Buying truck from dealer w/cashier check..?

So I'm looking at a truck that I've been researching for over a year now, it just popped up on Autotrader over the weekend and it's the best deal I've seen and it's close to home. Funny thing is...is that it's on Auto trader for less than it's listed on "Chevy certified trucks"???...what's up with that?
So Any way, I was gonna go in there with a cashiers check for the sticker price and tell them "this is what I will pay, no fees, tax, etc...out the door, heres the check, take it or see ya, there will be others." .......Will it work?????

There is only one way to find out!!!!

If it is a dealer, they should take a personal check. My last two cars I bought with a personal check. They have to get all of your information for the DMV (depending on which state your in). The explanation I got from them was that they have all of our personal information, so they know where to get the car if the check doesn't clear.

JDyer...you missed it buddy :-)

Jdyer, were the checks for the asking price or did you fill them out after negotiating??

I'm not sure how low off of asking you're going, but it never hurts to lowball them hardcore, dealers are hardly offendable as long as you're somewhat realistic you'll be fine. I wouldn't even go in with a check, I'd just go in with a target in your head you don't want to exceed.

Also, I've purchased a lot of cars cash and found it always better to act like you're financing, have good credit (even if you don't), are pre-approved but willing to use their financing, etc. Any smart dealer is either getting some points on your loan (happens all the time without most people knowing) or a kickback/incentive and they should be more negotiable. When they accept the deal then go back and tell them you're paying cash... Just my two cents.

Oh yea I forgot that part, I was going to write the check for the asking price, they pay fees, tax, lic, etc...?
I'm financing through safe credit Union, I learned from my last experience....10 years ago..that you dont give them any info to run a credit report, cause then they find out what you can afford.

Originally Posted by spunnnn

Oh yea I forgot that part, I was going to write the check for the asking price, they pay fees, tax, lic, etc...?

Can't hurt to try. My point is, start off as low as you're comfortable offering and work up. If they're asking $30,000 and you offer $29,000 as the most you'll pay, they'll counter at say $29,500 and you'll probably do it. So make sure to ask them to take less than you're willing to pay so there's haggle room.

Ha, I don't want to haggle..."Here's a check for your asking price, OUT THE DOOR, you pay the fees or see ya"

Kevbo,
Do it. You don't need permission from this forum. I think its a great idea. I have done very similar with good results. Saves a buttload of time and headache. Here is the money, make it happen or Im out of here. Not dealing with all the crap. Last car we bought I walked in, gave them a number and said "Make it work or we are both wasting our time" He left, came back and we shook hands. Was a great experience. Good luck!!!

Awesome, just what I've been waiting to hear....I'm doing it tomorrow.
I have no tolerance for the haggling part, if they come back more than twice still not excepting my offer(check) I'm outa there, I don't need it bad enough to get home and not be happy what I paid and not enjoy my new truck. I know where there's another one.... I'll get up tell them I'm giong there with my check and walk out.

If you don't walk away at least once you are leaving some $$ on the table.

sounds crazy, but if your buying from a dealer look online for a coupon, lol.

My last car I bought, my wife ( who is a coupon code wizzard) said look for an online coupon...I laughed but did it. low and behold. I found a coupon for $500 off.

so I worked the deal I wanted, then showed them the coupon for the $500 off.......they tried to wigle out of it , but the sales mgr said it ws fair and legit

I don't think he cares about leaving money on the table. He has priced it and is paying what he feels is a great price. I have do e the same thing. I don't mind leaving a few hundred on the table if it means not having to deal with all the bullcrap that the salesman wants to put me through. My time and aggravation is worth far more then a few hundred.

Did it work? What truck are you lookin for?

Originally Posted by colorider

I don't think he cares about leaving money on the table. He has priced it and is paying what he feels is a great price. I have do e the same thing. I don't mind leaving a few hundred on the table if it means not having to deal with all the bullcrap that the salesman wants to put me through. My time and aggravation is worth far more then a few hundred.

It's only frustrating if you let them hassle you, walk in, show them you're interested, beat them up on the price, spend 10 minutes talking to the decision maker. DONE or walk away. It's worth spending thirty minutes to save $500 or whatever. For most people that should be at least one less car payment..

