (all that I know of, anyway) don’t do their own body work, it is farmed out to a nearby body shop (with some sort of sweetheart deal, no doubt).