Vehicle Shopping - Complete *Another Update*

[jholz]

I am in the market for a commuter car for my wife. She has fairly definite wants, so we have narrowed it down to a few makes and models. In other words, we're beyond the "what kind of car should I get phase."

 

So, I'm asking about the actual process of purchasing a car from a dealer. I have always purchased through private sales in the past, so I have little experience with it. I've only witnessed friends and relatives doing it.

 

I've tried to do my market research, and get a sense of price points, available vehicles, and demand. We are looking at both new and used, we have a spending cap of $20k, but are shooting to come in under $15k on the road if possible. We can finance totally or in part or buy outright.

 

I've taken a few test drives, and have narrowed it down to four or five viable options - one new, the rest used. I've looked at all the incentives, restrictions, MSRPs, Bluebook, Carfax, etc. crap available concerning these vehicles.

 

Now, it's pretty much down to price and ease of purchase. How do I negotiate the best deal?

 

Beyond that, any general advice or experiences that you think might help me? Anything you can provide would be helpful. I know nothing!

 

Thanks!

[jholz]

Damn, nothing people?

[Falang_Golfer]

There are all sorts of ways to negotiate but if buying new I had great luck with an auto broker. They do all the work for you and take a cut from the dealer. Got a better price for the new one and trade in than I got trying myself for a week.

[jholz]

There are all sorts of ways to negotiate but if buying new I had great luck with an auto broker. They do all the work for you and take a cut from the dealer. Got a better price for the new one and trade in than I got trying myself for a week.

 

Interesting. I've considered this route. Thanks for the suggestion!

[MtlJeff]

I've bought all my cars from the dealer and have gotten good deals, but you just have to be open to things....my last car i bought a demo model that had 1000km on it and i got a good discount, it also didn't have the "upgraded" rims that the model is supposed to have so i got more money off.

 

Sometimes dealers will give you a better price if you buy off the lot, so that means you have to be less picky about color

 

I usually will ask the dealer what they have on the lot and if they are trying to move anything

 

I found it's counterproductive to offer cash, since most dealers get their money right away if you finance anyway. I've found offering cash was never some big incentive for them. Maybe it's different in the US

[highergr0und]

It's not overly complicated, especially with new. Contact every dealer that sells the new model in the area that you'd be willing to drive to and see who puts the best package together and let them price it out for financing and cash. Another option is to find out which dealer in the nation does the best pricing on the car and see if it's worth a quick flight and/or paying to have it shipped. I know this is popular for trucks, when I was shopping for mine there was some Ram dealer out west that just crushes all deals. Their website had links to airlines and hotels for folks that would fly in just to buy the truck because it was so much cheaper. Maybe that exists for your car, check some forums to see if you can find one.

 

For used, it's basically the same thing just takes longer. As you see the car pop up here and there, make the call and see what they'll do before getting to the lot. It may take some patience to find it. I have a buddy that's an expert at this and finds unbelievable deals when he's in the market. Only downside is they usually involve a several hour car ride to random dealers in the smaller towns. Basically same thing the broker does he just does it.

[Hawkeye77]

Just bought my wife's latest and traded her previous via email and text with a dealer 200 miles away, while snowed in during Saturday watching of The Masters, lol.

 

Had done enough research to know what was reasonable if I traded, the opportunity for the vehicle they had was unique and only took a few minutes to research what a reasonable price was from their viewpoint. Ended up within the range of reasonableness and got the deal done subject to inspection by each party in about 20 minutes.

 

Bought our oldest a vehicle last summer just by having her check out models at a few dealers within a set price range, knew the margins on the one she wanted, got it done.

 

Ordered my Jeep three years ago, great deal with some research and discussion with willing dealer in Nebraska of all places.

 

Just mentioning these not because I'm some car wizard - I'm not, and really don't like buying vehicles, but each of those experiences went smoothly because of good preparation, having a good feel about the person I was talking too and remembering they have to make some money.

 

Have had bad experiences as well and some that just don't work out - just have to be prepared to say no and call it quits without getting frustrated if things aren't going the way you want - lots of vehicles out there. Information is power.

[jholz]

Thanks guys. Reasonable advice.

 

And MtlJeff, no different here in the U.S. when it comes to cash purchases. Financing is clearly what they want.

 

I do feel like I have a lot of things going in my favor. I'm shopping towards the end of the model year, and I'm looking at less desirable models that pretty much every dealer in the U.S. presently has on their lot. I've done a lot of searching.

 

Right now, I've got dealers begging me to come take a car off their hands (as they are want to do). I've also got money in the bank and some time to play with, so this seems like a reasonably strong position.

[masamitsu]

For the new car, a few friends have had success going thru Costco's auto buying service.

 

If you're member of the CU, you may check there as well to see if have a similar service.

[deadsolid...shank]

Buy on the last day of the month, or even better, late in December.

 

Used cars you really used to be able to find some deals well under book value (and always use NADA, not Kelly Blue Book). But now with such a shortage out there everything is bringing basically full value. But it will be easier to find value on a sedan of almost any kind, as AWD SUV's are dominating the market right now.