I doubt the CC makes a difference. I bought my truck by offering a price out the door and sticking to it. They finally caved.

I remember when I was 16 (1972) I had a check in hand made out (amount but not the "to" part) from my parents for a Yamaha 650. It was a Monday and when I got there I found out the shop was closed on Mondays. I wanted a cycle bad and went to the Kawasaki dealer and handed them the check for a more expensive Kawasaki H2 750. They took it.

well so much for that....I think...? Went in there took it for a drive, didn't give them any info on my intentions, I even started looking at the cheap trucks first.
Said yes to go inside to talk #s, I only gave them my address and phone #, he said in the truck that it doesn't seem to be on sale cause there wasn't a sale sticker on the window, once we got in there and he came out with a total he says yes it is on sale. Once he was finished I asked, "Ok, when does your Manager get involved?" He says "as soon as you make your offer", I said, "I'm in no hurry to do this, I'm not into big ticket purchases, my truck works fine.......I open up my folder and there is a print out of a truck at another dealer and the card of the Bank I got the loan at, I said, "I'm looking at another truck at this place, it has this and that, your truck doesn't, I'm approved for a loan at Safe Credit Union, I don't have any room to negotiate, I'm self employed, I was lucky to get approved for this much...No trade in, No fees, $24,500 out the door w/warr". They wanted $25,877 to begin with(09 Silverado crew cab, no bells and whistles, 4x4 w/20k, it's been on the lot for almost 3 weeks). He came back and asked me if I had the loan authorization #, I said "no, it's at this bank". He comes back with the manager sits down and tells me they can't do it cause they lose this much and Bla,Bla.......I get up shake his hand, he asks me if I would like to look at a different truck, I said no and walked out......they didn't stop me.
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There you go. Like you said, there will be other trucks. It's nice to not be in a hurry and not get emotions involved. Makes it so much easier to buy.

So you find this truck (that you have been looking for a year now) and its the best deal you have seen and then go in and low ball the hell out of them? It looks like you essentially offered them about 21k for the truck thats only about 5 grand back of WHOLESALE on it. Gee I wonder why they didn't take it?

Ah, the opinion of a car salesman, it's about time. 1+k less than their price OTD......c'mon, it's been sitting there for ever. The dealer has purchasing power, they have lot's of room to move, they just hope most every one that comes in there hasn't done their research are compulsive or un-experienced. Everybody knows these dealers have inflated mark up, but some people don't have a choice.....and they know that. One slip of information to them and they run with it and there's no turning back.

That's how they do at the dealerships. I've got a car dealership right off of my freeway exit by my house. In September of 08 they put out a black Silverado 4x4 that they had sent out for a 6" lift with 20" rims, etc. Like I said, it's off of my exit so I saw it every single day. Fast forward to Late May 09 and the wife and I decide it's time for a new Silverado so we stop by. The same truck is still sitting there 9 months later since with gas prices these things aren't exactly flying off of the lots. While we are there we take a look at the weekly ad that they have posted to their window and there is the black lifted truck with the same vin # etc. in the add and it's like $27k in the ad. The ad was titled just like the truck was sitting, 'black Silverado crew cab 4x4 with 6" lift and 20" wheels" etc. We see the ad and say ok, we'll buy that truck for your advertised price. The salesman tells us that is a different truck on ad. I said that's odd since it has the same vin # and look, there's a picture of the truck in the ad too. He goes to talk to the manager and comes out and tells us that is the price before the lift and tires at which point I pointed out exactly what the ad said "with 6" lift and tires". He goes back behind the window and you can see the arms flying.

They ended up saying they couldn't sell the truck for that price since they'd be taking a loss considering the money they invested into it and offered me another price. I told them I would write them a check for the original price right then and they declined. When they declined I told them that I would be taking my business elsewhere and that they would never see me for another vehicle purchase. I also told them that I would spread the word regarding there business tactics and that was that.

