Flying to get my FR-S
 

Hey everyone, long time lurker, first real post here so be easy on me.

Well as the title suggests, it's my turn to get my twin and I'm considering flying to get her.

Long story short, I would like a new one but the monogram trim isn't available and it doesn't look like it will be anytime soon. I don't mind the hassle of traveling to get her, it'd be a fun trip I think. No, I don't want to consider getting a base and doing the mods my self. Sorry BRZ fans, I know I could get the limited, but you won't convince me.

So here's the point of this thread:


-Have any of you flown to get your twin/or any car for that matter? How was your experience?

-What are some essential questions I need to be asking over the phone?

-Is it appropriate to talk about pricing over the phone?


In the end, I want to avoid a worst case scenario of me and my buddy flying one way out there just to find out some horrible news about the car that will make me call the entire thing off.

Some additional details:

-I plan to bring a pre-approved bank loan to shop.

-1k miles is my limit for travel, this whole thing has to go down in one weekend.

-This will be my first "new" car purchase, so any input would be appreciated.

EDIT:

Will most likely be from a dealership, ideally I would like no more than 15k on the clock.

:burnrubber:

I flew to get mine. Already bought it as the dealership financed me and we handled all the paperwork before hand. Just showed up and took the car... BUT the online listing said keyless entry. They said they had the keys... guess what I drove home without? Make absolutely positive they have the damn key fobs cuz you won't get them after you leave.

Is this a private seller or dealer? If private you better have a check in hand and they need to know that's how it is or they won't give you the car until the check clears. Dealer, work it out before you get on a plane. Lot of room for things to go wrong. No one will care if you are stranded for 3 days until the check clears.

Questions for seller... keys, do they have the fucking keys in their hand?! (Its about $1000 to replace a master key and a spare from dealer btw) other than that.... the usual was it in any accidents, does it leak, etc. For a brand new car, none of this matters cuz it'll run fine. For a slightly used one... still too new to "probably"have any problems. And if it does they will just lie to you anyways. Cuz once you drive away, you aren't going to tow it back 1000 for them to fix it. This all sounds scary but 99% you'll be fine. Biggest problem is just making sure you will be able to sign the title or whatever and drive away

I flew to Denver to pick up my BRZ from Heuberger Motors. Drove home and did not have to sign any paperwork at the dealer (everything was taken care of before I arrived).

I think I spent a total of about 30 minutes on actual car-buying activities, including the time spent signing paperwork at home when they FedEx'd the documents to me.

-alex

I also flew out to Heuberger and drove back ~1200 miles over the span of that afternoon/evening and the next day to get home.

Well looks like you got your ducks in order.

You can talk about price over the phone, but I would save the part about me flying over as the last part. That just shows your willing to pay any price if you're flying to get it.
If your 101% sure they have it in stock offer to put down a refundable deposit. So they can't sell it.

Also make sure to do it on a weekday during business hours, just in case they or you need to call the bank,insurance. Weekends are great if your bank can answer any loan questions. If not its weekday for you.

If you already have a pre approved loan have your bank call the dealer and makes sure they are on the same page. Don't let the dealer tell you they can get you a better deal with their loans. It's just a waste of time, unless you think they could better.
Also keep in mind about transferring state to state fees with your bank and dealer. You may have to pay twice if things go messy.

Keep in mind they will offer you the "extended warranty" it's an extra $3-5k so think about it.

Also have insurance ready for the car. They will not let you drive off the lot with out proof. You'll need the vin # for that.

Bring a buddy and plan out for the worse. Check the weather conditions on your way back. You may or may not need chains or whatever

Flew on mine. Spent 6hrs on paperwork, 12min or so checking car, 20min drive and 40min bargaining.

I got free trd exhaust, intake (sold it for stock bc lack of carb sticker [idiot me] and now buying one hehe), free bespoke interior lcd thingy, free wing, free 6 oil changes when it was originally 3 and lastly free extra interior floor mats... from top of my head.


Push them to give you something free like cargo net or wing but dont just tell them, "what can you give me" or they will think you are a fool like when i bought my Celica.

Also, go in savvy because 3/4 of the FRS sellers are idiots...they call a car with a wing a special edition... lmfao?~!

uhm... dont be pressured to get what they have, you take control of situation. If not they will mind rape you.

I got mine below sticker price after correcting my salesperson on so many things the car had/didnt have. They kept on saying someone else had come that day so i kept asking who and they didnt know what to answer.

