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GargantuanWitch t1_j9u8ofd wrote

Based on a friend's experience with finally getting the truck he's been trying to buy for 2 years, it's not pretty. I wouldn't go in assuming there's any room for haggling, especially if the dealership has no stock.

Also, I wouldn't even bother driving around unless you've already called someone to set up an appointment to see an actual vehicle. My friend's dealership called him and said "a truck came in, we're calling you and one other person, first one here gets it."

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_j9uoh8t wrote

I was able to head this off by going in on a random friday, meeting with a sales guy and telling him what I wanted, and then he "reserved" one for me. I brought in my DL, insurance card, etc. etc. They knew what was coming in so they printed me off the financial statement. I didn't have to put down a deposit, and I could still test drive it and say no. They called me 5 days later when it was ready and we went in and completed the sale.

so if you're really interest in something (for OP...) you may need to go into a dealer and talk to someone first and figure out what's coming in when, and put dibs on it.

The guy over the phone said I'd have to put down a $500 refundable deposit, but the salesguy said a handshake was good enough... I'm sure they do that for everyone, unless you seem extra shifty. Part of the "we think you're great!!" sales technique.

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enraged_hbo_max_user t1_j9v2jgm wrote

That whole “first one here gets it” is an old ploy to create urgency. Not saying it didn’t happen to your friend because yes the supply chain is so jacked up right now, but just putting it out there that that’s an old dealer trick.

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