We left and went to another dealer and bought a truck that day. The original truck sat on the lot and I saw it probably until January of this year before it dissappeared. Don't know if somebody bought it or what but these dealers are willing to roll the dice that someone else will come by and give them what they want. Stick to your guns and you will get your truck for what you want to pay for it. Demand will drive what is or isn't a fair price, not what they want to sell it for.

pretty sure that's fraud too (not available at advertised price).

car dealers are crooks they stay out of jail with their salesman get out of jail free card.you can tell they are lying when their lips are moving. they tell you what deal they want not how low they can go. they make millions of trucks every year. you will find one for the price you want to pay be patient.

It's good that you are staying patient. It has been my experience that, when you are too anxious to rush into things, you make a bad decision or pay more for something.

Im with Kevbo on this. If the dealer is going to lose money by selling it for a grand less then asking price, then this dealer payed far too much for it on trade.. Or he made a very good margin on the car he sold with this trade. None the less, the dealer should have sold it and moved it off the lot. You are going about it the right way.. The entire car lot is full of time vampires. They suck the time and life out of you until you just submit to the anquish and give in... Good job holding your ground and you will find the right truck at the right price.

I bought an 05 Dodge Ram Diesel with 28k miles for $28.5 out the door. They were asking $32.8. I have owned 12 vehicles and not once have I paid even close to asking price, out the door. Dealerships can get creative. What they "lose" on your deal, they make up twice fold on the next person.

My mom was truck shopping for a bit and she was getting hosed left and right, so many of those guys are scumbags. I went with her later on to some more dealerships and she started to get reasonable pricing. Its exactly like what tinydubb said, there are idiots out there and they will take advantage of them, and smart dealerships will know when its time to cut their losses and move something.

Make sure they have your phone # when you walk out. Tell them to feel free to call you only if they are ready to accept your offer. This has worked
for me many times. The real decision maker shows up and says do the deal. I think one mistake you made was to look at other trucks. If you see
the truck you want advertised, walk in and say I want to make a deal on this truck and nothing else. They saw your check and know that you were looking
at some less expensive trucks that your check would cover so they figured why drop way down on this truck.

Thanks for the input guys, Haven't heard from them yet......kinda surprised.
To bad, I'm willing to negotiate a little....I low balled when I went in there $500 less than my loan, (but then that means I would pay $877 less than their sale price.....that's no deal!), just got up when the manager said he couldn't do it...thought they would stop me or call me....by now.
I swear that truck has been sitting there for 6 months too. I really don't want to drive 200 miles to find the right truck. Yes it is a good sale price, it has low miles but I'm not paying their sale price flat out....like I said I prob would have met them in the middle if they just stopped me or called me back, I thought they always called you back, even if you told them to get f-----! It wasn't part of my plan for them not to call me back.
I was gonna go back in there this week some time and just see what's up, but a lot of stories are saying stay put.....should I not bother? If there not calling me I don't see how $500 is going to make a difference....and then they will think I have more than that even....which I don't.

Originally Posted by spunnnn

Thanks for the input guys, Haven't heard from them yet......kinda surprised.
To bad, I'm willing to negotiate a little....I low balled when I went in there $500 less than my loan, (but then that means I would pay $877 less than their sale price.....that's no deal!), just got up when the manager said he couldn't do it...thought they would stop me or call me....by now.
I swear that truck has been sitting there for 6 months too. I really don't want to drive 200 miles to find the right truck. Yes it is a good sale price, it has low miles but I'm not paying their sale price flat out....like I said I prob would have met them in the middle if they just stopped me or called me back, I thought they always called you back, even if you told them to get f-----! It wasn't part of my plan for them not to call me back.
I was gonna go back in there this week some time and just see what's up, but a lot of stories are saying stay put.....should I not bother? If there not calling me I don't see how $500 is going to make a difference....and then they will think I have more than that even....which I don't.

You're probably wasting your time waiting then since you said you didn't want to haggle. Bottomline, if you want a good deal, you have to haggle - there's no two ways about it. Otherwise just go pay asking retail.