Remember its their job to take and make a living. It's a business not your friendly neighbor spider man.

if you get nervous, just tell them youll come back if you decide on getting that one or go see a different dealer.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^IMO


https://media.giphy.com/media/11wnaGZ0KW9xyE/giphy.gif


GET A CLEAR BRA. DONT DONT DONT buy into the POS interior guard and exterior. You can get that cheaper. Know this: dealers make most of their $$$ from add-ons! I spent $3k extra on my Celica when i bought it as a kid.

Flew to Rapid City to get mine. Just remember to have insurance in order beforehand lol. Or else you'll be spending at least one night in a hotel near the dealership. And obviously make sure the loans gone through your bank or the been pre approved by the dealerships financiers.

It will be the best drive home you have ever had.

@ricotheraccoon You should buy mine. :) lol

Come visit Canada at the same time. We're nice people.

DANG, @Packofcrows ...... how many times to you read ALL of the fine print ..... :D


humfrz

Can't you just get a CARB sticker?

Yeah lol but i was dumb so i got stock one. Bought a TRD one now ...lol installing later in week

@humfrz, i was scared lol... they wanted a b.s. price of 32k for it at first! Idk why paperwork took so long tbh. Got there at 11am, left at 6pm. Hot home at 8pm. Zzz...

I only drove about 2 minutes away to get mine and if I couldn't see the car in person to know exactly what I was getting,
I wouldn't be in any car no matter how badly I wanted it if I had to buy sight unseen unless there was 100% disclosure of what I was getting.
There are too many variables in a used car to worry about after you get that far to see it.
-Can you bring it to a mechanic and have it checked before you buy?
-Can you trust what the salesperson says about minor scratches or dents on the paint? (This one would be huge for me. When I bought mine I knew 110% what was scratched
or not as I knew how thin the paint was and I didn't want to be doing major polishing on a new car)
-Does the car smell inside?
-Are there small tears in any fabric inside?
-Any scuffs or cracks on plastic molding?
-Are there any scratches in the glass?
-Are there any weird noises coming from the engine bay while driving?
-Are there any creaks and squeaks while driving?
-Does the car need an alignment before heading back home?
-etc
I would nit pick the car to death before flying 1000 miles to buy.

If I had to get a car that far away, I'd have a huge checklist for the guy on the other end to check off. So much so that he'd probably just laugh and say he was too busy to take the time.
If you are dead set on this, once you know where the car is going to be, maybe have another nice forum member check it out for you and give their opinion. I know I'd take the 15 minutes if somebody wanted one
at the dealership by me and they were too far away if they needed that favor. And if I did, I would be giving that person the real truth on what they are getting into like as if I was buying the car myself.

Huge: Realize if they know where you came from, there will be no negotiating the price at all since they have you by the gonads for coming out that far to possibly buy.

Whatever you do don't let them know your flying in to purchase it!!!!

You do that and you give up your power in negotiations as they know they have you. Don't worry about them looking at caller ID. Can't rely on a area code to determine if someone is local or not with cell phones now. If they ask if your local because of it just say yes.

When you do land, make sure your rental has a local plate and when they ask about trade in just say your not interested in trading in and that your picking up a fun car......or have someone local on this board help motor you around in exchange for some beer and food.

If you hold the fact you flew in it gives you the bargaining power because in their eyes you can walk away potentially. You have to be ready to walk away as well if its not a good deal for you.


Lots of the other factors mentioned here hold true too. Have your insurance and funding lined up in advance so that its a phone call away by you.

Clear bra is a great idea but there's no chance they'll be able to get that on for OP without sufficient lead time as most dealers don't have it in stock. My dealer told me most dealers have their external body shops apply it because it's too time consuming for in house and too many were wasted during application (co$tly goof up).

That's to much commitment for me for any car. I wouldn't fly to a private seller anywhere. To much risk for to much money.

Good luck

Check with your insurance carrier but most (well, at least some) cover a new car for 30 days if you have an existing policy.

I spent almost four hours on paperwork at the dealership I bought from, too. Some of that was having to sit through "mandatory" sales presentations of warranty programs, service options, and other intangible addons that increase their profit margin, despite the fact that I told them in advance that I wasn't interested in nor able to pay a cent above the price we had negotiated prior to my arrival to pick up the car from out of town.

