Dealer trade fee?

[acoga]

The dealer closest to me finally got in a couple of R-Specs, but neither are the color I want. We're in Austin. They say they can trade cars with a dealership elsewhere in the state (probably Dallas or Houston), and they want to charge me a $700 transportation fee. Is that reasonable? I've only had a dealer trade another dealer for a car I wanted once before, but that was in a different city where the dealers were only a few miles away from each other so there was no extra fee.

 

[imaphaetonguy]

I wouldn't pay it.

You can get CHEAP one-way air tickets from Austin to DFW or Houston. Work a deal via the internet or phone.

 

[Mark_888]

The dealer will usually want to transport the cars by truck both ways, since the other dealer doesn't want a lot of miles put on the car they are getting in trade. Also, if you want a very popular color, the other dealer may want a few hundred extra dollars to make the trade and handle the paperwork. So actual dealer out of pocket expense is probably closer to $500, but there is always a chance something will go wrong and/or you back out the deal, so they probably want some extra "insurance" money.

 

[Aquineas]

I too live in Austin. Screw paying that. Go to the dealer and buy the car from the one who has it. If they don't truck it, they'll have someone driving it, and that might as well be you (and yes, every dealer in the world uses "Yeah but they're driven by old men" excuse. Riiiiiiiight).

Houston and Dallas are less than 3 and 3 1/2 hours away, respectively; plenty of time to get used to your new Genesis I bought mine in Houston; one Austin dealer never responded to my inquiries, another one was way too high.

 

[acoga]

Houston and Dallas are less than 3 and 3 1/2 hours away, respectively; plenty of time to get used to your new Genesis I bought mine in Houston; one Austin dealer never responded to my inquiries, another one was way too high.

Yeah, because of this thread I looked up air fair and it's dirt cheap. I could easily fly to Houston or Dallas then drive back.

What dealer did you use in Houston? Any specific person I should ask for? I know some dealers have a "fleet dealer" or "internet dealer" who generally offers better deals than some random salesguy off the showroom floor.

 

[Aquineas]

Yeah, because of this thread I looked up air fair and it's dirt cheap. I could easily fly to Houston or Dallas then drive back.

What dealer did you use in Houston? Any specific person I should ask for? I know some dealers have a "fleet dealer" or "internet dealer" who generally offers better deals than some random salesguy off the showroom floor.

I used North Freeway Hyundai, I don't remember the guy's name, sorry. He wasn't memorable, aside from the fact that he's a former offensive lineman . You should always deal with the internet dealer; try to negotiate the price on the phone before you go in (explain you're coming in from Austin), etc, and get them to confirm the price by email first.

My experience was "okay", not bad, but I honestly could have driven home a much better deal if I'd have known what others were paying.

 

[Mark_888]

Yeah, because of this thread I looked up air fair and it's dirt cheap. I could easily fly to Houston or Dallas then drive back.

What dealer did you use in Houston? Any specific person I should ask for? I know some dealers have a "fleet dealer" or "internet dealer" who generally offers better deals than some random salesguy off the showroom floor.

Don't you need to find the same dealer that has the model and color you are looking for that your local dealer was going to trade for? Or maybe there are multiple dealers in each city with what you want. You might be able to find out by checking their on-line inventory, or just call them.

 

[nextcar]

Don't you need to find the same dealer that has the model and color you are looking for that your local dealer was going to trade for? Or maybe there are multiple dealers in each city with what you want. You might be able to find out by checking their on-line inventory, or just call them.

my experience has been that you cannot trust a dealer to tell you what cars they have and exactly what colors they are, exterior and interior. it may seem like an easy question for them to answer, but some how they invent lies just to get you to come in.

the best source of info on dealer inventory is the hyundaicircle website. use a code that you can find on this forum to log in.

 

[Mark_888]

my experience has been that you cannot trust a dealer to tell you what cars they have and exactly what colors they are, exterior and interior. it may seem like an easy question for them to answer, but some how they invent lies just to get you to come in.

I have experienced that also, but I blame it on the individual salesperson. Obviously, in this case, no one is going to travel to another city 3 hours away unless there is contract for a specific VIN at a specific price ready to be signed.

My understanding is that not all dealer inventory is on the Hyundai Circle website. The regular dealer websites have inventory listed with colors, but not sure if it is 100% accurate, but maybe accurate enough to use as a short list of dealers to call first.

Personally, I would try and negotiate the fee down to about $300-$400 and just pay it (assuming cars are trucked both ways, which is usually the case due to the trading dealer wants his car trucked with no extra miles).