And Away We Grow

So I was able to get together with the salesman at the Dodge dealer and I am now the new owner of a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500.  I have nothing negative to say about my salesman - Joe -- in particular.  He was pleasant, professional, helpful .... all the stuff you expect.  But there was nothing at the end of the day to change my feelings about car dealers.  They still rank in my Top 5 -- along with dentists and lawyers -- under Most Painful Experiences.

I thought I had a pretty good game plan going in.  I have been researching the kind of truck I wanted and this Dodge was near perfect.  Then I determined the average retail price for this vehicle nationwide and set my own 'Top Dollar' number before even showing up at the dealership.  If the truck looked as good in person as it sounded and looked online, this was all I would pay.  Period.

Once there, the truck indeed was near perfect.  The right year, miles, motor, transmission, cab size, accessories, etc.  It was a one owner and the Carfax verified my inspection.  The truck was well maintained plus there was one unknown option that I recognized instantly when climbing in the drivers seat.  This truck had the optional engine brake.

If you are a truck driver, you know what this is and how significant it can be when towing something downhill.  Engine brakes -- AKA compression brakes -- use back pressure from the motor to slow the truck down saving the truck brakes.  Have you ever seen an 18 wheeler slowing down and heard the very load rumbling of the motor going "blap-blap-blap-blap-blap-blap-blap"?  That's the engine brake at work -- probably un-muffled.

The well-maintained condition of the truck (<90K miles) and the engine brake sealed my decision.  I made my top dollar offer -- about $3k less than the price on the windshield.  Now this is the part I hate most about car dealers.  They have a number - the price of the truck - and then there's this for that, this for the other thing, tax, title, registration, dealer fee, this fee, that tax, sumor fee, yada-yada-yada.  Doesn't take long before you are back at some number you did not want to be at.

I held my ground.  My number was an 'out-the-door' number.  I won't bore you with the details of our 3 hour haggling.  But when I walked out the door -- with the keys to my new truck -- I held to my number -- almost.  After the salesman and I did our dance -- and we have a deal -- I go see the business manager to sign papers.  Surprise!!  They aren't done trying to sell you stuff!!  But they are tricky about it.  They show you things as financing options and how it changes your monthly payment -- not as the cost of the item.  Big difference.

Would you be more likely to say "YES" if you saw the cost as only $5 more per month in your payment or as another $700 cost of the vehicle?  Sneaky.  I hate (most) car dealers.  Smoke and mirrors!  Buyer beware.

But I really liked this truck.  It was perfect for what I want to do next.  And the price was close enuf to what I planned.  There ended up being a $529 "Aftermarket Equipment" charge on my final paperwork that I do not understand.  This happened during the financing portion of the negotiations.  I can't count the number of times I either signed my name or initialed something during that phase.  When there is that much paper and signing, you know who's getting protected don't you?  Why does the dealership need that much protection? Is it possible their sneaky ways leave people feeling taken advantage of the next day?  I hate (most) car dealers.

But I got my truck.  And for a price that I think is fair.  Actually, all I have are the keys and a stack of paperwork.  I was on my motorcycle and had no way to get both home.  So I will run back over there Wednesday morning and pick it up.

And here she is.  STS Hot Shots truck #207.  Welcome to the fleet.