Other than that and getting a complete screwing on my trade, it was a pretty smooth and easy experience. The screwing was expected.. you always get screwed on a trade compared to selling your car outright...but we had discussed the value of that car in no uncertain terms prior to my arrival. They KNEW I wouldn't take less than a certain figure, and promised me they'd give me at LEAST that, and probably more. The only reason I thought about trading it in rather than selling it was for convenience's sake; if I didn't trade it in, I'd have to bug a friend for a 10 hour-round-trip road trip, or pay over $100 for a train ticket. I explained that to them, and TOLD them that if they were uncomfortable guaranteeing me at least $500 for my car sight unseen (I'd described it VERY honestly and in gory detail), I'd find a ride or take the train. They assured me we'd "work something out." When I got there, they told me a figure $400 less.. and the original figure was $500!!! That made for some uncomfortable discussions w/ management. That took up about an hour and a half. I was mad. They knew I had driven five hours to pick up the car, and now either had to back out and drive my admittedly aging car back home and pass or just suck it up. By the end of the negotiation, I got them back pretty close to the $500, but it was ugly, and they never should have done that to me in the first place.

This was a VERY reputable, well-reviewed dealership w/ awards galor plastered all over the place. Soo.. believe it. ALL dealerships will do their best to exact their pound of flesh, and more, from you. Be prepared.

Barry

I flew to pick up my TBSS. Talked with the guy (private seller) a million times through PM, email, and phone. He texted me and emailed me a ton of pictures and videos. Any question I had he answered. At the end of the day I thought he was representing everything accurately and didn't seem like he was hiding anything.


Made arrangements for a flight after putting 500 in his paypal account. We agreed this would be refundable if the vehicle was not described accurately and actually had a very rudimentary contract drafted.


Guy picked me up at the airport and after I drove the vehicle around we went to his bank and exchanged payment / paperwork. I had a bill of sale and the license plate I was transferring on the vehicle and I acquired insurance at the bank and I set off for home.


It was a great experience, but also nerve wracking. You ARE driving a new vehicle miles and miles. For me it was a 1.5 day drive taking it easy. I got to know the vehicle well, and it didn't have any issues but there always could be something. Also all your states paperwork probably isn't going to be 100% done so there is a potential for something to come up if you get pulled over. In my case my license plate was still issued to a Red Camaro SS and a cop and I had a long discussion about why I was driving a Silver Trailblazer SS.


Either way, I'd do it again if the deal was solid enough or if I wanted a specific vehicle I saw online. Buying from a dealer may or may not be harder than buying from a private seller.


The guy that bought my Z06 flew in from New Jersey and I picked him up at the airport. I know that these are very specific vehicles, but sometimes flying is worth getting what you are specifically after. Especially vehicles no longer produced / specialty vehicles to begin with.

I agree that letting them know you flew in is a bad idea. See my earlier post. However, lying about it isn't very cool. Just because they might lie to you doesn't mean you should be untruthful or dishonest. I like the idea about finding a friend locally, perhaps via this board. Then you WOULD have a place to stay if things went south and you could tell them that truthfully.

The rest of the quoted advice is very sound. Personally, I'd have no qualms about travelling to pick up a car from a dealership, provided the negotiations have already been done. Getting the agreed-upon price in writing before hand is a good idea. I would not travel a long distance to shop for a car, especially from a private seller or generic used car dealer, unless I was fully prepared to pass on the deal and return home at my expense. Too many dishonest people in the world. Don't add to the number.

Barry

My answer to this one is simple. If they start, I tell them I do not want to hear the sales pitches and if they insist the deal is off. They then stop and go right to letting me sign off that I don't want the mess.

My local subie dealer transferred the car from a dealer 250 miles away and offered to deliver it to my house.

As a sales consultant, I've sold an Outback as well as a WRX STI to buyers from Los Angeles and my dealership is in the SF Bay Area.

- You definitely want to tell them you are coming from out of town. There is no negotiation power from the start when you are looking for an EXACT model so telling them you are from out of town makes the deal secure and makes the experience more mutual.

- You need to make the salesperson mentally ready to make the deal, so telling them that you are already pre-approved will help them out too so that they are ready to take you in as an appointment.

- Start a relationship as soon as you are on the phone or get off the phone. Tell them a little about yourself before you meet them in person. Doing this builds trust and also shows you if the salesperson is genuinely interested in helping you. This will lead to a good experience for both people.

- Since they know you are coming out of town, tell them you will need the exact details down to costs of registration and taxes, AKA the OTD price. Confirm they will hold the car, and ask for pictures of the car. Tell them you are ready and these are the only details you will need. Give them your information (phone number and email) and tell them that if they need a copy of your driver's license you can provide one.

