So much for "buying American"!=great car buying experience

[TownsendPLocke]

I bought a new car yesterday.

I had had my eyes set in the Ford Fusion for quite a while and the 0%-0 down financing promotion was incentive enough to get me to a dealership-that and the AC had died in mi 97 altima AGAIN.

The internet/fleet guy at the dealership was great.No hustle,low key-interested in making a deal work for me.A very nice chang from my last car buying experience.They had the model I was looking at,in the color I was looking at-done deal.It still took over three hours from when I walked in till when I drove out.

Funny thing though.On the sticker they had a sign saying the car was only 30%us made parts,and assembled in Mexico.

So much for trying to support US workers ;(

[seaboy4hire]

>I bought a new car yesterday.

>I had had my eyes set in the Ford Fusion for quite a while and

>the 0%-0 down financing promotion was incentive enough to get

>me to a dealership-that and the AC had died in mi 97 altima

>AGAIN.

>The internet/fleet guy at the dealership was great.No

>hustle,low key-interested in making a deal work for me.A very

>nice chang from my last car buying experience.They had the

>model I was looking at,in the color I was looking at-done

>deal.It still took over three hours from when I walked in till

>when I drove out.

>Funny thing though.On the sticker they had a sign saying the

>car was only 30%us made parts,and assembled in Mexico.

>So much for trying to support US workers ;(

One reason the car makers can offer such nice deals is because most of the car and or parts are not made here in the United States. Had it been chances are you probably wouldn't have gotten a nice deal.

Hugs,

Greg

[AdamSmith]

Part of my job is studying the auto industry. This will sound jingoistic, or rather anti-jingoistic. Nonetheless:

When I visit Detroit, I meet some brilliant people trying to manage (and withstand being managed by) a number of fairly brainless types. When I visit VW in Wolfsburg, I meet lots of bright people. When it's Daimler, lots of bright people interspersed with some bona fide genuises. Audi in Ingolstadt, take it up another notch. But when I visit BMW, every single person is at the top of the heap. They have conversations -- using simple, one-syllable words -- that I can't even comprehend until the third time I've made them repeat and explain. The BMW people say, truly humbly, that their goal used to be to catch up with Mercedes, but today their only goal is to run as fast as possible to stay ahead.

Of course Japan trumps all by some measures. But the power of the group mind I don't know how to compare to the Western attributes described here. (But Dr. Toyoda diagnosed the American failing with surgical precision: "Quick draw, slow bullet.")

This is all frightfully incorrect. But as the divine Oscar Wilde observed, "It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances."

[Guest Conway]

Quite interesting. From the consumer's perspective, I'm in the process of buying my first BMW after having been loyal to Volvo for years. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Volvos are becoming more like Fords than vice versa,While I once got 200,000 miles friom a Volvo, my present model is beginning to show wear problems at a mere 70,000 miles and six years old.

In researching the BMW (my heart wants a new six series, but my wallet is demanding nothing more than a new five series), I have found that BMW makes research and pricing readily available to the customer before he or she ever steps foot in a show room. The American car dealers, on the other hand, seem hesitant to tell me much of anything until I visit the showroom.

With the BMW, I have been able to make a comfortable independent decision without having to ever even deal with a car salesman.

Really, the only thing left to do is negotiate price. And with dealer costs readily available for most base models on the internet, I'm prepared to cut a deal that will make both me and the dealer happy.

[AdamSmith]

There are a few U.S. BMW dealerships that go the other way, regrettably, but not many. As far as corporate presentation goes, what you describe is the norm, and just one more benefit of dealing with an engineering-mentality company. As opposed to a place where the marketeers define reality.

(Full disclosure: After my first Germany research trip, I bought a 325xi. The 3s are more fun than anything except the new 6, IMO. And when I bought, you could not get all-wheel drive on anything but the 3s.)

[TownsendPLocke]

I had a big Mercedes at one point in my Life.Then after a change of circumstances I had to trade down.

IME Merc's and BMW's are wonderful driving machines.My boss has a variety of them and I often get to drive them as well as Lexi and Jags.

The purchase price is only part of the purchase price.They are sooooooo

fussy and finely tuned that they spend much more time in the shop then the Lexi-or my Nissan ever did.

And once you are off warrenty-good luck.

I do not have the desire to shell out that kind of cash for an appliance.

But to each their own.And if you can afford it,great.

I was trying to support American workers.Ford and Chrysler are the only American marques that appeal to me.Ford was giving out free cash.Guess who won.