So your not going to buy the truck even though you know the price they're asking is a good sale price? In most cases, when a dealer advertises vehicles, they know that they have to advertise it at an attractive price. Advertising isn't cheap, and if your not going to put it out there at a price that's going to draw in customers, then you might aswell not even advertise it.

That might be as low as they can go. Don't let your pride stand in the way of you getting the truck you want, that you already know is a good sale price.

call them up.. Speak to the manager and the sales rep.. Simply say. "I see the truck is still on the lot. I still have the cash. Wan't me to take it off your hands today". If they say no,, then just tell them you will talk to them in another few weeks.

I have a relationship built up with a few dealers in my area and they will bottom line it for me with out any negotiation, but that kind of relationship takes a few years to develope. It is possible that you know someone who can do it for you though.

The best way for you to get the best price is to get dealers to compete with each other. I don't know where you are located, but prices vary greatly depending on location. If you can save a $1000 or more by going a few hundred miles that sounds like a good trade. Look at buying one online also. I live in WA and the last car I purchased came from PA. I had it shipped for $360 and saved almost $4000 from what it would have cost me here locally.

The reasons they haven't called is because you serenity where near a deal, I can assure you that if you were they'd be on you like stink on a monkey. If they've ha it as long as you say theyre likely advertising at near their cost. You offered them 1k lesss than ad price OTD with a warranty. Figure 10% for TTL and another 2-2.5k for warranty (say 1500 cost) thats a bout another 5k discount. Its okay to get a good deal even at advertised price

serenity should read no where...

The checks were written after the haggling was done. My goal is at least 10% off the asking price out the door. Normally I have had to go to a couple of dealers to get the deal, but it works most of the time.

What if 10% off at another dealer is still more $ then what he could buy this truck for? If you have ever been to a Carmax dealer they're a no haggle dealer. They won't discount their cars 1 $ or negotiate on your trade in. Some dealers have so many days to sell their used cars and might have a policy to mark it down to cost for another few weeks, and if it still hasn't sold they take it to auction.

The 10% figure is just the target. I first research everything I can near my area to find what the majority of people (dealers and private parties) are asking. This is mainly accomplished in a couple of sittings on the internet. Once you know what the typical asking prices are out there, then you have a better reference to use when walking into a dealer. He has clearly already done this. It is also important to be reasonable with what you are going to offer. I keep in mind what the wholesale price is and always stay above that because the dealer is clearly not going to sell it for a loss. I always start low, but I have the target in mind for them to meet in the middle. Sometimes that is not possible if you go too low and I have repeatedly been told that they just can't get any where near the price I was offering. If you can keep the emotions out of it, then you just move on to the next dealer.

During my most recent experience, I went to 6 different dealers. I spread it out over multiple trips until I knew exactly what I would be able to get the car for. Then I went around again and haggled until I got my price. This is a lot easier if you are looking for something that is common. I was also negotiating on my trade. It was a large SUV that I really didn't want to private sell because I needed to get rid of it before the registration fees came up. Each situation is different.

I actually found that Carmax's no haggle prices were higher than the dealer asking prices. Maybe it was just the car I was looking at, but they were definitely higher. I don't know if the dealers are getting better or if Carmax is slipping. I was looking for a pretty common car and I was amazed that they were easily $2k over what the dealers were asking. I would just keep in mind that a dealer will haggle. If a dealer is just slightly above carmax, I would take the dealer because I know they will come down. I know that Carmax inspects their vehicles, but any dealer will offer you a warranty on a relatively new car if you are worried about repairs.

Spunnnn- I see you are around my same area. I used the automall for all test drives and negotiations. I went to Auburn to try to get one of the ones I found, but they didn't want to hit my number. If the one that we got didn't work out, I planned to expand my search. I found a bunch of good deals in the bay area. A little more of a commitment for the drive, but there was sure a lot more to pick from over there. Just a suggestion. I ended up buying it from a dealer in the automall. Most of the dealers were ready to make a deal over there. I sure didn't see much traffic through the place when I was going through this.

I am confused? Are you trying to buy a truck or get into a relationship? "Should I call him?" "Is it too soon?" "What will they think of me?"WTF?................

^^^^^ haha STAR