Ask Bark Brief: I've Got The Power (Or Do I?)

TJ writes:

Greetings Bark,

With a growing family, it’s about time for me to move out of my 2007 Frontier Crew Cab into something more family friendly. The crew cab has been great transporting our toddler, but we’re planning on having another one, and I don’t think the backseat will work for two little ones.

After a long search that has included newer midsize pickups without much more inside room, full sized cars (namely Impala, LaCrosse and Azera — nice car, horrible seats), I think I’ve settled on a V6 Accord. I have my grandfather’s old C10 for pick-up stuff once I get it running again, and my father is interested in buying my Frontier, so trade-in won’t be a problem.

I’ve test driven the Accord twice, and the dealer is absolutely pressure-free; which my wife and I appreciate. BUT…the dealer only has three V6s in stock — all standard, easy-sell black or silver. I prefer Honda’s Obsidian Blue, and the salesman said getting one shouldn’t be a problem. Am I setting myself up to get taken if I email him requesting the blue one?

It seems they’ll have the power knowing I want that car, and the closest blue EX-L V6s are 300 miles away from what I can find online.

Price has not been discussed and I’m looking at either credit union financing or Honda’s promo interest rates. Should I contact the other dealer in town, or even the one 40 miles away to see if they can beat any price given?

Thanks for any help,

TJ

I’m excited, because today I get to teach you, TJ, about my favorite car buying phrase. It goes a little something like this:

“Today, I’m giving you the opportunity to sell me a car.”

People always forget that they have all the power in a car buying situation. All of it. Unless you’re buying something incredibly rare and desirable that the dealership has people lined up to buy (like, say, a Focus RS), the dealer always needs to sell you a car more than you need to buy one. Like, always.

But this is doubly true in November of 2017, when the Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate is trending down, down, down. Honda was down 4.2 percent YOY for October, and there’s no sign that this is going to change. Most industry analysts believe that auto sales have peaked, and that we’re headed for a bit of a decline in new car sales for the next couple of years.

This, of course, is causing dealers to freak the eff out (see, friends, I’m trying to tone down the language for some of our more…tenured readers).

They’re looking for opportunities to sell cars more than they have in quite some time, because they’re not as prevalent as they once were. Dealers tell me every darn day of my life, “Just give me some at-bats. Give me leads. If we get ’em in here, we’ll close ’em.” This isn’t all that true, btw — most dealers would be thrilled to close one out of every four customers who walk in the door.

In your case, you’ve got all the power. You don’t need a car today. You don’t need a car tomorrow. In fact, you’re able to wait 12 weeks for a special order to show up. So here’s what you should do.

Yes, you should tell him you want the blue one, especially since it seems that color is very important to you. And yes, you should contact the other dealer in town. And the one who’s forty miles away. And all 435 dealers that have cars meeting your search criteria. Why wouldn’t you? And when you do, tell them all the same thing:

“I’m giving you the opportunity to sell a car today.” Somebody out there is desperate enough to make you a deal on exactly the Accord you want. Guaranteed.