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Originally Posted by Mike88
This is some really great advice guys..thanks! I'll do my hmwk on dealers and go in with the facts and specs on the car I want.
stovt001...by F&I do you mean finish and interior? That's my best guess. If so, are you talking about things like ash trays and cup holders? I mean what else would I want installed on the car that doesn't come from the factory?
Also, when you say don't let the saleperson lead you to the car and that you should bring them to the car you want, are you implying that I'll be driving the car right out of the showroom or off the lot? Like I said, I have no idea how this works...I just always figured you had to wait around a couple of days while the dealership got the car ready or placed an order for it from GM.
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I'm sorry, sometimes I lapse back into dealership speak and forget that not everyone else knows what I'm talking about. F&I is Finance and Insurance. They work out payment options and sell things like extended warranties, gap insurance, maintenance plans, lojack, etc.
The process can work two ways, depending as you said on whether you pick a car from the dealer's stock or you have them order a car.
If you're not very picky about how you want your car set up, or you get lucky and find the exact car you want in their stock (you can check inventories online on the dealer's website or Chevy's, but call ahead because they are not always up-to-date) then you go the the dealer, and a salesman will almost certainly jump to meet you as soon as you get there. Tell him what you want, he should take you to the car (if it is still there). Do the test drive, and if you still want it, you go into negotiations. At this point you hammer out the price of the car, plus discuss things like dealer accessories. Once this is done you'll move on to F&I, which will finalize the financing details that you worked out with the salesman (they might try to change them to their advantage, so be careful) and also sell you the products I mentioned above. During this time the salesman will have the car washed, polished, etc, and when you're done with F&I he'll have the car waiting for you. He'll demonstrate how to use everything, give you final instructions on maintenance, etc, and a final walk-around, then you drive it off the lot.
If you order your car, first go to the dealership and test drive one that is as mechanically similar to the car you want that you can find. Then tell the salesman you want to special order one. They'll probably require a refundable deposit. You'll fill out a slip to order the car, and then when it comes in a few months later go through the same experience I noted above.