- Ask them to help you out a little. You should've already made a small relationship with the salesperson so now that you have established an express friendship, you should be able to ask for a discount. Don't ask them "WHAT'S YOUR BEST PRICE" because we literally get this question down to the exact words every day and we are tired of hearing it. Politely tell them you are genuinely interested and ask them if they can ensure you are getting an exceptional deal. Don't use the word "best" or "good" deal because those are words salespeople hear all the time. You'll get a better deal if the experience is different for the salesperson too, and that includes how you speak to them. Give them reasons why you need to save money and if worse comes to worse tell them you are also comparing a BRZ Limited.

I don't follow the reasoning of letting them know they have the upperhand in the negotiations. Why would they lower the price if you ask for a discount
when they know you either buy at what was negotiated over the phone or have to waste money going back home empty handed? In the last few months
since I bought mine, have car salespeople all got together and decided to make less money and do favors for their potential customers out of kindness?

When I bought mine used, I went in there after a new 2015. I found a very low mileage used 2015 on the lot and offered a couple thousand less than what they were asking and got it.
It was immaculate, low miles and even came with great tires and wheels. I didn't make a big deal when I seen it but in my head knew I was getting that car. For all they knew, I could
have instead bought the new one or even just walk away from everything altogether. We were both on even ground. If they knew I came from a long distance I don't see how I would
have gotten that huge discount I got.

I still don't see any good coming from a used purchase from such great distance as you have no idea exactly what you are buying unless it was new.
I had a work truck S10 that blew an engine and I found a replacement less than 100 miles away. It was exactly what I needed except when I got there to get it picked from the other S10,
it was suddenly the wrong year and not running for me to see how it ran as they said it would be over the phone. I had to just take it and get it in with some modification and not knowing if it would actually run.
Unless it's your mother on the other side of the deal where you have to fly to pick up a car and negotiate, I wouldn't trust anybody selling a used car.
And then even then it's not 100% because if she is a car salesperson, you really can't trust her all the way if she is making a commission. :D

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I don't think there's any way around them knowing that I'll be flying in, I would much rather be upfront with them when they ask.

I really really like the idea of having the negotiations/paper work done prior to me going out there. Perhaps I can fax most of the paperwork and wait to do the final signing when I get there? I'd much rather deal with the hassle before hand.

I think how the salesmen reacts to me nit picking about details will speak volumes on if the car is truly tip top. I mean a car with less than 10k miles should be okay but I will certainly nit pick away.

I also feel like building a good relationship with them will help me get the price a little lower.

Oh and the keys.. Make sure they have the goddamn keys. Got it.


:thanks:

Patience is definitely the key. YOU are the one buying, and if you're taking the trouble to fly in for it, they need to have everything done short of taking the paper floor mats out for you when you arrive.

How long have you sold cars?

I was in the same boat as you where I wanted certain options that were offered in the 2013 10 Series. I was hooked on the Silver Ignition paint so seeking a Monogram really was not an option. I found one locally (Wellesley, MA) and test drove it with just 1K miles, never titled, but sales wouldn't budge on the price. I set off on a search in the Northeast down to the mid-atlantic looking at low miles or a new one. I found a dealer in Virginia who took my offer on a new one with 60 miles. Mind you, it was a 2013 left over and still on the dealer floor in March of 2015. I got plenty of pictures and talked several times with the salesman on the phone. I ironed out all the details and was impressed that he took an out of state buyer serious.

He picked up the lady and I a week later from the airport. During that week's time, I got a purchase and sale agreement, got a check from the credit union (better rates), and transferred the insurance from the daily driver over to the FR-S the day before the flight. The dealer gave me a 15 day tag (paper plate) to drive home with. I got slowed (five hour process) at the dealer doing the paperwork after looking the car over with approval. I was able to go for a test drive and had enough time to buy the salesman a gift certificate to the best steak house in town.

The best part of the trip was driving it back home to MA, immediately taking the car on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles.

All I can offer is get pictures with high resolution of the car inside and out. All flaws should be brought to light and noted. Ask all the questions and certainly talk money until offer is accepted. If you get down there with the check in hand and something does not line up (oh, forgot to mention curb rash on the wheels, door ding, drilled holes in the front bumper, water in the tail light, missing key FOB, and missing floor mats), be ready to walk and book a flight home. :D

Jim

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

My flight is tonight and I'm so goddamn excited.