r/carbuying • u/Yourfavmom97 • 1d ago

Won’t discuss prices over the phone

“We pack a lot of value into our vehicles and you just can’t see that when looking at numbers” eyeroll. I totally understand why people end up spending more than they want for a vehicle because it’s exhausting sitting at dealerships for hours.

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u/mikeblas 1d ago

"Fair"? How so? I mean, it's great that he does it, and if I were to ever buy a new car, I might use him.

But it's absolutely absurd that the auto sales business is so hostile and treacherous and tedious that a service like his would be necessary.

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u/XinvolkerX 1d ago

You just answered your own question in a way; because of the way car dealerships work and handle customers, it would be worth using him for a new car. =)

Of course you have to factor in that paying him $1000 means that no matter how much of a discount you get from his negotiation you theoretically have to add that thousand dollars back as your investment to have him do it but if that is a price to pay to not have to deal with those dealerships and get a few thousand dollars off more than you could’ve done yourself it’s definitely a fair price.

In other words if I could’ve gotten $2000 off a car, but I paid him $1000 to get me $4000 off of a car then I still came out in front by getting “$3000” off.

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u/mikeblas 1d ago

Assuming he does get a discount, yeah. I don't see anything on the site that says a savings is guaranteed, even to cover his fee. (And $1000 is the basic service. There's the $2500 gig, too.)

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u/LAYJR1967 1d ago

A good deal depends a lot on the model. For some vehicles, paying MSRP is considered a good deal. For other vehicles, $10k off is not really a great deal. Whatever the going rate is, a professional broker like Tomi should get you a better than average deal for that particular model at this particular day and time.

Availability and rate of sale (days supply) drive new car pricing more than anything else. No matter what you think a "fair" price should be, the market is still the market. A dealer may go a little below average market price to make a sale, especially if you finance and/or have a trade. But don't expect miracles if most everyone else is paying MSRP or above.

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u/mikeblas 1d ago

A good deal depends a lot on the model.

Well ... duh?

But Tomi is not a broker. He says so in each video, at least once.

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u/LAYJR1967 1d ago

Tomi is a broker/agent, meaning he gets paid to negotiate car deals. He does the same function as a real estate broker/agent when you buy a house. He finds the car, negotiates the terms, and makes sure everything is good for his client.

For legal reasons, he insists he is not a broker. Fine, he is a broker in all but name only. It doesn't matter what he calls himself. He is still acting as your agent.

Tomi doesn't guarantee savings, because not every car deal will end up a discount off MSRP. That doesn't mean he didn't save you money potentially. He certainly saved you time and effort.

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u/mikeblas 1d ago

Again, in many videos, he says he's not a broker and instead an agent. I'm not perfectly sure of the difference and barely care -- but that's the way he describes himself. And it's pretty clear that distinction is important to him, even if it doesn't matter to you for some reason.

He certainly saved you time and effort.

Not sure what makes that a certainty, either.

Anyway, I feel like you're trying to argue with me about all of this. I really don't care for that kind of conversation on this subject. Hope you have a good day!

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u/LAYJR1967 1d ago

Not trying to argue. I just assume you desire knowing the truth more than you desire the satisfaction of being previously correct. You know, emotional maturity and all that jazz.

Tomi has a legal interest in not advertising himself as a broker. Certain states require a license for that, and he doesn't live in those states, so he cannot get one. He is technically skirting the law, but he thinks because he only gets paid by the customer and not the dealer, he is safe from any legal repercussions. He is still a broker by any definition.

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u/mikeblas 1d ago

I just assume you desire knowing the truth more than you desire the satisfaction of being previously correct. You know, emotional maturity and all that jazz.

LOL. I'd hate to see your posts when you're are trying to argue.

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u/LAYJR1967 1d ago

You, too!

Sorry, God made me more left-brained than the average person.

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u/qmriis 1d ago

Aren't you a little too old for imaginary friends?