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AUTO PROGRAM

Buying a Car or Truck?

Let’s Compare the BCMS Auto Program to A Buying Service

By Phil Hornbeak, BCMS Auto Program Director

1 If you decide to work with one of the dealers who calls you, you will
Buying Service go to their dealership (in Texas a hot parking area) and likely spend several

hours working through their sales process. Even though you asked for
When you use a buying service to find a vehicle, you
someone you will still go through some sales procedures:
start by filling out the pop-up window which gives them
your contact information. You will enter information
THE QUESTIONING AT THE
about a particular year, make, and model, following
DEALERSHIP GOES LIKE THIS:
which they provide you with a price range or current ad-
vertisement and give your personal information to some • What’s your name? Alternatively, thanks for coming in
dealers. That is when the race begins; every contacted Mr. or Mrs. Customer.
dealer wants to be the first one to contact you to lock
• What brings you in today?
you in on a vehicle before the other dealers get a chance.
• May I ask why you are thinking about buying a new car?
You will receive more calls than you ever imagined. It is
like a dam breaks and the water starts washing over you; • Are there any specific makes or models you are interested in?
call after call, text after text.
• What features does your current vehicle have that you would
still like to have in your new one?

• What do you dislike about your current vehicle?
• What are the top thredd things you would love to see in
your new vehicle?
• Will you be trading in your current vehicle?
• Who is going to drive the vehicle most of the time and for what
purpose (business, pleasure, family)?
• What is your timeline? (Buying ASAP vs. browsing and waiting)

• Are you planning to pay cash or finance the vehicle?
• Did you finance your last vehicle? What was your monthly payment?

One of the advertising tactics observed recently is to show you the pic-
ture of a car, a sale price, and offer very low financing rates. However,
upon investing the time and effort to go to a dealership, you find the price
listed is for a used or demo car (one-of-a-kind that has probably already
sold), and the rates are for the top 1 percent of buyers. Teasing and tricky
ads are designed to get you to register online or by phone.

Are you overwhelmed yet? Now, let’s contrast the BCMS Auto Program

32 San Antonio Medicine • May 2018