[JackpotJohnny]

Invoice + options/accessories @invoice + destination+ TTL should be your ceiling, and work down from there.

 

A good rule of thumb is if you are out the door for right around what the sticker was, you got a solid deal.

[lobstah]

Our last three were all Certified Pre Owned, and we have been quite happy with the results. It should be noted that we have used the same mega dealer for over 25 years, new and pre-owned.

[CEPick]

Be willing to walk away.

[Rob G 89]

I’ve noticed a lot of dealers going to no haggle pricing. The last vehicle I purchased the finance guy was straight up with me since I have a finance background. He goes we can go 0 percent but you pay more because no rebates or you can 1.9% and get rebates and actually pay less. If you have a favorable fico score you should be able to call the shots.

My advice to you it seems like you’re gettting a cheaper car, which I did a Chrysler 200. I got talked into an extended warranty for 2k. At first I thought i got ripped off but it’s been very helpful with repairs.

[Falang_Golfer]

One thing to remember is concentrate on the car and not the “deal”. I try to give advice to my parents all the time on what they should get and then they usually end up getting whatever deal they could find and then a few years later have problems with the car or sell it for way less than they bought. I’ve bought a few cars at retail price and over a few years come out way ahead than if I would have got a “great” price on a crappy car or one that isn’t so desired. Most are decent these days but there are still some duds and ones that don’t hold value well.

[jholz]

Thanks again for all of the replies guys. I really appreciate it. More than anything, your comments have confirmed that I seem to be going about things the right way.

 

I am probably going to be purchasing a vehicle this week, so I'll let you all know how it goes. Any additional advice would certainly be welcome.

 

Thanks again!

[highergr0und]

Thanks again for all of the replies guys. I really appreciate it. More than anything, your comments have confirmed that I seem to be going about things the right way.

 

I am probably going to be purchasing a vehicle this week, so I'll let you all know how it goes. Any additional advice would certainly be welcome.

 

Thanks again!

 

One thing I forgot.... Find out before you even start negotiations if a dealer charges any additional fees. I got to the point of paperwork with a dealer once and all of a sudden the price shot up by around $700. It was some origination or other BS charge that the absolutely refused to remove, saying that's how the dealer made money since the offers were so competitive. Other dealers in the area had a similar fee, but it was less and already accounted for in advertised and negotiated prices. They lost the deal because of this, but it cost me a good amount of time to get to that point and walk away.

[deadsolid...shank]

Thanks again for all of the replies guys. I really appreciate it. More than anything, your comments have confirmed that I seem to be going about things the right way.

 

I am probably going to be purchasing a vehicle this week, so I'll let you all know how it goes. Any additional advice would certainly be welcome.

 

Thanks again!

 

One thing I forgot.... Find out before you even start negotiations if a dealer charges any additional fees. I got to the point of paperwork with a dealer once and all of a sudden the price shot up by around $700. It was some origination or other BS charge that the absolutely refused to remove, saying that's how the dealer made money since the offers were so competitive. Other dealers in the area had a similar fee, but it was less and already accounted for in advertised and negotiated prices. They lost the deal because of this, but it cost me a good amount of time to get to that point and walk away.

 

That's a really, really good point Higher. We don't charge any "doc" fees at all, and use that as a strong selling factor.

[ping rat]

How many miles does your wife drive a month/year. I lease my wife's BMW X6 and she is on her third one trading out every 3 years. She doesn't put on many miles and the lease payment is considerably lees than making payments to purchase.

[Reb58]

I would add, a lot depends on what you intend to buy. Some cars can be greatly discounted and others less.

 

We recently bought new car and truck. Both were heavily discounted. Ford f150 and Toyota Camry hybrid.

 

We live in a huge market, Houston, so they sell on volume. We went in knowing what we were going to pay. That's what we paid. Keep in mind, dealers make money also based on volume, not only per car.

 

It also helps if your credit is great. If not, they've got you over a barrel.

 

Do your research on MSRP, and be willing to walk if they dont/won't deal.

[jholz]

So, I think I've found the vehicle. Base model domestic sedan, black, manual transmission.

 

With a couple of nice incentives, dealer discounts, etc., I'm looking at $12.6k OTR, or close to $6k off MSRP. Paying cash. That's even before my trade has been figured in, so it will probably end up being a bit lower.

 

I've put a payment down to lock in the car and price, and am looking to finalize the sale this weekend. I am aware that anything can happen between now and then, but I have my fingers crossed that I will give them the money and drive away without much further hassle. I am still willing to walk away, of course.

 

So, thanks again for all of y'all's advice. If it all works out, I think I have found a pretty decent deal on a car that will do what I need.

 

I will obviously keep you posted if anything crazy happens.

[jholz]

Managed to close the deal this weekend. Got the quoted price of $12.6K on the road, just under 6k less than the MSRP.

 

With the help of your advice and some diligence, I feel like I got a pretty good deal and am happy with my purchase. Thanks for your help folks!